Zen and the Art of Deviation

A Practical Guide to Becoming an Ace Deviant with Effortless Ease

Whoso should walk as taught the Wake to each
Who sought, would go from the not-beyond to the beyond;
And making the Way supernal to become,
They to the beyond from the not-beyond would go.

Suttanipāta 1129-1130


Thus spoke the Buddha, and without any numinous air to his words, he touches the very core of the subject. What is this way that he talks about? What is this special journey that he invites us to make? Where is this beyond that he urges us to reach? What has it got to do with deviantArt and the Deviant? Let us try and walk on this very path and see where it takes us.

We all are drifting – one way or the other, some appear to be drifting fast while others merely drift with the flow. The river is constantly moving – flowing as it progresses, enveloping the very consciousness of its sailors to such an extent that its course is decided by their very actions. deviantArt is like that river, full of different droplets that are constantly shaping and deciding its course. The collective-consciousness of all the Deviants decides the final outcome, the final destiny which affects everybody that is a part of the community. In such an integrated network, it is but natural to follow a trend, a path, an outline that has been decided by the predecessors. But being a deviant is about deviating, about non-conforming, about deciding a unique path that is most suited for your existence.

A Truth-finder, monk, one perfected, fully awakened, causes a Way to arise which had not arisen before; he brings about a Way not brought about before; he proclaims a Way not proclaimed before; he is knower of the Way, understander of the Way, skilled in the Way. So it is clear that to progress on the way we have to understand it, to completely be aware of it to the last pebble, to every single blade of grass, to every milestone that comes along. What is this way about? What is deviantArt? Is it an online community for artists to share their work and get critical appreciation in return? Yes, that is true but that doesn’t encompass the entire reality. Why did such a group arise? It was possibly because of the innate desire of every human-being to exchange, to share, to revolve, to flow, to create, to express and to evolve.

Is deviantArt some tool for evolution? No, it is just a medium that serves the purpose. Creativity is the tool that evolves, if we consider the Darwinian Theory of Evolution, then physical evolution is a slow process spanning up to a period of millions of years. So does it mean that evolution stops in between? No, it is not just physical evolution that is taking place, but everything in nature is evolving because it is the very nature of nature to evolve. This evolution takes place in thoughts, in desires, in dreams and in creativity that propels us to higher levels of consciousness.

How do I evolve as a Deviant? If I were to give you some formula for that, it would be entirely against the spirit of being a Deviant. The Deviant must decide for himself what path suits him best for his evolution. However, there are certain Spiritual Laws to Success that should be kept in mind for effortless and spontaneous growth. Let us now discuss these 7 Laws that will not only be useful for your existence in deviantArt but for your existence in this world.

1. THE LAW OF PURE POTENTIALITY. The source of all creation is pure consciousness… pure potentiality seeking expression from the unmanifest to the manifest. And when we realize that our true Self is one of pure potentiality, we align with the power that manifests everything in the universe. This has got to do with your heart and your very being. You are totality; you must always keep this in mind. There is immense potential in everyone. Everybody is unique in this universe. There is no one else that can replace you in your being, your thoughts and your actions. Keep this Law in mind when you are creating. Don’t just create because you have to, but create as if you are the creator. Your work that you showcase at deviantArt is not a dead thing. It is alive – alive with emotions, thoughts and feelings that you’ve put in while you were working at it. Try it yourself. For the next Deviation, feel the content before you create it, while you’re working on it, talk to it as if it were alive. Then carefully select emotions and feelings and lay them down along with every brush-stroke, every letter of the pen. This work when complete would be different. People would take notice of it. Because along with your creativity, there is also nature’s intelligence that you have utilized while creating. When you are working on your creation with that power, be it a prose, poetry, wallpaper, an artwork or a design, such power cannot be left unnoticed. Such work has the power to stir emotions, to move mountains and to hold winds.

2. THE LAW OF GIVING. The universe operates through dynamic exchange… giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe. And in our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives. Such is the magical power of Giving. It might seem to be a simple exercise but it is one that is rarely practiced. At deviantArt everybody seeks appreciation, praise in the form of comments and favorites. What is the easiest way to get all that? It’s quite simple, GIVE what you WANT! If you want more comments on your page, start giving out comments on your friend’s page, fellow Deviants and Newcomers. If it is praise that you seek, start taking pride in the work of others; generously add comments to their artwork, if you like something don’t hesitate to favorite it. In very little time you will start finding that you are getting comments for your work, some stranger has given a favorite to the little white bunny you drew last month and your page-views have increased. That’s the Law of Giving in action!

3. THE LAW OF “KARMA” OR CAUSE AND EFFECT. Every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind. What we sow is what we reap. And when we choose actions that bring happiness and success to others, the fruit of our karma is happiness and success. DeviantArt is a free community – you are free to post any kind of work or comment in any manner that you like. But you shouldn’t forget that the law of karma is always acting. What you sow is what you reap. Post beautiful thoughts and they shall come back to you. Propagate beauty and creativity and that shall be your own reward. Chose carefully the words you speak at Forums, Shoutboxes and Journals because whatever you give to the community would be returned back to you in multifold.

4. THE LAW OF LEAST EFFORT. Nature’s intelligence functions with effortless ease… with carefreeness, harmony, and love. And when we harness the forces of harmony, joy and love, we create success and good fortune with effortless ease. We’ve always been told that ‘something for nothing’ isn’t possible. That is right but to some extent. People pay a lot of importance to material and manifest work and they tend to ignore the unmanifest and non-material thoughts and desires that are behind every work. It has been over a year and your total page views are under 5,000. You’ve posted your best artwork till date and you get only 5 comments for that. Your journal entries remain unnoticed. These are certain problems that you might be facing. You think that you’ve done it all and the system is just too dead to respond. That isn’t the case. If you want to change your position and how things are working out for you, you’ll have to practice Acceptance – accept people, situations, circumstances and events as they occur. Having accepted things as they are, take Responsibility for your situation and for all those events that you see as problems. Be Defenseless – don’t try to defend yourself because by doing that you’re just wasting your energy. Relinquish the need to defend your point of view. Be open to changes and make changes in your work, your comments, your artwork and your postings. Soon you’ll see changes in your surroundings too. Try and make changes until they produce beneficial results. Once you start getting the expected calls, you can be rest assured that you’ve aligned yourself and your work to the laws of nature.

5. THE LAW OF INTENTION AND DESIRE. Inherent in every intention and desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment… intention and desire in the field of pure potentiality have infinite organizing power. And when we introduce an intention in the fertile ground of pure potentiality, we put this infinite organizing power to work for us. Desire isn’t bad – all living things have desires, its how we materialize these desires is what makes the whole affair god or bad. Sex is a desire, it isn’t bad but there are people that try to gratify this strong desire by wrong means. Seeing yourself grow in deviantArt Community, having millions of pageviews and thousands of favorites to your work is a perfectly healthy desire. But spamming individuals and making yourself heard as if you were desperate spoils it. There is an easier way to achieve this. Just center yourself and find spaces in your thoughts – this is the way you can tap into your real creativity. Once you’re established in that state of Being, realize your intentions and desires – be very clear on what you want. Is it a 1000 pageviews you want by the end of this month? Focus on that and automatically your work will be in accordance with that desire: you’ll start producing content that will MAKE people come and visit your page. Relinquish your attachment to the outcome. When you’re posting new content, don’t anticipate anything in return. If it’s worthy of praise, praise shall come to you, there is no point in running after it. Let the universe handle the details – just release your intentions & desires, do your work and leave everything else to the intelligence of nature. Let your work speak for itself.

6. THE LAW OF DETACHMENT. In detachment lies the wisdom of uncertainty… in the wisdom of uncertainty lies the freedom from our past, from the known, which is the prison of past conditioning. And in our willingness to step into the unknown, the field of all possibilities, we surrender ourselves to the creative mind that orchestrates the dance of the universe. We all are attached but it doesn’t help. I remember the first time I submitted my Deviation. I was very anticipating, I wanted some comments, a few favorites maybe and I waited. But alas, it went unnoticed. My attachment to the results ruined it for me. The next time I was a lot free and I just left it for the community to decide, I didn’t even post any messages trying to explain what my content was and that I would be happy to receive comments. It worked! People tried to figure out what it meant all by themselves and in doing so they posted a lot of stuff; some even favored it although it wasn’t an exceptional piece of art. When we are attached, we follow a routine, when we detach ourselves, we become uncertain and uncertainty yields innovation. If you STOP CARING about the comments, about the critique, chances are high that you would produce something that goes beyond comments and critique and what do you find – people are happily commenting on it. Allow yourself the freedom of being what you really are – don’t bind or condition yourself according to other’s thinking. This will help you a lot in your creative process. Uncertainty should be an important ingredient of your experience. deviantArt community enjoys something new, something out-of-the-box, by being uncertain you automatically create art that is different. Step into the field of all possibilities and anticipate the excitement that can occur when you’re open to an infinity of choices.

7. THE LAW OF “DHARMA” OR PURPOSE IN LIFE. Everyone has a purpose in life… a unique gift or special talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals. Just because ‘Manga’ or ‘Anime’ is popular at deviantArt doesn’t mean that you’ve to commit yourself to any particular style. There is something in you that nobody else has. Slowly but steadily evolve your own style. Have your own perspective of looking at things. That should be reflected in your artwork, in your writings and your poetry. When people see something ‘unique’ they get attracted and such an attraction to the non-ordinary is very strong. Start posting stuff that you like to draw, that you like to write and that will nourish your talent, that will bring serenity to your soul no matter if other people appreciate it or not. Work for your own amusement and pleasure and soon people would start rejoicing with you. Nurture the god or goddess in embryo that lies deep within your soul – this would be your SPECIAL TALENT that you can share with others. Make a list of your unique talents and the things you love to do while expressing your unique talents. Try to help and serve the community and the community would be drawn at your service.  

Those who have cut the stream, so hard to pass,
Of objects dear and sweet, enslaving,
They attain utter nirvana,
They utterly pass over ill.

Itivuttaka p.95


We started with a journey, a desire to go but now we have realized that there is no need to go anywhere, we can realize what we have to from wherever we are and in doing so our journey becomes our final destination. This was a ‘Guide to Becoming’ but now I ask you to ‘Guide Yourself to Being’. Know who you are and in that knowledge lie your true powers. May all our different journeys as different Deviants unite us as one in thought, purpose and action!

Om Mani Padme Hum!
(Salutations to the Jewel on the Lotus - A tribute to the Buddha)