Storm King

One nice autumn day I was invited to join a day trip to the Storm King Art Center an hour drive north of New York city. What an amazing art and park landscape to roam around and get new views with every step, even more so with the famous New York state autumn colours in full swing.

Kyoto

Thanks to an invitation of Ryukoku University, I finally had the chance to visit Kyoto and some surrounding historic places, what a revelation in both art and architecture. With my affinity to Buddhist art and Yoga Tantra, and a background in Indian art, this was certainly the best place to go to in Japan, and to learn from. Besides the quality of the art and architecture I was fascinated by those aspects of early Japanese Buddhist art that document a loss in translation (as well as adaptation and subsequent reinterpretation) from South Asia(?) to Japan. Take the iconic Ashura from the Kofukuji in Nara, is he really explainable on the basis of an Indic background or must he not much rather be interpreted against the Iranic/Zoroastrian interpretation of the world? I also can't decide if I would rather move to Amitabha's phoenix palace at Uji or his gigantic world of the Todaiji at Nara. This is what samsara and desire are all about, or not?

New York

I now have settled down in New York. My books have arrived and fill my modest but well located apartment. Living as an academic nomad—and haven't slept in my own bed—for many years, I am glad to establish a different life style right now.

While searching for my present apartment, I shared a place with a view of New York as one imagines it in one's dreams ...

Mustang

Thanks to a very generous person I could visit Mustang in August 2010, a visit that had a considerable impact on me. Not only are the temples of Lo Monthang impressive in many respects, but in general the art and artistic heritage preserved in this region is remarkable. Needless to say, also the flights and the walks to get there and back are quite an experience in themselves. Astonishingly, on the way up we were accompanied by a group of bikers, who carried their bikes more than they could use them. Brave people indeed ...