Forget the cliche light of joy or reminders of how rare life can be. We do not always need a milestone to see how far we have come. As a photographer I am learning to hone my skills of perception, perspective and balance. I am learning to dig deeper, look further inwardly, discover more about what it is I am seeing and experiencing. In that regard this year may outwardly have appeared more or less unremarkable, neither historic nor ground breaking. We came, we saw, we prayed and we left. But for me it was so much more. I really feel like I have discovered something new about myself, and my art. To me, my work has transformed, made a leap, rounded a corner, fresh life breathed into something I was unsure of the conditions it held for itself. I saw it all differently. The light was different, the colors more vibrant, regardless of the muggy and colder atmosphere we found ourselves in this year. Outwardly there was no golden glow this year, it never came. It was cold, grey, wet and not pleasant for a great part of the time. But what changed for me was inside. I saw it all differently. I saw the love. I saw the connections we share. I spent more time talking to people, seeing how they live and laugh and cry. I saw how we all come together in this crazy place on the far side of the world. Why do we do it? We do it for love. There is no glory in prayer. We do this for love, for others, for the benefit of all. I saw this, and it made the world glow more golden than a thousand suns could do in a millions years. It was remarkable, and touched me deeply. Gone was the need to find something new and grand, and instead, the search for the hidden glimmer and private smile became glorious. Subtleties and uniqueness prevailed. The milestone was there, but standing not for some groundbreaking achievement, but for finally seeing the greatness of the common moment. The greatness of community. The greatness of love. Love in the air, love in the sky. Love in the mist, the cold stones and wet tiles. Love in the faces looking back at me. Love in the flower pedal covered earth trodden by so many I hold dear. In this love I found myself. In this I found love over gold. Let us relish in the beauty of togetherness and simple moments. Let us all be content with being here, standing on this earth, with eyes and heart open. Just being here with all that life brings our way. Let us find love over gold.
Merry Christmas to everyone! In the spirit of love and sharing I would like to give away all my photos from this year’s Monlam - all in print quality. I hope you enjoy them, share them, give them to friends and keep them for yourselves. My little holiday gift for you.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hj7zp872u3a8qcr/AAASOQgFxdwDAwqY0CBoFQvLa?dl=0
