Buddha

Probably nothing is as emblematic of peace and serenity as the figure of Buddha. For eternity, artisans, painters and sculptors have slaved over the right proportions that would artistically represent the beloved ascetic.

The features - eyes the shape of half open lotus buds, a keen nose and the hint of smile together convey the calm introspection that is beautiful beyond words.

Have been photographing Buddhist iconography around the region for a few years now. Sharing a few images form around the house and elsewhere.

The Buddha in emptiness. The Buddha in solitude. The Buddha in poetry.

Contemplating a now-lost statue of the Buddha in French sculptor Rodin's garden, German poet Rilke gropes his way towards and understanding of emptiness:

center of all centers, core of cores,

almond, self-enclosed, growing sweet --

all the universe, to the farthest stars

and beyond them, is your flesh, your fruit ...

Now you feel how nothing clings to you;

your vast shell reaches into endless space,

and there the rich thick nectars rise and flow.

Illuminating your infinite peace,

a billion stars go spinning through the night,

Glowing high above your head.

But in you is the presence that

will be, when all the stars are dead.

In unexpected corners.

In turbulence, noise, age, decay and death.

The Buddha is every where..