Opening to First Thought

From today's Tricycle's Daily Dharma

When you take photographs, just before you click the shutter,your mind is empty and open, just seeing without words. When you stand in front of a blank sheet of paper, about to make a painting or a calligraphy, you have no idea what you will do.Maybe you have some plan for a painting, or you know what symbol you want to calligraph, but you don't actually know what will appear when you put brush to paper. What you do out of trust in open mind will be fresh and spontaneous. Opening to first thought is the way to being any action properly.

--Jeremy Hayward, from Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Vol. IV, #3

From Everyday Mind, a Tricycle book edited by Jean Smith

blue f

blue f, originally uploaded by daisy 57.

oil it is

oil it is, originally uploaded by daisy 57.

in an architect(ural) shade

in an architect(ural) shade, originally uploaded by daisy 57.

and then there were three

and then there were three, originally uploaded by daisy 57.

one indian restaurant

one indian restaurant, originally uploaded by daisy 57.

Miksang

The Practice of Contemplative Photography

A public talk by John McQuade

Friday May 30, 2008, 7 pm

Ottawa Shambhala Meditation Centre

984 Wellington Street (west of Bayswater)

Miksang is a Tibetan word meaning "Good Eye" and represents a form of contemplative photography based on the Dharma Art teachings of Chögyam Trungpa, in which the eye is in synchronization with the contemplative mind. Miksang pictures tend to bring the observer back into the original contemplation state of the photographer. It involves nothing fancy, no special setup; only a visual capture of everyday reality.

This public talk will involve a discussion of the practice of Miksang photography, and a presentation of some of the images it can produce.

Open to all.No charge, but donations are appreciated. For more information, please contact Ian at 613-266-1375 or by email: miksang@shambhalaottawa.ca.

THE OTTAWA SHAMBHALA MEDITATION CENTRE

www.shambhalaottawa.ca

Visit Miksang Ottawa at www.miksang-ottawa.blogspot.com

Thusness in Flight

Thusness in Flight, originally uploaded by Nicholas 2007.

Curtain

P1040507, originally uploaded by Nicholas 2007.

The rusty sky

The rusty sky, originally uploaded by Nicholas 2007.

A Thought Catches Fire

A Thought Catches Fire, originally uploaded by Nicholas 2007.

Level III in Toronto

An announcement for those who may be interested in going to Toronto to do Level III in June 2008:

Perceiving: The Play of the Phenomenal World

The third in the series of Miksang weekend workshops in contemplative photography.

In Level III, we develop trust in the unconditional power of the gap of perception and, dropping all reference points, connect with the phenomenal world on its own terms.

Time: Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 6pm (Toronto Shambhala Meditation Centre)

Cost: $110

Prerequisite: Miksang Level III

For more information about Miksang Contemplative Photography visit www.miksang.org or contact John McQuade at dralaimage@gmail.com

Icicles

Icicles, originally uploaded by Tom_Moore.

More from Tom Moore.

Two solitudes

Two solitudes, originally uploaded by Tom_Moore.

From Tom Moore. Beautiful.

Don't Try to be Artistic!

ik - another pithy and relevant quote from Trungpa. I couldn't resist adding this one too!

Happy New Year to you all!

***

December 30, 2007

DON'T TRY TO BE ARTISTIC

The whole philosophy of art is that you don't try to be artistic but you just approach the objects as they are, and then the message comes automatically. You do the same thing in Japanese flower arrangements. You don't try to be artistic; you just chop off certain twigs and certain branches which seem to be out of line with the flow. You just cut them off and then you put the remaining twigs there in the arrangement, and you put the flowers underneath, and it automatically becomes a whole landscape. Similarly, when you look at a painting by a great artist, it doesn't look like someone actually painted it, but it just seemed to happen by itself. There's no gap, no cracks at all. It's one unit, complete.

From "Visual Dharma: Film Workshop," in the COLLECTED WORKS OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, Volume Seven, pages 642-643.

Sun in space

Sun in space, originally uploaded by Tom_Moore.

New Miksang Events in Ottawa!!

Hi there!

We finally have some confirmation of Miksang events in the winter and spring of 2008. These events are listed on the left-hand side of this page somewhere, but here they are again just in case:

- November 30, 2007 - Miksang Ottawa Get-Together, 7pm (location to be announced by email)

- May 3 and 4, 2008 - Looking and Seeing: Introduction to Contemplative Photography (Miksang Level I) - Ottawa Shambhala Meditation Centre

- May 30, 2008 - Miksang Public Talk (with John McQuade) at the Ottawa Shambhala Meditation Centre

- May 31 & June 1, 2008 - Contemplative Photography Level II (with John McQuade) at the Ottawa Shambhala Meditation Centre


Visit the online calendar of the Ottawa Shambhala Meditation Centre for more details here. For more info, or to pre-register, contact Ian at ikenney@yahoo.com

Beyond Habitual Patterns

Here is a quote from Chogyam Trungpa (through "Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week") that I thought was particularly relevant to us as Miksangers, even those of us who may not be Shambhalians or Buddhists. Have a look. - ian

October 26, 2007

BEYOND HABITUAL PATTERNS

How on earth, how in the name of heaven and earth can we actually become decent human beings without trying to entertain ourselves from here to the next corner?...It boils down to taking interest in what you see. I have a very frustrated feeling, actually, that when I talk about appreciating red, white, blue, and green, I'm not sure whether you actually appreciate those colors or not. Maybe you think I'm trying to tell you that you should be artists or something. And when I say that you should listen to the sounds that go on in the world, maybe you think I'm trying to tell you to be musicians. And when I talk about the textures of your body -- sense perceptions and feelings -- maybe you think I'm trying to tell you to become salesmen in the garment industry. I'm beginning to wonder.


We are not talking about becoming experts in marketing things, but we are talking about our own situation: how we can actually stop habitual patterns and appreciate the nitty-gritty of the real world on the spot. We can appreciate the bright, beautiful, fantastic world around us; we don't have to feel all that resentful....Once we put a stop to habitual patterns, the vividness, the magic, will begin to descend, and we will begin to become masters of our world -- individually, personally, of course. We will begin to appreciate our world.

From" Overcoming Habitual Patterns," in COLLECTED KALAPA ASSEMBLIES, pages 266 to 267.

All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission.

Magic balls

Magic balls, originally uploaded by alamonde.

Annie took this one during our Level I weekend in September. I am rediscovering it at the end of October. :-)

Brick & Bow

IMG_0013, originally uploaded by Ian Kenney.