Jonathan Harris is a photographer and a micro-storyteller and a traveler and a personal hero of mine.
When I describe art I always say: I don't know about art. I just know what I like.
I know that the richness and colors in Jonathan's work is as moving and incredible as it gets for me.
Harris' latest released project, Balloons of Bhutan, visited the region of Bhutan where happiness reigns supreme. He used balloons to measure the happiness and wishes of 117 residents.
Writes Harris on his site documenting the project, "Instead of "Gross National Product", Bhutan uses "Gross National Happiness" to measure its socio-economic prosperity, essentially organizing its national agenda around the basic tenets of Buddhism."
A beautiful project about a beautiful region of the world and its beautiful people.
As most of you will remember, your favorite Blackberry loving, laptop toting, big city blogger spent several days of her November at a Buddhist monastery in the mountains--surrounded by nuns, unplugged from her MacBook Pro, and without a phone to phone home. And as beautiful as my time down there in the mobile-dead zone mountains was, I found the experience lacking certain key elements I might look for in a spiritual community. First, it should be noted that our teachers at the monastery were monastic. Let me spell this out for you. These folks take their vows and then never leave. There are also key components like brown robes and celibacy that didn't really resonate with me. (Not that brown's not my color.) So while the trip sparked my interest in Buddhism, it did put me on a search for teachers who looked like me (i.e. prefers jeans over robes), talked like me, and wanted the same things out of a community as me. And I recently found that right here in LA. More specifically--on Melrose. Just a couple of miles from my apartment. Whowouldathunk.
Against the Stream was founded by Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx, less than a decade ago. Noah, and many of his congregation (is that even the word? I'm perhaps mixing up my Jewish speak with my Buddhist speak.) are young, fully inked, and have a rough past. Okay, I may have just one small tattoo and my past does not include jail time, but I can relate. And this past weekend I began a year long class on Buddhism. This is not a conversion, nor a religious pursuit. [I'd like to think] this isn't part of any quarter life crisis. This is just an education. And so far it has been wonderful. From learning that the Buddha left home at 29 to begin his journey toward enlightenment (hey, I'm 29--there is still time for me!) to meeting a large group of people, from ages 25 - 65 who still just want to learn, it's been quite a ride so far.
I'll keep you posted as the year goes by if I have any deep, spiritual awakenings you should know about. But though that's unlikely, I do hope to gain a deeper sense of mindfulness and compassion. And these are aspects of ourselves which most of us have left underdeveloped.
Curious about Against the Stream? Pop in for one of the sangha's weekly classes on the East Side (what what!) or the West Side.
Against the Steam
4300 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
(at Heliotrope)
His Holiness the Dalai Lama gets a lot of credit. When he's not doing the do with the Obamas, shaking hands and holding babies, he's jetsetting internationally to offer sermons to adoring fans and followers, offering inspiration to millions, and sharing his teachings with a very needy population of human beings.
But has anyone ever credited His Holiness with the most kick-ass specs I've ever seen on a sage? Maybe they have. Maybe I'm behind. But, just in case--his glasses rule. I mean, first off--the shape. Big is so 'in' right now. And the almost maroon top of the frame? A--it's a great splash of color against his complexion. B--it's different. And C--it matches his robe!
I told my friend a few weeks ago, 'So, I'm going to a Buddhist monastery next month for a week.'
Maybe I wasn't expecting a reaction quite of shock. Or exactly resembling excited, impressed wonderment. But something along the lines of 'Oh my goodness! How unlike you! Isn't this totally unexpected and unanticipated?!' Okay. So perhaps I was expecting shock and wonderment after all.
I certainly wasn't expecting my friend to say 'Oh......I'm not surprised.'
Well, despite my friend's opinion that it is exactly like me to get up and do something ridiculous, it was a bit of a surprise to me when I decided to register for 5 nights at the Deer Park Monastery, a Buddhist monastery in Escondido.
And today, I am departing. Without access to email or phones for nearly a week. No blogging, no Twitter, no Facebook updates. Radio silence from the 400 acre sanctuary just a couple of hours south of Los Angeles.
I'll end this last post before my journey with the same message I sent to my friends and family last night...
In olden days, a trip to the monastery would mean I was pregnant out of wedlock. Today, it just means I'm a privileged yuppy from the city who needs 'a break.'
I will have no access to email, phones or other electronic devices during this time. Smoke signals, maybe. But I haven't checked the fog levels out there yet. So, please refrain from emailing, calling or texting me as your expressions of love and/or tomfoolery will fall on deaf ears (no jokes about my poor hearing, please).
In the case of emergency, you may try to reach me via the Deer Park Monastery. I actually have no idea if anyone will answer the phone.
In case you are unclear about what constitutes an emergency, please use the following quick guide.
This is an Emergency...
* My apartment's on fire.
* You're dead.
This is NOT an Emergency...
* You stubbed your toe.
* Your boyfriend was rude to you.
* You're experiencing digestion issues.
I look forward to talking to you all when I return next week. Until then, have a great week and a very happy Thanksgiving!
