This blog post is about the book “Big Panda and Tiny Dragon” written by James Norbury

This is the first book of the two part book involving Big Panda and Tiny Dragon. The second book is called the “Journey”, that is more in a story format than this book. The author James Norbury, a self taught artist, wrote this book after realizing that his posts on Instagram had more than 100k followers. Most of these posts were emphasizing some concept of Zen Buddhism applied to our lives, via the conversations between Big Panda and Tiny Dragon.

Why these two characters were chosen ? James in one of the interviews says that it was not a conscious choice but says that it could be because, Panda is a character that is loved by one and all and epitomizes slow mindfulness that he wanted one of his characters in the pictures to display. The Tiny dragon is more naive, playing around stuff, has all sorts of feelings that we humans have on a day to day basis.

This book is a collection of those visuals with powerful messages. The words and the visuals gives the book very appealing for a reader to spend some time going through it.

I am reasonably sure that any reader will find at least a few if not many of the visuals appealing mainly because they appeal to human emotions that are universal; fear, anxiety, disappointment, boredom, happiness etc. We go through a range of emotions on a day to day basis. This book has a calming influence on anyone’s mind; reading the words of Big Panda will make us more mindful, attentive and present to our daily lives.

Here are a few sentences from the book(Of course the beauty of the book is the visuals that go through with these sentences)

  • Which is more important, the journey or the destination ? The company
  • Try to make time for the small things. They are often the most important
  • The most important thing is to pay attention
  • That tree has been through some rough times, but it’s still here and it has gained strength and beauty
  • The river doesn’t hurry; yet despite many obstacles, always gets where it’s going
  • A cherry tree doesn’t compare itself to other trees it just blossoms
  • Mistakes mean you are trying; Don’t give up
  • Your journey isn’t shown on any map; You must discover your own path
  • I wish this moment could last for ever; This moment is all there is
  • Time doing nothing is never wasted
  • It’s the imperfections that make it perfect
  • If you seek happiness for others, you may find it for yourself
  • Some people are like candles. They burn themselves out to create light for others
  • This garden is beautiful; And we only found it because we went the wrong way so many times
  • What if I meet people who don’t like me or the things I do ? You must walk your own path. Better to lose them than lose yourself
  • Let go or be dragged
  • Autumn is nature’s way of showing us how beautiful letting go can be
  • How is that tree still standing ? During better times, it grew deep roots. Now it can weather any storm
  • It’s a shame we didn’t plant this tree a long time ago. Imagine how big it would be — We are doing it now. That’s the important thing
  • Whether people praise you or criticize you, try to accept it gracefully. It takes all kinds of conditions to create a strong tree
  • Listening to someone is one of the greatest things you can do for them
  • When you light a lantern for someone else, you cannot help but light up your own path
  • I am afraid I’ll fail - You might fail, but if you let fear stop you from even trying, failure is assured
  • Sometimes it is good to headout with no idea where you’re going
  • Even the smallest step is better than no step
  • Do bad thoughts make me a bad person ? No - The waves are not the ocean. The thoughts are not the mind
  • I believe that every minute of every day, we can let go and start again
  • Even a damaged tree can produce th most beautiful blossoms