This series displays rituals of self-purity that are performed daily by Tibetan Buddhists.
Built from laying tiles 1.5” thick which are inscribed with prayers, this particular temple was approximately 10x30m and reaching almost 5m high. This image was worth waiting patiently for as this nun was the only person to ascend the stairs during my time at the temple.
Circumambulation, walking three times clockwise, around a temple, stupa or other sacred object. This is performed around many buildings throughout the towns and monasteries. Mostly women are seen doing this throughout the day as men are working and the children are at school.
Prostration is quite possibly the most exhausting form of displaying submission to Buddha. It involves extending the body out on the ground in a submissive position as a gesture to Buddha and then returning to a standing position, pushing their hands pressed together, high above their head. The devoted can do up to 1000 of these a day, moving themselves forward each time. Pilgrims have been known to perform this task, moving forward, for up to 2000km.
