Little Altars Everywhere

Red Buddha

This is perhaps one of my favorite photographs. I always feel a sense of calm when I see it. Incidentally, the photo is especially beautiful when printed on metallic paper.

Ganesha

I shot this photo while walking around a Health and Harmony fair in California. It was one of those beautiful days, light and breezy with perfect clouds. The light was perfect.

Blessing

I was visiting a friend in San Miguel. I thought it was beautiful, peaceful and serene.

Prayer to the Sky God

I was taking a walk in El Charco, a beautiful desert park in San Miguel. Artist from the area had created art using natural materials. I loved this sculpture against the sky.

Just Ducky

The mighty ducks ride their way to victory! Or someone had a whole lot of fun decorating the hood of their car.

Even the Feathers Float

I love the illusion this feather has created. It reminds me to see the magic, be the magic, open myself to seeing what others do not.

Peaceful Budha

I shot this Buddha in my neighbors yard. She has a beautiful garden with Buddhas scattered throughout. It's very peaceful.

Budha in the Garden

Altar in the Redwoods

I was walking in the Redwoods one afternoon and came upon this stone altar. It was in the center of the fairy ring, groups of redwoods grow in clusters and rings. Walking amongst them fills you with awe. They are gentle giants.

Adonis

"I will not believe that if I do something then I have to follow a certain path because it was written for normal people. People who aren't special. People who don't have tiger blood and Adonis DNA." ~ Charlie Sheen

Dancing Shiva

God's creation was linguistic, & the letters of the first potent word that (S)He uttered contained all the forms of creation, each form presided over by the name of a letter of the alphabet, which is in turn composed of letters, each of which has a name, & so on to infinity... Creation, on other words, is eternal & ongoing: "the multitude of letters swells out into the infinitude," & "letters are continually generating other letters." The alphabet speaks a divine language, ... each letter calling up, but never pinning down, the enigmatic nature of reality, the word of God. (S.177) ~ Guy L. Beck, Sonic Theology: Hinduism and Sacred Sound

Altar in Far Away Places

Wherever an altar is found, there civilization exists. ~ Joseph de Maistre This is from an antique shop in San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico. The shop sits just outside of town and has a giant metal horse standing guard out front. This particular room is a giant nicho, large enough for me to walk into. The room itself is cool and peaceful in this little section of the store, a nice place to contemplate the complexities of the Universe.

Buddha Garden

You are the community now. Be a lamp for yourselves. Be your own refuge. Seek for no other. All things must pass. Strive on diligently. Don’t give up. ~ Gautama Buddha I have a neighbor with a beautiful garden. She has Buddha's placed throughout. If you ask her about her Buddha's, she will tell you that she's not a Buddhist, she just likes the statutes. I have many friends like this. They love the calmness and serenity of Buddha statutes, they just aren't Buddhists. Maybe this is how it works, you don't need to be a Buddhist to find the peace of Buddha.

Buddha Beads

I said to my soul, be still and wait without hope, for hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, for love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith, but the faith and the love are all in the waiting. Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought: So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing. ~ T. S. Ellliot This sweet little Buddha lives in my neighbors yard. She has several sweet Buddhas scattered about among the flowers and flauna. She's one of those people that changes the statuary around on a fairly regular basis so I never know what or where different pieces are going to be when I visit. I love checking out her garden each day as Payton and I walk by.

Buddha Love

“Love one another." If we took those simple words to heart, we'd already be the Buddhas Jesus wanted us to be. ~ Kathleen Dowling Singh, The Grace in Aging: Awaken as You Grow Older Payton and I were going home from our walk when we stopped at Jean’s for him to have a drink of water. I noticed that nasturtium petals had fallen in front of one of her Buddhas so I started taking pictures. One of our other neighbors came by and said, “You know, Tuesday is Buddha’s birthday!” Jean said she wasn’t a Buddhist, she just liked the statues. And I thought, well maybe I should share this photo on Tuesday. I did a little research and realized that different countries celebrate the birth of Buddha on different days. And today is the day he is celebrated in Tibet. Like Jean, I’m not a Buddhist. But, I like the statues and I also appreciate some of his teachings as many of them are similar to what I learned as a child.