In a press conference in Jerusalem as part of an interfaith conference, His Holiness the Dalia Lama was asked why he thought there were so many religions in the world. With a slight smile he quickly replied, as if stating the unutterably obvious, “Well that is because there are so many different kinds of people in the world.”
A recent blog post by National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry, A Matter of Faith, shows a portfolio of wonderful images from around the world and reminds me of my own longstanding interest in photographing varieties of religious experience.
Here’s a selection from around the world. If you like them, please comment, and if you have your own selections of images please post them on your blog and email me or add a comment here and I’ll collect them for a follow-on post.
Standing meditation, Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan
Buddhist monk, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Maundy Thursday candles, Metropolitan Cathedral, Athens, Greece
TIbetan Buddhist monk circumambulating temple, Labrang Monastery, Tibet (traditional)
Woman meditating atop Mayan Temple, Coba, Yucatan, Mexico
Shinto paper prayers, Asakusa Kannon Temple, Tokyo, Japan
Imam studying Koran, Taj Mahal, Agra, India
Man praying in synagogue in Tomb of Abraham, Hebron, West Bank, Palestine
Metropol Daniel, Church of Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, Israel
Bishop’s hands blessing holy communion bread, St Gregory of Nyssen Church, San Francisco
Singer, Mahsuris Tomb, Malaysia, Langkawi
The Dalai Lama at Western Wall, Jerusalem, Israel
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
posted all the responses today. thanks everyone
Hi David, great photos. Inspired by yourself, as well as Craig Ferguson, I did a similar post myself. http://www.darrenmelrose.com/blog/?p=432
Hi David, great photos. Inspired by yourself, as well as Craig Ferguson, I did a similar post myself. http://www.darrenmelrose.com/blog/?p=432
OK so I´ve been truly inspired, so much so I´ve put together my own blog post here http://tombourdon.co.uk/index.php/2011/02/global-faith/
Thanks for sharing and inspiring.
First off, thanks for pointing out the Steve McCurry post. His work has always amazed me.
As for your images, I was really fond of the Dalai Lama in each shot. The very last image shows what I’ve always been fascinated with – religious pluralism. I taught for a few years in Houston, Texas where there exists multiple mosques, temples, churches, and synagogues of all varieties.
I regularly post about religion as I live in Taiwan and am fascinated with it – here’s a post I made with photos from Tainan: http://joshintaiwan.com/2010/12/13/tainan-temple-dedication/
Again, awesome idea and beautiful work.
Great shots Josh – the color and faces, especially the painted faces. They remind me of amazing Korean Mask Dances I photographed in Hahoe, Andong Korea. very expressive.
The Dalai Lama images were from an interfaith council he initiated in Jerusalem, meeting behind closed doors with Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Catholic Protestant and Jewish leaders. His notion was that if leaders can get to know each other and find common ground there’d be less fractious differences. A good effort.
Here’s my version. http://www.craigfergusonimages.com/2011/02/of-the-east/
Thanks Craig. I like the large format, works well – and the image of one of the eight generals
Love these, David. Especially the Dalai Lama in a yarmulke!
Thanks Trudy and Urvashi, indeed details often tell a story better than the whole.
..and Craig, I will look forward to seeing some of your shots.
Excellent series. Agree with the others about the Shinto prayer papers. Also the standing meditation. You’ve inspired me to put together my own selection – I’ll send you a link when I do.
The Shinto prayer papers are amazing in their detail. Wonderful to see these places I’ve only read about. Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful work. I love the Shinto prayer payers and the Metropol Daniel, Church of Holy Sepulchre photographs the most. Amazing. 🙂