ILLUSTRATED DHAMMA
Note on the Illustration
When Sayadaw invited me to create illustrations for the practice in 2004, I felt both honoured and hesitant. It was not an easy task to accept, as I do not consider myself a true artist—only someone who loves to draw. His confidence in me arose from having seen my earlier artwork, Settling Back into the Moment, and this trust encouraged me to consider the invitation more deeply.
Illustrating something abstract is inherently challenging. Depicting the nature of the mind is already difficult, and attempting to represent the defilements visually is even more so. Rather than declining the invitation outright, I chose to embrace it as an opportunity to cultivate and express wisdom. In time, an unexpected moment set the entire journey of this project in motion.
One day, while walking mindfully—not slowly, but in a natural and relaxed manner—something at the edge of my vision caught my attention. By the time I turned to look, it had disappeared. Yet in that brief instant, the mind registered the image of a tiny mouse darting across the garden. From that moment, the idea of using the mouse to symbolize the defilements arose.
The movement of the mouse mirrors the nature of defilements: subtle, elusive, and often unnoticed, yet we sense their presence. Recognizing them requires a skilful and attentive mind. For this reason, the mouse is depicted in the illustrations as representing greed, aversion, and delusion. These defilements permeate our experience, and it is through mindful awareness that we learn to identify them as they arise and operate within the mind.
Jotika Hor Tuck Loon
12 April 2026
