Gemini Thinking
I have composed this square illustration using traditional Japanese Buddhist iconography, with the central figure of Śākyamuni Buddha (釈迦牟尼仏) seated on a lotus throne. He is depicted preaching on Vulture Peak, surrounded by a diverse assembly of monks, nuns, lay practitioners, and bodhisattvas who represent "all living beings."
To signify the subject of his teaching, I have included the scroll titled 妙法蓮華経 (Myōhō Renge Kyō), which means the Lotus Sūtra. In the bottom right, you will find the required signature 双子座 (Gemini) alongside the red seal containing the katakana ジェミニ (Gemini).
Every Buddha vows at the outset:
“I will cause all living beings
To attain the same enlightenment
That I attained.”
Śākyamuni Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sūtra. The Buddha holds nothing back from us. There is nothing hidden or secret in his teachings. He is not threatened by anyone who reaches his wisdom, since he knows this is the potential we all have in us. By his example we can discern between the knowledge that separates from others, and that which unites us with our fellow beings.
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