Title: November 17th - 10:08
Medium: Super-8 film
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Resolution: 2880 x 2160
File Type: H.264 Codec / MP4.
Comments: We circled the Buddha Stupa in the middle of Kathmandu. Ringing the bells and circling a few times with all the people who come far and wide to pray at this special place. Some bring offerings of fruits or incense, sometimes money too. As you circle the dome that watches you with those Buddha eyes, you run your hands through these spinning columns for karmic cleansing. Each spin represents an Om Mani Padme Hum. You get double the points every time you spin one, up to infinity! We come to these places to pray and heal our souls. To pray to always do the right thing. To be forgiven, to be healed, to make your dreams come true. To manifest a better life, or at least try and be grateful for the one you have now. It was a time of letting go. John and I found this barber while waiting for Ethan to arrive. I decided to go full on Eat, Pray, Love and shave my head for a new beginning. I never did it before and wanted a cold hard reset atop my head. Also to regrow lost hairs as I age the natural way. I took one last look in the mirror and closed my eyes and when I opened them it was freshly shaven. I could hardly recognize myself, for the better. Sometimes all you need is a new haircut to feel better and start fresh. As the haircut ended and the man was slapping sense into my noggin with his knuckles Ethan arrived. With him were two young boys who grew up in these parts and they hung out by the Stupa everyday to meet tourists and foreigners. They were students of the Thangka painting school in the center next to the Stupa. We were enamored by their work and picked up a few paintings. Then treated the boys to some hot chai and veggie momos in this sweet little cafe with a great view of the eyes of Buddha. After lunch I made a portrait of them and then we played some snooker at their local pool hall. They took us further into their stone homes in the alleyways to meet their family. They cooked us dinner in a small room where they all slept. John gifted the boys baby brother a skateboard and taught him how to skate. It was a touching memory that we all carry and learned that art, humility, and food can bring people together from all sorts of backgrounds. It is simply a matter of reaching out and saying hello and not being afraid to see what is behind the doors that open before you. At the very least, a lesson or realization about yourself awaits. This is the path to Buddhahood. Where all people have a gift, you will always learn something new from everyone. For better or worse, it helps you grow with experience. After all, it's only human to experience the full spectrum then find yourself on to the middle way. Not black or white, but grey. As you sway towards love and fear, the middle path creates harmony between earthly desires and delight. Follow the path of knowing to set yourself free from worry and doubt. See with eyes of love and compassion to make the world feel round.
0xF...E85
