Buddha – TOKIDOKI (NOMAD)

ASAKUSA, JAPAN: NISONBUTSU 二尊仏

Published on December 19, 2025 by jacquelinemhadelLeave a comment

Nisonbutsu 二尊仏 = “Two Buddha Statues” at Sensō-ji

These are a famous pair of large statues called Nisonbutsu – literally “two revered Buddhas.” They stand in the open air just past Hōzōmon Gate, a little off to the side of the main approach.

Who are they?

Although people call them “two Buddhas,” they actually show two bodhisattvas:
Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) on one side – the bodhisattva of mercy and compassion
Seishi (Mahāsthāmaprāpta) on the other – the bodhisattva of wisdom and spiritual power

In Pure Land Buddhism these two usually stand beside Amida Nyorai; here they appear together as a pair, balancing compassion and wisdom.

Edo-period origin

The statues are Edo-period works, made in 1687 by a sculptor named Takase Zenbē (Zenbee) from Tatebayashi in present-day Gunma. He dedicated them to repay a debt of gratitude to a rice-merchant family who had helped him:
Kannon, bringing mercy, for the father
Seishi, bringing wisdom, for the son

Because they sit outside in an open space and are always exposed to the rain, they’re also nicknamed Nurebotoke 濡れ仏 – “the Wet Buddhas.” Local guides describe them as two of the most magnificent Edo-period Buddha statues at Sensō-ji.

29nov25

TOKYO (KOMAE,) JAPAN: SENRYŪ-JI TEMPLE

Published on October 28, 2025 by jacquelinemhadel1 Comment

Just a minute’s walk from the North Exit of Komae Station, you step off the Odakyū Line and into another world. Senryū-ji Temple sits quietly in the heart of Komae City, a reminder that even in suburban Tokyo—defined by trains, apartments, and convenience stores—the past is still alive, waiting for you to notice. I happened upon it and could feel the pull from concrete into lush greenery.

Founded in the year 765 by the monk Rōben, who is also tied to the great Tōdai-ji in Nara, Senryū-ji has been a place of prayer and continuity for more than twelve centuries.

The temple grounds are not sprawling, but they hold treasures: a two-storied bell tower rare in Tokyo, cultural assets protected by the city, and a pond dedicated to Benzaiten said to have appeared when Rōben prayed for rain. Walking here, you can feel how myth, history, and everyday devotion overlap.

What I love about Senryū-ji is its sense of contrast. The hum of trains and the rhythm of weekend revelers are right outside the gate, but inside, it’s very quiet, like today, with only the sounds of consistent raindrops pitter-pattering, either on statues, the top of my umbrella, or the changing leaves of autumn. Seasonal colors shift the mood.

Tokyo has countless temples, and many of them overwhelm with their size or their crowds. Senryū-ji is different. It doesn’t demand attention—it invites it. I could breathe here. And I was alone. So rare these days.

If you find yourself on the Odakyū Line, make the stop. Wander into Senryū-ji. It won’t take long, but it may stay with you far longer than you expect. Writing about it now is bringing the experience even more deeply within me.

26oct25

KATHMANDU, NEPAL STREET ART: UNDERSTANDING by PRATAP

Published on July 21, 2025 by jacquelinemhadelLeave a comment

“Peace comes not by avoiding the world, but by understanding it.”
— Himalayan proverb, often shared by monks in the Kathmandu Valley

This reflects the grounded Nepali way of embracing life with compassion, clarity, and humility—not escaping chaos, but moving through it with presence. It’s the kind of quiet wisdom you feel walking through Bouddhanath as prayer flags flutter above and wheels spin gently below.

14july25

PARO, BHUTAN ART: THE BUDDHA

Published on July 16, 2025 by jacquelinemhadelLeave a comment

“The trouble is, you think you have time.”
—Buddha

Time is the great illusionist. It stretches out in front of us like it owes us something—like we’ll always have more of it, like the people we love will always be within reach, like we can afford to wait to start living.

It reminds me to write the story now.
To speak what’s in my heart while the room is still full.
To sit in the sun a little longer.
To choose the scenic route, the risky leap.
To call my friends. To forgive. To dance, anyway.

I’ve known goodbyes that came too fast, silences that lasted too long, moments I didn’t know were “lasts” until they were already gone. So now, I try to live eyes wide, heart open, every breath a gift I won’t get back.

Not in a frantic way, but in a sacred one.

Not because I’m afraid—but because I finally understand.

13july25

THIMPHU, BHUTAN: STILLNESS IN THE STORM

Published on May 24, 2025May 22, 2025 by jacquelinemhadel1 Comment

Some images don’t just capture a place—they echo something within. This one, taken on a gray-skied day in Thimphu, Bhutan, is one of them.

There he sits: the Great Buddha Dordenma, poised on a ridge above the city, cloaked in mist and framed by dark pine. Still. Watchful. Immense. Not just in size, but in presence.

Living in Bhutan, surrounded by mountains that seem to breathe with you, I often find myself looking inward as much as outward. The pace here isn’t slow, exactly—it’s steady. Grounded. A rhythm I’ve had to learn to walk in time with.

And maybe that’s why these images resonate so deeply with where I am in life right now.

I’m no longer racing to figure it all out. I’m no longer measuring myself by how many countries I’ve touched, how much I’ve published, how fast I can adjust. The questions I carry these days aren’t about where next, but rather what matters—and how to move through this world with clarity, care, and a bit of quiet.

The Buddha, serene even in stormy skies, feels like a mirror to that moment.
A reminder that not all journeys require motion. Some ask for pause.
Some ask us to stay long enough in one place—on one hillside, in one life—to feel the clouds break open and the meaning come through.

22may25

THIMPHU, BHUTAN 🇧🇹: BLEND OF OLD AND NEW

Published on April 25, 2025 by jacquelinemhadelLeave a comment

Downtown Thimphu’s unique blend of old and new—where rows of meat shops and bedding stores line the street, framed by traditional Bhutanese architecture still standing strong. A glimpse of everyday life in Bhutan’s normally bustling capital, which just happens to be slow and peaceful today due to the LOSAR holiday.

1march25