10-5-15 Hotel Rose Dharamshala, India
As I stood outside the Dalai Lama Temple in Dharamshala, spinning the prayer wheels and repeating the mantra “Om Man Padme Hum”, I couldn’t help but ponder on the countless individuals who had come before me, spinning these same wheels with compassionate intentions and genuine pleas for guidance. Inside the temple, I observed the giant cushion chairs in the meditation halls, and couldn’t help but imagine the Dalai Lama sitting there, speaking his mind freely among a packed room of monks.
This change of scene enabled a change in habits and provided a blank slate, a chance to develop a new, more experienced, and hardened spirit. I found myself questioning the balance between compassion and selfishly passing by, clasping my hands in prayer and asking for an all-inclusive answer.
11-5-15 Hotel Townview, Jammu, India
As I stood on packed buses, fighting for elbow space, I couldn’t help but develop an awareness of the ominous thick haze that hung in the air, no doubt a creation of man. My thoughts drifted as I silently observed the competition for space, control, and outward expressions of brewing inner frustration. It felt too late, too late to incentivize change, and I couldn’t help but catch glimpses of the future in the present. I found myself questioning what it means to be educated and the importance of awareness of the consequences. I realized that slow and steady wins the race and that a man’s value is assessed by future generations.
Art comprised of mediation in motion, an eye to the future, examining cause and effect, choosing colors according to convenience. Spilling hues of emotion across the canvas in disrepair.
Fist fights in Jammu
My journey took me to Jammu and Kashmir next, where I couldn’t help but sense heightened tension as I witnessed a few physical skirmishes, including a man getting slapped and drug to the police. I couldn’t help but think that the best way to experience this place was to get in and get out, as the situation seemed volatile.
Words to never use again. Disjointed thoughts at wits end. Alone with the thoughts of a unique character – chattering away, making deals with the body. Satisfying a host of demands. Penmanship denotes emotional state. Strokes of the pen reaching for harmony between the ever experimenting mind and words formed on the page of scribbles. Passing the time, a distraction, a sweet indulgence of the imagination. Feeling the earth populating with new beings – spirits multiplying. Magnified truth, a new age.
