Treasure trove of images and thoughts for meditation

Treasure trove of images and thoughts for meditation

Vipassana: Images for Meditation; Vivek R. Bammi;
Rp 75,000; 102pp

JAKARTA (JP): In these turbulent times, the mind often seeks
escape to rejuvenate and feed itself on the tranquility that
lives there.

In concurrence with this search of universalness and
transcendence amid a transient social atmosphere, a teacher from
the Jakarta International School, Vivek R. Bammi, was spurred to
put together a photograph album with some inspiring phrases from
various sources to result in a book titled Vipassana: Images for
Meditation. "In times of crisis wisdom grows" is the title phrase
and innate theme of the book.

Vipassana means the insight gained through meditation and it
was Vivek's endeavor to enhance the psychological impact of his
photographs with wisdom inspiring passages from various credible
sources such as Living Thoughts of Great People, Sufism by Stuart
Litvak, Selections from the world's Most Sacred Literature and
Hindu Goddesses by David Kinsley, as well as using some ancient
Chinese proverbs.

The pictures contained in the book capture a veritable
kaleidoscope of unique images imbibing the necessary tranquility
for meditation. The photographs range from the paddy fields in
Indonesia to the profusion of spring flowers in Kensington
Gardens and the budding lime green virgin leaves on bare stalks
in Hyde Park, London.

Vivek covers most continents in his singular pursuit to
capture the right images for a meditative experience, in places
like Morocco, New Zealand, England, Turkey, Malaysia, India,
Indonesia and Spain.

Having been initiated into the journey of spiritualism
himself, the author found that when it came to sharing his
experiences with friends and family, the language of spirituality
which could speak through the meditative images was indeed one
way to communicate this.

Among the green fields of Tana Toraja, Vivek finds the
awakening harmony of the five movements of Beethoven, and writes
it is "the most profound voice in human music". The low-lying
woolen clusters of clouds suspended over the freshest of green
fields draws the viewers' focus to a small house on stilts.

The photograph of soaring sea gulls taken at Mt. Cook Look
Out, New Zealand, inspires a message from the Bhagavad Gita which
simply conveys, "Our native state is freedom." The author feels
that birds represent a recurring symbol of human craving for
freedom, the need to break away from the constraints of
conformity and social convention and to discover one's true
individuality and happiness.

The book includes an image of sacred Islamic art from his
travels to Fez, Morocco. This art, as well as in Jewish
tradition, forbids the representation of human and animal
figures, since that is seen as a competition with the Only
Creator. The beautiful calligraphy in the photograph seems to
belong to that of the hand of God.

Another photograph from a sacred place is the Mihrab in the
Grand Mosque in Spain. To the credit of the Reconquista, the
Christian rulers preserved the mosque while constructing a
cathedral around it. The Mihrab is a niche in the wall facing
Mecca, the spiritual nucleus of Islam and is the singular aim of
meditation which will "make our mind calm and clear so we can
focus at will".

"When we have mastery of our attention in everything we do, we
have a genius for life itself: unshakable security, clear
judgment, and deep personal relationships" says the book Living
Thoughts of Great people.

There are also photographs paired with nuggets of wisdom from
Rajasthan, India; Devon, England; and Istanbul, Turkey.

Pavan Kapoor