Beyond Eternity

This monk lives in a monastery on the shores of Inle Lake lake in Myanmar. The practices of Theravada Buddhism include a ritual of collecting alms in neighboring villages. His work is both a solitary pursuit and a community endeavor. There is karmic symbiosis in his daily life and that of the villagers.

The making of a photographic image and the viewing of a limited edition print in a home or workplace are similarly a blend of solitary and communal acts of engagement. They involve individual and/or collective exchange, observation, contemplation, internal response, respect, sometimes conversation, and always, artistry

If the craft of photographic portraiture is an art form, so too is viewing a photo. A person might see this monk traveling in the morning fog as a moment suspended in time. Another could embrace it as a serene encounter with the solitude and stillness often found in nature. I look at it and feel its vibrant past and potential energy. The hours, months, and years before I made this image reverberate and declare their history. The minute ahead is pregnant with possibility: What will it be?

All of which conjures a metaphor for human existence. Life is a journey. Being present and eager for the unknown is an art.