In 2006, I attended a retreat by Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh in Plum Village, France and made an article about it. It was a life-changing experience.
I stayed in the Lower Hamlet where there is a beautiful lotus pond at the foot of the temple. Every morning, I walked around the pond in silence and enjoyed the beautiful flowers. It was only when a monk plucked the spent lotus that I saw how special also the heart of this sacred flower is. The lotus flower represents purity, purity, beauty, inner growth and enlightenment.
'No mud, no lotus' is a famous quote by Thich Nhat Hanh. From the mud, the lotus grows towards the light, like the growth and development of consciousness. Whereas the dark mud represents ignorance and suffering. The blossoming of the lotus symbolises the coming to full understanding of human existence, of our consciousness and Being.
Watch and read the entire article 'I live, I enjoy and feel connected' about my encounter with Buddhism at - https://www.tessajol.com/retreat-publications
Bambuddha 1 is part of a triptych: Bambuddha 1, 2 & 3. You can also buy them as a single picture or as a diptych.
Tessa Jol is a Dutch photographer, journalist and holistic art teacher with publications worldwide in famous spiritual, travel, interior design and lifestyle magazines.
"In 2010, I was asked to exhibit my photography at the Living Tibet event in the Netherlands, where six Lamas from Tibet shared..
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