Perception

23Jun

Envisioning Miksang: The Foundation Practices of Contemplative Photography Part 1 Online on Zoom

 

Envisioning Miksang: The Foundation Practices of Contemplative Photography Part 1 Online on Zoom with Miksang Practitioner Ivette Ebaen

5 consecutive Saturdays: July 10, 17, 24, 31; & August 7, 2021.

EST: 10am-12noon. Philadelphia, USA.

GMT: 3pm-5pm. UK and Ireland (Germany & Netherlands 4pm-6pm)

Max. Participants: 12      No previous photography experience required. 

Supported Price: $75.00   Program: $125.00   Patron: $165.00

Not to be confused with the usual run-of-the-mill photography courses, Miksang is a contemplative photography practice based on the Dharma Art teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In the process of photographing colour, texture, pattern, light and shadow; space and dot-in-space, we’ll experience what Trungpa Rinpoche described as the flash of perception– little glimpses of enlightenment. Recognizing them, we’ll deepen our trust in what we perceive and allow awareness to inspire our pictures.

Join Nalanda Miksang practitioner/teacher/photographer, Ivette Ebaen for the first in a series of online Miksang foundational courses hosted by the Philadelphia Shambhala Center. Learn to ground yourself in a still and quiet mind that prepares you for a deeper meditation, seeing the world afresh perceived through the eyes of Miksang.

What participants are saying about their Miksang experience:

“What a wonderful class on Miksang we had. The zoom format worked well and the group was able to get to appreciate each other’s understanding and each person’s process creating the images. Ivette brought us to understand how to use Miksang photography as a Way, a path to open to the brilliance of everyday perception. The readings were very helpful. As a student of Trungpa Rinpoche since 1974, I have been aware of Dharma Art but this class broke my heart open to see the wisdom of applying our instant presence to seeing with a photographer’s eye. As an artist, I feel my inspiration brightened by an intention to share the moment of perception with others, to inspire their appreciation of naked perception. Ivette creates an encouraging atmosphere where understanding can unfold individually.I would like to continue with this masterfully constructed curriculum and with Ivette.  The class has aroused in me the commitment I feel taking dharma classes and the wholesomeness of sharing personal insights with others, without arrogance or competitiveness… “      Alix M. N.Y.C. USA

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“I had read about Miksang photography prior to taking a class with Ivette Ebaen but really didn’t quite understand the essence of the practice.  Studying with Ivette however has opened my eyes in more ways than one.  She is able to convey the Miksang approach in a profound and gentle way.  I have learned to pay attention to my state of mind when taking photographs.  Am I in a state of nonaggression or am I feeling stressed and speedy?  If the latter then I have learned to wait until I can relax and be open to the flashes of perception that bring a feeling of connection to the richness of the visual world we share.  Ivette’s example photos show me the essence of Miksang in a nonverbal way and I have learned that a photograph can be a visual aid to meditation, something I had never considered before.  I eagerly look forward to taking further classes with Ivette and exploring the vast treasure of this way of seeing.”

Kathleen J. Philadelphia, USA                                          

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“Ivette is an insightful and highly skilled facilitator.

I have found her explanations, understanding & teaching of this course exceptional.

As I was new to this, there were areas I struggled to grasp but Ivette explained them to me in a manner which resonated with me. With her guidance and encouragement I gained clarity and confidence in my practice as she challenged us

to expand our vision, widen our view and deepen our connection with the teachings and practice of the art of Miksang. Ivette established a comfortable working and learning environment and encouraged positive group interaction throughout the course. She held space, gave each of us equal time, attention, to voice & express our vision. Ivette often saw merits in our work and understanding of the teachings that we missed ourselves. I always felt safe to speak up and share and Ivette was so supportive & made us feel welcome and thanked us for our contribution. For me it’s the way the course was taught that captured my inspiration. Ivette brought the teachings to life and showed us how to integrate our practise through our daily lives.”

Deirdre M. Wexford, the Republic of Ireland

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“Following the Miksang course by Ivette has been an incredible enriching experience for me. By practicing Miksang, it is like you receive a new pair of ‘glasses’ to view the world with, one that opens up a whole new look on reality and brings a lot of new wonders to life.

Ivette is a wonderful teacher that gives everybody that extra bit of attention when they need it. She teaches in is a very warm, kind and wise manner, and makes sure everybody is progressing in a very pleasant way. The whole course and also the interaction with the other group members has been an absolute bliss, including some deep conversations on topics like ‘acting from basic goodness’ or the discovery of ‘Dharma’. These have all been deepening and enriching the whole experience. I would recommend the course to anybody who enjoys photography and is open to receive their own pair of magical ‘Miksang glasses’ to see the world in a magical new perspective.”

 Kind regards, Mit Freundlichen Grüßen, Paul R.  Netherlands

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 “I signed up to the course as a budding photography student, as well as a new student to the world of Buddhism and thought the course would help me pick up some starting photography techniques, however what I received from the course was so much more.

 Ivette Ebaen has gone above and beyond to ensure I have understood and related to the content material, providing really insightful perceptions and skills on what to look for when trying to capture an image. Each week she has provided us with insightful articles for reading and techniques to practice our camera skills between in each class. She is also very patient with all members of the group and makes a point to listen to all participants and make us all feel involved and heard…

Ivette greatly helped my understanding of the ‘flash of perception’ and Ivette has a brilliant way of discussing the material with you in a way that you can truly understand the meaning of Miksang’s text and how to apply it to your photography. I would greatly appreciate the chance for further study with Ivette and Miksang and hope that further courses will be available via Shambhala.”

Steph M. United Kingdom

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 “Ivette does not just teach, but lives her practice and is keen to share and excite others about the practice in a humble, gracious fashion. As I once shared directly with her, I was immediately grounded, but also continually inspired by her poise, by the confidence, clarity, thoughtfulness, and directness with which she spoke and engaged with the class participants–all traits I recognize as comprising the very heart of compassion; all traits I believe make an excellent teacher for someone, such as I learning a new practice.

I must also share here that Ivette’s choices of articles by Chögyam Trungpa were always timely and appropriate compliments to both the subjects of weekly study and the types of questions and struggles that arose in the context of the stepped practice in which we were each engaged.

 Attending the first class, I was delighted to have found my fellow participants to hail from different European nations, in addition to different geographic locations in the U.S. Perhaps it is just me, but I feel comfortable and poised to learn in international versus purely domestic, or local contexts. Learning and expanding the practice of Miksang in an international (sangha) context is no exception.”  

Sharin R. Philadelphia, USA

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BIO:

Ivette Ebaen is a professional exhibiting photographer; Miksang Practitioner and Certified Teacher, with a B.A. in Fine Arts and an M.A. Transpersonal Studies/Psychology. She is a member of Shambhala International, Miksang International. She currently teaches from and resides in the Republic of Ireland.

 Recommended reading:

True Perception: The Path of Dharma Art, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Looking and Seeing, Nalanda Miksang Contemplative Photography, Vol. I, John McQuade and Miriam Hall

Please come to each session equipped with a journal or notebook; a digital camera (with fully charged batteries), an empty SIM card or USB stick (can use Mobile phone camera as long as you can upload pictures from phone onto your PC or laptop). We will be taking pictures during class and reviewing our photos on Zoom.

 To learn more about Ivette Ebaen and her Nalanda Miksang work visit her website: www.purevision.photography

For further information contact Program Coordinator Barbara Craig at [email protected]

To save your seat please prepay and register for Envisioning Miksang: The Foundation Practices of Contemplative Photography Part 1 Online Course. Visit the Philadelphia Shambhala Center https://philadelphia.shambhala.org/ check under Contemplative Arts. You will receive a Zoom link before the class starts, as well as a welcome letter and first assignment from the instructor.

23Jun

Engaging Miksang: The Foundation Practices of Contemplative Photography Part II

 

 

Shambhala Online Zoom Class with Miksang Practitioner Ivette Ebaen

4 Consecutive Sundays: June 20th, 27th, July 11, July 18, 2021.

10-12 noon Philadelphia EST

3-5pm GMT Ireland & UK. 4pm-6pm Netherlands & Germany

8-10 Participants. Pre-requisite: Envisioning Miksang: The Foundation Practices of Contemplative Photography Part I or permission from instructor

In the second part of our Miksang contemplative practice practitioners delve into the heart of their photography. We gently focus on strengthening our understanding via the flashes of perception and synchronization practices guided by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s Dharma Art teachings. We engage with our ordinary personal world anchored in an intimate way. We practice in relationship, being present to experience the phenomenal world as it is by letting go and letting be.

In this stage of our practice images are no longer perceived and photographed in the abstract sense of the word as just colour-as-colour or patch-of-light, without the form they highlight. This time we follow the world of shapes, their texture and color along with light, shadow, pattern, etc., etc. We begin to see how what we practice to perceive composes an equivalent image that is visually appreciated and pulsates to the beat of our individual hearts.

Join Miksang practitioner/teacher/photographer Ivette Ebaen for the second series of online Nalanda Miksang foundational courses hosted by the Philadelphia Shambhala Meditation Center.

To view Ms Ebaen’s work please visit her website: www.purevision.photography

For further information about the program, contact Program Coordinator Barbara Craig at [email protected]

Supported Tuition: $75.00 Program Tuition: $125.00 Patron: $165.00

To register please prepay tuition to save your seat in this class at the Philadelphia Shambhala website: https://philadelphia.shambhala.org/

Testimonials:

“What a wonderful class on Miksang we had. The zoom format worked well and the group was able to get to appreciate each other’s understanding and each person’s process creating the images. Ivette brought us to understand how to use Miksang photography as a Way, a path to open to the brilliance of everyday perception…I got tears in my eyes today as I understood why contemplative photography can be a dharma practice, and the profound teaching in dot-in-space.” A.M. USA

“Following the Miksang course with Ivette has been an incredible enriching experience for me. By practising Miksang, it is like you receive a new pair of ‘glasses’ to view the world with, one that opens up a whole new look on reality and brings a lot of new wonders to life…” P.R. NETHERLANDS

“I had read about Miksang photography prior to taking a class with Ivette Ebaen but really didn’t quite understand the essence of the practice. Studying with Ivette however has opened my eyes in more ways than one. She is able to convey the Miksang approach in a profound and gentle way…Ivette’s example photos show me the essence of Miksang in a nonverbal way and I have learned that a photography can be a visual aid to meditation, something I had never considered before…” K.J. USA

BIO: Ivette Ebaen is a professional exhibiting photographer; Miksang Practitioner and Certified Teacher, with a B.A. in Fine Arts and an M.A. Transpersonal Studies/Psychology. She is a member of Shambhala International, and Miksang International. She currently teaches from and resides in the Republic of Ireland.

Recommended Reading:

True Perception: The Path of Dharma Art, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Heart of Photography: Way of Seeing Vol. II, Further Explorations in Nalanda Miksang Photography, John McQuade and Miriam Hall

Please bring your journal, digital camera to each class, charged batteries, USB Stick, empty SD card to upload your pictures on laptop or PC and share on Zoom. You will receive a Zoom link before the start of class.

07Mar

A consideration from Rethinking Nature in Contemporary Japan: From Tradition to Modernity

Dōgen and His View of Nature

The considerations on natural phenomena depend in large part on the conception of Enlightenment and its acquisition. Where the whole universe is intended as the realm of buddhahood, or of Buddha-nature, any element of the universe be it animate or inanimate, having a mind or not, is advancing towards buddhahood naturally.

Both Shingon and Tendai schools shared the view that Buddha-nature is a permanent and eternal substance pervading the universe, immanent in all phenomena, and that beings will attain buddhahood earlier or later by virtue of its possession.

However, at the dawn of the 13th century in Japan, Dōgen introduced a drastic change to this view elaborating a very original conception of buddhahood and, consequently, stimulating a fresh and radical approach to inanimate nature.

The originality of Dōgen is that of considering Buddha-nature not as something possessed, but as the phenomena themselves, just as they are. This non-dualistic attitude rejects the existence of beings on one side and Buddha-nature on the other, which are in some way related, in favour of their complete identity: phenomena are Buddha-nature and vice versa. As a consequence, Buddha-nature ceases to be permanent and eternal and is considered in the same way as natural phenomena, i.e. impermanent. Buddha-nature, he concludes, is nothing else than the impermanence of the phenomena. In the chapter “Busshō” (Buddha-nature) of the Shōbōgenzō, he says:
The impermanence of countries, lands, mountains and rivers is such because they are Buddha-nature. The supreme and perfect enlightenment is impermanent because it is Buddha-nature. The great nirvānā being impermanent is Buddha-nature. (Etō 1986, 3: 325)

For Dōgen, the difference between animate and inanimate is completely rejected since both are equally Buddha-nature, and since the whole universe is originally enlightened. Again in the same chapter, he says “therefore, mountains, rivers and the great land all are the ‘Ocean of Buddha-nature’”. And a few lines after, “things being like that, to see mountains and rivers is to see Buddha-nature, to see Buddha-nature is to see a donkey’s jaw and a horse’s mouth” (Etō 1986, 3: 319).

Dōgen is unique in Japanese Buddhism for urging to learn buddhahood from nature. He believes that since natural phenomena are the realisation of buddhahood, we can learn from them how to realise ourselves. As a matter of fact, he is convinced that the problem of man is the illusion of his ego. When the individual ego is dropped, the true aspect of reality will be manifested. The natural phenomena being without mind, and without ego, are therefore the true aspect of reality: they are the body of Buddha.

Take in your hands a blade of grass and make it a golden 6 jō high body, or take a grain of dust and with it build an old Buddha, a stupa, a sanctuary.
(Etō 1986, 2: 402)
Or a poem of his:

The colours of the mountains
the echo of the valleys.
Each one as it is
is the voice and the form
of my Shakyamuni.
(Ōkubo 1970, 411)

He is not saying that nature, mountain and valleys, or else, reminds him of Shakyamuni, or that they manifest Buddha-nature. Rather, he says that they are Buddha-nature, just as they are.

Nature – with its impermanence, mutability, the passing of the seasons,life and death – is the realm of religion; in a sense, it is sacred because it is the full realisation of Enlightenment. Therefore, Dōgen does not give nature human sentiments: its caducity is not to be lamented, as other poets do; instead, he just describes nature’s Enlightenment.

Nature can transmit its teaching to man: of course, using its own communicative tools, which are not words, still, nature has the ability to teach Enlightenment to those who are able to understand its language.

In spring the flowers
In summer the cuckoo
Autumn with the moon
Winter with snow is clear
And cold.
(Ōkubo 1970, 412)

Nature here is described just as it is, without any anthropomorphism, or indulgence in sentimentalism. Nature, just as it is, is Enlightenment.

According to Dōgen, nature being ‘just as it is’, without a deluded mind and without defilements is, ‘just as it is’, the realm of the realised Enlightenment from which we can learn and have guidance, whether we are able to listen to its voice or not.

Two chapters in Shōbōgenzō, in particular, are centred on the description of nature and its manifestation of Enlightenment: “Sansuikyō” (The sūtra of Mountains and Streams) and “Keisei sanshoku” (Sound of the Stream, Form of the Mountain). In “Sansuikyō”, Dōgen describes nature as the realm of liberation and realisation:

These mountains and waters of the present are the expression of the old buddhas. Each, abiding in its own dharma state, fulfills exhaustive virtues.
[…] they are liberated in their actual occurrence. (Etō 1986, 1: 217)

And he insists on eliminating any distinction between man and nature: “the blue mountains are not sentient; they are not insentient. We ourselves are not sentient; we are not insentient” (Etō 1986, 1: 218), the whole universe is the land of realisation, without separation and any single phenomenon is manifesting buddhahood: “incalculable buddha lands are realized even within a single drop of water” (Etō 1986, 1: 224).

In “Keisei sanshoku” again he stresses the fact that human beings and nature belong to the same buddha-nature and reach together Enlightenment “because of the virtues of the stream sound and mountain form, ‘the earth and sentient beings simultaneously achieve the way’” (Etō 1986, 1: 139).

Aldo Tollini’s Rethinking Nature in Japan: From Tradition to Modernity. Excerpt: Japanese Buddhism and Nature, Man and Natural Phenomena in the Quest for Enlightenment. (Università Cà Forscari Venezia, Italia) 2017.

03Mar

Envisioning Miksang: The Foundation Practices of Contemplative Photography (online), Philadelphia Shambhala Center, April, 2021

Join Ivette Ebaen, Miksang practitioner and teacher, for the first in a series of online Miksang foundational courses hosted by the Philadelphia Shambhala Center. Learn to ground yourself in a still and quiet mind that prepares you for a deeper meditation, seeing the world afresh, perceived through the eyes of Miksang.   

Saturday, April 10th, 17th; May 1st, and May 8th, 2021, EST 10 am-12 Noon; 3 PM-5 PM GMT, UK & CET

Not to be confused with the usual run-of-the-mill photography courses, Miksang is a contemplative photography practice based on the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoché. In the process of photographing color, texture, pattern, light and shadow; space and dot-in-space, we’ll experience what Rinpoché called the flash of perception – little glimpses of enlightenment. Recognizing them, we’ll deepen our trust in what we perceive, and allow awareness to inspire our pictures.

“You might ask why we speak of beauty: The answer is that beauty here means fullness, totality–total experience. Our life is completely full even though we might be completely bored. Boredom creates aloneness and sadness, which are also beautiful. Beauty in this sense is the total experience of things as they are. It is very realistic. It means that we can’t cheat ourselves–or anybody else…” -Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoché.

To register, visit the Philadelphia Shambhala Center’s website

 

 

01Mar

Understanding Shahai

In News by Ivette Ebaen / March 1, 2021 / Comments are closed

Haiku Master Michio Nakahara talks about the art form Shahai or photo haiku and how the two work and complement each other.

28Feb

Miksang and Haiku: Two Aesthetic Forms of Being

In News by Ivette Ebaen / February 28, 2021 / No Comments

One usually spends a certain amount of years learning a craft and creating art out of one’s craft. Occupation with one art is enough to consume any one lifetime. And here we are attempting to master haiku along with the Dharma Art of Miksang photography in one fell swoop.

So let us be kind to ourselves…

Rumor has it, there are no rules to writing haiku—yet there are. Of foremost importance is haiku’s poetic, aesthetic visual form expressed in three simple lines or as one line written vertically, as the Japanese prefer.

Custom, like the kigo (the seasonal word in haiku) has a reason for being. The voices of ancestral wisdom leave their imprint on the wind. 

Regardless of what we’ve learned and heard other poets say, haiku has a definitive structure. Not that we have to follow every rule and recite them by heart. Yet this pathway grounds us on our journey across a selfless road of universal understanding.

The heart of haiku relies on the nature of experience and how receptive we are to perceive it. This means writing haiku that expresses life as we experience it, which contain words that show movement. This means choosing words that show life in stages of transition. Words that define the qualities of change because we know this to be true for ourselves. After-all, life is not a static or stagnant thing. Life lived is constantly in flux doing its rearranging, dying, regenerating; forever fluid; in a constant mode of creating creation.

A haiku along with its visual partner (the Miksang photograph) is an impression that expresses every moment as a moment in motion. If at all possible make this sentiment part of your photographic mindscape when creating the two.

When going out to photograph, let go of any intentions of how this journey will be. Free yourself of any personal expectations and assumptions. Relax into the awareness of what you hear, feel, smell, and see regardless of what your mind is saying.

Once aware, aware is all you are; this body/mind simply using and being all its sensations. You as awareness: looking, noticing then seeing with a quiet sense of mindlessness yet mindfulness, observing what is there.

While Nature just is, you and I have to relearn how to see and be in relationship to self and other. In one of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s lectures, he spoke about wanting to erase every article in the English language that referred and reaffirmed the existence of an ego “I”. Trungpa Rinpoché felt that this constant self-referencing alienated us from recognizing and realizing our authentic self. He wanted us to consider life lived free of, and liberated from the dictates of an assumed fictitious personality that we have come to idolize as Me, Myself and I. 

20Feb

Introduction to Miksang Photography: April, 2021

 

Philadelphia Shambhala Center- Four Saturdays in April, 2021; two hour session