Nun, again

Nun commonly defined as a woman who has taken vows committing her to a spiritual life…..

In Myanmar, there are nothing short of nun, which was why nun reappeared in my Myanmar blog often.  This one also shot in my first day of the Steve McCurry photography workshop in Yangon.

Decisive moment in making

Ever since the works from Henri Cartier-Bresson became aware by public and particular so, photography enthusiasts are craving to capture the decisive moments, even in digital age, today, me included.

Wanting to capture the moment is one thing, really getting there is another.  Not that it is impossible or even difficult, it is simply that the certain moment in a sequence has different interpretation by many, and you can go on with technical limitations such as shutter time Lag, one’s own reaction from mind to his fingertip, and on and on. Considering the movie frame rate, 24P, a progressive format that is in fact precisely 23.976fps, arrived here with varies historical and mechanical history better to read here. Anyway, this says the fluid motion we saw on a movie was in fact running at almost 24 frames in a second, compares to our camera which usually firing at 3-6fps, to get the exact one we intended to, does take some hard practice and sometimes a bit of luck, or one might just do it over and over, and over.

The true point is, even watching the movie, each one saw the moment differently, and therefore their approach of capturing the specific moment will be different. No one is wrong.  Because the photographer was not defined by the moment he captured, rather, a photographer is defined for the moment he chooses to capture.

A time with himself

Entering the monastery at very young age has to abandon lots of things, and abandon more while growing up, something I rather not to imagine.

Monastery living is very simple; some may say the life is rich by serving the higher believe, which I don’t intend to argue as well.

A little time for Nintendo?  Totally understandable.

The beginning of everything

From the nunnery to monastery the most common scene I saw is either nuns or monks reading and studying. To them, it is either nunnery or monastery that they begin their search of knowledge, it is more than just a shelter, it is school, it is their home, and it is where they belonged.

Frank Herbert said it well – “The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand.”  And it is the knowledge they open the door to their believe.

Dormitory

You could be a stranger with a camera (some with more) inside the monastery, but most often you are not unwelcomed, and this is one of the best thing traveling in Myanmar.  Here, you feel the true merit of Buddhism, everything and anything is accepted.

The monastery I visited this day was a seemingly modest but well built one, spacious, including the dormitory section.  Here you observe the simple living of a monk – in fact many monks, it might seem lack of privacy but then because the nature of Buddhism taught people with such respect to individual, you feel there is plenty of privacy.  Perhaps privacy is not a matter of groups or public, it is a matter of individual respect.

Little Red Robe

One of very common scenes in Myanmar - little boy in red robe.  But I see kids are kids, regardless what they wear.  They like to smile, ice cream, make fun and play, just like all the kids. 

Ordinary Day

It is just an ordinary day in the monastery.  Here I am with my camera, traveling from far away – but not that far away than many other fellow travellers, are to shoot just ordinary monk doing ordinary things in their ordinary routine and try to act ordinary.  

Ice Cream Republic

Ice Icream one of the few true universal languages in the world closely associates to all the joyful and cheerful moments and it connects people of all races, ages and colors.

The Ice cream Republic is Utopia.

Nunnery study

Of course there will be many religious practices, but modern learning is not to be missed. The day I was in the nunnery was the day before their big examination, to realize that that after all, they are not that different from us.

the opposite way.  I assume the monks and nuns are not the normal people from my own perspective but perhaps they never see other people any different….

House of angels

Myanmar is the most religious Buddhist country in the world in terms of the proportions of monks and nuns in the population and also proportion of income spent on religion (reference report). It is like medieval time of Europe, except it was 5^th – 15^th century then, and now it is 2011 in Myanmar.  But of course, there is nothing wrong, it is just a comparison.

There is a Burmese saying that the death of a son or spouse, a loss in business, indebtedness, and/or unfulfillment, all lead women to become nuns.  However, the lives of Burmese nuns are not as grave as the saying suggests. While they must endure physical hardships, institutional discrimination, and a life subservience, most nuns say this is more than offset by the contentment they achieve in their quest for religious salvation and enlightenment and indeed, most nuns, known as thilashin in Burmese, never leave the nunnery once they are ordained.

And inside the assembly hall taking picture of all the little nuns, some may see life imprisoning, but they are all angles.

Quotes from Buddhist nun Pema Chodron

Compassion is not a leadership between the healer and the wounded.  It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.   ….. Pema Chodron

Nun and Nunnery

Another good photographic object in Myanmar is the nun.  Much of the differences between nuns and monks are you don’t see that many on streets, and nuns don’t go to street nearly as often as monks.

I have this interesting read about Nuns and Monks, which is a foundation of understanding them further.

I arrived at the nunnery nearby Kalaywa Monastery in late morning, after the early morning photography session in Royal Central Train Station; it was a breath of fresh air.  The train station itself is no doubt a great place for photography, but it is chaotic, sometimes noisy, and all the different people of different ages.  Here in the nunnery is all peaceful, calm, serene, and all the nuns are in their teens, although all different in their own way.

As a man in the nunnery doing nothing is already a challenge, to shoot the nuns, is a new and very different experience.

All the nuns in Myanmar wear pink robe, which is actually quite nice, and a pleasant visual.

When working on a portraiture subject, as I often do in studio and often in front of international female models, I will get excited, not sexually though, it is the level of passion. Shooting a nun, you will tell yourself to be careful, and you have to.

Nunnery is not a tourist spot and it is already a blessing to allow a man with camera wandering inside nunnery, with the nun the subject.  Stay and remain clam.  You need to remind yourself that you are the intruder, and the best thing to do – as a man – in nunnery is: “Leave the nuns along!”  Do whatever you need to do FAST, and just leave.  And make sure you left with a reasonable donation.  

Monk in Myanmar

An indispensible part of Myanmar, monk’s today play a very important role in shaping modern Myanmar may contradict common understanding.

The Saffron Revolution in 2007 and also the cyclone Nargis in 2008 surfaced such fact. An interesting read: “The Role of Monkhood in Contemporary Myanmar Society”.

I made this shot at the Yangon train station, having this elder monk stand in front of the metal makeshift wall on the stairway, is among the few shots I made before leaving the train station.

Fortunate and unfortunate

In his masterpiece, Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy remarked through the character: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”  To make sense of the quote in a developed country, you need imagination, in a 3^rd world country like Myanmar, you simply observe.

Of course it is not to use wealth to judge over happiness, but indeed there are something can be resolved or at least improved with different means than simply accepted the fate.

Still in the train station, relatively small compares to the other central train stations in the world, or it is just a small spot in Yangon, not to mention the whole Myanmar.  But in this small place, it is like a micro Myanmar. 

Beauty secret of Burmese

Well, not exactly a secret, but it is useful and very popular that I would bet against anyone who is going to spend a day in Myanmar without seeing one using the Tanaka power.

Tanaka is one kind of wooden herbal from Myanmar and Burmese women has been used Tanaka as skincare for body and face, and for their kids.

Tanaka is well known for its properties to make skin whitening and radiance.  It can also reduce blemish and dark spot on the skin and protect skin from sunlight, anti-bacteria and oil control. 

Something worth trying when traveling in Myanmar.