A Place Of Prayer by wysiwig
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
Bhutan is the only Buddhist kingdom in the world. For its people religion is not a once a week thing. It is something that frames their lives, something they practice everyday. Everywhere we went, we saw shrines, prayer wheels and prayer flags which are meant to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom.
But even in such a place as Bhutan concessions to the modern world have crept into society. Each evening we would have a buffet style dinner that offered both Bhutanese and Western food which often included chicken. One evening I asked our local guide, a charming fellow named Needup Wangdi, how it was that we could have chicken when the First Precept of Buddhism is 'To refrain from taking life'. He just smiled and said, "Accidents happen."
Below can be seen an example of prayer flags in use in the Bhutanese countryside.
Comments (22)
auntietk
What a lovely, misty scene. It soothes my soul just to see this. Beautiful image!
Feliciti
looks a bit mystical but beautiful mist and with a special mood !!
durleybeachbum
Prayer and pragmatism! Super pic.
blondeblurr
Those prayer flags are a common sight in Indonesia - but it has also crept into our lifestyle here in OZ, being close enough, to be called neighbours. This looks like a magical, mystery tour into the mountains ... mesmerising vision, BB
Faemike55
Very beautiful scene and narrative love your guide's comment
mariogiannecchini
Wonderful scene , Mark ! Great info and beauitful commneto of your guide !
alanwilliams
oh i love the mood created here, superb
West_coaster07
Wonderful image!!
tennesseecowgirl
Nice image Mark.
psyoshida
A very spiritual looking scene. Mr. Wangdi is quite a character. Great shot, so relaxing.
vaggabondd
awesome shot my friend
sandra46
SUPERLATIVE AND FASCINATING
netot
If they offered chicken often, Buthan could be in the Guiness's records as "The country with the most accidents for chickens". Lovely history. I like how the flags get lost in the mist. Beautiful.
bobrgallegos
A very wonderful capture so full of mood and atmosphere!!
ia-du-lin
beautiful nature photo, like the atmo/mist
hipps13
makes me smile places feel beautiful capture warm hugs, Linda
0rest4wicked
A misty mountain hop!
myrrhluz
Beautiful misty scene. Excellent capture. Lovely to see the prayer flags fading in the distance. Promoting peace, compassion, strength and wisdom. Who couldn't use a bit more of that in their lives. I love the guide's response. Obviously humor is alive and well there too,
wotan
Beautiful shot and relaxing view!
Chipka
I'm not one for religion...or rather, I'm not one for dogma pretending to be religion. In terms of religion itself, I find it to be one of the most beguiling aspects of humanity. It makes no sense and yet it exists. I suspect it's because religion, at its core, is an expression of creativity. When religion mixes with pragmatism, without dogma approaching, it purifies itself. When it adheres to its highest principles, it attains a kind of timeless beauty. And when it occurs in an environment as beautiful as this, it becomes brooding, beautiful, and somewhat mysterious. And that's when I really start to enjoy religion, even if it's one I scarcely recognize. (Buddhism isn't on that scarcely recognized list, but it's not a religion I encounter daily.) All of that works into this image. The way your text illuminates it without "revealing too much" is marvelous, and the image itself is timeless. It's something I'd expect to see in National Geographic or some such anthropological medium with lavish illustrations. I love the colors, the coolness of the tones (at least visually) and that lone, nicely curved line of prayer flags, vanishing in the distance, in the mist. This is a brilliantly seen shot and it's perfectly composed. Quite Buddhist in its way as there's nothing contrived about it. Quite simply, it's a thing in and of itself, presented without unnecessary sentiment. That, I think, highlights its own nature, and its own strengths, and it's an utterly gorgeous shot. Brilliant work. And I love the story as well. The fact that your guide was (is) comfortable enough with his own faith to say something like "Accidents happen" is a profound insight into his character, and indeed, as a response to a question, it speaks volumes. I met a guy in Prague who was similar. He wasn't Buddhist, but he had a kind of Buddhist-calm, and in response to a particularly odd situation, he simply said. "Ah...it's complicated." It was pure, simple observation, and there was no ego involved. It was simply a statement of fact. There's poetic grace in that, and I love the same sort of poetic grace in this image and your account. This is brilliant.
DamirCizmok
Fantastic shot!
intro
Was Mister Wangdi suggesting that the chicken was roadkill? :)