The Buddha Project began more than a decade ago, shortly after the loss of my mother. At the time, I wasn’t searching for Buddhism or even a long-term photography project. I was simply searching for something I couldn’t quite name.
What started as curiosity gradually became a journey. Over the years, my wife Tara and I traveled throughout Asia, photographing temples, monks, sacred spaces, and everyday moments of devotion. With each trip, my understanding of photography began to change.
The longer I photographed, the less interested I became in photographing places. I became interested in photographing presence. What does stillness look like? What does devotion look like? What does silence look like?
I realized that the photographs that stayed with me were rarely the grand scenes or famous locations. They were the quiet moments — a monk lighting a candle before dawn, incense smoke drifting through a temple, a hand resting on a prayer bead, a moment of complete stillness in an otherwise busy world.
I wasn’t trying to document Buddhism. I was trying to understand why these moments affected me so deeply.
Over time, The Buddha Project evolved from a photography project into a personal exploration of presence, silence, impermanence, and the search for peace in a world that rarely slows down. These photographs are my attempt to preserve a feeling that is often difficult to describe but instantly recognizable when we encounter it.
I realized I wasn’t trying to photograph the places themselves. I was trying to photograph the feeling they gave me — and preserve that feeling. The feeling of being fully present.
Joshua Bulriss is an American photographer whose work explores stillness, ritual, and human presence throughout Asia. Since first traveling to the region in 2006, he has spent nearly two decades photographing Buddhist temples, sacred sites, and everyday moments of contemplation. See more at joshbulriss.com.
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