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As a for instance, last week a friend of mine sent me pictures of a Buddhist ceremony that took place at Karma Triyana Dhamachakra Monastery in NY.  The subject of the email referred to mandalas that seemed to be floating in the air above the attendees.  Here’s what that image looked like. (Photo by ç¦å¾·æµ·é›™æœˆåˆŠ via Flickr.com) (Link to Largest Version)In fact – the presiding Lama, Venerable Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche after looking at the images the images told sangha members that the floating mandalas were evidence of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas at the event.When looking at the image in large format, one can see the mandala-like design of the spots, especially if one has seen a mandala before.  I’ve seen mandala’s before, but I’ve also seen this phenomenon before, back in 2006, my Daughter Kelly went to New Orleans.  Those kids had the necessary, but nasty job of demolishing the insides of living spaces so they could be rebuilt.  A couple of the images she sent back from the road had the floating white spots in them as well. This one:and this one:I went out on the web and found several websites that dealt with this photographic anomaly.  In the general parlance, these white spots are known as Orbs.  It seems that some New-Agey types have been making dough with the Orb thing, telling people that they’re ghosts and what-not.  Hey it’s a free country – and people have to make a living.The best scientific explanation that I’ve found on the web is at www.theorbzone.com.  Turns out (according to the orbzone website) the white spots above are not paranormal orbs at all, or (in my opinion) Buddhas or Bodhisattvas. They are photographic artifacts stemming from using a Flash on a point-n-shoot in a dusty room.  The white spots are actually out-of-focus dust particles floating around in the air within a certain distance from the lens.  Small point-n-shoots are particulary susceptible to this happening because the Flash is so close to the lens.I’m sure that even when faced with a scientific explanation, some folks will continue to view the top image as floating mandalas that evidence the presence of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, which is OK I guess if it helps their practice.  I, on the other hand, am very very limited indeed when it comes to believing things.  I am biologically incapable of it. In the end I am left looking across a deep chasm, shaking my head in disbelief at my fellow creatures, happy believers all – delighting in a room full of floating mandalas, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. I feel jealous.