seeing what is

Miksang, at its most basic level, is concerned with uncovering the truth of pure perception. We see something vivid and penetrating, and in that moment we can express our perception without making anything up — nothing added, nothing missing. Totally honest about what we see — straight shooting.

At the turn of the century I took a Miksang course with the brilliant photographer Michael Wood. I hadn’t used my camera for years except to take family pictures. He had the class do a series of exercises around the themes of colour, texture, form, space, equanimity and light. We were restricted to photography with a SLR with a 50mm prime lens and had to make pictures on 35mm slide film so we could show the results to the whole class.

Michael re-introduced me to one of my first loves and gave me a whole new way of looking. It was his gift to present photography as a form meditation practice and a source for contemplation. Questions came up about what was interesting, what was not, what was important, what was insignificant. Indeed, sometimes I wondered if I was looking at the phenomenal world though my camera lens or if it was actually looking at me - sometimes winking, sometimes laughing, and sometimes with a soft kiss of beautiful perception.

I also found it is hard to stay open and not to make anything up.