chinese artist, ai weiwei, at his installment “sunflower seeds” in london.
may 26, 2011
the White Cloud Taoist Temple
in Beijing, China.
at this temple we were able to attend
a Taoist service where they played music
and chanted prayers.
both Buddhist and Taoist temples in China
were stunning to me because of the
careful integration of worship, statues and
architecture with nature in the spaces.
(as is evident in the photo.)
may 20, 2011
here i am at the Shaolin Temple
near Zhengzhou City in the Henan Province of China.
ignore the goofy pose and facial expression.
i was trying to do something “zen”
in the Shoalin monks’ training area.
may 22, 2011
the Longmen Grottoes in
Luoyang, China.
this is the largest buddha statue in the park.
it was protected by students from the area
when the Red Guard tried to destroy parts of the park
during the Cultural Revolution.
these enormous carvings were things that have to be
experienced in person to be fully appreciated.
may 21, 2011
a vegan lunch (noodle bowl) at the Shaolin Temple
in Luoyang, China.
pickled green beas, tofu with soy sauce and mushrooms
and spicy tofu with red pepper
are in the white dishes next to the bowl.
this kind of meal is pretty typical for light
lunches in temples or areas surrounding a temple.
may 20, 2011
flags hanging around the shaolin temple
in the Henan province of China.
the shaolin temple is well known for
still practicing kung-fu and training
buddhist “warrior monks”.
may 17, 2011
a picture of a lotus flower?
that is one picture i decide to post from China?
well, yeah.
the lotus flower is a significant symbol in buddhism.
this picture was taken at a buddhist museum in Nanjing, China.
the lotus represents purity of the mind, body and spirit.
it is a flower which grows up out of the mud of a lake
and blooms into a delicate flower above the surface of the water.
“i love the lotus because while growing from mud, it is unstained.”
—confucian scholar, Zhou Dunyi
may 16, 2011
a side street near the hotel in
Nanjing, China.
i woke up early a few mornings
while in Nanjing and walked streets
like this around the hotel.
i saw a lot of the plain, daily life routines of people.
this added to the amount of information i learned
about the chinese culture outside of buddhist temples and museums.
may 16, 2011
chalkboard teachings at a buddhist monastery
in Nanjing, China.
each morning, at 4:30 am, the monks would
come out to the courtyard where
this chalkboard is located and meditate
and study the daily teachings of the head monk.
i have no idea what this board says
but i liked seeing the handwritten and hand drawn
notes and figures.
i believe the two figures are Guanyin and a buddhist monk.
may 14, 2011
an elephant located outside
of a buddhist temple in Guangzhou, China.
since buddhism originated in india,
and was later brought to china,
many facets of indian buddhism remain present
in chinese buddhism.
the elephant is an indian symbol which
represents mental strength and is prevalent in chinese buddhism.
