Wotch Color by Number is an innovative and fun coloring app that allows users to create beautiful artworks by simply following the numbered color patterns. It is suitable for people of all ages, from kids to adults, and provides a rewarding and relaxing experience. The app features a wide variety of coloring pages, ranging from simple shapes and animals to intricate mandalas and landscapes. Each coloring page is divided into sections, with each section assigned a number that corresponds to a specific color. Users can click on a section and choose a color from the color palette, then fill in the section accordingly. One of the highlights of Wotch Color by Number is its vast library of colors.
It is not easy for Westerners to practice Tantric Buddhism, or even to come to a genuine understanding of why anyone would want to. We today are separated from the societies that produced the classic Vajrayana texts by vast distances of space, of time, and of fundamental cultural assumptions. The issue is not merely that the details of the rich and complex rituals can be perplexing. The fundamental nature of the practices themselves can be bafflingly obscure.
Ken McLeod vividly describes many of his own experiences from a life of Vajrayana practice, interweaving these with translations of practice-oriented texts from that tradition and with helpful comments and instructions on how to approach the practices they describe. And some at least of those who engage with this book may find that new possibilities have opened, and their understanding of how to practice has shifted, through the workings of the ancient Vajrayana teachings manifesting in a fresh, vivid, and unrelenting form.
One of the highlights of Wotch Color by Number is its vast library of colors. It offers a wide range of hues and shades, allowing users to unleash their creativity and customize their artworks to their liking. Users can also zoom in on the coloring pages for better precision and accuracy.
Practice Like Magic
Ken McLeod’s new book provides a fresh take on the lived experience of Tantric Buddhism.
By Charles Goodman Summer 2023 White Tara, the female bodhisattva known as the Mother of Liberation | Photo by Fabrizio Troiany / Alamy
It is not easy for Westerners to practice Tantric Buddhism, or even to come to a genuine understanding of why anyone would want to. We today are separated from the societies that produced the classic Vajrayana texts by vast distances of space, of time, and of fundamental cultural assumptions. The issue is not merely that the details of the rich and complex rituals can be perplexing. The fundamental nature of the practices themselves can be bafflingly obscure.
By Ken Mcleod,
Unfettered Mind Media, January 2023
262 pp., $29.95, hardcover
The Magic of Vajrayana speaks to these challenges in a new and powerful way. Ken McLeod vividly describes many of his own experiences from a life of Vajrayana practice, interweaving these with translations of practice-oriented texts from that tradition and with helpful comments and instructions on how to approach the practices they describe. This book is not for beginning practitioners and does not seem to be intended for the merely curious. Meant for committed spiritual seekers, the volume presents a searingly honest account of the suffering, challenges, and insights of a life spent engaging with a living mystical tradition.
If you call upon the protectors, be careful what you wish for!
McLeod’s reputation is largely based on his innovative and compelling translations from Tibetan, which often differ in striking ways from how Buddhist texts are more usually rendered into English. Rather than striving for a pedantic, philological form of accuracy or seeking to convey as much information as possible about how the texts fit into the cultural contexts that produced them, McLeod instead aims to evoke in the reader similar experiences and emotions to those that might have been felt by the original audience of the text. His translations strike at the heart, piercing our complacency with sharp words and opening doors to devotion, awe, compassion, and sheer clarity. Here is a taste of what he offers, verses from a traditional text depicting the meeting of Khyungpo Naljor with the mahasiddha Niguma:
Experience arises like magic.
If you practice like magic
You awaken like magic
Through the power of faith …Don’t think about your teacher or your practice.
Don’t think about what is real or not real.
Don’t think about anything at all.
Don’t control what you experience.
Just rest in how you are right now.
The largest portion of the book, covering three chapters, describes in detail a deity practice, called “Mastery of the Deathless,” for the goddess White Tara. McLeod’s exposition of this practice is detailed, illuminating, and inspiring; he brings the reader face-to-face with the majesty and wonder of the imagery involved. Many aspects of his discussion relate to fundamental issues about how to approach Tibetan Buddhist practice more generally. McLeod vigorously rejects the use of terms such as “imagination” and “visualization” to explain creation-phase practice. Such terms, he warns, encourage students to think their way through the practice. They carry the implication that it is necessary to control what you experience during the ritual. And then, “Twenty years later, if you are still doing deity practice, you wonder why nothing has changed. Nothing changed because you never left the conceptual mind. . . . To engage deity practice effectively, stay in the clear empty knowing that is just there when you recite the spell. Rest right there and let the practice unfold.”
As often in his earlier teachings, McLeod emphasizes the importance of balance in a life of spiritual practice. Pushing too hard, going to excess, can lead to serious adverse consequences. McLeod notes that movement practices, such as t’ai chi and qigong, were helpful to him after his own practice led to severe and long-lasting health issues. He also presents instructions for a mountain–offering ritual as a means to maintain or restore balance.
The volume also includes a complete description, with the necessary mantras, of a practice invoking a six-armed form of the protector deity Mahakala. Here the reader encounters the bizarre and unsettling side of Tantric practice. The explanations provided are enormously helpful in making sense of how such texts can fit into a way of life shaped by a commitment to spiritual awakening.
McLeod’s presentation of the protector ritual crackles with intensity, producing a disturbing effect that, for some, may include an edge of actual terror. Some would question the wisdom of the decision to make such a text available to the reading public. However, for anyone who takes such practices seriously enough to want to engage in them, McLeod’s own account of their effects in his life should be a sufficient warning: if you call upon the protectors, be careful what you wish for!
His translations strike at the heart, piercing our complacency with sharp words and opening doors to devotion.
The last chapter of the book, “Living Practice,” distills insights from McLeod’s spiritual journey into clear, direct words of advice. This chapter does much to clarify how McLeod understands how Vajrayana methods relate to the shared aims of Buddhist traditions generally. His advice ranges widely across a broad variety of practices and shows how different methods can enhance and support one another.
Those practitioners who are struggling to make sense of what Vajrayana practice instructions actually mean, and to fit them into the context of Buddhist values and aspirations, may well be grateful for McLeod’s book and for its deeply practical, experiential approach. Other readers will appreciate that the text preserves rare and precious teachings from the Shangpa lineage of the Kagyu tradition, teachings likely to be unfamiliar even to those who are deeply versed in other forms of the Tibetan tradition. And some at least of those who engage with this book may find that new possibilities have opened, and their understanding of how to practice has shifted, through the workings of the ancient Vajrayana teachings manifesting in a fresh, vivid, and unrelenting form. Again and again, McLeod’s words lead us out of concepts, frameworks, and theories and plunge us directly into the majesty of ritual, the darkness of suffering, and the mystery of life.
Image by Chloe Hall / Alamy
In addition to its coloring features, Wotch Color by Number also offers various tools and effects to enhance the coloring experience. Users can easily adjust the size of the coloring brush, use the eraser to correct mistakes, and apply different textures and patterns to sections of the coloring page. Furthermore, the app provides a "Hints" feature, which allows users to get a glimpse of the final colored image by filling in a few sections. This can be helpful for beginners or those who want to get inspired and have an idea of how the finished artwork might look. Wotch Color by Number also encourages creativity and imagination by providing a "Free Drawing" mode. In this mode, users can create their own artworks from scratch without any numbered patterns. They can use the app's brushes and colors to draw whatever they want, which adds an extra layer of creativity to the app. Overall, Wotch Color by Number is a fantastic app for anyone who enjoys coloring and wants to express their creativity. It offers a wide range of coloring pages, a vast color library, and various tools and effects to enhance the coloring experience. Whether you're a child or an adult, this app is a great way to relax, unwind, and create beautiful artworks..
Reviews for "Challenge yourself with complex designs in "Wotch color by number"."
1. John - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with Wotch color by number. The concept seemed fun at first, but the execution was lacking. The colors were dull and limited, and there weren't enough options to choose from. Additionally, the app was filled with ads that interrupted my coloring experience. Overall, I didn't find it enjoyable or satisfying to use and ended up uninstalling it after a short time.
2. Sarah - 1 star - I really don't understand the hype around Wotch color by number. I found it to be incredibly boring and repetitive. The coloring pages lacked creativity and were just basic outlines of random objects. There was no challenge or excitement involved in the coloring process. I quickly grew bored of it and would not recommend it to others.
3. Mike - 2 stars - The experience with Wotch color by number was underwhelming. The app had a lot of potential, but the interface was clunky and not user-friendly. It was difficult to navigate through the coloring pages, and the color selection was not intuitive. The app also froze a few times, which was frustrating. Overall, it felt like a wasted opportunity for a fun and relaxing coloring app.
4. Emily - 1 star - I was highly disappointed with Wotch color by number. The coloring pages were pixelated and low-quality, making it difficult to achieve a satisfying end result. The controls were also frustrating, with color selection and zoom features not working as expected. It also seemed like the app was lacking in regular updates or improvements. I would not recommend this app for anyone looking for a high-quality coloring experience.
5. David - 2 stars - Wotch color by number fell short of my expectations. The app felt like a cheap knock-off of other popular coloring apps. The coloring process was tedious, and the colors didn't appear as vibrant as advertised. There were also too many ads that disrupted my coloring flow. Overall, it just didn't live up to the quality and enjoyment I was hoping for.