Around Bodhinyanarama
Bodhinyanarama, The Garden of Enlightened Knowing, is a Buddhist monastery in the Theravadin tradition in the Stokes Valley above Wellington, New Zealand.
Here's a look around:
And here's a photo essay I did on the concept of life springing from death on the monastery grounds:
The audio here is of the monks chanting in the morning and evening sessions of chanting and meditation. The normal order of events is:
Here's a look around:
And here's a photo essay I did on the concept of life springing from death on the monastery grounds:
The audio here is of the monks chanting in the morning and evening sessions of chanting and meditation. The normal order of events is:
5:15 morning chanting (puja) begins
The following are samples of morning chanting. The opening and closing are always done but the others vary daily, not usually in any particular pattern.
Chanting is in Pali, which is the language the Buddha spoke, and English. First phrases of Pali are chanted and then the English translations.
This is what was chanted the morning of Tuesday, April 27, 1999:
Morning opening
Preliminary homage to the Buddha. This is often chanted before other chanting.
In praise of the Dhamma. The Dhamma (Sanskrit: Dharma) is the set of teachings by the Buddha which lead to Enlightenment.
In praise of the Sangha. The Sangha (the word means "community") is the monks and nuns, including those at this and all other monasteries.
5:30 morning meditation begins (silent)
6:45-7 morning meditation ends, followed by some more chanting and the closing chant
7-7:15 end of morning puja
then in the evening:
7 evening chanting begins
The following are all part of a single chant, a list of the ten teachings which "should be reflected upon again and again by one who has gone forth" and become a monk or a nun. These, as with the other chants, are in Pali and English, alternating.
The days and nights pass by
At the end of my life
The kamma (Sanskrit: karma)
Solitude
Impermanence
7:15 evening meditation begins (silent)
8:15 evening meditation ends, followed by more chanting and the closing chant
8:30 end of evening puja
White Island (Whakaari)
White Island is a volcanic island 50km north of Whakatane, in the open ocean outside the Bay of Plenty. It used to be a site from which sulfur was mined, but the acidity of the environment (and its marine salinity) made the prospect even more of a losing one than it would have otherwise been. Now the island is a site for travelers, tourists, and scientists to explore in search of the guts of the earth.
Okay, so it's a tilted horizon, but it works, doesn't it? This is a big crater pouring out ash. The ash comes from somewhere underground, and in January the area which is now under the green lake (left) collapsed and filled with water. Before then, it was just a big flat area like the area just below it in this picture.
It's like a moonscape, or a small world which is way out of scale with the huge humans in it. The distance from where this picture was made to the rocks in the rear center is about 700 meters!
The colors were really wild, and these mudpots were cooking up steam and solid precipitate which forms areas of color, like below.
This is a close-up, but it feels like an aerial shot, doesn't it?
This is an area about the size of an average paperback book. The red color is relatively rarely seen on White Island, but there is plenty of sulfur to make things yellow. The island used to be mined for sulfur before it became uneconomical to do so in such a harsh environment.
This is a look inside the guts of the earth. The mud here is very hot and is boiling up from far below...
Okay, so it's a tilted horizon, but it works, doesn't it? This is a big crater pouring out ash. The ash comes from somewhere undergroun
The colors were really wild, and these mudpots were cooking up steam and solid precipitat
This is a close-up, but it feels like an aerial shot, doesn't it?
This is a look inside the guts of the earth. The mud here is very hot and is boiling up from far below...
Men With Big Guns
Who are these men?
The headquarters unit of the unit stands in formation at the beginning of each day.
- The men work hard to learn to perform their duties properly.
What is it that they actually do?
Fire! The soldier pulls a cord, which triggers a shotgun shell in the breech, igniting the powder and firing the shell.
- Preparation for firing.
- Fire!
- A single round.
It takes a lot of preparation and teamwork.
In addition to the six soldiers seen here, there are two with the ammunition, one with the gunpowder, and at least one more assisting in other procedures relating to the firing of this one 155mm howitzer.
- Loading and aiming the howitzer is a series of precise steps, often occuring simultaneously.
It's not always a hurry.
Coffee is an important part of the training exercise, and is always on hand in ample amounts.
- Speed can't always be achieved; the men train to improve operational quality.
There's an element of adventure.
The men load large amounts of equipment into the Hummers for the long road trip from the armory to the firing range.
- The adrenaline begins to flow when the fire mission message comes from unit commanders.
But there's also the mundane.
Each Hummer gets about 10 to 15 miles to the gallon, but their tanks hold enough for long trips. Even so, they need to refill. Army environmental regulations require a container be placed to catch any gas spillage during fueling.
- Military-issue clothes are always being issued and improved upon.
The weather doesn't always cooperate.
A soldier slides off the soaking-wet roof of a tent after covering a hole in the tent canopy.
- It's wet.
Patience and coordination are a must.
Halfway from the armory to the firing range, the convoy takes a rest stop to switch drivers and stretch their legs.
- Reloading is never easy.
You'd better pay attention.
The battery's large U.S. flag is reflected in the poorly-aimed rear-view mirror of a Hummer.
- Instructions are given repeatedly, until they are learned by rote.
That means you.
A soldier stands silhouetted by the rear window of a Hummer in the reflection of an American flag on the Hummer's windshield.
The headquarters unit of the unit stands in formation at the beginning of each day.- The men work hard to learn to perform their duties properly.
What is it that they actually do?
Fire! The soldier pulls a cord, which triggers a shotgun shell in the breech, igniting the powder and firing the shell.- Preparation for firing.
- Fire!
- A single round.
It takes a lot of preparation and teamwork.
In addition to the six soldiers seen here, there are two with the ammunition, one with the gunpowder, and at least one more assisting in other procedures relating to the firing of this one 155mm howitzer.- Loading and aiming the howitzer is a series of precise steps, often occuring simultaneously.
It's not always a hurry.
Coffee is an important part of the training exercise, and is always on hand in ample amounts.- Speed can't always be achieved; the men train to improve operational quality.
There's an element of adventure.
The men load large amounts of equipment into the Hummers for the long road trip from the armory to the firing range.- The adrenaline begins to flow when the fire mission message comes from unit commanders.
But there's also the mundane.
Each Hummer gets about 10 to 15 miles to the gallon, but their tanks hold enough for long trips. Even so, they need to refill. Army environmental regulations require a container be placed to catch any gas spillage during fueling.- Military-issue clothes are always being issued and improved upon.
The weather doesn't always cooperate.
A soldier slides off the soaking-wet roof of a tent after covering a hole in the tent canopy.- It's wet.
Patience and coordination are a must.
Halfway from the armory to the firing range, the convoy takes a rest stop to switch drivers and stretch their legs.- Reloading is never easy.
You'd better pay attention.
The battery's large U.S. flag is reflected in the poorly-aimed rear-view mirror of a Hummer. - Instructions are given repeatedly, until they are learned by rote.
That means you.
A soldier stands silhouetted by the rear window of a Hummer in the reflection of an American flag on the Hummer's windshield.
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