miksang songs

March came in like a lion and just kept right on roaring in high definition surround-sound leaving me feeling like a lamb bleating for her Mommy! In between the seemingly non-stop challenges came information that needed to find its way to me and while sifting through, little surprises surfaced to enlighten me. One thing in particular brought such complete affirmation about one of the divine gifts I’ve been given…

“Miksang is a Tibetan word that means “good eye.” A contemplative art, it is based directly on the Dharma Art teachings of the late meditation master, artist and scholar, Chögyam Trungpa, specifically by his teachings on the nature of perception. The “good” refers to our world, just as it is, is inherently rich and vivid. The “eye” reference is that in working with the practice of contemplative photography, we can tune into these qualities of our world. This journey is actually quite simple-to see with our eyes wide-open and our awareness right there. Once we have a moment of fresh perception, vivid and clear, there is a natural desire to communicate that experience.” - www.miksang.com

I’m not sure when I’ve read something that made such perfect sense to me, that so described what I innately do whenever I have picked up a camera at any time in my life. That desire to capture an image just so, to wait for that just so moment to arrive, to want to share it with others. I also note that this practice is rooted in spiritual teachings that have intrigued me for years. In my mind, it is by no accident that its arrival was timed to provide a rest stop from the path just when I needed to breathe and much like my gift, this intervention was divine; miksang is a song I sing though I’ve never been taught the tune.

"When you begin to abandon all possibilities of any reference point...you are suspended in some kind of space, a big hole of some kind...it is quite titillating” - Chögyam Trungpa

Now that April is here, I’m looking for its showers to cleanse my soul, titillate my spirit and wash my eyes in a bath of spring splendor. So as I embrace and step into all that is possible for me to bring forth…

keep your peepers open!®