A lone tree stands defiantly within the waters of Lake Wanaka with the snow capped peaks of Mount Aspiring National Park beyond, Otago, South Island, New Zealand, Pacific

The Three Sisters and Mount Solitary, Blue Mountains, Blue Mountains National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, New South Wales, Australia, Pacific

Mount Solitary and Jamison Valley, Blue Mountains, Blue Mountains National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, New South Wales, Australia, Pacific

Mount Solitary and Jamison Valley, Blue Mountains, Blue Mountains National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, New South Wales, Australia, Pacific

Mount Kebnekaise, Sweden's highest, Laponia, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lappland, Sweden, Scandinavia, Europe

Mount Solitary and Jamison Valley, Blue Mountains, Blue Mountains National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, New South Wales, Australia, Pacific

Photographer admires Lake, Piz Umbrail at dawn with Mount Ortles in background, Braulio Valley, Valtellina, Lombardy, Italy, Europe

Mount Krakatindur, 858 m, standing solitary in the Nyjahraun lava field, east of Hekla volcano in the distance, Fjallabak route north (Nyrdri-Fjallaback) in the interior, Iceland, Polar Regions

A solitary mask dancer appears wearing a frightening mask and silk brocade. they circle the courtyard with sprightly leaps. called protectors of faith, or dharmapdla, the origins of figures like these can be traced back to the pre-aryan peoples of india. originally known as yaksas (literally, a wondrous thing), they were tree spirits, who were accepted by the buddhists as defenders of the faith. in nepal and tibet, as in india, local deities were converted into protectors. a devotee of an alien sect devised a means to humiliate the buddha and his disciples. the buddha discovered it and succeeded in converting him to his teaching. due to lack of wisdom, the buddha remarked, some could not realize the goodness of his disciples and he compared the ignorant to the blind and the wise to those who have eyes.nobody is condemned in buddhism, for greatness is latent even in the seemingly lowliest just as lotuses spring from muddy ponds. -the dhammapada. solu khumbu, nepal

Taoist monk in Tai Chi pose, Tai Shan, Shandong province, Taishan, Mount Tai, World Heritage, UNESCO, China, Asia

Taoist monk in Tai Chi pose, Tai Shan, Shandong province, Taishan, Mount Tai, World Heritage, UNESCO, China, Asia

Taoist monk in Tai Chi pose, Tai Shan, Shandong province, Taishan, Mount Tai, World Heritage, UNESCO, China, Asia

Taoist monk in Tai Chi pose, Tai Shan, Shandong province, Taishan, Mount Tai, World Heritage, UNESCO, China, Asia

Mummy of 126 year old monk Wuxia, in the Longevity Hall, Baisui Gong, Jiuhuashan, Mount Jiuhua, mountain of nine flowers, Jiuhua Shan, Anhui province, China, Asia

prayer service in Qiyuan Monastery with high ranking monks, Jiuhua Shan Village, Zhiyuan Monastery, Jiuhuashan, Mount Jiuhua, mountain of nine flowers, Anhui province, China, Asia

prayer service in Qiyuan Monastery with high ranking monks, Jiuhua Shan Village, Zhiyuan Monastery, Jiuhuashan, Mount Jiuhua, mountain of nine flowers, Anhui province, China, Asia

pilgrim prays in front of small statue of monk Shenizi, Nantai temple, Heng Shan south, Hunan province, Hengshan, Mount Heng, China, Asia

dining hall, Buddhist College, Ganlu Temple, Jiuhua Shan Village, Jiuhuashan, Mount Jiuhua, mountain of nine flowers, Jiuhua Shan, Anhui province, China, Asia

monks, Temple of Longevity, Monastery, Jiuhuashan, Mount Jiuhua, mountain of nine flowers, Jiuhua Shan, Anhui province, China, Asia

monk in prayer, meditation, drum, Wannian monastery and temple, Emei Shan, Sichuan Province, Emeishan, Mount Emei, World Heritage, UNESCO, China, Asia

prayer service in Qiyuan Monastery with high ranking monks, Jiuhua Shan Village, Zhiyuan Monastery, Jiuhuashan, Mount Jiuhua, mountain of nine flowers, Anhui province, China, Asia

Taoist monk, Grand Temple, Taoist Heng Shan south, Hunan province, Hengshan, Mount Heng, China, Asia

Taoist monk in Tai Chi pose, Tai Shan, Shandong province, Taishan, Mount Tai, World Heritage, UNESCO, China, Asia

abbot with monks, Nantai temple, Heng Shan south, Hunan province, Hengshan, Mount Heng, China

Taoist monk in Tai Chi pose, Tai Shan, Shandong province, Taishan, Mount Tai, World Heritage, UNESCO, China, Asia

abbot with monks, Nantai temple, Heng Shan south, Hunan province, Hengshan, Mount Heng, China, Asia

Australia, New South Wales, Blue Mountains National Park, Jamison Valley, Forest covered valley in rocky mountains