Susan Abraham Presents Commissioned
Sculpture to the Dalai Lama
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Susan Abraham greets His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama.)
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The sculpture Susan presented to the Dalai Lama.
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On
November 4, 2005, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama was presented
with a specially commissioned, black and white marble sculpture created
by Susan Abraham, Executive Assistant to Executive Associate Dean
Steven Donofrio. The occasion was a luncheon at Stanford University given in his honor by friends, donors and guests of the Tibet Studies Program at Stanford. Susan was told that the piece would be placed on a table alongside the Guest Book, which the Dalai Lama and his guests would sign as they arrived. "The opportunity to create a sculpture in honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama presented challenges both physical and philosophical," says Susan. "I chose to carve a simple, low, sculpture that wouldn’t intrude or compete with the Guest Book, and could be viewed easily and appreciated from a standing position. As I explored Buddhist philosophy and read about the Dalai Lama’s life and beliefs, I felt that imagery of a drop of water (his name means "little wave") and the resulting radiating movement created would best capture the spirit of his visit and an aspect of Buddhism that has meaning for me." Susan’s sculpture depicts a gentle pool whose concentric rings emanate from the center in a wheel of soft, deep ripples. It is a metaphor for the inevitable and natural sequence and consequence of a single act - one pebble thrown into a pond, a single drop of water landing in a still stream, one thought or act, either kind or cruel - and the effect it creates of ever-widening rings of different depths and shapes that ultimately disappear and become still water again. Susan’s sculpture is currently on exhibit at the Smith-Anderson Gallery in Palo Alto. To view photos of Susan’s other sculptures, please visit www.sabraham-sculpture.com. |
