The temple complex is chiselled into the side of the mountain like an elaborate Buddhist grotto.

It's designed to be a retreat from the world and its remote location enables the monks to escape from worldly cares and live an ascetic life close to nature.

The steep and narrow paths and the cable car link to the world below signify detachment.

Your visit emphasized the gap between the sacred and profane; and as beautiful and peaceful as the surroundings were, you longed to return to the familiar secular world where you are comfortable.

There ia always a yin-yang tension in your art, @slowwalker - whether it be the modern vs. traditional, the past vs. the present, or the wealthy compared to the poor.

But although these forces seem opposite, they are in reality complementary, and suggest the interrelatedness of all these aspects of Man's world.

A thoghtful post, @slowwalker