Qing Liu - Monastic Rites

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ONE PHOTO – ONE STORY

25.04.2018

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“Since November 2015, I have been photographing the ceremonies that take place at the Wenshu Yuan monastery in my home city of Chengdu. This picture shows a Santandajie ceremony, during which Buddhist teachings and precepts are passed down to the next generation. This traditional practice is among the most important elements of Chinese Buddhism, and is intended to ensure its continuation.

The entire ceremony, which is also known as the Great Rules of the Three Platforms, lasts 30 days. The first platform is dedicated to the precepts for novices (Samanera), the second platform addresses the rules for monks (Bhiksu), and the third conveys the rules of enlightenment (Bodhisattva).

Working with a hand-held Leica M-P, I shot five frames at a shutter speed of 1/2s – and this turned out to be the best one. I wrote the following words on the original photograph: 动、静、法器交织在一起，心若静，人不动。This means something like: Motion, stillness and sound are interwoven – when the mind is quiet, the body does not move.”

Qing Liu

Qing Liu lives in the Chinese metropolis of Chengdu. In addition to working in the field of advertisement photography and the television industry, he frequently pursues long-term projects. Many of his publications are dedicated to life in his beloved home city – whose stories he will continue to capture in the course of future projects.

To see more images of the ceremony and Qing Liu’s series Empty Forest Zen Garden, visit
this page.

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