art and the sacred – Urthona

‘The Infinite Game’ – Zen and AI

Zen and Artificial Intelligence by PAUL ANDREW POWELL Crucial topics of modernity from a Zen point of view, book review by Ratnagarbha

In memory: Peter Abbs

The passing of poet and educationalist Peter Abbs Ratnagarbha remembers a writer of vision who was a friend of the magazine and sadly passed away at the age of 78 in December of 2020.

Where are all the dark paths now?

‘Where are all the dark paths now? The Pure Land itself is near’ – Zen Master Hakuin. Ratnagarbha explores the Buddhist Pure Land tradition through a painting from old Tibet.

High summer approaches. For me this time of year is very much associated with that most aetherial of birds, the swift. I’m waiting eagerly for them to arrive. Remembering sitting in the garden at peace on summer afternoons; looking upwards into depth upon depth of blue, where the screaming swifts are seen looping through theContinue reading “Longing for the swifts”

Orc in the fires of hell

I have just updated our website – let us know what you think of the new look. The featured image is now Blake’s engraving of Orc in the fires of energy, from his book America a Prophecy.

New Post – striking mythic drawings based on ancient slavic beliefs

We feature the fascinating mythic art work of Marek Hapon based on the ancient slavic beliefs of his pagan ancestors. “My first contact with ancient Slavic beliefs occurred while spending summers at my grandmother’s farm in eastern Poland. It was there that I discovered the world of supernatural beings — some frightening and others wondrous. OneContinue reading “New Post – striking mythic drawings based on ancient slavic beliefs”

Just posted in Culture and Society: Ruskin’s Seven Lamps and the power of art

Just posted a talk given by Ratnagarbha on the art critic John Ruskin and his relevance to people who believe in the power of art to transform self and world. Find the talk here: Ruskin’s Seven Lamps

Just posted new essay on Buddhism and the rebirth of a culture of beauty.

The face I had before the world was made: Why art, Buddhism and beauty go hand in hand – a major new essay which sets out the values behind Urthona journal of Buddhism and the Arts, a journey in the company of James Hillman, Sangharakshita and W. B. Yeats by Urthona editor, Ratnagarbha. The first book to be written from a Western perspective onContinue reading “Just posted new essay on Buddhism and the rebirth of a culture of beauty.”

What the Silence Meant – Poems and Music that Celebrate Stillness and Listening

Simon Millward looks at a new book of poems ‘in conversation’ with the late, great American poet William Stafford, and the music of Meg Hutchinson. Both of these artists show a strong feeling for silence and the value of listening… In the last issue of Urthona there was an article entitled ‘Hearing the wilderness listen’,Continue reading “What the Silence Meant – Poems and Music that Celebrate Stillness and Listening”

William Blake and the technology of publishing

Blake is virtually unique in European art for the way in which image and poetry are married in his visionary prophetic books. Early in his professional life Blake hit upon a novel method for printing his own books from etched copper plates, where hand written text and images could be combined.