It is said that a sense of faith and awe-inspiring grandeur motivated Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel and many other famous works of religious art.
The main characters from Chitta Nakhon in one of the paintings by Thiraphan.
Similarly, Thiraphan Lorphaibul has been inspired by religious faith from Buddhist teachings, in particular a book by His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch.
The artist aims to create a collection of paintings to mark the centenary of the Supreme Patriarch's birthday on Oct 3.
His paintings are meant to be a medium to make abstract Buddhist teachings more "visible" and accessible to people.
The Supreme Patriarch composed a series of Buddhist teachings titled Chitta Nakhon (City of the Mind) for his radio broadcasts every Sunday between 1968 and 1980. The series was later compiled and published in book format.
The book centres around Buddhist teachings which stress the importance of people learning to stay mindful at all times to guard against mental impurities that cause suffering in life.
In his writing, the Supreme Patriarch describes the abstract inner workings of the heart and mind and dhamma which are personified in human form.
The book describes the battle between the protagonists in a conflict (the wholesome mental qualities) and bad influences.
A human body is likened to a city with six points of entry (the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, the pores of the skin and the mind).
In front of each of the six gates, six alert guards (mindfulness) are on duty to screen those entering the "city" to protect it from malicious enemies (mental defilement).
The book covers all the key points of Buddhist teachings and gives advice on how to follow the teachings properly.
The Supreme Patriarch intended to explain the abstractions of dhamma using simple language.
He attempted to compare the dhamma to a human body to make it easier for the laymen to understand.
"It's because people in general want to see with their eyes. When [the dhamma] is made visible to their eyes, it will go straight to their hearts in a better way than communicating in pure abstract terms," the Supreme Patriarch explained in the book.
Mr Thiraphan initiated a project called Chitta Kam (Workings of the Mind) in a bid to depict the story of Chitta Nakhon through his paintings.
He is attempting to create paintings to make the teachings in the book become visible to the eye so that the dhamma teachings can appeal to a wider audience.
He spoke of how he was inspired by the Supreme Patriarch's book to create the paintings.
After being commissioned to paint the pictures of His Majesty the King to mark the monarch's 84th birthday, he was asked to do a portrait of the Supreme Patriarch to mark His Holiness's 99th birthday last year.
Before getting to work, Mr Thiraphan had to research the information and background of the Supreme Patriarch, which led him to find that His Holiness had written many books.
Standing out among the literary works was Chitta Nakhon, which is a novel based on Buddhism. Mr Thiraphan said the novel actually is about mind management.
"The story is riveting so I asked for his permission to do a project to create paintings based on his book," he said.
Creating paintings on the subject is more challenging than other paintings he has done because he has to understand the meaning of the Buddha teachings correctly before conveying it to canvas, he said.
The book has more than 200 pages and it is not easy to grasp the meaning of the whole story.
"I just cannot paint on impulse and carelessly. But I have to make sure the painting conveys his message," Mr Thiraphan said.
He intends to create about 100 paintings. So far, more than 30 have been finished. He intends to complete the rest of the paintings in time to mark the centenary of the Supreme Patriarch's birthday on Oct 3.
The paintings will also be published in a book to honour the Supreme Patriarch.
Mr Thiraphan said the Supreme Patriarch has contributed greatly to Buddhism, education and society.
His writings on Buddhist teachings are works of true genius in teaching dhamma to people.
"What I have done is only to add a small piece of the jigsaw to the big picture to show what the Supreme Patriarch has achieved," he said.
Mr Thiraphan is also thinking of another ambitious project, making a film based on a novel revolving around Buddhist teachings.
Mr Thiraphan graduated from the Arts Faculty of Chulalongkorn University in 1986.
He has won many awards for drawing illustrations for children's books both at home and abroad.
He designed characters for an animation series on Channel 3 as well as mascots and stamps for several agencies.
His Holiness is depicted studying a dhamma text. He is also revered as an educator and an accomplished writer on Buddhism. PHOTOS BY KORAPIN CHARUWORN
Thiraphan Lorphaibul, second left, explains a painting at the Chitta Nakhon exhibition to dignitaries including Phra Anil Sakya, deputy secretary to the Supreme Patriarch, second right.
A painting portrays a chapter in Chitta Nakhon (City of the Mind), a series of Buddhist teachings composed by His Holiness which have been compiled and published as a book.
The Chitta Nakhon paintings on display at an exhibition in Khon Kaen last week.
