Photography by David Raphael Biren

Monday, November 3, 2014

Buddhist with Mala Kathmandu Nepal 1991

Buddhist with Mala

Kathmandu Nepal 1991

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_prayer_beads

"A Japa mala or mala (Sanskrit:माला; mālā, meaning garland^[1]) (Tib. threngwa^[2]) is a set of beads commonly used by Hindus and Buddhists. Malas are used for keeping count while reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra or the name or names of a deity. This practice is known in Sanskrit as japa. Malas are typically made with 18, 27, 54 or 108 beads.
In Tibetan Buddhism, traditionally malas of 108 beads are used. Some practitioners use malas of 21 or 28 beads for doing prostrations. Doing one 108-bead mala counts as the 108 worldly sins in Buddhist doctrine.
Malas are mainly used to count mantras. These mantras can be recited for different purposes linked to working with mind. The material used to make the beads can vary according to the purpose of the mantras used. Some beads can be used for all purposes and all kinds of mantras. These beads can be made from the wood of the Bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa), or from 'Bodhi seeds', which come from the Rudraksha (Elaeocarpus ganitrus) and not the Bodhi tree. Another general-purpose mala is made from rattan seeds (Calamus Arecaceae), the beads themselves called 'Moon and Stars' by Tibetans, and variously called 'lotus root', 'lotus seed' and 'linden nut' by various retailers. The bead itself is very hard and dense, ivory coloured (which gradually turns a deep golden brown with long use), and has small holes (moons) and tiny black dots (stars) covering its surface."

In 1991 I bought a number of these in Nepalese antique shops. Each unique made to the taste of the Buddhist. To me they seem to exude a spirituality and I am not a believer in "stone properties" etc.

Delhi, India "Cow Drecting Traffic" 1991

Delhi, India "Cow Directing Traffic" 1991

Cows are sacred in India.
They are left alone.
This section is in New Delhi .... BTW Delhi is a HUGE city.
There is a large amount of retail and restaurants in this particular old shopping district in New Delhi.
As I think back...cows like this provided what was not readily available a few hundred meters from this spot....where tourists were very thick. Where people shined shoes, cut hair and picked "stones" from the inner ears of the people....the latter likely being dirty wax build up in the ears. The shoe shiners made out splendidly. The tourist walking in the section having no cows at all would be approached by a shiner of shoes who very pointedly pointed out to said tourist that s/he "have cow sheet on (his/her) shoes."...and boldly begins to clean and then shine the shoes of the unsuspecting tourist who had no idea from where such fecal matter had attached itself to them. No one wants cow fecal matter on them so the tourist gladly gets fleeced by the man/boy who had placed the matter swiftly and discreetly on the shoes.

Full frame photo taken with Nikon F2 likely having the 24mm 2.8 Nikkor lens.

Cat on store counter India

Cat on store counter
All Rights Preserved

Ganeshpuri, India

Early 1990s

This store in the village is close to the Ashram featured in "Eat Pray Love"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0879870/
This Ashram also has another large beautiful branch in NY State, in the Catskills.
The atmosphere in either is pretty much identical. Like in the movie.

http://lens-image.blogspot.com/2014/10/ganeshpuri-india-1993-gurumayi.html

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Thailand on the Road, previously titled India on the road....go figure.

Thailand
on the road

c.1991

They aren't kidding when they flash death warnings.
Finally received a translation.
It is Thai for
toxic chemical
flammable and dangerous chemical
The beauty of this "sign" is one does not have to be literate to understand the danger.

We did spend a month in Thailand on a four month round the world adventure. And then I revisited for inventory to supply my retail store.

The filmed images are stored in properly labeled film holders that I have been slowly scanning. When I find the folder there will be more info, which I did not always record on the digital scans of the images. Never a "diary" person...I was/am a photo "diarist"...if such a word exists....since before age 13.

Just found a photo of such, in my "scanned film" collection, a Thai taxi as partially seen in top photo, but from afar. Below.

From the top photo I was initially confused as to the country of origin of the taxi for being inside that taxi.
This photo allows me to know it was not Indian as used to be seen in Delhi contributing heavily to the smog. One reason they were eventually outlawed. I had the thought of importing one of the Delhi taxis because of the USA Harley Davidson power plant, tank, manual HAND shift of the antique design. Eventually I may find a photo of that interesting design.