Story

This is a shot of young Monks performing their early morning chores at a Buddhist monastery in Upper Mustang (Former Kingdom of Lo) in Nepal. To photograph these boys in the Lamp Room while they filled the butter lamps, I sat on the floor for quite a while and allowed the action to flow about me in silence. The light of the burning butter lamps and early morning mountain light streaming through the windows complimented the solemn and detached atmosphere of the Lamp Room in the moment. In the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism, butter lamp lighting symbolizes the enlightenment of the Buddha. The lit butter lamp reminds devotees that the teachings of the Buddha, like the lamp light, will dispel the darkness and ignorance of the mind thus leading the path to enlightenment. This was the concept that I wanted to capture and share.