Moving Forward

Photos from week 2 of Rose Coloured Glasses. The first 4 were taken at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden the day I went to see the Tibetan Monks. 

 Rainy Day

 Lanterns

 Framed

 Golden Orange

And lastly, a self-portrait:

Tired

(On the day we were doing them, I was tired and stressed and in desperate need of a nap. Some days are just like that.)

It's been difficult shooting through this class. I've been having problems with my vision for some time now and recently found out that it's because I've had at least 4 attacks of optic neuritis since February. Over the summer, I'd finally learned how to shoot manually, but with the damage to my vision, everything I was shooting was coming out blurry, even with my glasses on. What I perceived as focused wasn't. Vivienne, ever the supportive teacher that she is, encouraged me to go back to shooting on auto. (Unless, of course, I am trying to achieve blur.) 

Despite setbacks, I still feel I learned something: I always feel better when I am creating, even if that becomes a challenge. I just have to keep moving forward.

Ancient Art

On Friday, I discovered that the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden was hosting Tibetan monks who were going to be creating a sand mandala. I've always wanted to see this, so I quickly emailed my friend Carol to see if she wanted to come with me. She did, so yesterday, we braved the weather (it was pouring and windy) and went to meet them.

When we arrived, we discovered that the monks had not yet arrived. The docent explained that they were on "Tibetan time", which made me laugh. You cannot expect those that live in the now to be the slave of a schedule. She needn't have worried though-they arrived right after she'd said it, smiling and in good spirits despite the dismal weather.

They'd begun working on the sand mandala the day before so we were able to see the amazing progress they had already made. The mandala is drawn from memory and then they begin the painstaking work of filling it in using colourful sands.

They have two tapering medal rods that are ribbed. The top end of the rod is wide and open and they scoop the sand into the rod from this end. The other end is narrow and this is where the sand comes out. They rub the second rod up and down the one full of sand, to create vibration to make the sand come out. It's like a sand version of paint by numbers.

They create intricate patterns and outlines, using the different colours and though it's hard to tell from the photos, there are also a variety of textures created. It's really incredible the amount of skill and patience required to do this. The knowledge of this art has been handed down through the ages. 

Each element of the design has meaning. Mandalas are symmetric with a series of concentric circles and square. The center point is where the deity resides. The finished mandalas have four gates, which symbolize the four virtues: compassion, kindness, sympathy and equanimity. Sand mandalas are for purification and healing and the act of their creation is a form of meditation. Once completed, the mandala will be consecrated and then ceremoniously wiped away and dispersed into flowing water, symbolizing the impermanent nature of existence.

Before they began their work the day before, they also held a puja ceremony, honouring Buddha. Offerings were made and incense was burned. Usually I am not a fan of incense because I have allergies but the incense they used was really lovely. It didn't bother me at all.

The Abbot, Jampa Sopa created this butter sculpture. Butter sculptures are a made from a mixture of Yak butter, wax and dyes. When you're working with it, you have to dip your fingers in cold water to keep it from sticking to you. Butter sculptures are given as offerings. This one stood about a foot high, but for special ceremonies, they can reach several meters high. Again, each of the colours and designs holds special meaning.

I was able to shoot a short video of the monks working on the mandala. I wanted to be able to share with you the sound of what they were doing. It was oddly mesmerizing. Carol and I found that we lost all track of time watching them work.

During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, (1950-1959) the monk's monastery was razed to the ground. Of the 600 monks of the Dzongkar Choede monastery, only 5% survived, fleeing to Southern India with the Dalai Lama. Today they are a community of 300 monk and run a school for young monks, many of whom are orphans or semi-orphans from poor families. The monks have come to Canada to raise funds to support their school and to provide health care. I believe everyone should have access to an education and health care. It felt good making a donation to support this.

It was an amazing opportunity to be able to experience Tibetan culture right in my own back yard. I have read about the struggle of the Tibetan people for years. 7 Years in Tibet is my all time favourite movie. I never dreamed that someday, I would be sitting in a scholar's garden in the heart of Vancouver, watching ancient history and tradition unfold before me. The world seems a little bit smaller now and certainly more beautiful. Yesterday was magical and mystical and I'll never forget it. 

To see what Carol had to say about our experience, click here. Her photos are fantastic.

A Scholar's Garden

My friend Carol and I went on a photo date this morning. She took me to the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden in Chinatown, Vancouver. I've lived her 25 years this summer and oddly, I've never been. We drove down streets I've never even been on and I can see I'm going to have to go back and explore because there were tons of things I would like to shoot.

We arrived early and chose to have a guided tour of the gardens. I'm glad we did-our tour guide was a lovely Asian lady who was extremely knowledgeable and patient with my many questions about how some of the elements of the garden (like the stone masonry) were constructed. I have a feeling those are not the sorts of questions she's used to getting. (I'll blame my Gramps for my interest in that kind of stuff.)

I learned alot about Chinese design. For example, the key shaped doorways are symbolic of the gateway to heaven. Any doorway that is square shaped is the doorway to earth. When human beings stand in the space between these two portals, they are happiest. What I loved most was that every single doorway and window was created to frame the natural beauty of the garden. When you move slowly through the spaces, you see some amazing vignettes.

These are some of the roof tiles, which have intricate patterns on them. I shot this because I liked the symmetry. There is the symbol for longevity on the face of each one and flanking that symbol on both sides are bats, which are considered to bring happiness. The garden has thousands of bats (symbols, not the actual animals) in it.

There are four elements to a Scholar's garden: water, plants, stones and architecture. Part of the beauty of the garden is the pond that runs through it. The pond water is specially treated so it's always a dark jade colour. If you look closely, you can spot some of the resident turtles sunning themselves.

There are water lillies throughout. They're in bloom this time of year.

So gorgeous! One thing I really appreciated about the garden is that it's so relaxing. There are high walls surrounding it, so you can't hear the traffic of the downtown core. It's like a serene oasis in the middle of the city. One thing that was really cool was that I got to see a real live Ginkgo tree. I've only ever seen the leaves and fossils of the leaves, but never a live tree. It's really beautiful!

I spotted frogs in the pond. You have to be quiet because they are quite skittish and if you make too much noise, they disappear. The garden was pretty much ours for the first hour or so, so we got some good shots.

There are also large school of koi fish in the pond, some of which are 45 years old! Part way through the morning, one of the guides struck a small gong and then put it in the water as it vibrated. They do this so the koi feel the vibration in the water and make there way to a certain spot in the pond to be fed. The kio came quickly and they are quite tame. It was pretty amazing!

 I think this is far and away my favourite photo of the day. I love how the light is coming through the window and how it frames the long hall on the other side. It's a Light Hunter's paradise!

On our way out, I spotted this trike and had to take a photo. I love the little Chinese lanterns hanging above. So charming!

One of the best things about Vancouver is that there are so many wonderful treasures neatly tucked away, just waiting to be discovered. THANK YOU Carol for introducing me to this wonderful place. I learned so much this morning and had such a good time! I can't wait to explore Chinatown!