Inspiring Imagery
To set the stage, let’s begin with some inspiring imagery.
First, there is Seen in Their True Light
(from Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery‘s Books section)
Ajahn Jayasaro offers selections from the Dhammapada and his own teachings interspersed with beautiful photos inspiring dhamma reflection
Download this free PDF, sit back, relax, take a deep breath or two, and explore the thoughts and images. Give yourself permission to fully attend each moment as it arises and passes. Visualize the life of a Buddhist monk.
What comes to mind? What feelings arise in your heart? Take note, then let go and move along.
Our Thudong Monks web page links to beautiful images and music and descriptions of the ascetic practices that are part of the Thai Forest Monk tradition. Contemplate their efforts to return to a lifestyle lead by Shakyamuni Buddha many hundreds of years ago.
For a glimpse of a time and place that profoundly influenced the spread of Forest Tradition wisdom, watch The Mindful Way — The Buddhist Forest Tradition. Filmed in 1979, this is a BBC documentary featuring Ajahn Chah, founder of Wat Nong Pa Pong and Wat Pah Nanachat and teacher of many ‘first generation’ Western monks.
Check out the Portraits of Thai Forest Meditation Masters web page to see monks of past and present that are revered by many who follow the Buddha Dhamma.
Bhante Anandajoti’s websites are not to be missed. Of special interest is his Photo Dharma site, which includes a wonderful Interactive Google map tied to a vast collection of images significant to Buddhism. It features
Around 10,000 photographs of Buddhist archaeological sites, pilgrimage centers, and temples in SE Asia, as well as Videos, Maps, Posters, etc. Please feel free to use the photographs to make more works with them, in accordance with the Creative Commons license on the page where you find them.
Finally, for a glimpse of current Buddhist imagery illustrating the life of Siddhartha Gotama (and the spread of Vipassanā meditation), the Burmese-Indian meditation teacher, S. N. Goenka, narrates a slide show of paintings from the art gallery of the Global Vipassanā Pagoda.
You’re now well on your way to explore the rest of this site.
May it serve you well.