“I was fascinated by this young monk who was sitting there waiting and meditating” – Steve McCurry reveals the story behind a previously unseen photo

From the book Devotion by Steve McCurry.

Featuring 75 previously unpublished photographs, Devotion by Steve McCurry
is a collection of “spiritually inflected” images from around the world, taken during the American photographer’s 40-year career. Being a follower of Buddhism was one reason for McCurry wanting to create this collection. 

In the previously unpublished photo ‘Monk Meditates on Train’, which appears in Devotion, we witness a novice monk in Bangkok. The station is somewhere McCurry has visited many times before, and knows particularly well.