Photographer and meditator Deva Muni reflects on the hidden beauty that reveals itself through meditation, and shows his and Amana’s recent pictures taken at the Sun River Festival in Italy (next event: 24-26 October 2025)
What is beauty?
It’s a question that has inspired thousands of books and treatises. Classical beauty usually fits within certain aesthetic canons, part of a recognised language of beauty. We see it displayed in glossy fashion magazines: women without a wrinkle, with perfect breasts – and rarely with a smile.
This is a beauty of the ego, of the competitive society we live in – images designed to strike hard at the viewer on an unconscious level, forcing them to emulate that often-unattainable kind of beauty, with the sole purpose of selling more products.
The beauty that inspires me in my work as a photographer is quite different: it is the beauty and harmony that arise spontaneously when people enter meditation, or when they magically open up to their deeper emotions. This harmony is astonishingly similar to that of a flower, a mountain waterfall, or a breathtaking sunset.
The process is the very opposite of the one described above: the ego and personality loosen their grip, and the individual’s true self emerges – full of grace, sweetness, perhaps tears of emotion, or a powerful cry of liberation; sometimes through wild dancing, or a long embrace with an open heart.
All of this is a miracle, happening in spontaneity, in letting go.
In order to capture such grace without interfering, I need to make myself invisible and remain only a witness, to myself and to others, in complete respect. To do this, I have to be centred in a receptive, feminine, transparent space, rather than approaching the subject with an aggressive, grasping eye. This attitude is beautifully summed up in the Zen saying: “Sitting silently, doing nothing. Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.”
At times, during festivals or other events, I like interacting with people – perhaps smiling from behind the camera… Often, a small, playful moment can unfold and the presence of the photographer becomes an encouragement to let go into dance or movement even more.
In other words, the presence of a respectful observer can act as a catalyst for going deeper.
It is very important that these kinds of images are seen by many, for they have the power to touch the heart very deeply.
The photographs I share here were taken by Amana and me at the Osho Sun River Festival, in September – a beautiful four-day event held in a magical setting in Liguria, on its border with Tuscany, one of Italy’s most stunning regions.
The next festival will take place in Fucecchio, Tuscany, from 24 to 26 October 2025. For info contact Parva: +39 366 8722083. facebook.com
Related articles
- More stories and photographs by Muni on Osho News
Comments are closed.