Let's go see.

My father and I used to take a lot of pictures together. He taught me to be aware of my surroundings, but to shoot what I was seeing - not what I was experiencing. He wanted me to fill the frame consciously and actively. He taught me to please my mind's eye.

Seeing becomes the experience, and the photograph becomes an essential expression of the moment. The surroundings become incidental, and the object of vivid and clear perception stands on its own.

Decades later, I've encountered a practice of contemplative photography called Miksang, a Tibetan word that means "good eye." It is based on the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa (1939-1987), one of Buddhism's most influential teachers in the West. There are groups who share Miksang images, and organizations that offer workshops on this meditative approach to seeing.

My dad used to say, "Grab your camera. Let's go see."

Comments

[mgmason]

Fabulous. What would it take to get a workshop in Seattle?