more color…miksang continues…

How often do we walk a few blocks or drive a few miles and find ourselves listening to that busy mind of ours and later not knowing exactly how we got from point A to point B.  We all do it all the time.  The principles of Miksang are turning off the noise, paying attention to our surroundings, and allowing the beauty to shine through.  And when we do this, then we begin to see.

When we allow ourselves to see, at some point we’ll come upon something that will cause us to become engaged.  Perhaps a color, a pattern, a ray of light.  Then at this point we allow our mind to engage and we then begin to evaluate.  Therein lies the problem.  We then begin to judge and label.  I’m not sure I really like it…I recall seeing this before somewhere…I’m not really sure what it is…  This then changes our original perception.  It obscures our vision, our ability to see.

So with the practice of Miksang, we learn to stop the evaluating and tune into what we see…often referred to as a flash of perception.  We see the color red and it stops us dead in our tracks. But then as a photographer we start to think…How do I turn this into a great image?  Will people get it?  But when you are stopped by that color of red, physically stop and spend 30 seconds looking and contemplating what stopped you.  Then lift your camera.  As stated in the book, “Miksang teaches us to just gaze in a soft way and by doing so, the actual visual aspects of the perception will emerge without confusion.  Then allow the form itself suggest the composition.”  There is no doubt this takes practice, just like a daily meditation takes practice.

Today we continued to focus on color, but with additional rules.  Look only for bold, vivid colors.  No photographing words, letters, numbers, graffiti, or graphic designs.  No flowers.  No nature.  Get in close.

For me this was hard.  So much of NYC is so much of the above!  But I persevered and remembered the mantra.  Relax, and see what happens. If you find yourself trying to change it or you lose track of what stopped you, you simply walk away and start over.

Well I walked away and started over many times today, but there were a number of times when I did make the connection and captured the perception exactly as I saw it.  Sharing a few…I hope you enjoy the freshness of Miksang!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And while out working on my assignment, I couldn’t help but take in a little of the Veteran’s Day Parade here in NYC!

Thank you Dad and all of our veterans!

See…I’ll never stop adding to my butterfly collection!  Day 3 and the final day of Miksang training coming up! Stay tuned!