Nowhere else can you see such things as you see here. The outrageous colors, the lights and sounds, the twisting and turning emotions, friends from near and far. There is a vibrance in the air, a twirling, churning feeling to the air that I cannot describe. It is a beautiful place where prayers are made, and sometimes answered. I wished for a lot of things here, and so many of them have come true. Most of all I wished for a partner that could share this crazy life of mine, with all of its wonders and subtleties - I proposed to my incredible wife here just two years ago. I make wishes for a family as well, time will tell when that heavenly wish will be granted. Monlam is also a place of deeply felt purification that emanates inwards and takes your soul for a spin. We all feel it differently, but no-one leaves without a permanent change to their life in more ways than one. It is a deeply powerful place, one that is dear to my heart.
So much has changed in seven years. For me, as a photographer, I kind of grew up here. Here is where I cut my teeth, tried new things, forever taking strides and also falling back. Pushing myself in seemingly identical surroundings year after year to find the new, the nuanced, the hidden and the refined. Sometimes I accomplish this, though many times I did not. This year I am taking a step back, trying to see again with fresh eyes. I am publishing less often, giving myself more time to appreciate what is in front of me, and what I may have missed in all my previous rush. To see the glorious colors unfolding in front of me. The darkness, the gritty and the delicate alongside golden glow and sparking hues. To appreciate the rain, for it brings uniqueness and a sense of wonder to lands previously thought known through and through. I notice the changes. Karmapa, how under this tree in the years that have passed he has grown and changed so much. More powerful and massive than I could have ever imagined. My relationship to all the Rinpoches, the students, even the way I see the flowers, light and darkness have changed completely. My eyes to the subtleties of India, have changed. My approach to photographing and absorbing it all, has changed. I embrace this change.
May all our wishes come true, may our practice be without obstacles, and may our purifications here bring boundless fruit for our discerning minds.
I present Monlam 2019 - Part 1.
