Torah Pen Reflection
Photo: Jay Visit
Judaism, like its Abrahamic cousins, Christianity and Islam,
is a religion of The Book, a religion that finds God through Holy Scripture. The Torah is comprised of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible also known to Christians as The First or The Old Testament. Jews never touch scripture with their hands but rather use a beautiful Torah pen such as this to follow the text. There are numerous synagogues, temples and Jewish schools throughout Los Angeles that represent every form of Judaism.
The Angel Moroni
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
The Angel Moroni stands atop the Los Angeles Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) at 10777 W. Santa Monica Boulevard in West Los Angeles. It is said that it was Moroni who delivered the Golden Tablets to Joseph Smith, the Founder of Mormonism. When The Los Angeles Temple was dedicated in 1956 it was the largest of the Mormon temples. Its beautiful grounds and visitors’ center are open to the public at no charge every day of the week. (www.lds.org/church/temples/los-angeles-california)
Buddha
Photo: Jay Visit
There are many types of Buddhism practiced in nearly 150 different Buddhist Centers in Los Angeles. They all have in common: following the teachings of Buddha and engaging in the practice of meditation, mindfulness, Dharma study and community. (Hsi Lai Temple, 3456 Glenmark Drive, Hacienda Heights - www.hsilsi.org)
Islamic Texts
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, is a religion of based on scripture. For Muslims, The Holy Qur’an is the literal Word of God revealed by the Angel Gabriel to the Holy Prophet Muhammad over the course of twenty-three years. In it are the laws and the commandments and the moral and social codes of behavior for all Muslims to follow. The Holy Qur’an also presents a rich religious philosophy.
Unlike many other religious people, Muslims avoid depicting God through images. Islamic art focuses instead on the calligraphy of scripture and on geometric design. These texts were photographed in the office of the Director of The Islamic Center of Southern California.
(www.icsconline.org)
Jain Statue
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
Jainism is one of the world’s oldest religions. It is rooted in respect for the sanctity and dignity of all living beings and the commitment to a life of non-violence towards all such beings. It emphasizes the need for the individual to move the soul forward towards liberation from suffering and the cycle of rebirth. A Tirthankar or Jina is a human being who has achieved enlightenment (perfect knowledge) and then becomes a role-model and teacher. All 24 Tirthankaras take on an identical countenance and body shape due to their successful expulsion of all karmas that determine personality and hence bodily traits, however, their stories and distinct histories remain, signified with emblem at the base of their throne.
Jains are a powerful religious minority in India today. They value higher learning and have significant influence upon political, cultural and ethical spheres there. The Jain community in Los Angeles holds great regard for respecting and uplifting every living being. (Jain Center of Southern California, 8032 Commonwealth Ave., Buena Park – www.jaincenter.net)
Stained Glass
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
Stained glass windows have been used in Christian churches and monasteries since the 7th century. In The Middle Ages in particular, they were used to illustrate the stories of The Bible to a predominantly illiterate following. This image is of The Holy Family.
Stained glass was also used by Islamic builders in Southwest Asia by the 8th century. Their stained glass windows and panels were of beautiful repeating geometric patterns that reflected the orderliness and wondrous beauty of God.
Gold Ganesh Statue
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
The Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed deity riding a mouse, is one of the most popular of the Hindu deities. He is worshipped before any undertaking to remove obstacles and attain success. He is the son of the Divine Mother, Parvati, and Lord Shiva.
Mosaic Angels
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
Angels are super natural beings common to many faith traditions including Christianity, Judaism and Islam. They are God’s messengers and also guard and protect human beings on God’s behalf.
Wat Thai Guardians
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
These giant figures guard the entrance to the Wat Thai Buddhist Temple in North Hollywood. Their job is to keep evil out. Guardians or heavenly protectors are seen around the entrance of many different types of religious and faith traditions’ houses of prayer and worship.
The Wat Thai Buddhist Temple in North Hollywood (8225 Coldwater Canyon Avenue) is the largest Thai Theravada Buddhist Temple in the United States. On weekends it becomes a great spot for a joyful brunch. www.watthaiusa.org/
Sufi Dervishes
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
The Dervishes are Sufi Muslims from Turkey who are followers of the Persian mystic and poet, Rumi. They whirl as part of a formal ceremony called the Sema where they symbolically turn toward Truth and lovingly seek to reach God and then carry God’s Love into their own lives and out into the world.
Golden Dragon
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
The Golden Dragon Parade is the highlight of the Chinese New Year celebration in Southern California. The mythological figure of the Chinese Dragon reaches back thousands of years and continues forward to be one of the most popular spiritual animals for the Chinese people today. It is comprised from the parts of nine different animals: the head of a camel, the horns of a deer, the ears of an ox (or bull), the eyes of a rabbit, the neck of a snake, the scales of a carp, the stomach of a clam, the paws of a tiger and the claws of an eagle. This wondrous sacred animal is seen as beneficent and gracious.
“The Chinese Dragon, or Long, symbolizes power and excellence, valiancy and boldness, heroism and perseverance, nobility and divinity. A dragon overcomes obstacles until success. He is energetic, decisive, optimistic, intelligent and ambitious.
"In ancient China, nobody had any doubts about the existence of dragons. People showed great respect for any dragon depicted in pictures, carvings and writings, and as a result the dragon became the symbol of the Chinese nation. All people in China, including the emperor, prostrated themselves before the image of a dragon with reverence and awe. As a result, this unreal animal became the spiritual sustenance for a nation: firstly, as the totem of a tribe and then as the symbol of the nation.” (From the website: www.beijingservice.com/beijinghighlights/chinesedragon.htm)
Agape Singing
Photo: Tiffany Taira
World Festival of Sacred Music - Honoring the Sea Ceremony
The World Festival of Sacred Music – Los Angeles began as a one-time millennium event in 1999 with a letter from H.H. the Dalai Lama who suggested that people from around the world mark the new millennium with hope and commitment to peace and universal responsibility through music. In response to this call, Foundation for World Arts in association with EarthWays Foundation, and UCLA Center for Intercultural Performance produced the 1999 Festival. As a result of the overwhelming response from the community, the organizing partners took the initiative in planning and implementing the 2002 and 2005 Festivals and every three years thereafter. (From the Website www.festivalofsacredmusic.org)
Sikhs on Baisakhi Day
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
Baisakhi Day at the Los Angeles Convention Center honoring one of the primary celebrations of spring harvest (for some faiths the beginning of the new year.) The five men with orange banners represent The Sikh Panj Piare or The Five Beloved Ones - the first five devotees to be baptized by the Guru in 1699. They symbolize the Guru, himself, and the Sikh community’s devotion to a life-style of service and social justice.
The curved sword, Kirpan, carried by all Sikh men and women is a very important symbol to Sikhs. It stands for their obligation to defend themselves and the weak and the innocent against oppression and injustice. Sikhism is the only religion that actually mandates that male adherents cover their head with a turban at all times as a form of reverence to God. Many women Sikhs also wear a turban.
Gold Buddha
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
Censing the Gospel
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
While there are many very different forms of Christianity and ways that it is practiced, all Christians agree that the Gospel, the Good News of the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the center of their faith. The Gospel refers to the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John which tell the story of God’s redemption of human kind through the saving Grace of His Son, Jesus Christ who came bringing the message of God’s Love.
The practice of using incense during the worship service is a symbol and affirmation of the sanctifying grace of Holy Spirit and of the prayers of saints rising towards heaven. St. John’s Cathedral, 514 West Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, California. www.stjohnsla.org
Muslim Woman Praying
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
The word Islam means "to submit" . Muslims submit to the Will of God. They pray five times each day, often in congregations but also alone in an appropriately quiet and respectful place. The Holy Qur’an requires both men and women to dress modestly - for women this includes covering their hair. The scarf they use is called a hijab. Islam honors women as equal to men. The Holy Qur’an actually mandates reverence for women. (www.icsconline.org)
Sikhs in Meditation
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
Sikhs meditating on the sacred hymns of the divine Siri Guru Granth Sahib at Guru Ram Das Ashram.. “The Siri Guru Granth Sahib is a compilation of sacred writings of six of the ten Sikh Gurus, as well as Sufis, Bhagats and Hindu saints, all who served as pure channels for the Divine Truth. Sikhs bow to the Word as embodied in the Siri Guru Granth Sahib and receive their daily instruction through a verse selected randomly each day. The role of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib is central in the life of every Sikh.”
Sikhism was the first religion from India to settle in America in the 1800’s. “While recognized as the fifth-largest organized religion in the world, it is truly a Dharma, a spiritual way of living.”(From the website www.gururamdasashram.org) Guru Ram Das Ashram, 1620 Preuss Road, Los Angeles, California.
Hare Krishna Chanting
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) also known as “The Hara Krishna Movement” began in the United States in 1966 with Swami Prabhupada. This movement brought to the United States core beliefs found in ancient Hindu writings. Its followers are dedicated to the practice of bhakti yoga or devotion to God through chanting to Krishna as the highest form of God, believing that the vibration created by repeatedly chanting God’s name will lead to a state of pure God-Consciousness. While The Hara Krishna Movement did face many difficulties with how it was run in the recent past, today ISKCON has remedied those difficulties and developed new structures to help it fulfill its spiritual goals in a healthy and transparent manner. (www.news.iskcon.org)
Episcopal Priest Chanting
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
Christians, like their Jewish and Muslim brethren, have always included song and/or chant as an integral part of their worship. Unlike some religious or spiritual traditions, Christian chants and songs are usually not about the vibration or even about the music, they are about the words themselves. Learning to chant requires careful listening. Before people could read, they learned about their faith by learning its theology and stories through song. Gregorian chants, which are sung with no musical accompaniment, blend the many voices of the choir and/or the congregation into one and so the very act of chanting itself unifies the community. St. John’s Cathedral, 514 West Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, California. www.stjohnsla.org
Aztec Chanting
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
While the Aztec religion is not practiced as a religion per se in Southern California today, vestiges of it are recalled in various local festivals in recognition of the spiritual and religious heritage of the peoples who inhabited these lands long before the current settlers.
Chumash Drummer
Photo: Jennifer Jessum
The Chumash and Tongva tribes are the Native American people who lived along the coast and inland in Southern California for thousands of years before the first Europeans arrived. Their rich spiritual practice is interwoven deeply and intimately with the land and all the creatures that inhabited it with them. They were and continue to be a peaceful people with a profound respect for the sanctity of all life. “Tongva” means “people of the earth”. (www.tongva.com)
Self Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine
Photo by Jennifer Jessum
Paramahansa Yogananda was an Indian yogi and guru who introduced many Westerners to Kriya Yoga and meditation and who founded the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) in 1920. SRF is a spiritual organization dedicated to promoting the harmony of
all religions through sharing Yogananda’s teachings and running yoga and meditation centers. It has over 600 temples and meditation centers around the world and is headquartered in Southern California.
The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine dedicated by Yogananda in 1950 is a beautiful 10-acre site located on Sunset Boulevard just a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of visitors come each year to enjoy the scenic beauty and serenity of this spiritual sanctuary with its gardens and natural spring-fed lake.
The grounds include a Court of Religions honoring the five principal religions of the world, the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial where a portion of Gandhi's ashes is enshrined, a museum with Paramahansa Yogananda's work, and a gift shop. Entrance to the grounds is free of charge. Contact the Lake Shrine for visiting hours. www.lakeshrine.org/
Hindu Temple
Photo by Jennifer Jessum
Malibu Hindu Temple is a temple of the Hindu god Venkateswara, built in 1981, located in the city of Calabasas near Malibu, California in the Santa Monica Mountains. It is owned and operated by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California. Built in the traditional South Indian style, it is frequented by followers of Hinduism in Southern California.
The temple has two complexes - the upper complex with Lord Venkateswara as the presiding deity and the lower complex with Lord Shiva as the presiding deity. In addition to the presiding deity, both complexes have shrines for other deities. The deities represented at this Hindu Temple include Venkateswara, Rama, Lakshman, Sita, Hanuman, Ganesh, Padmavathi, Bhoodevi, Shiva, Krishna and Radha.
The priests live on the grounds of the temple. The temple has many gatherings for ceremonies, and provides numerous spaces for meditation, picnicking. It has a full stage for special cultural and Hindu programs. The temple is open every day of the year at 1600 Las Virgenes Canyon Rd, Calabasas, CA 91302 (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malibu_Hindu_Temple)
Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple
Photo by Jennifer Jessum
Hsi Lai Temple (approximate pronunciation She Lye) is a traditional Chinese Buddhist mountain monastery in the United States. It is located on the foothill region of Hacienda Heights, California, USA, a suburb of Los Angeles County. The name "Hsi Lai" means Coming West in the sense of the "Great Buddhadharma Coming West."
The temple is affiliated with one of Taiwan's largest religious organizations, the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order. It is one of the first overseas branch temples, and is often called the "Western torch of Dharma" by order members. Hsi Lai was the site of the founding of Buddha's Light International Association, established in 1991. The temple, like its mother temple in Taiwan, practices Humanistic Buddhism, which incorporates all of the eight traditional schools of Chinese Buddhism - especially the Linji Chan and Pure Land schools - to provide guidance deemed most useful to modern life. (www.hsilai.org)
Congratulations!
It was a pleasure to visit your website. I enjoyed the beautiful photography and the explanations identifying each photo “Finding God in the city of Angels”. Absolutley wonderful!!!!
I look forward to 26 Feb 2011 celebration!
Love, Lurelean