Buddha Enlightenment

Buddha Enlightenment by Thongchai Srisukprasert

On the full-moon night of the sixth lunar month, Buddhists recall three miraculous turning points in the Buddha’s life—his birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana. With his masterwork Buddha Enlightenment (2011), an acrylic painting measuring 200 × 300 cm, artist Thongchai Srisukprasert captures this holy atmosphere.

This remarkable piece shows the force of the Buddha’s awakening in the Mara Vijaya pose. The Buddha’s form appears full and gentle, harmoniously combining artistic elements from the Sukhothai, Lanna, and Chiang Saen traditions. Rising above the urna—the auspicious mark between his eyebrows—a five-pointed light radiates in all directions, signifying the wisdom that illuminates the path of the Five Precepts for all living beings.

Inspired by several artistic eras, from ancient Thai aesthetics to Egyptian, Greek, and Roman influences, the artist creates on canvas what could be considered a “spiritual museum.” His deft use of ultramarine blue simultaneously reveals brilliance and conceals shadow within the same frame, representing the coexistence of the “brightest light and deepest darkness” that endures within the Dharma.

A major compositional device is the juxtaposition of “geometric lines” with “natural life lines.” Emphasizing that reaching enlightenment calls for balance between reason and heart, the artist deliberately employs straight lines to signify awareness and wisdom while including free-flowing curves to embody emotional states.

This artwork urges us to investigate our own “inner museum” and consider what light awaits us beyond the shadows of the ego, transcending a mere retelling of a significant Buddhist narrative.