The Secret of "The Creation of Adam"

	A cross-section of the human brain: The circle indicates the position of the pineal gland, or wisdom eye.

The Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet Michelangelo, is renowned as one of the three greatest artists of the Renaissance, along with Leonardo da Vinci and Sanzio Raphael. Among his numerous works, the painting "The Creation of Adam" is widely known and highly praised throughout the world, and is a vital part of his first masterpiece-a series of frescoes based on the Book of Genesis. The painting, which took four years to complete, depicts God creating Adam. Hes is shown surrounded by a group of angels while extending Hier finger toward the newly created Adam, who reclines powerlessly on the ground, waiting to receive complete life and power from the Creator.

Since ancient times, people have been familiar with this episode recorded in the Biblical Book of Genesis. Thus, when appreciating The Creation of Adam, they are inclined to focus on the beauty of youth and health that shines forth from the newborn Adam, as well as on the wisdom and mercy radiating from God, who looks much older in contrast.

However, if we study this painting from the view of spiritual practice, we will be amazed to discover a much more profound meaning hidden behind it. Through The Creation of Adam Michelangelo was trying to reveal the mystery of the wisdom eye! If we carefully observe the group of angels surrounding God in the painting, we can see that the outline of the angels is a precise a diagram of the human brain. The curtain encircling the angels clearly delineates a cross-section of the brain. The point where God's extended right arm intersects with the brain (the curtain surrounding the angels) represents the center of the forehead-the spot on which Master always reminds us to focus our attention. Going deeper from this spot to approximately where God's left hip is located in the painting is the pineal gland in the human brain-the position of the wisdom eye. Michelangelo thus created this fresco as a tool to reveal to the world, in an extremely ingenious and metaphorical manner, that ever since the beginning of human creation, God has been communicating with humankind through the wisdom eye; the life and power bestowed by God are also transmitted through this secret passageway connecting the secular world and the Heavenly Kingdom.

The Bible says that we are the temple of God. Michelangelo went a step further to indicate the position of God's throne in his painting, and to expose this eternal mystery of the universe to the world. Judging from his exceptional talents in many fields, and his lifetime of accomplishment, we can assume that, five hundreds ago, Michelangelo had already explored the temple of God and obtained the inexhaustible treasure of the Heavenly Kingdom.