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Visions of Buddhist Life

Don Farber




"This book is the story of two loves that merged to become one. Don Farber's first love was photography his chosen profession ­ or more accurately his vocation, for it came to him as a calling. Then, at a relatively early age, a second love, Buddhism, entered his life and caught up with the first. The tangible issue from these complementing loves is the book the reader holds in his hands... Farber is not only a master photographer, he is an accomplished portrait photographer. The faces in these photographs will remain with me for a long, long time... I suggest that the reader let his/her eyes wash back and forth, again and again, through the visual feast that is in store. And then gassho to the artist who brought it into being."

- Huston Smith, from the foreword to Visions of Buddhist Life


   
 
 
     
   
 

“Devoted eye. Sweet enterprise. Thank you.”

- Leonard Cohen

 

"What a kind, gentle, knowing photo book Don Farber has done here. It has taken a lifetime of commitment and insight for these photos to reach us."

- Richard Gere

   
   
 



"This gorgeous, near-square coffee-table volume is a loving, beautifully realized tribute to Buddhists around the world."

- Publishers Weekly

 

"The global range of Buddhism...is captured in this astonishing book of photos and text."

- USA Today


   
   
 


Visions of Buddhist Life is a powerful and moving work, a spiritual odyssey, which beautifully captures the living spirit of Buddhism in today's world. Through this extraordinary collection of photographs, Don Farber chronicles his personal spiritual journey with a keen eye and an open heart, revealing a rare and intimate glimpse into Buddhist life. I highly recommend this remarkable book."

- Howard C. Cutler, M.D., co-author with H.H. the Dalai Lama of The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living


   
   
 


"The photographer sets out to open a spectacular view on the beauty and diversity of Buddhism and this he ably does."

- The Japan Times



"Don Farber, a Buddhist and Fulbright scholar, has photographed Buddhist life in eight Asian countries and the United States. This beautiful book is a collection of his best work from those travels."

-San Francisco Chronicle


   
   
 

"Don Farber is one of the most important chroniclers of Buddhism in the twentieth century....He has a unique ability to capture in a photograph the essence of Buddhist enlightenment."

- Melvin McLeod, Editor-in-Chief, Shambhala Sun


"Visions of Buddhist Life is a beautiful documentation of the diverse world of Buddhist life and practice. It's hard for me to review this book without succumbing to the familiar cliches of "inspiring," "moving," "breath taking," etc., because, well, that is exactly what this book is."

- Andrew Parodi, reviewer for Amazon.com


   
   
 



"Farber brings us into the temple, monastery and mountain village with these striking photographs of both ordinary practitioners and many of the great masters. The simple elegance of these images offers a wonderful window into the Buddhist world."

- Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness



"This collection of beautiful and inspired images of great Buddhist masters and practitioners from around the world is truly a work of love from photographer Don Farber... Emotionally and spiritually, his photos convey profound respect, humor, gratitude and empathy... I am grateful to Farber for this exquisite fruit of many years of transcendental and photographic work. It will give me spiritual and artistic inspiration for years to come."

- Catherine Pawasarat, Kyoto Journal


   
   
 



"Only a handful of photography books--monographs by the likes of Robert Frank, Sebastião Salgado, Helen Levitt and Elinor Carucci--have moved me as deeply as Farber's, which seems less a static book than a journey through the author's spiritual and artistic evolution. Rather than simply browse through the volume (always a temptation with coffee table books), I read this one from cover to cover, and when I was finished, I felt that I'd been granted a glimpse of Buddhism's human heart...Farber has patiently carved himself unique niches in at least two worlds: visual art and dharma practice. One of the most impressive things about this book, in fact is that his art and practice are so tightly interwoven; the photographs manage to integrate compassion and mindfulness with a wonderful aesthetic sensibility. At least a dozen images in Visions of Buddhist Life deserve to be digitally encoded and broadcast to the stars as a counterpoint to the insanity issuing from our radios and televisions."

- Jeff Greenwald, Inquiring Mind


   
   
 



"This sumptuous volume contains well over 100 color photographs... revealing the whole panoply of life along the Eightfold Path."

- Yoga Journal

   
   
 

"Visions of Buddhist Life is a remarkable contribution to the understanding of the colorful diversity and the serene depth of Buddhism. We owe a debt of gratitude to Don Farber for this excellent work."


- Ananda W.P. Guruge, former Ambassador of Sri Lanka to UNESCO, France, and the United States, reviewed for the Hsi Lai Journal of Humanistic Buddhism.


   
   
 



"Farber provides us with pictures which give dignity to aspects of religion and culture that appear as a result of his careful focus and sensitivity to the energy and spirit of each event taking place before him...In his hands, the camera gives us the nuances that escape all but the most talented of artists.. It is a pleasure to see the Buddhist tradition depicted in such a masterful fashion."

- Lewis Lancaster, Professor Emeritus, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, UC Berkeley