Category: Podcast
Dr. Jon Kolkin is an internationally recognized artist with a lifetime of experience pursuing his passions while simultaneously maintaining a healthy balance between his personal and professional life.
His unique strategies have allowed him to achieve a high level of success as a professional fine art photographer, physician, educator, global humanitarian, and international speaker.
He created the series Inner Harmony, which is a compilation of photos taken while immersed in Buddhist communities across Asia working primarily as a medical volunteer in under-resourced communities.
For over a decade he photographed everyday life of Buddhist monastics and laypeople in Bhutan, Myanmar, China, Vietnam, India, Cambodia, Japan, Nepal and Taiwan, revealing keen insight into the otherwise hushed world of meditation and mindfulness.
Kolkin’s renowned Inner Harmony photographic series has already exhibited in numerous museum and art galleries in the U.S. and abroad, garnering 20 international photography awards and feature coverage (twice) in LensWork magazine. Kolkin will continue to exhibit in solo and group shows through 2026.
Kolkin, who has met with the Dalai Lama on several occasions, shares His Holiness’ commitment to spreading compassion worldwide.
Kolkin spearheaded the first-ever summit on Fostering Compassion and Universal Ethics through Museums, which brought museum delegates from North America to India for a conference and intimate gathering with the Dalai Lama to discuss how museums and informal learning platforms can contribute to creating a more compassionate world.
Kolkin served as an advisor to the documentary film, Man of Compassion, dedicated to the life and legacy of His Holiness, featuring commentary by Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.
Duane Toops and Dana Gornall talk with Dr. Kolkin about his experiences while taking photos during this time of his life, what it was like to meet the Dalai Lama and the process of creativity and the heart-mind connection.
Sound editing: Duane Toops
More about Dr. Jon Kolkin here
Find the book Inner Harmony here
Photo: author's web page
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