Customer Reviews

Motionless Journey: From a Hermitage in the Himalayas

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have always enjoyed Matthieu Ricard's photography. This book gives a visual taste of what he must have experienced while on retreat in the Himalayas. It is a beautiful book to take time with. It was also nice to know that Matthieu Ricard's share of the proceeds are entirely donated to various humanitarian projects in Tibet, Nepal, India and Bhutan. May his life and practice continue to be of benefit to all.

Anyone familiar with 'Buddhist Himalayas' (Mathieu Ricard's and Olivier and Danielle Follmi's absolutely outstanding book of photography) will be disappointed by 'Motionless Journey.'

The photography, the printing, and the written content of 'Motionless Journey' are all decidedly sub-standard when compared to 'Buddhist Himalayas'.

Compared to 'Motionless Journey' ($45; 70 illustrations, about 160 pages), 'Buddhist Himalayas' ($55; 140 illustrations, 424 pages) is a bargain. Compared to almost any photographic book, 'Buddhist Himalayas' is a bargain. And a delight, page after page after page.

I bought 'Motionless Journey,' sight unseen, because of 'Buddhist Himalayas.'

As you've probably gathered, it was a bit of a disappointment.

After I liked so much "Tibet an inner journey" by Matthieu Ricard, I bought that book. What a wonderful book. While the photos in "Tibet" tell the story of a journey thru Ricard's wonderful and sensitive camera's lens. "Motionless Journey" tells a story of motionless journey. Great mountains, clouds, birds and light/dark and color games. Highly recommended. Just look at the photos and feel it. Enjoy

This book is a collection of photographs and accompanying quotations.

The photographs were taken from a vantage point high in the Himalayas.

Mathieu Ricard is a photographer and Buddhist monk and also a former western scientist. He recently spent a year in the solitude of a hermitage in the mountains near Kathmandu, surrounded by spectacular scenery. Nestled between lush valleys and the mountains, each day he contemplated the different subtleties of light from the early morning before dawn to the evening after nightfall.

At the rhythm of one or two images per week, he thus immortalised the magnificent landscape and wonders of nature that surrounded him.

The photographs taken from the hermitage's terrace and immediate surroundings, are the fruit of this long `wait without waiting' and of the elation of bearing witness to nature's harmonious movement through meditation.

Having spent a few days in the magical environment that Mathieu has photographed, I applaud him in his attempt to capture the unattainable.

Only through silence can we hear such beauty, and only a camera lens can capture the essence of of this sound.