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Buddhism is the prevalent religion in Myanmar. Young boys, when they turn approximately 7 years, can become novice monks and enter the life in monasteries separated from their parents where they eat, pray, get educated and play together with others. Unlike in some other buddhist countries, where becoming monks is pretty much the choice for lifelong, monks in Myanmar can decide on their own later on whether they want to continue to be monks for their entire life or go back to secular life. And they can start a family after they have left.
There are rules for monks to keep only a few possession, not to hold any profession and to eat only what is offered or given in their bowls each morning during the alms rounds. And folks are more than willing to give food to them on a daily basis. They do the rounds in the morning, share the food and eat together. But guess what? They eat at approximately 11:00AM and that includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. They eat only once a day, in other words. The rest of the day is spent reading scripture, discussing religion, praying and also playing. They also play kites, soccer, board game, etc.
These images were taken during my only visit to Myanmar a few years back. I am being honest here, they were aware my presence. But what I liked about the situation then, most of them ignored my taking pictures, especially after being there for a period. And that made their expressions more natural and not posed, at least I would like to think that way.
Thank you very much for visiting and please feel free to leave any feedback,
Joshua
Geo, very excellent work with beautiful images!
Love the angles and earthy colors. The kids are great subjects.
The photography in Asia is so amazing for Westerners since it seems so exotic. I was gonna go to Cambodia during the monsoon last year but of course, Covid took care of that!!!
John
Joshua, I always look forward to your travel images. This set is spectacular. You have captured so much and the set displays what is daily life of young monk. Just superb set. UGMV
Keep them coming please 🙏
JohnSil wrote:
Geo, very excellent work with beautiful images!
Love the angles and earthy colors. The kids are great subjects.
The photography in Asia is so amazing for Westerners since it seems so exotic. I was gonna go to Cambodia during the monsoon last year but of course, Covid took care of that!!!
John
Thank you very much, John! I hope you reschedule the trip to Cambodia for this year...
keepclicking wrote:
Joshua, I always look forward to your travel images. This set is spectacular. You have captured so much and the set displays what is daily life of young monk. Just superb set. UGMV
Keep them coming please 🙏
Paul, thank you very much for your kind words. I am glad you like the images.
A wonderful peek into the lives of these boys. Every one of these is a work of art Joshua. Beautifully photographed and especially the compositions. To me, a good photograph should not contain anything that you don't want the viewer to see. I love how the jumping cat adds to the level of concentration by not distracting the boy. These are masterful !
Gary
YGMV
James Markus wrote:
Joshua,
Though I like all of them, and many are excellent - that first one is stunning! Beautiful work!
Jim
Jim, thank you very much!
sum1sgrampa wrote:
A wonderful peek into the lives of these boys. Every one of these is a work of art Joshua. Beautifully photographed and especially the compositions. To me, a good photograph should not contain anything that you don't want the viewer to see. I love how the jumping cat adds to the level of concentration by not distracting the boy. These are masterful !
Gary
YGMV
Gary, I greatly appreciate your kind words! I was about to photograph that novice monk when I spotted the cat when it first approached the door from the other side. I captured a sequence of situation and the last one, showing only the tail of the cat, that I didn’t bother posting , of course.
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Here is another image of that novice monk from a different angle…
What an incredible portfolio! I couldn't begin to pick a favorite as one after another was beautiful. Your capture of their daily life is a testament to your skill as well as their trusting of you. Congratulations!
, of course.
