Worshippers bundle at the feet of the 57 foot tall monolithic statue of the founder of Jainism. This amazing structure is located in Karnataka State in India. The Jains are the most peaceful of religions always looking for perfection out of successive lives and to achieve liberation of the soul. They profess no injury to any living creature so they are careful where they walk and some are seen wearing masks so to avoid ingesting a living thing by accident.

A day so hot that the sun felt as if it were a buzzard picking at your flesh. Thanks to a small boy interested in practicing some English we soon found ourselves climbing down between house-sized, egg-shaped boulders that were cool to the touch. After a while of jumping from stone to stone into the darkness, we finally came across a shaft of light where I took this picture of a Sadhu that had lived in a space only big enough to crawl into for sleep. He had been there for 3 years meditating!

this is within an elaborately decorated Chinese style monastery outside of Mandalay, Myanmar. This monastery housed only 3 nuns, all of which had lived in this building together since they were 11. The two in the portrait are 74 and 78. The older Sister felt it too much to join as the 102 year old lay in the shade in a sun-chair. The vibe was incredibly relaxed and remaIns a favourite feeling of mine in that fine country. 

First ever travel photo with my new 1998 Elan 7 camera with 200iso film. It was the day the whole thing started!

Bali, Indonesia, 1998

Clamouring around Angkor with a monk always gets you into some unexpected places. He kept in touch for a year and then we drifted apart. Tree roots strangle an 1100 year old temple here. Cambodia 2012. Ta Prohm Temple

Lay monks take their learning seriously. These novice monks quietly listen to their teacher, while others shout their mantras at the top of their lungs.

A man performs his rituals at a gold covered Buddha deep in one of the thousands of pagodas near Old Bagan.

Sitting Buddhas of Umin Thounzeh, Sagaing. A man tends the temple.

OK...this can be complicated. This is effectively the marriage of the plant basil or Tulsi or Vrinda when she was in woman form and Vishnu/Krishna. Women in particular form small groups of friends on the Assi and Tulsi Ghats in Varanasi and celebrate with paints, flower petals, cloth and other things.