We were visiting Hong Kong and we went to the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau island. The monastery sits on a hill overlooking the island. There is a Buddha on top of the hill known as Tian Tan Buddha, whose hands are in the Abhaya Mudra, which symbolises protection, peace and the dispelling of fears. The Buddha is 113 feet tall and we climbed the 286 steps to reach the base around which there are statues representing the six perfections; generosity, morality, patience, enthusiastic effort, meditation and wisdom, which are practiced with the intention of attaining enlightenment for the sake of all living beings.
The journey to and from the island can be made in a cable car and as we returned, I was taking photographs of the Buddha in the distance. Another couple in the gondola were taking photographs of each other, so I took a photograph of the man taking photographs of the woman. We were all engaged in taking photographs. Perhaps it was so that we could remember what we were doing and say, “Look where we were and you can see us smiling.” Perhaps we weren’t just taking photographs but doing it so we could demonstrate a memory and keep them on a computer. We weren’t looking at the Buddha offering protection.
Another moment
now lost
to a future file
So is the photograph a ‘holding on’ to a moment? We all have a strong tendency to want to hold onto things and our lives can become full of ‘shoulds’ and ‘oughts’. We seek to be in control and own what arises and passes away. If good feelings arise, we want to make them stay and we try to hold onto them, but they fade away. “Oh, I should be happy”. When negative feelings come, we do the opposite and we try to push them away, but they remain longer than we wanted. “I ought to be just looking at the Buddha and contemplating enlightenment.” Holding on doesn’t work; ‘shoulds’ and ‘oughts’ are not relevant; we need to put down our grasping and live with what is present. In this way, we can be fully engaged with our life and who we are. We can be fully engaged in doing what we are doing while we are doing it. Here it was taking photographs, later it will be something else. Now it is looking at a photograph.
“If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”
Dogen.
