Robin Danzak, PhD.
My background is interdisciplinary and my work includes education, art making, and research. I am a Professor at Emerson College in Boston, where I teach courses in language, literacy, and Arts, Health & Community. I mentor students in qualitative research and facilitate art outreach projects that support community. I am a student of Buddhism and member at Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia.
Photo: Sept. 2025, after completing 100 wheel-thrown cylinders at Community Kiln in Framingham, MA
The Story of Dharmazines
"Dharma" refers to the teachings or "the way" of the Buddha. In Atisha's Lojong slogans, it is said that we should "Regard all dharmas as dreams". This suggests a constant questioning of what we perceive to be reality: What is a dream? What is real?
With this in mind, Dharmazines reflect two key components of Buddhist thought: Interdependence and Impermanence.
Dharmazines are works of interdependence because they are assembled of many parts: fragments of printed images, watercolor paintings, cyanotype and monotype prints, and words. The parts balance each other and contribute their unique voices to the overall message. Changing one part changes the whole.
Dharmazines also highlight the impermanent nature of all things. They are built on simple foundations, like used paper bags, and incorporate torn and cut images. Visually-blurry watercolor and monotype print "ghosts" offer traces of images that may not be what we perceive. In this way, Dharmazines capture Buddhist wisdom through the integration of images and words in a small, sharable format.
