Saguaro Wanderings: Seeing 2012 (#33)

For your consideration: a silent encounter with an iconic manifestation of blissful contemplation.

This past weekend my wife Julianna gave a Journey True North workshop for women, entitled Finding The Golden Thread, held at a Buddhist retreat center in the forests above Corralitas, California. I had the deep honor of being stealthily invited to rendez-vous with her, in the role of her personal overnight private guest.

I gladly took the offer, arriving around 9:45pm to find the grounds exquisitely enshrouded in a chilly mist almost — but not quite — thick enough to be deemed as fog. The effect instilled a deep quiet which permeated the setting, bringing with it a sense of spiritual intimacy.

Although quite worn out from the intensity required as leader of the retreat, and not being noted for staying up much past 9:00pm in general, my bride nonetheless graciously guided me on a one-on-one tour of the compound. After brief looks at the dining area, meeting round-house, and Sangha quarters I was lead to an exquisite jewel, that being the Temple.

After first removing our shoes we entered the sacred and silent space, and beheld the statue and altar resplendent with gaiety, wisdom, and magnificently inviting light at the far end of the otherwise shadow-filled hall. The very air and silence seemed to me to be permeated with a peace beyond description, a soul-calming osmosis of serenity and assurance. I found myself awash with feelings of reverence and awe . . . not so much for the statue and surrounding iconography, but rather arising from the sheer experience of being present in such a profoundly confident oasis on the surface of this increasingly chaotic planet.

For me it was a singularly spiritual experience.

After a short time we retired to Julianna's private cabin, which was wonderfully bucolic and cozy; cuddling and catching up was sweet indeed. Later, nocturnal creature that I am, I returned to the temple as my love slept. Equipped, of course, with camera gear and meditation bell, I lingered for nearly two hours, divided roughly evenly between attempting to capture the indefinable beauty and mood of the refuge and sitting in mindful meditation.

This submission is one of the better results. Here I utilized a very wide-angle lens to accentuate the sense of depth — spiritually and physically — and the spread of light emanating from the altar space. The lighting conditions were quite challenging, being largely confined to acute opposites of brilliance and darkness. Consequently I took many varying exposures to account for the broad range. This is in fact a composite of two photographs, one exposed for the effusive Buddha's intensity and another for the somber dimness of the seating area in the foreground.