View allAll Photos Tagged incense_sticks
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 !!!
Look here for more information about the eRaWaN SHRiNe.
Miss me……..
In autumn leaves season, the view from here has red background.
Ai Nikkor 50mm f1.4 with Panasonic DMC-G2
November 24th, 2013
Gotokuji Temple, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, Japan
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!!
--
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.
A lot of folks who've seen these shots have asked how they were done so I'll attempt to explain...
There's probably a few variations on the theme but firstly here's what I used to do it
1. Canon 100mm macro lens (probably don't need a 'macro' lens as I found the best results were obtained from about 60 cm's ish)
2. What really makes a difference is an off camera flash. I was lucky enough to get a 580EX as a present with an off camera flash cord. This is important because with standard front facing flashes you run the risk of lighting up the background. This makes it harder to isolate the smoke form the background later in photoshop if it hasn't stayed completely black - you with me? If you have remote release for the flash gun even better - no cables!
3. A dark background. I initally used a black jumper but anything black is good. Preferably of a good size too so you have a bit of freedom of movement with the camera whilst still keeping the background in the frame.
4. Incense sticks and holder. Simple!
5. Tripod for the camera.
Basically set your background up and put your incense sticks about 1or more metres in front so the background will be blurred.
Set the camera up about 60cm away from the incense sticks. Pre focus the camera and use an aperture of f8 - f14 so you get a decent DOF. Experiment here.
Check the viewfinder for position making sure it's filled with black backdrop.
Set the flash ready. Vary the angles of flash if you can - I found a 45 degree angle to the smoke pointing 45 degrees up is ok. With the 580EX on 1/4 power about 6 inch distance is good for even light. Just experiment with this. If like me you just have a flash on the stand and no tripod an assistant can be handy to hold the flash.
Light the incense sticks, wait for pretty patterns and shoot away!
The best way I found of getting plenty of swirls is using two incense sticks burning simultaneously. Have the burning tips near each other and one will induce turbulence in the other stream. Otherwise with one stick burning you wait an age for anything interesting.
Download photos and tinker till your little heart's content in photoshop or whatever you use!
My first attempt at this was total failure. I was trying to sync my flash off camera and I could not figure it out. I burnt through 6 incense sticks and ended up smelling like a smoking hippy with not one good shot. I gave up.
The next night I tried again armed with a few youtube tutorials and a fresh attitude. I gave up on the flash and just used a flashlight. 20 min and 150 photos later I was moderately successful. A few more videos and some fun editing and I am done. This is another technique I need to revisited to improve.
A woman kneels in a traditional temple courtyard, holding incense sticks in a moment of reflection and reverence. The scene captures cultural heritage and spiritual practice in a serene setting.
Strobist info - Two seperate incense sticks with a black background and gobo'd strobes lighting from the sides to prevent light spill onto the black background.
Macro Mondays calm theme. Incense sticks can be rather toxic but they make a good smoke stream for shooting photos! Cough, hack.
Flagged, (poster board barn doors,) on a YN-460 at camera right. Half power. E bay triggers.
Apologies if this offends anybody, not my intention.
Smoke art, best viewed in lightbox. Was pleased to make use of the incense sticks as part of the image :)
Some appropriate music from Iron Maiden
"The good that men do is oft interred with their bones. But, the EVIL that men do, lives on!..."
Shakespeare, "Julius Caesar"
A worker arranges bright red incense sticks laid out to dry in Quang Phu Cau, a village known for its traditional incense-making craft in Vietnam. The vibrant red bundles create a stunning visual as they dry under the sun, a common sight in this village where incense production is a time-honored tradition. The worker wears a conical hat, adding to the authenticity and cultural significance of this beautiful scene.
Nanzen-ji (南禅寺 Nanzen-ji), or Zuiryusan Nanzen-ji, formerly Zenrin-ji (禅林寺 Zenrin-ji), is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. Emperor Kameyama established it in 1291 on the site of his previous detached palace. It is also the headquarters of the Nanzen-ji branch of Rinzai Zen. The precincts of Nanzen-ji are a nationally designated Historic Site and the Hōjō gardens a Place of Scenic Beauty. (Wikipedia)
At the mandala event, there were tables of offerings set up for the event Medicine Buddha Puja ceremony that would be presented when the mandala was completed. On the offering table are bowls of water with saffron, flowers, candles and incense sticks.
I wanted to try something I'd never done before, so armed myself with incense sticks and had a play....
Quang Phu Cau village in Hanoi, Vietnam is famous for its century old craft of making incense. Drying incense sticks in Quang Phu Cau handicraft village. Travel and landscape concept.
Another crack at shooting smoke from incense sticks. As I had my helper with me again we decided one wouldn't cut the mustard and the two sticks were the order of the day. I suspect it was more to do with the fact that Fin wanted to light as many as he could!
Naked flash right of incense sticks on 1/2 power with cardboard attached to act a barn door.
Happy Deepavali to all our Hindu friends!
Every year during Deepavali, Little India transforms into an exotic treat for the senses, with thousands of coloured lights and dozens of special stalls set up, selling anything from beautiful brightly-coloured silk saris, shining jewellery, aromatic spices, scented jasmine garlands, incense sticks, and statues of Indian deities and much more.
Today I decided to try smoke photography. For the first time. I used incense sticks to get smooth and long-lasting smoke. I did not have additional flash but still managed to do it. I'm pretty happy about final result. Original version of gray/white smoke on black background was boring for me so I colorized it. Looks pretty unique :)
This photo is available for download from Fotolia microstock agency. PM me if you want a link.
17th Century Lama Temple or Yonghe Temple/ -Lamasery is a temple and monastery of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. NE of city centre. The complex is about 400x100 meters. Metro station: Yonghegong Lama Temple (line 2 and 5).
I went there late afternoon to avoid big crowds. I went in 15:45 hour. No line at the ticket counter. Good. Entrance is only 25 yuan (€3). Entrance fee to these attractions cost so little compared to European cities. You gotta love Beijing. From the ticket office to the temple complex is a 150m walk. Included in the price is a packet of incense sticks which is handed out at the entrance of the temple complex.
I was first observing everyone for a couple of minutes to understand how it is done…
You've got to burn the sticks then walk towards the temple and kneel on the leather cushion while holding the sticks above your head with two hands. Than pray for a while (I think). Then bow three times. Stand up, rotate to the right 90 degrees and bow, while standing, three times still holding the sticks above your head. Then throw the sticks in the big black box. Okay, I can do that. So I burned the entire packet of sticks at the first temple. Behind that were many more temples but I was out of sticks. Mmmmnnnnn. Good one Gilbert. Nice. Idiot. At 16:30 hour they were closing the doors of a couple temples and at 16:45 hours we were forced towards the exit. Beautiful looking place though.
Bundled three incense sticks together during a little snowstorm, illuminated it with a light and took a slo motion video on my IPhone.
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Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black
As we were running late cause temple Wat Phrachao Phananchoeng is closing at 17:00, we rushed in at 16:57, past the entrance hall of the Chinese Temple with Buddha statues plastered with goldpaper and burning candles, and arrived at a rather small door. Once we stepped through it, a quite small space opened up in front of us. Our eyes were immediately drawn towards the enormous golden Buddha in front of us. The tight space around it only underlined the vastness of this old and shiny statue. As we were still standing on the doorstep, people below us were praying on the floor, and they looked especially small compared to the gigantic Buddha. In fact, the base of Wat Phanan Choeng is elevated above a human size - and from there, towers another 19 metres above the floor. Right in front of it, three heavy safes act as the inevitable donation boxes, there is a richly filled altar, and when you stand behind it, you get a good idea about the dimension of this statue: the head seems far away and small compared to the knee and hand right above you. But there is more to this temple. Walking around the base of the golden Buddha takes you past other, smaller Buddhas in various sizes - some of them very elegant, you can see worshippers rattling fortune sticks, lighting candles, orange robes for devotees... But wherever you go, you always see the golden Buddha of Wat Phanan Choeng from different angles. On the backside, there is a spiral staircase, which leads to the top of the statue. Unfortunately, this is not accessible to regular visitors. The flashy and shiny appearance of the golden Buddha of Wat Phanan Choeng belies its age: this statue was erected in 1324, even before the founding of Ayutthaya. It has been damaged several times, but always repaired. The wihaan is barely big enough to cover the statue. It has survived the sacking of the city by the Burmese, although according to legend, tears flowed from its eyes when it happened. Now, the Buddha appears serene, and it can be confident about its future. There is no more reason for it to cry: this is the most active temple of Ayutthaya and it is therefore always surrounded by worshippers. Futhermore there's lot of Chinese influence and even a Chinese temple. It is also said that the beginnings of the temple is related to a love myth between a Thai Prince and a Chinese Princess of long ago. The interior and its facilities have constantly changed in adoption to time, to ease the process of worshipping and study.
Photo taken inside the Wat Phrachao Phananchoeng in the Historical park of Ayutthaya. This Chinese temple is at the entrance towards the Golden Buddha. Worship in Chinese temples usually consists of making offerings to the various gods, spirits and ancestors. The main act of worship is lighting incense or joss sticks. These are generally provided to worshipers by the temple in exchange for a small donation. Worshipers generally take three or nine incense sticks and light them from an oil lamp placed beside the burner. They hold the incense sticks in both hands while bowing the head and present them as an offering to the god(s) in the temple. Larger incense sticks called joss sticks are also used in worship. Candles are also lit to the various gods.
Ayutthaya gesticht rond 1350 werd over een periode van ca. 400 jaar door 33 koningen gebouwd. In het begin van de 17de eeuw had de stad een bevolking van 1 miljoen inwoners en was ze een van de rijkste steden van Azië. Bezocht door Portugezen, Engelsen, Fransen, Nederlanders en Chinezen beschreven deze hoezeer ze onder de indruk waren van de vele rijkdommen die men er zag. Maar andermaal waren het de Birmanen na herhaalde pogingen die in 1767 erin slaagden na een langdurige belegering de stad te veroveren. Ze gingen uiterst woest tekeer, staken de ganse stad in brand en vele monumenten gingen voor altijd verloren. Inwoners die niet konden vluchten werden gedood of in slavernij weggevoerd. Andermaal ging een roemrijke stad ten onder.... Gelukkig geven de overgebleven ruïnes toch nog een heel goede indruk van de grandeur van destijds. De site is opgenomen op de lijst van World Heritage Monuments Werelderfgoed van de Unesco. Wat Phrachao Phananchoeng of Wat Panang Choeng: deze tempel werd eigenlijk reeds gebouwd vóór dat Ayutthaya tot hoofdstad werd benoemd en is één van de oudste tempels in Ayutthaya. In de vihara is een 19 meter hoge, zittende Boeddha te zien die als het ware het dak ondersteund. Rondom dit beeld zijn in nissen honderden kleine Boeddhabeeldjes opgesteld. De Boeddha is gebouwd in 1325 maar onbekend is door wie. Deze gouden Boeddha is één van de meest vereerde beelden door de inwonders van Ayutthaya. Verder kunt u in de tempel kunt u veel Chinese invloeden vinden en een Chinese tempel zoals hierboven te zien. Men zegt ook dat het begin van de tempel verwant is met een liefdes mythe tussen een Thaise Prins en een Chinese Prinses. In Chinese tempels kan men op vele manieren offeren. Men offert wierookstokjes, Chinese godenpapier, religieuze kaarsen, Bloemen, water en fruit. De kaarsen worden net als in het katholicisme en Oosters orthodoxe christendom aangestoken om iets te wensen. Voor niet-boeddhistische godheden worden ook alcoholische dranken zoals bier en vlees zoals een geroosterd speenvarken geofferd. Mensen offeren meestal drie of negen wierookstokjes/wierookstokken aan de goden en boeddhistische heiligen. Na het offeren moet men een gelddonatie aan de tempel geven door geld in een houten doos te stoppen die voor het altaar staat. Als een wens is uitgekomen, moet men bij het volgende tempelbezoek uitbundig offeren om de goden of boeddhistische heiligen te bedanken.
came back this year to shoot this awesome event again.
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The Fire Dragon Dance is one of the many traditional festivals in Hong Kong. I found it very amazing as the guy swinging this fire ball made of many many incense sticks.
This stunning event is usually held around Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong sometimes in Sept, sometimes in Oct because it is based on the Chinese New Year Calendar so each year is different.