Loss as Renewal
Learning how to cook for others on a hot day in the Holy Month of Ramadan, Thailand, 2012
Loss as Renewal
In Ever Loving Memory of the well loved, Malaysia, 2012
Loss as Renewal
Awaiting the renewal of the Temple of the Goddess of Mercy, Malaysia, 2012
Loss as Renewal
Climbing back up from a river bed, Japan, 2012
Loss as Renewal
Detritus and home damage along the path of severe flooding, Japan, 2012
Loss as Renewal
Clearing around a home following a landslide caused by heavy and prolonged rains, Japan, 2012
Cultivation of a New Skin
Sharing the work of scattering fertilizer onto a rice field, Japan, 2012
Cultivation of a New Skin
Dwellings, sheds, and rice fields terraced into the land, Japan, 2012
Cultivation of a New Skin
Opening to air the base of a young apple tree, Japan, 2012
Cultivation of a New Skin
Novice monk preparing hall for ordination ceremony, Thailand, 2012
Cultivation of a New Skin
Novices working toward an education look through a text, Thailand, 2012
Cultivation of a New Skin
Young man with tattooed back and saddle of worked leather, Thailand, 2012
Burnt and Other Offerings
Taking a smoke break during a stop on a night ride, Thailand, 2012
Burnt and Other Offerings
Squinting from smoke while offering oil for burning, Malaysia, 2012
Burnt and Other Offerings
Lifting incense sticks in prayer, Malaysia, 2012
Burnt and Other Offerings
Incense stands and praying couple, Malaysia, 2012
Burnt and Other Offerings
Man feeding hungry dogs on temple grounds, Thailand, 2012
Burnt and Other Offerings
Young cat interested in food offered at monastery, Thailand, 2012
Gathering Karma
Schoolgirls loaded on bus for home, Thailand, 2012
Gathering Karma
Ducks preening near lotus in a temple pond, Japan, 2012
Gathering Karma
Man releasing small birds as prayer, Malaysia, 2012
Gathering Karma
Deceased family members watching from above the altar in an abandoned home, Japan, 2012
Gathering Karma
Crematorium, Thailand, 2012
Gathering Karma
Shadow walking near sunset, Malaysia, 2012
Sin & Merit
These photographs are drawn from work done in Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand. Good acts, good intention, and ritual behaviors lift us at times from the mundane. Even without conscious pursuit of a spiritual life, many find satisfaction in mindful constructive acts. Working, walking, sharing, eating, drinking, bathing can function as ritualized action to bridge the way from ordinary to numinous.