"(L)unch time at the grand temple" is a digital painting whose setting is composed from the artist's photograph of a famous garden in Tokyo (Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens). The Mito Tokugawa family constructed the garden under the theme "those in power (should) worry about maintaining power first and enjoying power later on." In other words, the garden represents a well-deserved enjoyment that can come only after fulfilling one's duty in a position of great responsibility. It is an elitist sentiment not too far from nobless oblige. Skyler ironically uses it as a stand-in for a grand Buddhist Temple grounds, which is ironic enough given Siddhartha's renunciation. To the photo, the artist adds the temple, the monk, the crab apples, and the African construction worker lunching on the grounds. The artist distorts the photo to create a sense of the monk moving toward a temple building to eat his lunch. The construction worker eats his lunch outside, sitting on a rock.
The park's rolling hills are an allusion to a famous Chinese mountain range. Mountains naturally divide people, and the monk and worker don't interact in line with this. Yet, they share some things in common, as suggested by the touch of red in their attire. Further, they are both removed from society: the monk by choice and the worker because of race and social status. However, they are both human and share some of the same needs. Even the monk has lunch, if not fasting.
As for the crab apples, we can eat them, but usually only when boiled and the core and seeds removed. The fruit must be gutted and distilled; that is, steps must be taken if this fruit is to fulfill us.
So "lunch time at the grand temple" suggests people, even monks, sometimes need to work harder to strip away social convention to discover our shared humanity.
