view of borobudur levels & Bali lotus plants

Travel to Sacred Sites

Sacred sites  have been my passion for as long as I can remember.  Borobudur is the latest one that I have visited.  To be there in person is such a different experience; the climate, the scale, and the texture of the stone carvings all add up to seeing and feeling with a deeper sense of what was the original intent of the builders.  This was for me a modern day pilgrimage as was each of my other trips to ancient sacred sights in the past.  What do I learn from each of these visits? How is my art influenced by these visits? These are questions I ask myself. I realised that for me, these visits to sacred sites open a window into the past as well as into the present and future.  It is 'the eternal return' which is held in material form in these ancient sites  which in turn holds all time past present and future.  How does this interact or influence my art work?   By putting me in a state of being so that I can hold that sense of the eternal or I can at least touch it long enough to point me the right direction to begin my art work

9thC. Buddhist monument Borobudur on the island of Java

As I promised in the last posting the 9thC. Buddhist  monument Borobudur on the island of Java only one hour by air from Bali.  I arrived 2 days early in order to see this UNISCO historic  Temple,Stupa, Mandala site.  It is a place that I have wanted to visit for a long time. It was for pilgrims to climb and walk circumambulating the many levels of the temple.  As I walked and climbed higher and higher I thought of those from the past , who with prayers, wound their up and around these same platforms. Every wall has carved stone panels of Buddha's life on them.  At the lowest levels, each was crowded with everyday people and as one climbed higher the carvings became more spiritual in their content.  Until finally the last level opened to the sky and the great void summarized by the great last stupa on top of the  moument.