Not long ago I was photographing an event at a Buddhist monastery for my friends in the Seattle-area Tibetan community. One of the monastery's lamas, a Tibetan who is quite learned -- and I think wise, and who I’m coming to respect greatly -- said something to me that was wonderful:
“Your photos,” he said...
(and then he touched his forehead)...
..."like a monk.”
Now, I must admit that the lama’s English is sometimes a bit difficult for me to understand. And, though I’m making an effort to learn Tibetan, I so far only know a few words and basic phrases. Still, I sensed by his words and body language that the lama was telling me that he’d seen the work I’ve been doing for the Tibetans and that he could see monk-like qualities in the images. I don’t believe the lama was telling me that my pictures are “good” or “bad” (a lama generally would not see things that way,) but that the images are made with compassion and empathy, bedrock qualities of mind practiced by monks.
It was a conversation I will remember always.
***
My personal photo diary this week -- the moments that presented themselves to me -- could be titled “Critters in my World.”
--A small tree frog seems to have taken up residence inside an old blue golf umbrella that we keep on our front porch.
--The neighbor’s horse has been grazing in a pasture filled with buttercups.
--The goat Pumpkin cozied up to a visitor.
In the big world-at-large, these everyday moments might be non-events, but to me they’re examples of what agrarian writer Wendell Berry calls “The Art of the Commonplace.”
I will continue to practice seeing small.
