| IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE BUDDHA, FEBRUARY 2003 "There are four places, the sight of which will arouse strong emotions in those with faith ... Here the Tathagata was born... Here the Tathagata attained enlightenment... Here the Tathagata set in motion the Wheel of the Dharma ... Here the Tathagata attained final Nirvana. And the monk, the nun, the layman or the laywoman who has faith should visit these places. These photographs and insight poems were created during a pilgrimage with Shantum Seth - In The Footsteps Of The Buddha - through North India and Nepal in February 2003. They provide merely a glimpse of experiences that are too immense to otherwise communicate. My wish is to record Living Dharma - people, life and experience in both their vibrance and mundanity. I am not so interested in monuments and old bricks, being more in tune with H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama: "This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple. The philosophy is loving kindness." |
||