The photographer Don Farber has made his domain (in the words of his publisher) "the beauty and diversity of Buddhist life around the world." His collection "Taking Refuge in L.A.: Life in a Vietnamese Buddhist Temple" appeared in 1987 and one of his portraits graces the cover of "The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living," by his Holiness the Dalai Lama. In this new collection he offers "an essential context for understanding Buddhism."
Though the words are those of the blurb, the ambition is the photographer's own. As explained by Huston Smith in his foreword, Farber hopes that this book "will move photography into the company of the other art forms that have seen so vital in the transmission of Buddhism as a religion."
To this end the photos are both informative and celebratory. Buddhism is seen as "a realm where the doctrine of nonviolence is paramount and where peace begins with the thoughts and actions of the individual."