For Supawan Lamsam, what started as an amateur photographic project has turned out to be a spiritual odyssey. And anyone who sees the 3.8kg, 392-page tome that is the result of her three-year effort can understand why.
HRH Ashi Pema Lhadon Wangchuck holds a copy of the book alongside Ashi Kesang Choden Tashi Wangchuck and Supawan Lamsam.
Zangdok Palri: The Lotus Light Palace of Guru Rinpoche is book that can never be duplicated.
Not only because the photographic journey took her, in three years, to over 11 temples all around the mountain kingdom of Bhutan, many of which can be reached only after hours of arduous trekking.
Or that the murals she photographed were mostly hidden from public eye, in the inner sanctum of the dzongs, and only partially lit, or that the angles were almost impossible.
Or even that the text on Guru Rinpoche was written by eminent yet reclusive scholars who took a year to research and digest rare and sacred texts sourced from various monasteries before writing into religious Bhutanese text and then translated into English.
But also because this project was inspired and supported by Her Majesty Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck _ Royal Grandmother to the present king of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck _ who even allowed her own private collection of thangka to be included in the book.
As such, it is the most ambitious and comprehensive book on the mythical heavenly abode of Guru Rinpoche as depicted in mural paintings and thangkas in Bhutan.
When Supawan revived her childhood passion for photography after winding up her restaurant business in 2005, she had no idea who Guru Rinpoche was. On her first photography trip to Tibet with a group of international photographers, she visited the first temple built by the revered guru, but wasn't even aware of the significance of it then. Only much later did she learn how the Himalayan region regard Guru Rinpoche as a Second Buddha, an Indian sage from a Brahmin family who attained enlightenment and transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism, as opposed to Thailand's Theravada or East Asia's Mahayana Buddhism, to Bhutan, Tibet and the surrounding mountain region in the 8th century.
His heavenly abode is known as Zangdok Palri (the Copper-coloured Mountain).
It was precisely a temple known as Zangdok Palri of Kurjey in Bumthang that was the start of this ambitious undertaking. The exquisite Zangdok Palri of Kurjey in Bumthang was built by the Royal Grandmother in dedication to her own parents, and Supawan was so inspired by its beauty that she published a book on it illustrated by her own photographic images.
The book piqued her interest in the concept of Zangdok Palri that she decided to publish another book on the topic. She contacted Tulku Thondup, a visiting scholar at Harvard University who had written the translation of a prayer book given to her by the Royal Grandmother, and asked if he could pen a text on the subject for her book.
"He said he was getting old and he was very busy, but he might send along 10 pages of text for me," said Supawan. "A couple of months passed by, and he reverted to me... with about 60 pages of text.
"I decided I would have to match it with suitable pictures."
A list of temples that had murals on Zangdok Palri was acquired from the National Archives, and Supawan proceeded to checklist the lot, visiting as many as she could to take photos of the murals with the blessings of the Royal Grandmother and the abbots of each temple.
"Sometimes the listed temples didn't have the said murals, and sometimes we also discovered other temples that were not listed but had the murals," she laughed.
Each mural had its own particular obstacle which Supawan had to overcome. Sometimes a difficult trek meant carrying as little equipment as possible, and friends and family had to take turns holding the lights like human tripods. "The temple caretaker and monks also turned themselves into our camera crew when we needed them," she added.
Often the murals would be hidden behind curtains, or on obscure walls in semi-darkness. There were murals obstructed by images of Buddhas and deities.
"I prayed a lot," remarked Supawan. Somehow her prayers were heard, and she found a way to overcome each problem. She has also learned a lot in terms of photography techniques.
She had no idea how to photograph a mural at first, and called on Chotiwat Punnopatham who she knew from a previous workshop. He taught her how to break down the murals into panels, take the pictures one panel at a time, and merge them using a computer programme.
Being the perfectionist that she is, however, the result was still not to her liking, so she recruited the help of Chotiwat on the project. He took up the challenge without even knowing what he was in for. By the end of the project, he was pleading, "No more trekking, please."
But his technical know-how has proved to be invaluable, particularly in the colour separation process to get perfect clarity.
Not particularly an outdoor adventurer by nature, Supawan herself also balked at the thought of trekking hours for a photo at first, but by the end of the project a three-hour trek was nothing to her. Physical challenges aside, it was the spiritual journey that she felt profoundly during the course of the project.
"I used to be very stressed out before. But it seemed the higher I climbed, the calmer I became. It has become a spiritual pilgrimage for me; not just a photographic assignment.
"I never thought I would be working on a book like this in the first place," laughed Supawan. "It's not my field. I'm a cook, for heaven's sake!"
While in Bangkok for the book launch and photo exhibition recently, presided over by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn at Siam Paragon, HRH Ashi Pema Lhadon Wangchuck, younger sister of the previous king of Bhutan, and daughter of Her Majesty the Royal Grandmother, and her daughter, Ashi Kesang Choden Tashi Wangchuck, editor of this book, granted an interview to the Bangkok Post.
"There are a lot of prayers in Bhutan on Guru Rinpoche's spiritual palace but nothing in English to help with your visualisation," noted Ashi Kesang Choden Tashi Wangchuck, who played an integral role in the translation and editing of all the text. "In terms of that, this is a very valuable book, because it showcases Guru Rinpoche's time in Bhutan as well as many holy places there. Many of the places are so pristine, and not many people have been there.
"The Royal Grandmother didn't imagine the book would turn out to be this beautiful and this detailed," she added. "It's a very important project for her life because she does a lot of charitable work, and she plays a great part in preserving the spiritual heritage."
HRH Ashi Pema Lhadon remarked softly, "The Royal Grandmother feels so touched by the whole team who worked on the book. It is like an offering to Guru Rinpoche."
A photo exhibition "Zangdok Palri: The Lotus Light Palace of Guru Rinpoche, Visions of the Buddhist Paradise in the Sacred Kingdom of Bhutan", featuring images by Supawan Lamsam, Chotiwat Punnopatham and Tanika Pook Panyarachun is being held at Lifestyle Hall, Siam Paragon, until Sept 25. During the exhibition, the book Zangdok Palri: The Lotus Light Palace of Guru Rinpoche will be on sale for 2,800 baht, with proceeds from the sale of books and photographs to be presented to HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn towards the construction of a new medical centre at Queen Savang Vadhana Memorial Hospital, Si Racha.
Old Zangdok Palri Lhakhang and Paro Taktsang in the clouds.
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About the author
Writer: Usnisa SukhsvastiPosition: Features Editor
Source: http://www.news.thethailandlinks.com/2012/09/21/photographic-pilgrimage/
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