Nothing can truly describe what I am feeling right now, sharing photos with you all, once again from the center of the power field, in my favorite event of the year. Especially after such a long time away, the joy is flooding back like a tidal wave, washing over me with cascading memories from some of the best moments in my life. This was the very first event I ever shot, and has since been the ultimate test of my will, stamina, and pushing creativity to the next level in a place where everywhere you look there is something beautiful, with golden light cresting over the edges or a halo of incense smoke. It’s rather mesmerizing, one could easily get lost in all of it as there’s just too much to see. There is something very magical about Bodh Gaya, and being here with Karmapa just makes the place explode.
There have already been so many amazing experiences, and we’re only on day 2! Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche is so huge and powerful, he’s like a different person than the young man I knew so well just a few years ago. And Karmapa… he seems to be more immense, outrageously compassionate, and larger than life each time I see him. I simply cannot believe it, since the previous times are always so mind-blowing it’s hard to imagine how it could be more. And yet it is. Being in his presence is a joy that has no bounds. And we all get to experience it, here among thousands and thousands of devotees and friends, every Lama and Rinpoche under the sun, all sitting beneath the tree where the Buddha himself attained enlightenment. Unbelievable right? You’re beginning to understand why it’s my favorite time of the year, it could be nowhere else than right here.
While I could go on and on forever about this place, I feel it’s best to simply let the photos speak for themselves. And so with that I present my first collection from the Kagyu Monlam 2023! It is a joy to share these with you all, and stay tuned because there’s a lot more to come! :)
