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During our short stay in Hua Hin we took the chance to visit a very old temple called Wat Khao Krailas that is located on a small hill near the beach. To reach this temple you have to climb lots of stairs, more than 100. Don't forget to bring your water since it's hot and humid. As soon as you reach the top you feel a slightly cool breeze which feels refreshing. When the sun starts to shine some trees can give you shade. Fish ponds, water lilies, and other beautiful flowers such as Frangipanis can be found there. As Buddhism is the main religion in Thailand, one can see the magnificent statue of the Buddha. The temple exhibits a traditional style of Thai architecture. This temple is very beautiful, quiet and peaceful, good for meditation. Nice ambiance and surroundings conducive to contemplation. Worth the visit. The temple provides splendid views of the Hua Hin town spread below. It is a great, tranquil place filled with spirituality. The lush green hills add to the enchantment of this holy place. The exotic beaches bordering the Hua Hin town can also be viewed from this temple.
Thai Buddhism is represented most obviously by the thousands of beautiful, ornately decorated and colorful temples in the country. Photo at Wat Khao Krailas in Hua Hin. The thin golden leaf on the Buddha statue is to honour Buddha teachings. This temple is a center of spirituality for the people living in Hua Hin town. Samantha and BieJee relaxing at Wat Khao Krailas while I was taken photo's of this serene Monastery
When praying and requesting a favor to Buddha, Thai people take three incense sticks, i.e one pour the Buddha, one for the Sangha - Buddhist community, one for the Dharma - teachings of the Buddha, a flower - orchid or lotus which symbolizes the Buddhist teachings purity and a small candle - it symbolizes comprehension enlightenment. Then they lit the incense sticks, kneel three times and put the incense sticks in front of the statue. For Buddhists in Thailand, incense is an important element of worship to pay respect to Buddha.They cover the Buddha statue with a thin golden leaf to honour Buddha teachings. In case of pain, the thin golden leaf shall be stuck at the same painful location on the Buddha statue.
Der Balinesische Garten spiegelt das Streben der Menschen nach Einklang mit sich selbst, ihrem Umfeld und dem gesamten Universum. Auf Bali heißt es, dass ein harmonisches Miteinander der Dämonen der Erde, der Götter des Himmels und der Menschen auf der Erde unabdingbar ist und Leben erst ermöglicht. Der Balinesische Garten ist so gestaltet, dass alle Elemente miteinander in Einklang kommen können. Darum heißt er „Garten der drei Harmonien“ – auf balinesisch Tri Hita Karana.
Er entstand 2003 im Rahmen der Städtepartnerschaft Berlin-Jakarta und umfasst insgesamt 2.000 qm. Im Zentrum der Halle steht ein südbalinesischer Wohnhof, der durch eine Lehmziegelmauer von seiner Umgebung abgegrenzt ist. Die baulichen Elemente der Wohnstätte wurden von dem indonesischen Architekten I Putu Edy Semara entworfen und zu großen Teilen auf Bali vorgefertigt. Die „Pura“ gennannte Tempelanlage dient der in Berlin lebenden Bali-Gemeinde als Ort, an dem sie ihre Kultur pflegen und ihre Religion ausüben kann. 2012 wurden zwei zusätzliche Schreine gebaut, die in einer feierlichen Zeremonie von aus Bali eingeflogenen Priestern geweiht wurden. Auf ihnen wirst du stets Opfergaben wie Blumen, Früchte oder Räucherstäbchen finden, die dazu dienen, die Götter gnädig zu stimmeIm Rahmen der IGA Berlin 2017 hat die exotische Anlage nicht nur eine neue Hülle, sondern auch eine Neuinszenierung erhalten: die 1.200 qm große Tropenhalle! Das energieeffiziente Warmhaus ermöglichte die Kultivierung anspruchsvoller tropischer Pflanzen. Nun endlich konnte sich ein richtiger balinesischer Dschungel entfalten! In den 14 m hohen Hallen sind die Wohnanlage und die Gärten untergebracht.
www.gaertenderwelt.de/welt-entdecken/themengaerten/baline...
The Balinese garden reflects people's striving for harmony with themselves, their environment and the entire universe. In Bali, it is said that a harmonious coexistence of the demons of the earth, the gods of heaven and the people on earth is indispensable and makes life possible in the first place. The Balinese garden is designed in such a way that all elements can harmonise with each other. This is why it is called the "Garden of Three Harmonies" - Tri Hita Karana in Balinese - and was created in 2003 as part of the Berlin-Jakarta city partnership, covering a total of 2,000 square metres. At the centre of the hall is a South Balinese residential courtyard, which is separated from its surroundings by a mud brick wall. The structural elements of the residence were designed by the Indonesian architect I Putu Edy Semara and largely prefabricated in Bali. The temple complex, called "Pura", serves the Bali community living in Berlin as a place where they can cultivate their culture and practise their religion. In 2012, two additional shrines were built, which were consecrated in a solemn ceremony by priests flown in from Bali. On them, you will always find offerings such as flowers, fruit or incense sticks, which serve to propitiate the gods. As part of the IGA Berlin 2017, the exotic complex has not only been given a new shell, but also a new staging: the 1,200 square metre Tropical Hall! The energy-efficient warm house made it possible to cultivate sophisticated tropical plants. Now, finally, a real Balinese jungle could unfold! The 14 metre high halls house the residential complex and the gardens.
The Balinese garden reflects people's striving for harmony with themselves, their environment and the entire universe. In Bali, it is said that a harmonious coexistence of the demons of the earth, the gods of heaven and the people on earth is indispensable and makes life possible in the first place. The Balinese garden is designed in such a way that all elements can harmonise with each other. This is why it is called the "Garden of Three Harmonies" - Tri Hita Karana in Balinese - and was created in 2003 as part of the Berlin-Jakarta city partnership, covering a total of 2,000 square metres. At the centre of the hall is a South Balinese residential courtyard, which is separated from its surroundings by a mud brick wall. The structural elements of the residence were designed by the Indonesian architect I Putu Edy Semara and largely prefabricated in Bali. The temple complex, called "Pura", serves the Bali community living in Berlin as a place where they can cultivate their culture and practise their religion. In 2012, two additional shrines were built, which were consecrated in a solemn ceremony by priests flown in from Bali. On them, you will always find offerings such as flowers, fruit or incense sticks, which serve to propitiate the gods. As part of the IGA (International Garden Show) Berlin 2017, the exotic complex has not only been given a new shell, but also a new staging: the 1,200 square metre Tropical Hall! The energy-efficient warm house made it possible to cultivate sophisticated tropical plants. Now, finally, a real Balinese jungle could unfold! The 14 metre high halls house the residential complex and the gardens.
#HongKong #HK #Mid-AutumnFestival. #FireDragonDance #DragonDance #PokFuLam #Tradition #Culture
Bell Chan | BGfotologue
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I always had confusion between faith and belief, i always mix them up. Today i was into one such situation and obviously got confused. Confused me started searching for definitions of faith and belief, this search got extended from finding definitions to finding interesting quotes (thanks to Google, its creatively making me lazy). Below are some interesting quotes i came across :)
>> Faith is not belief. Belief is passive. Faith is active.
- Edith Hamilton
>> Belief is a truth held in the mind; faith is a fire in the heart.
- Joseph Fort Newton
>> Belief is a wise wager (bet). Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.
- Blaise Pascal
My confusion still continues...... :O
Shot At: 1000 pillar temple, Warangal, AP, India.
Explore highest : 1 :) thanku guys
A statue of a meditating Buddha sitting in the lotus position in the rain, next to a container with red incense sticks. His saffron shawl adds a touch of colour to the scene and his slight smile and closed eyes suggest a deep mood of peace. A money donation sits on his arm. At the large size you can see the rain drops streaking his face. Taken at Prasat Bayon, Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
29/03/16 www.allenfotowild.com
A foreigner was participating in the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, which is a traditional culture in Hong Kong during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and he was lighting incense sticks for refilling on the body of the fire dragon.
Varanasi, also known as Kashi or Banaras, is a city to die for...literally! According to the Hindu mythology & beliefs, a preson attains Moksh, or Nirvana, if he or she dies in this holy city. Apart from the tall tales, the historic & holy city is a traveler & a photographer's delight, with the Ganga Aarti performed in the dusk at Dasaswamedh Ghat, near the famous Kashi Vishvanath temple, on the banks of the mighty river Ganga, surely the highlight of the city. Thousands of pilgrims & travelers flock the ghat in the evening to witness this spectacular Aarti performed by seven young Pandits.
The Aarti which I witnessed was performed in a steady drizzle, which neither fazed the Pandits, nor the pilgrims, who kept on chanting Har Har Gange along. The Aarti which commenced with the blowing of a Shankh (a conch shell) and continued with the waving of Agarbattis (incense sticks) in elaborate patterns and circling of large flaming lamps that created bright star spikes as rain pattered on my lens. The heady scent of sandalwood & burning Camphor smoke thickly permeated the air to a mesmerizing frame. A magical evening on the Ghats of the holy Ganga.
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At a Chinese Coffin temple - 義德堂 in Bangkok next to Wat Hua Lamphong, you can donate coffins for the burial of the destitute deceased at 500 baht. This goes towards the payment for the coffin & burial ceremony for those who can't afford the cost of death rites or unclaimed bodies from accidents or illnesses. Coffin donation is considered a form of merit-making for the Thais. It's an act of compassion even if you are not Buddhist. You will have 2 slips of paper when you make the donation; the pink one, you stick to the wooden empty coffin & the white slip you burn it at an altar where the deities are. It takes less than 15 minutes to make a donation. However, I would prefer to donate to support those who are still living then those already dead and hence do not understand the rationale behind this phenomena of coffin donation.
Next to the Wat Hua Lamphong temple in Bangkok is what is sometimes referred to as the “coffin temple”. Basically, many people have animist beliefs in Thailand; that is they believe that spirits exist not only in humans but also in animals, plants, mountains and streams etc. These spirits can do good or harm and are to be appeased by worshipping them or providing them with offerings. here you can donate money to the Ruamkatanyu Foundation who will provide coffins to those killed with no one to claim their bodies and provide a funeral for them. Making merit is a big part of the Buddhist way of life It all relates to Karma and the general belief that if you do good, then good luck will come to you and if you do bad, then bad luck will come to you. Leaving offerings to spirits and donating to good causes is a way of attracting good luck back to yourself and family. Joss sticks are the name given to incense sticks They are traditionally burned before the spirit of place. Here the earth god is propitiated in the hope of bringing wealth and health.
Bij de Chinese Coffin tempel 義德 堂 in Bangkok naast Wat Hua Lamphong, kunt je doodskisten doneren voor de begrafenis van de berooide overledene. Dit geld gaat naar de betaling voor de kist & begrafenisceremonie voor degenen die zich de kosten van de dood niet kunnen veroorloven of niet opgeëiste lichamen van ongevallen of ziekten. Doodskist donatie wordt beschouwd als een vorm van medeleven voor de Thais. Het is een daad van mededogen, zelfs als je geen boeddhist bent. Je krijgt 2 stukjes papier wanneer je de donatie doet; de roze slip hang je aan de houten lege kist en de witte slip steek je in brand op een altaar waar de goden zijn. Het duurt minder dan 15 minuten om een donatie te doen. Toch zou ik liever doneren aan degenen die nog in leven zijn. Maar het gaat voor de Thai voornamelijk om de geesten van de doden niet boos te maken en het kwaad niet aan te rekenen.
Qingyan Ancient Town
Guizhou, China
Religious incense sticks have a certain special aroma to them ... especially when they are lit by the dozens and placed into a bowl of ash with an intention and a prayer. The best part about having experienced this smell while traveling is how you can be instantly transported to a temple abroad, simply by lighting one of these sticks at home. That, or by walking past a temple in your home town.
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大坑書館街
School Street • Tai Hang • Hong Kong
An annual "fire dragon dance" featuring a 67 meter dragon made of joss sticks in Tai Hang will be suspended for the second consecutive year.
The Tai Hang Residents’ Welfare Association said today that the ritual for the Mid-Autumn Festival will be canceled due to the coronavirus epidemic. It was scheduled from September 20 to 22.
The Tai Hang Fire Dragon has its origins in 1880 when residents performed the ritual every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, except during the Japanese Occupation and the 1967 disturbances.
The legendary fire dragon is a majestic beast, 67m long and inserted with over 20,000 incandescent incense sticks. The body consists of a hemp rope spine wrapped with pearl straw, while the 70 kilogram head is made by coiling pearl straw around a rattan frame. Two flashlights form the creature’s eyes while sheets of metal make up its teeth and tongue.
The dragon is led by two orbs of light called “dragon pearls” – two pomelos inserted with many sticks of incense, spun with vigor to create a brilliant display of twirling radiance.
Every year, around 300 people parade the dragon from head to tail, enshrouding the neighborhood in a warm, smoky glow.
(20210914 The Standard)
Video of Tai Hang Fire Dragon :
© all rights reserved by B℮n
At a Chinese Coffin temple - 義德堂 in Bangkok next to Wat Hua Lamphong, you can donate coffins for the burial of the destitute deceased at 500 baht. This goes towards the payment for the coffin & burial ceremony for those who can't afford the cost of death rites or unclaimed bodies from accidents or illnesses. Coffin donation is considered a form of merit-making for the Thais. It's an act of compassion even if you are not Buddhist. You will have 2 slips of paper when you make the donation; the pink one, you stick to the wooden empty coffin & the white slip you burn it at an altar where the deities are. It takes less than 15 minutes to make a donation. However, I would prefer to donate to support those who are still living then those already dead and hence do not understand the rationale behind this phenomena of coffin donation.
Next to the Wat Hua Lamphong temple in Bangkok is what is sometimes referred to as the “coffin temple”. Basically, many people have animist beliefs in Thailand; that is they believe that spirits exist not only in humans but also in animals, plants, mountains and streams etc. These spirits can do good or harm and are to be appeased by worshipping them or providing them with offerings. here you can donate money to the Ruamkatanyu Foundation who will provide coffins to those killed with no one to claim their bodies and provide a funeral for them. Making merit is a big part of the Buddhist way of life It all relates to Karma and the general belief that if you do good, then good luck will come to you and if you do bad, then bad luck will come to you. Leaving offerings to spirits and donating to good causes is a way of attracting good luck back to yourself and family. Joss sticks are the name given to incense sticks They are traditionally burned before the spirit of place. Here the earth god is propitiated in the hope of bringing wealth and health.
Bij de Chinese Coffin tempel 義德 堂 in Bangkok naast Wat Hua Lamphong, kunt je doodskisten doneren voor de begrafenis van de berooide overledene. Dit geld gaat naar de betaling voor de kist & begrafenisceremonie voor degenen die zich de kosten van de dood niet kunnen veroorloven of niet opgeëiste lichamen van ongevallen of ziekten. Doodskist donatie wordt beschouwd als een vorm van medeleven voor de Thais. Het is een daad van mededogen, zelfs als je geen boeddhist bent. Je krijgt 2 stukjes papier wanneer je de donatie doet; de roze slip hang je aan de houten lege kist en de witte slip steek je in brand op een altaar waar de goden zijn. Het duurt minder dan 15 minuten om een donatie te doen. Toch zou ik liever doneren aan degenen die nog in leven zijn. Maar het gaat voor de Thai voornamelijk om de geesten van de doden niet boos te maken en het kwaad niet aan te rekenen.
An aarti is a devotional ritual that uses fire as an offering.
The aarti takes place facing the river. The lamps are lit and circled around by the pandits (Hindu priests) in a clockwise manner, accompanied by changing or songs in praise of Mother Ganga. The idea is that the lamps acquire the power of the deity. After the ritual is complete, devotees will cup their hands over the flame and raise their palms to their forehead in order to get the Goddess's purification and blessing.
The Varanasi Ganga Aarti takes place every sunset at holy Dasaswamedh Ghat, near Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It differs from the aartis at Haridwar and Rishikesh in that it's a highly choreographed ceremony. Although a spectacular must-see, some people consider it to be too much of an artificial and showy extravaganza to have a lot of meaning in a spiritual context.
The aarti is performed on a stage by a group of young pandits, all draped in saffron colored robes with their puja plates spread out before them.
It commences with the blowing of a conch shell, and continues with the waving of incense sticks in elaborate patterns and circling of large flaming lamps that create a bright hue against the darkened sky. The movement of the lamps, held in the pandits' hands, is tightly synchronizing to the rhythmic chants of hymns and clang of cymbals. The heady scent of sandalwood thickly permeates the air.
People start arriving very early (as early as 5 p.m.) in order to get a good position for viewing the aarti. A novel and effective way of seeing it is by boat from the river. Alternatively, many shops in the vicinity hire their balconies out to tourists. A maha aarti (great aarti) takes place on a particularly elaborate scale in Varanasi near the end of each year on Kartik Purnima.
For more information
Refer the below link
goindia.about.com/od/spiritualplaces/ss/Ganga-Aarti-In-In...
Strobist info - Bottle with incense sticks within it, lit from camera right with a brolly-box.
Quite a bit of photoshop work to combine 3 shots to give more smoke and put the genie in the bottle(Oooh. Arn't layer effects nice when you find the right one!! :-) ). Then a masked hue applied to change the blue smoke to purple.
One of my resolutions this year is to burn through my candle horde. It is one step of my house decluttering process. I realized incense sticks are a better "good smell" generator for myself.
Scene of terrorist bombing on 17 August 2015
The shrine houses a golden statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation.Thousands of worshipers visit the site each day, praying for everything from to good health to sporting results. They light incense sticks and wai (bow slightly with palms pressed together) to each of the four faces of the statue. For extra luck, worshipers pay respect and money to the shrine's Thai dancers.
Pictured is the location in much happier times.
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#HongKong #HK #Mid-AutumnFestival. #FireDragonDance #DragonDance #PokFuLam #Tradition #Culture
Bell Chan | BGfotologue
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Been playing with the smoke from some incense sticks - something I've not done in ages - and I was quite pleased with this one.
Side-lit by off-camera flash, some of the shapes here are quite lovely!
五條港風情畫 - 普濟殿 / 點燃線香祈禱王爺護佑臺灣
The Five ports Graffiti - Puji Temple / Light incense sticks and pray for the king to protect Taiwan
El Graffiti Cinco puertos - Templo de Puji / Enciende varitas de incienso y reza para que el rey proteja a Taiwán
五條港の風情の絵 - 普済殿 / 線香に火を灯し、国王が台湾を守ってくれるよう祈る
Die Fünf-Ports Graffiti - Puji Temple / Zünden Sie Räucherstäbchen an und beten Sie, dass der König Taiwan beschützt
Le Graffiti Cinq ports - Puji Temple / Allumez des bâtons d'encens et priez pour que le roi protège Taïwan
Tainan Taiwan / Tainan Taiwán / 台灣台南
{See photos on black background/黑板觀看}
Melody 曲:JAPAN / Words 詞:Sheesen / Singing : Sheesen
{ 夢旅人 1990 Dream Traveler 1990 }
家住安南鹽溪邊
The family lives in nearby the Annan salt river
隔壁就是聽雨軒
The next door listens to the rain porch
一旦落日照大員
The sunset Shineing to the Taiwan at once
左岸青龍飛九天
The left bank white dragon flying in the sky
Picture taken through a mirror of an old woman burning incense sticks in Quan Am temple, Cholon (Chinatown),
Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The dancer was performing at the Essence of Dance event in Surrey. The smoke was dancing on top of some burning incense sticks on my table. It was just a matter of introducing them to each other in Photoshop. I think the two of them really hit it off.
Next day, on 12th of October, in the morning we visited Hemis Monastery again for a detailed study. This time I photographed many of the mural paintings and some fine wooden works inside the monastery. Many of the paintings reflected an unique mixing of Hinduism and Buddhism.
Hemis Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery (gompa) of the Drukpa Lineage, located in Hemis, Ladakh, India. Situated 45 km from Leh, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Hemis Monastery existed before the 11th century and was re-established in 1672 by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal. The annual Hemis festival honoring Padmasambhava is held here in early June.
Terma and tertöns : The essence of Tebetan Buddhism.
Padmasambhava (lit. "Lotus-Born"), also known as Guru Rinpoche, is a literary character of terma (Terma or "hidden treasure"- are key Tibetan Buddhist teaching, which the tradition holds were originally esoterically hidden by various adepts such as Padmasambhava and his consorts, in the 8th century for future discovery at auspicious times by other adepts, known as tertöns. As such, they represent a tradition of continuous revelation in Tibetan Buddhism. Termas are a part of Tantric Literature. Tradition holds that terma may be a physical object such as a text or ritual implement that is buried in the ground (or earth), hidden in a rock or crystal, secreted in a herb, or a tree, hidden in a lake (or water), or hidden in the sky (space). Though a literal understanding of terma is "hidden treasure", and sometimes objects are hidden away, the teachings associated should be understood as being “concealed within the mind of the guru”, that is, the true place of concealment is in the tertön's mindstream. If the concealed or encoded teaching or object is a text, it is often written in dakini script: a non-human type of code or writing).
Terma is an emanation of Amitabha (Amitābha or Amideva, is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism. Amitābha is the principal buddha in the Pure Land sect, a branch of Buddhism practiced mainly in East Asia, while in Vajrayana Amitābha is known for his longevity attribute, magnetising red fire element, the aggregate of discernment, pure perception and the deep awareness of emptiness of phenomena. According to these scriptures, Amitābha possesses infinite merits resulting from good deeds over countless past lives as a bodhisattva named Dharmakāra. "Amitābha" is translatable as "Infinite Light," hence Amitābha is also called "The Buddha of Immeasurable Life and Light" ).
Terma that is said to appear to tertons (A tertön is a discoverer of ancient texts or terma in Tibetan Buddhism) in visionary encounters and a focus of Tibetan Buddhist practice (Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, Mongolia, Tuva, Bhutan, Kalmykia and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, and India (particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Dharamsala, Lahaul and Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim. It is also practiced in Northeast China. Religious texts and commentaries are contained in the Tibetan Buddhist canon such that Tibetan is a spiritual language of these areas. The Tibetan diaspora has spread Tibetan Buddhism to many Western countries, where the tradition has gained popularity. Among its prominent exponents is the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. The number of its adherents is estimated to be between ten and twenty million).
History
Hemis Monastery existed before the 11th century. Naropa, the pupil of the yogi Tilopa, and teacher of the translator Marpa is connected with this monastery. A translation was made by A. Grünwedel (Nӑro und Tilo,: Festschrift Ernst Kuhn, München 1916) of Naropa's biography that was found in Hemis monastery.
In this manuscript Naropa (or Naro) meets the "dark blue" (Skr.: nila: dark blue or black) Tilopa (or Tillo), a tantric master, who gives Naropa 12 "great" and 12 "small" tasks to do in order to enlighten him to the inherent emptiness/illusoriness of all things. Naropa is depicted as the "abbott of Nalanda" (F. Wilhelm, Prüfung und Initiation im Buche Pausya und in der Biographie des Naropa, Wiesbaden 1965, p. 70), the university-monastery in today's Bihar, India, that flourished until the sacking by Turkish and Afghan Muslim forces. This sacking must have been the driving force behind Naropa's peregrination in the direction of Hemis. After Naropa and Tilopa met in Hemis they travelled back in the direction of a certain monastery in the now no longer existing kingdom of Maghada, called Otantra which has been identified as today's Otantapuri. Naropa is consered the founding father of the Kagyu-lineage of the Himalayan esoteric Buddhism. Hence Hemis is the main seat of the Kagyu lineage of Buddhism.
In 1894 Russian journalist Nicolas Notovitch claimed Hemis as the origin of an otherwise unknown gospel, the Life of Saint Issa, Best of the Sons of Men, in which Jesus is said to have traveled to India during his "lost years." According to Notovitch, the work had been preserved in the Hemis library, and was shown to him by the monks there while he was recuperating from a broken leg. But once his story had been re-examined by historians, Notovitch confessed to having fabricated the evidence. Bart D. Ehrman states that "Today there is not a single recognized scholar on the planet who has any doubts about the matter. The entire story was invented by Notovitch, who earned a good deal of money and a substantial amount of notoriety for his hoax". However, the Indian Pandit Swami Abhedananda also claims to have read the same manuscript, and published his account of viewing it after his visit to Hemis in 1921. Abhedananda claims on the book jacket that it was translated for him with the help of a "local Lama interpreter." In the same vein, Notovich did not initially translate the manuscript, but reported his Sherpa guide did so as Notovitch could not read the original text. Notovich's version of the manuscript was translated from Tibetan to Russian to French to English. According to Swami Abhedananda's account, his Lama's translation was equivalent to the one published by Notovich. The Gutenberg Project has published the entire manuscript as a free ebook.
Hemis Festival
The Hemis Festival is dedicated to Lord Padmasambhava (Guru Rimpoche) venerated as the Dance Performance at Hemis Monastery representative reincarnate of Buddha. He is believed to have been born on the 10th day of the fifth month of the Monkey year as predicted by the Buddha Shakyamuni. It is also believed that his life mission was, and remains, to improve the spiritual condition of all living beings. And so on this day, which comes once in a cycle of 12 years, Hemis observes a major extravaganza in his memory. The observance of these sacred rituals is believed to give spiritual strength and good health. The Hemis festival takes place in the rectangular courtyard in front of the main door of the monastery. The space is wide and open save two raised square platforms, three feet high with a sacred pole in the center. A raised dias with a richly cushioned seat with a finely painted small Tibetan table is placed with the ceremonial items - cups full of holy water, uncooked rice, tormas made of dough and butter and incense sticks. A number of musicians play the traditional music with four pairs of cymbals, large-pan drums, small trumpets and large size wind instruments. Next to them, a small space is assigned for the lamas to sit.
The ceremonies begin with an early morning ritual atop the Gompa where, to the beat of drums and the resounding clash of cymbals and the spiritual wail of pipes, the portrait of "Dadmokarpo" or "Rygyalsras Rimpoche" is then ceremoniously put on display for all to admire and worship.
The most esoteric of festivities are the mystic mask dances. The Mask Dances of Ladakh are referred collectively as chams Performance. Chams performance is essentially a part of Tantric tradition, performed only in those gompas which follow the Tantric Vajrayana teachings and the monks perform tantric worship.
Source: Wikipedia and others.
Burning incense sticks can invoke positive outcome for our space and remove negativities. Dragon Son-3: Suan Ni is one of the sons that looks like a lion. Although it looks fierce, it is quite tame. Suan Ni loves to sit. It is normally seen on incense burners because it loves smoke and fire. Suan Ni's supernatural power is to bring riches and financial freedom to its owner. Therefore, those who desires to enrich their bank account can invite this dragon into their homes. It does not only create wealth, but generate savings, which is a true form of wealth. It is best displayed in wealth corners or diagonally in one corner facing the main door.
HaPPY FLoWeRY THuRSDaY !!!
The last day of Songkran festival is here.
Thailand is wet and ready for a new year.
This man here is working on the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok.
The most important shrine for the thais and you can believe me, tons of flowers, candles and incense sticks are laid down all day by the thai Buddhists, coming to this place to pray for good business and success.
So this man is doing an important job, he grabs all flowers and the other stuff and making space for new ones.
I like the hand of him, I catched in this shot.
HaPPY GoRGeouS GReeN THuRSDaY all of you !!!
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Diwali (also spelled Devali in certain regions) or Deepavali, popularly known as the "festival of lights", is an important five-day festival in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, occurring between mid-October and mid-November. For Hindus, Diwali is the most important festival of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. Deepavali is an official holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore, and Fiji.
The name Diwali is itself a contraction of the word "Deepavali" (Sanskrit: दीपावली Dīpāvalī), which translates into "row of lamps". Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps (diyas, or dīpa in Sanskrit: दीप) filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends. Most Indian business communities begin the financial year on the first day of Diwali.
Diwali commemorates the return of Lord Rama along with Sita and Lakshman from his fourteen-year-long exile and vanquishing the demon-king Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, the Capital of Rama, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and burst crackers.
In Jainism, Diwali marks the attainment of moksha or nirvana by Mahavira in 527 BC. In Sikhism, Deepavali commemorates the return of Guru Har Gobind Ji to Amritsar after freeing 52 Hindu kings imprisoned in Fort Gwalior by defeating Emperor Jahangir; the people lit candles and diyas to celebrate his return. This is the reason Sikhs also refer to Deepavali as Bandi Chhorh Divas, "the day of release of detainees". Deepavali is widely celebrated in both India and Nepal.
The first day of the festival Naraka Chaturdasi marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama. Amavasya, the second day of Deepawali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth in her most benevolent mood, fulfilling the wishes of her devotees. Amavasya also tells the story of Lord Vishnu, who in his dwarf incarnation vanquished the tyrant Bali, and banished him to hell. Bali was allowed to return to earth once a year, to light millions of lamps to dispel the darkness and ignorance, and spread the radiance of love and wisdom. It is on the third day of Deepawali — Kartika Shudda Padyami - that Bali steps out of hell and rules the earth according to the boon given by Lord Vishnu. The fourth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya (also called Bhai Dooj) and on this day sisters invite
In each legend, myth and story of Deepawali lies the significance of the victory of good over evil; and it is with each Deepawali and the lights that illuminate our homes and hearts, that this simple truth finds new reason and hope. From darkness unto light — the light that empowers us to commit ourselves to good deeds, that which brings us closer to divinity. During Diwali, lights illuminate every corner of India and the scent of incense sticks hangs in the air, mingled with the sounds of fire-crackers, joy, togetherness and hope. Diwali is celebrated around the globe. Outside India, it is more than a Hindu festival, it's a celebration of South-Asian identities.
While Deepavali is popularly known as the "festival of lights", the most significant spiritual meaning is "the awareness of the inner light". Central to Hindu philosophy is the assertion that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. The celebration of Deepavali as the "victory of good over evil", refers to the light of higher knowledge dispelling all ignorance, the ignorance that masks one's true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With this awakening comes compassion and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings Ananda (joy or peace). Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Deepavali is the celebration of this Inner Light.
While the story behind Deepavali and the manner of celebration varies from region to region (festive fireworks, worship, lights, sharing of sweets), the essence is the same – to rejoice in the Inner Light (Atman) or the underlying Reality of all things (Brahman).
Source : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali
Varanasi is a sacred and oldest city of the world located at the banks of the holy River Ganges. Where, Ganga aarti is performed daily in the evening by a group of priests at the Dashashwamedh ghat. Through the aarti, Agni Pooja is performed in which a commitment is made to the Lord Shiva, Mata Gange, Surya, Agni (Fire) as well as the whole universe made by the Lord Shiva. On some special occasions, religious festivals and second day of the week means Tuesdays, a particular type of aarti is held at this ghat.
Ganga aarti is the magnificent event during evening in the Varanasi that one must not miss to see it. It makes us to experience the great feelings while Ganga aarti become in process. This beautiful ritual makes every moment of the evening period special and fills with the spiritual thoughts. It is performed by the brass lamps which accompanied with the mantra chant in the presence of the huge crowd.
All the priests who have to perform the aarti, wear same cloth, the dhoti and kurta which is tightly bind with a long towel. First they make preparation of the Ganga aarti by making collection of the five elevated planks, a multi tiered oil lamp, an idol of the Goddess Ganga, flowers, incense sticks, a conch shell, a big and heavy brass lamp having a snake hood at the edge of the River Ganges. A group of boats filled with devotees come around the place of aarti at the bank of River. They are very eager to see the event; some of them take live video, photos as well. Ritual of the Ganga aarti is performed by the students of the Vedas and Upanishads which is lead by the head priest of the Gangotri Seva Samiti. The whole event takes around 45 minutes.
Timing of Ganga Aarti :
Ganga aarti takes place at 6.45 PM in the evening after the sunset for around 45 minutes at the Dashashwamedh ghat in the Varanasi. Devotees have started to come to see the Ganga aarti at least one hour before.
A group of young priests starts aarti in a well organized manner by having a lighting lamp in their hand, start a rhythmic chant of mantras. An announcement at 7.00 pm indicates the beginning of the aarti. Music starts by someone and priests involving in the aarti stood up to begin the Ganga aarti. Devotees at present make clapping together with the chanting of the mantras. Priests blown the conch shells in between the aarti very loudly and aarti continues with the incense sticks. After completing the mantras, priests do aarti with the multi-tiered brass lamps having firing camphor or kapoor. Ganga aarti ends up with the final aarti and after that the environment become very silent.
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The Mahamuni Pagoda or Mahamuni Buddha temple is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Burma. The temple houses the Mahamuni Buddha image, the most highly revered Buddha image in the country. The pagoda was built in 1785 by King Bodawpaya. Several shops around the temple sell offerings for the Mahamuni Buddha image such as incense sticks, candles and flowers. The Mahamuni Buddha image is wearing a crown set with precious stones like diamonds and rubies. The Mahamuni museum on the temple grounds tells about the history of Buddhism. The museum displays information about the various places in the life of the Buddha, from His birth place in Nepal, the site where He reached enlightenment and the site of His passing into final Nirvana. There are also maps that explain about the spread of Buddhism across Asia during the last 25 centuries. The Mahamuni image is enshrined in a small chamber topped with a seven tiered Pyatthat Burmese style roof.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple also called the Mahamuni Pagoda is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Myanmar. The Mahamuni Buddha image meaning: The Great Sage. It is highly respected in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life. There are bells hanging along the perimeter of the temple complex with wooden mallets lying nearby. It is believed that if you make a wish and hit the bell three times it will come true. So here and there you can always hear a bell's ringing in the distance.
De Mahamuni Pagoda of Mahamuni Boeddha tempel is één van de belangrijkste boeddhistische bedevaartsoorden in Myanmar. De tempel huisvest het Mahamuni beeld van Boedha, het meest vereerde Boeddha beeld in het land. De pagode werd gebouwd in 1785 door koning Bodawpaya. Verschillende winkels rond de tempel te verkopen voor het aanbidden van de Mahamuni Boeddha, wierook, kaarsen en bloemen. Als je schoenen uit zijn gaat er een nieuwe wereld voor je open. De Burmese bouwstijlen zijn erg indrukwekkend vooral het gebruik van een ontelbare hoeveelheid bladgoud. Dit vindt je vooral terug op de grote Boeddha wiens onderste helft volledig is vervormd door de lagen bladgoud. Het beeld Mahamuni Boeddha draagt een kroon met edelstenen als diamanten en robijnen. Vrouwen mogen niet bij het Boeddhabeeld komen maar het beeld vanaf de televisiemonitors mogen aanbidden. In een aparte ruimte vindt je nog enkele bronzen beelden uit Angkor Wat Cambodja. Het is een mooie pagoda en een fantastische plek om uren te zijn, goede sfeer, erg relaxed en toegankelijk. Veelal Birmese toeristen waardoor het altijd interessant blijft om hun toewijding te bewonderen. Er hangen klokken langs de omtrek van de tempel complex. Houten hamers liggen er in de buurt. Er wordt aangenomen dat als je een wens doet en de bel drie keer raakt je wens zal uitkomen. Je kunt de bellen in de verte van de tempel altijd horen.
Photoshopped. Canvas textured.
Next day, on 12th of October, in the morning we visited Hemis Monastery again for a detailed study. This time I photographed many of the mural paintings and some fine wooden works inside the monastery. Many of the paintings reflected an unique mixing of Hinduism and Buddhism.
Hemis Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery (gompa) of the Drukpa Lineage, located in Hemis, Ladakh, India. Situated 45 km from Leh, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Hemis Monastery existed before the 11th century and was re-established in 1672 by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal. The annual Hemis festival honoring Padmasambhava is held here in early June.
Terma and tertöns : The essence of Tebetan Buddhism.
Padmasambhava (lit. "Lotus-Born"), also known as Guru Rinpoche, is a literary character of terma (Terma or "hidden treasure"- are key Tibetan Buddhist teaching, which the tradition holds were originally esoterically hidden by various adepts such as Padmasambhava and his consorts, in the 8th century for future discovery at auspicious times by other adepts, known as tertöns. As such, they represent a tradition of continuous revelation in Tibetan Buddhism. Termas are a part of Tantric Literature. Tradition holds that terma may be a physical object such as a text or ritual implement that is buried in the ground (or earth), hidden in a rock or crystal, secreted in a herb, or a tree, hidden in a lake (or water), or hidden in the sky (space). Though a literal understanding of terma is "hidden treasure", and sometimes objects are hidden away, the teachings associated should be understood as being “concealed within the mind of the guru”, that is, the true place of concealment is in the tertön's mindstream. If the concealed or encoded teaching or object is a text, it is often written in dakini script: a non-human type of code or writing).
Terma is an emanation of Amitabha (Amitābha or Amideva, is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism. Amitābha is the principal buddha in the Pure Land sect, a branch of Buddhism practiced mainly in East Asia, while in Vajrayana Amitābha is known for his longevity attribute, magnetising red fire element, the aggregate of discernment, pure perception and the deep awareness of emptiness of phenomena. According to these scriptures, Amitābha possesses infinite merits resulting from good deeds over countless past lives as a bodhisattva named Dharmakāra. "Amitābha" is translatable as "Infinite Light," hence Amitābha is also called "The Buddha of Immeasurable Life and Light" ).
Terma that is said to appear to tertons (A tertön is a discoverer of ancient texts or terma in Tibetan Buddhism) in visionary encounters and a focus of Tibetan Buddhist practice (Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, Mongolia, Tuva, Bhutan, Kalmykia and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, and India (particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Dharamsala, Lahaul and Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim. It is also practiced in Northeast China. Religious texts and commentaries are contained in the Tibetan Buddhist canon such that Tibetan is a spiritual language of these areas. The Tibetan diaspora has spread Tibetan Buddhism to many Western countries, where the tradition has gained popularity. Among its prominent exponents is the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. The number of its adherents is estimated to be between ten and twenty million).
History
Hemis Monastery existed before the 11th century. Naropa, the pupil of the yogi Tilopa, and teacher of the translator Marpa is connected with this monastery. A translation was made by A. Grünwedel (Nӑro und Tilo,: Festschrift Ernst Kuhn, München 1916) of Naropa's biography that was found in Hemis monastery.
In this manuscript Naropa (or Naro) meets the "dark blue" (Skr.: nila: dark blue or black) Tilopa (or Tillo), a tantric master, who gives Naropa 12 "great" and 12 "small" tasks to do in order to enlighten him to the inherent emptiness/illusoriness of all things. Naropa is depicted as the "abbott of Nalanda" (F. Wilhelm, Prüfung und Initiation im Buche Pausya und in der Biographie des Naropa, Wiesbaden 1965, p. 70), the university-monastery in today's Bihar, India, that flourished until the sacking by Turkish and Afghan Muslim forces. This sacking must have been the driving force behind Naropa's peregrination in the direction of Hemis. After Naropa and Tilopa met in Hemis they travelled back in the direction of a certain monastery in the now no longer existing kingdom of Maghada, called Otantra which has been identified as today's Otantapuri. Naropa is consered the founding father of the Kagyu-lineage of the Himalayan esoteric Buddhism. Hence Hemis is the main seat of the Kagyu lineage of Buddhism.
In 1894 Russian journalist Nicolas Notovitch claimed Hemis as the origin of an otherwise unknown gospel, the Life of Saint Issa, Best of the Sons of Men, in which Jesus is said to have traveled to India during his "lost years." According to Notovitch, the work had been preserved in the Hemis library, and was shown to him by the monks there while he was recuperating from a broken leg. But once his story had been re-examined by historians, Notovitch confessed to having fabricated the evidence. Bart D. Ehrman states that "Today there is not a single recognized scholar on the planet who has any doubts about the matter. The entire story was invented by Notovitch, who earned a good deal of money and a substantial amount of notoriety for his hoax". However, the Indian Pandit Swami Abhedananda also claims to have read the same manuscript, and published his account of viewing it after his visit to Hemis in 1921. Abhedananda claims on the book jacket that it was translated for him with the help of a "local Lama interpreter." In the same vein, Notovich did not initially translate the manuscript, but reported his Sherpa guide did so as Notovitch could not read the original text. Notovich's version of the manuscript was translated from Tibetan to Russian to French to English. According to Swami Abhedananda's account, his Lama's translation was equivalent to the one published by Notovich. The Gutenberg Project has published the entire manuscript as a free ebook.
Hemis Festival
The Hemis Festival is dedicated to Lord Padmasambhava (Guru Rimpoche) venerated as the Dance Performance at Hemis Monastery representative reincarnate of Buddha. He is believed to have been born on the 10th day of the fifth month of the Monkey year as predicted by the Buddha Shakyamuni. It is also believed that his life mission was, and remains, to improve the spiritual condition of all living beings. And so on this day, which comes once in a cycle of 12 years, Hemis observes a major extravaganza in his memory. The observance of these sacred rituals is believed to give spiritual strength and good health. The Hemis festival takes place in the rectangular courtyard in front of the main door of the monastery. The space is wide and open save two raised square platforms, three feet high with a sacred pole in the center. A raised dias with a richly cushioned seat with a finely painted small Tibetan table is placed with the ceremonial items - cups full of holy water, uncooked rice, tormas made of dough and butter and incense sticks. A number of musicians play the traditional music with four pairs of cymbals, large-pan drums, small trumpets and large size wind instruments. Next to them, a small space is assigned for the lamas to sit.
The ceremonies begin with an early morning ritual atop the Gompa where, to the beat of drums and the resounding clash of cymbals and the spiritual wail of pipes, the portrait of "Dadmokarpo" or "Rygyalsras Rimpoche" is then ceremoniously put on display for all to admire and worship.
The most esoteric of festivities are the mystic mask dances. The Mask Dances of Ladakh are referred collectively as chams Performance. Chams performance is essentially a part of Tantric tradition, performed only in those gompas which follow the Tantric Vajrayana teachings and the monks perform tantric worship.
Source: Wikipedia and others.
Quilotoa crater lake, Cotopaxi province, central Ecuador. A rare ray of sunlight illuminates the landscape through persistent clouds. The weather is always crappy here. ALWAYS! There are very few photos out there that show in lake under clear skies, but they must be science fiction. The elevation at the crater rim is about 3800-4000 meters (13000ft), so it's always cold since the sun almost never comes out.
On the bright side, the fanciest hotel to stay in the village costs only $20USD per night, including breakfast (I bet you can't thaw that butter they serve even if you sent it to the depths of hell), private bathroom with way too cold water, a giant dead cockroach in the bathroom sink, an overwhelming stench of insect spray, and 17 strategically placed incense sticks trying to cover up that stench.
I took this picture on my visit to the city of Hue, which was the ancient capital of Vietnam. Hue is littered with spectacular mausoleums, pagodas and temples and they all depict the wonderful craftsmanship of the ancient Vietnamese people.
Outside one of these temples, I saw this lady who lit a few incense sticks and then sat there praying. Initially I took a shot of just the incense sticks but keeping her in the background added more meaning to this image. Hope you guys like it.
Have a happy weekend all my friend!!
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About Huế, Vietnam
Huế is the capital city of Thừa Thiên - Huế province, Vietnam. Between 1802 and 1945, it was the imperial capital of the Nguyễn Dynasty. It is well known for its monuments and architecture. Its population stands at about 340,000 people.
Source: Wikipedia
Graham Jefferey is the pioneer of smoke photography and started shooting smoke in 2003. I was inspired by his work and followed a few of his techniques which I will briefly mention. First of all the back ground for the snaps was all black. In my case I used smoke from a cigarette and incense sticks. The speed light was placed on the side with a black paper wrapped around it in order to prevent light from coming in to the lens or illuminating the back ground. I wanted as much light as possible on the smoke and nothing but the smoke. I used F/13 as my apperture value in order to get better depth of field. After the image was captured, I opened it in Adobe Photoshop and adjusted the blacks in order to get a perfect and uniformed black as the background color. Then I inverted (ctrl+i) the image and the back ground automatically became white. After that I selected parts of the smoke and feathered them and then adjusted the color level, hue and saturation for each feathered part. Feathering is very important here in order to achieve a gradual gradient transformation between colors. Finally the image was cleaned and cropped in order to get rid of unwanted smoke and particles. Have a good day :)
November 2011,
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 85mm macro F 3.5,
F/13, 1/250s, 200 ISO
SB 700 SpeedLight fired from side.