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The Pachinko temple
The Pachinko temple During my walks through various neighbourhoods of Kyoto, as I made my way from one beautiful temple, garden or palace to the next, I would occasionally come across buildings like the one in the photo, and I wondered what sort of place this was and what went on inside. One afternoon, I…
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The art of tea
The art of tea Looking at the photos in each of the last four posts, I highlighted a concept that is central to Zen or – in broader terms – to traditional Japanese culture. With the photo of the display in the Tokonoma I brought the word ‘harmony’ into focus, but ‘respect’, ‘purity’, or ‘tranquillity’…
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Tranquillity
Tranquillity Zen rock gardens are oases of tranquillity. They are not intended as places we set foot in, but places we quietly contemplate from the outside. They are places for meditation, created in the precincts of Zen Buddhist temples. Ryoan-ji, the rock garden in the picture, dates from the end of the 15th century. With…
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Purity
Purity “The path is no more than a way out of this floating world – Why not wash off upon entering it the dust of impurity from our heart.” Stone wash basins like the one in the picture, containing crystal clear water, are invariably placed near the entrance of a Japanese tea room. Before participating…
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Respect
Respect Respect is an important aspect of Japanese culture. The emperor, ancient traditions, monuments, art, craftsmanship, they all deserve our deepest respect. As does the Japanese garden; this artistic creation of a highly idealized natural environment …. let’s call it paradise. A paradise that has never existed in real nature – the opposite of the…
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Harmony
Harmony If we describe the interior space of a traditional Japanese house using the word ‘harmonious’, then we may regard the display in the tokonoma as the height of harmony. The tokonoma is the alcove-like space found in a traditional house, reserved for the exhibition of a work of art, or a work of nature,…
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A stick in shallow water
A stick in shallow water Such a simple photo, yet so profound! Ever since I saw this branch in the water and took a photograph of it, the image has been etched into my memory. What we see here is clear: 1) a stick in the sun, protruding from the water, 2) the broken continuation…
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Teashop happiness
Teashop happiness A mother and daughter in their little teashop in the mountains around Pokhara. The scene exudes modest simplicity and natural relaxation. The girl’s amused expression brings a smile to our faces too. We are part of a moment of infectious joy. Life can be so beautiful! Photo of the week: Pokhara, Nepal, 1996
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Composition in ochre and black
Composition in ochre and black The colour scheme and the arrangement of the shapes within the frame of the photograph evoke a sense of harmony. The hen must have just pecked some grain from the black pot, which is now tilting towards her. The pot, which is balanced, reinforces the overall feeling of harmony. Harmony…
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Yosemite
Yosemite It had been snowing till early spring that year in the Californian Sierra Nevada. Even by July the snow had not yet disappeared from the higher altitudes and I remember us driving, and pitching our tent, between heaps of snow in full summer. This was probably the reason why, when we came to Yosemite,…
καιρός remembered
… the right moment, position chosen, shoot …
