Flowers and Weeds – A Day at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens
This past weekend I attended a Level II – Miksang program at the Shambhala Meditation Center in San Francisco, led by the director of Nalanda Miksang, Miriam Hall. In 2007, I took the first level program in Boston with the founder of Nalanda Miksang, John McQuade. Miksang is Tibetan for the “good eye” and was first developed as a contemplative photography practice to express the teachings on dharma art and the three levels of perception that were taught originally at Naropa Institute by my heart teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (CTR). I had begun on my own to investigate my perceptions and contemplative photography as I was recovering from heart surgery in the winter of 2006. To finally study with a teacher who had been personally directed by CTR, was eye opening and heart opening to say the least. In that first program, I learned just how rich the world is, literally teeming with phenomena communicating to and through us in every moment, if we but open to it. I have been exploring the richness of color, texture, patterns of light, space and dot in space flashes of perception for all this time and training others to open and see fresh each moment.
With the Level Two program the relationships between things, things and ourselves and the viewers of our images gets explored. What connections can be found and appreciated directly leading to images with heart. As our first exploration, we were sent out to photograph flowers and weeds. These are a few of my flashes of perception from that shoot. Enjoy! And send along comments if you care.
For those who have been following my health saga, I continue to have challenges, but there is a real possibility that what I am dealing with is not Parkinson’s disease, but maybe essential tremor. Still makes it challenging to hold a camera steady, but I am finding ways to work with it. I’ll keep you posted as things develop. In the meantime, life is rich with so much beauty yet to be made and enjoyed. Dive in!
Pointing the Way - The Lily points the way for the leaves to follow, while her children buds wait at her side.
Radiant Hues - The bloom echoes the magenta hues of the leaves below.
Right This Way - The crocosmia bloom points the way to the sunlit path beyond.
Sawtoothed - The lit blades of this succulent speak of danger lurking in the shadows.
Shall We Dance - The dandelion bows to the take the hand of the wispy willow as if asking for a dance.
Standing Tall - Lilies stand tall backed by the strong trunk behind them.
Attention! - Alium stand at attention in the mid-day sun.
Dew Dot - A new bud cradled in a crying leaf.
Green Ripple - Patterns of light formed by the ripples of a leaf.
Hiding in Plain Sight - A stately Calla Lily stands among leaves of a tree.
In a Rush - Bent leaves behind magenta flowers create movement and a sense of urgency.
Lighting the Way - Delicate flowers like little lanterns light the way through the dark.
On the Fringe - Shadows and palm leaves at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens.
