Monastic Rites

“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.”