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