Well maintained golden Taranga Vihar Dham Tirth, a sacred Hindu pilgrimage site, India

Spiritual leader dressed in leopard skin in the Church of Black People in Mbandaka, Equateur province, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Yoga class at the Sen Wellness Sanctuary, near Tangalle, South Coast of Sri Lanka, Indian subcontinent, South Asia

Dinh Cau Temple, Duong Dong, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

Islamic prayer beads for sale in market, Ampel Arab Quarter, Surabaya, Java, Indonesia

Al Akbar Surabaya National Mosque, carpet with arch design pointing towards Mecca, Surabaya, Java, Indonesia

Al Akbar Surabaya National Mosque, Muslim man praying on carpet with arch design pointing towards Mecca, Surabaya, Java, Indonesia

Al Akbar Surabaya National Mosque, Muslim men praying together at Friday prayer, Surabaya, Java, Indonesia

Muslim woman praying with islamic beads in hand, religious meditation, worship, Ramadan concept, Surabaya, Indonesia

One of Eighteen Arhats of Mahayana Buddhism await return of Buddha as Maitreya, Long Quang Pagoda, An Giang Province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Islamic Holy Book Quran with rosary beads, Ramadan concept, Indonesia

Chilco Community, Angochagua Parochia, Imbabura Province, Ecuador

Angochagua, Imbabura Province, Ecuador

Festival of Light (Inti Raymi festival) Cochas Community, Angochagua Parochia, Imbabura Province, Ecuador

Guayusa Upina Ceremony, Sinchi Warmi, Amazonia, Napo Province, Ecuador

Guayusa Upina Ceremony, Sinchi Warmi, Amazonia, Napo Province, Ecuador

Guayusa Upina Ceremony, Sinchi Warmi, Amazonia, Napo Province, Ecuador

View of ema (small wooden plaques), Nishikubo Hachiman Shinto Shrine, 5 Chome, Toranomon, Minato City, Tokyo, Honshu, Japan

Face painting ritual, Sinchi Warmi, Amazonia, Napo Province, Ecuador

Kun Iam buddhist Temple, goddess of Mercy, Macau, Special Administrative Region, China, Asia

Spiral incense, Kun Iam buddhist Temple, goddess of Mercy, Macau, Special Administrative Region, China, Asia

Spiral incense, A-Ma Temple, Macau, Special Administrative Region, China, Asia

Kun Iam buddhist Temple, goddess of Mercy, Macau, Special Administrative Region, China, Asia

Spiral incense at Kun Iam buddhist Temple, goddess of Mercy, Macau, Special Administrative Region, China, Asia

Calligraphy, Kofuku-ji Buddhist Temple, Nara, Japan

Sosu, a bamboo water fountain at Eikan-do Zenrin-ji, head temple for the Seizan branch of Jodo-Shu (Pure Land) Buddhist sect, Kyoto, Japan

Monk at Henjoko-in Temple, Pilgrim's and tourist lodging (Shukubo), Mount Koya, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, East Asia

Young woman practising yoga posture at Santani Wellness Resort, Arantenna Estate, Werapitiya, Kandy, Sri Lanka, Indian subcontinent, South Asia

Traditional dressed Shaman, Tura, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Evenki state, Russia

Traditional dressed Shaman, Tura, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Evenki state, Russia

Traditional dressed Shaman, Tura, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Evenki state, Russia

Traditional dressed Shaman, Tura, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Evenki state, Russia

The Nuona Pagoda at the Small Heavenly Pool Temple, a Tibetan Temple in Lushan (Mount Lu), Jiujiang City, Jiangxi, China. Nuona is the living buddha that promoted Tibetan Buddhism in China during the Qing Dynasty. Lushan is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Details of high relief on the western Gopuram (gate tower) at Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore district, Chennai (Madras), Coromandel Coast, Tamil Nadu state, South India, Asia

Woman practising yoga poses among sandstone rock formation in the desert canyons of the Ashar Valley, Medina Province, Saudi Arabia

Followers by the 'Sarovar' pond whose water is considered holy, inside Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, the most prominent Sikh gurdwara, or Sikh house of worship, in Delhi, India, Asia

Monk at the Tibetan Buddhist Hemis Monastery, Ladakh region, state of Jammu and Kashmir, India, Asia

The Sacred Cenote, Chichen Itza, Yucatan State, Mexico

Beautiful lanterns on the gates of an ancestral hall in Puning City, Guangdong Province, China

Temple of the Goddess of the Pearl, a local deity in Puning City, Guangdong Province, China

Red Daruma figures, lucky charm of Shintoism, KatsuLT-ji Temple, Minoh National Park, Osaka, Japan

Ishiyama Wakamiya Daimyojin Shinto shrine within the walls of Osaka Castle, Japan

Ishiyama Wakamiya Daimyojin Shinto shrine within the walls of Osaka Castle, Japan

Intricate Hindu art and deity carvings on the facade of Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple in Little India, Singapore

Makha Bucha (Magha Puja) celebrations, monks pray under illuminated Buddha statue annually at Wat Phan Tao temple, Chiangmai, Thailand

Buddhist monk performing daily duties in Chiangmai, Thailand

Buddhist monk performing daily duties in Chiangmai, Thailand

Women carrying offerings at the annual Makha Bucha (Magha Puja) celebrations, Wat Phan Tao temple, Chiangmai, Thailand

Close-up of Thai money offerings in blue temple interior, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Healer with medicinal herbs in Ngiresi village, Tanzania

Offerings and prayers to the temple deities, Asian woman praying, Guan Di Chinese Temple, Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Prayer at home, Bible with a religious image on a cushion, Malaysia

Thien Quang Buddhist Pagoda, Vesak celebration, Birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha, bathing infant Buddha to purify the heart, Tan Chau, Vietnam

Thien Truc Buddhist Pagoda, Quan Am (Quanyin) (Bodhisattva of Compassion) (Goddess of Mercy), Bac Lieu, Vietnam

Inside the Saigon Central Mosque (Masjid Musulman), built in 1935, Prayer hall with red carpet, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Shop selling religious Christian items, rosary prayer beads for sale, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Basilica of Our Lady of La Vang, Catholic Mass, Holy Communion, La Vang, Vietnam

Guardian Lion (Foo Dog) Figure in a temple in Hong Kong with incense smoke, Hong Kong, China

Pak Ou low cave, Vat Tham Ting, overlooking the Mekopng River, Luang Prabang district, Laos

Spiritual leader dressed in leopard skin in the Church of Black People in Mbandaka, Equateur province, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Wong Tai Sin Temple,Kowloon Peninsula,Hong-Kong,People's Republic of China,Asia

Yakushi statue in the Kondo of To-ji Temple, a Shingon Buddhist temple in the Minami-ku ward of Kyoto, Japan, East Asia

The Tzompantli, Platform of the Skulls, Chichen Itza, Yucatan State, Mexico

Ablutions, Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Celebration of Purim festival, faithful holding book and wearing phylacteries, Beth Loubavitch Synagogue, Montrouge, France

Elderly woman praying with prayer beads in a garden, France

Catholic church, Rosary and crucifix, praying the rosary, Hail Mary full of grace, Vietnam

Phuoc Long Buddhist pagoda, musicians playing for the Vesak ceremony, Tan Chau, Vietnam

Thien Truc Buddhist Pagoda, Quan Am (Quanyin) (Bodhisattva of Compassion) (Goddess of Mercy), Bac Lieu, Vietnam

Holy Quran with Muslim prayer beads and Bible with rosary, Interfaith symbols between Christianity and Islam, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Makha Bucha (Magha Puja) celebrations, monks pray under illuminated Buddha statue annually at Wat Phan Tao temple, Chiangmai, Thailand

Woman with incense sticks, Guan Di Chinese Temple, Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Close-up of small, blue Buddha statues arranged on shelves, symbolizing serenity and devotion at Sanzen-in Temple, Kyoto, Honshu, Japan

Stone Buddha statue, Borobudur, 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple, UNESCO, Java, Indonesia

Local women giving rice offering to Buddhist monks, early morning, Don Daeng island, Mekong River, Muang, near Pakse, Champasak Province, Laos

Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral Basilica of Santa Thecla, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain

The Sermon of Saint John the Baptist, 1685, Church of Gesu (Buon Consiglio), Museum of Sacred Art, Lecce, Salento, Apulia, Italy

Aside from a life of simplicity focus on divine, many sadhus engage in a diverse array of practices both internal external in order to attain higher states of awareness consciousness. This sadhu chosen hatha yoga shows results--a well-disciplined, strong body--while holding kukkuta asana, or cock posture. India

Chatral senge dorje rinpoche seated on a tiger skin, yonglesho, Nepal

A young sadhu reads holy scripture near fire. Worship is part of daily life. Some sadhus chant mantras. gayatri mantra is of several mantras that sacred incantations or mystical formulas of ancient literature. gayatri mantra given by brahma mentioned in rigveda is named after consort of brahma: o that glory- of savitri most high. Oh divine us mediate upon. it inspire understanding. goal of recitation is to attain realization. Practice lead mind into a transcendental union with deity.Pashupatinath, kathmandu, nepa

Buddhist monks prostrating at maha bodhi temple complex in bodhgaya. Prostration is a gesture used in buddhist practice to show reverence to the triple gem (comprising the buddha, his teachings, and the spiritual community) and other objects of veneration. Kalachakra initiation in bodhgaya, india

Monk prostrating in front of maha bodhi temple. Bodhgaya prostration is a gesture used in buddhist practice to show reverence to the triple gem (comprising the buddha, his teachings, and the spiritual community) and other objects of veneration. Kalachakra initiation in bodhgaya, india

Purchang (cremation palace) of h.h. Dilgo khyenste. Bhutan. H.h. Dilgo khyentse rinpoche (1910-1991), tutor to present dalai lama revered as of greatest exponents of dzogchen- teachings of great perfection. Khyentse rinpoche®s purchang (cremation palace), satsam chorten, below paro takstang, bhutan, november 4, 1992 never forget swiftly this life will be over, like a flash of summer lightning or wave of a hand. that have opportunity to practice dharma, do waste a single moment on anything else, practice with your energy.oe h.h. Dilgo khyenste rinpoche, heart treasure of enlightened ones my delight in death is, greater than delight of traders at making vast fortunes at, or of lords of gods vaunt their victory in battle or of those sages have entered rapture of perfect meditative absorbtion. So just as a traveler sets on road when time come to go, i will remain in this world no longer, will dwell in stronghold of great bliss of deathlessness. -longchenpa, fourteenth- century dzogchen master

Pilgrims making a ritual offering, and praying, ghats in Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

pilgrims and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

pilgrim bathing in the sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Barber shaving the head and beard of a pilgrim, Dashashwamedh ghat (main ghat), in Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Pilgrims praying and bathing, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

pilgrim bathing in the sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Access door to Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

pilgrim and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Interior of golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Pilgrims praying, golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Interior of golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

pilgrims and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Sadhu meditating, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Pilgrims praying and bathing, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Pilgrims making a ritual offering, and praying, ghats in Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Pilgrims making a ritual offering and praying, ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Pilgrims praying and bathing, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.