The awakening from ordinary

Did anyone ever listen to those people preaching a religion? How is that feel? To be honest, I sometimes get fed up and tired with all the saying and stuff. I just feel that all are legendaries and stories.

Only when I start readings into books and researches, I realize that there are a lot of inner meanings, and it’s not that simple as it’s just a story. The more I look at it, the more I discover, and the more I got interested.

As a Buddhist, I start to look at my religion in a brand new perspective. Buddhism is everything about the teachings rather than asking for joining its society! We can choose to accept it’s teaching to live a better life.

I like shooting documentary shots, the photos that produced, feels like it’s once in a lifetime treasure.

My exhibition, “The awakening from ordinary”, I hope to produce a series or a documentary of monks who lives in the temple in London, the “Wat Buddhapadipa” temple, the first and only Thai temple in Britain! Photographing monk’s lives, and English people crossing culture. My invention is to look into Buddhism in English country and in the East or Asia.

The title of my exhibition is actually an inspiration from my realization, “awakening” meaning “realizing” my own religion. The chosen series of images for my exhibition is to show a sequence of the unordinary everyday lives of the monks, a spiritual life in an ordinary world.

For the first part of the sequence, I selected some photographs showing “Upasombot”, the ordination of monks, and novices…

“You have left your house. You know all things of this world are full of suffering that holds you captive; they are inconstant, unreal, transitory and oppressive, neither true or good. You know that everything is subject to birth, age, death…”

Phra Rachabhavanavimol
(The Chief of Dhammaduta Monks)

Then, there are some outdoor shots of little details, such like Buddha statue and the worship bowl. Also, monks having meals and visitors or believers, coming to worship, and blessings, monks will then murmur good luck whishes.

In the middle part of the story my lens focussed on the novices. They are around fourteen years of age. Monks are their “achen”, their teacher. They will accompany their education, instruct them with the teachings and life of the Buddha. They learn the basic elements of meditation and the Pali language.

By the end of the day, which is about evening, the monks prepare for meditation. I found a shot, which is quite interesting, where a monk is feeding a squirrel while sharing knowledge with a local. It’s about six, when they start the meditation. Believers might join the meditation as well. I show a photo of a British person, joining the meditation, she is murmuring in Pali, which I found interesting.



















Mamiya M645 S1000 | 80mm F2.8 | Fuji Neopan 120 ISO 100