Before dawn, not yet light
crickets touch the dark
with their soft sounds
Rain drops, slow and steady
tap the leaves, fall to the ground
So close, unbound by walls
My skin is dry
but the rain soaks me through.
– Lisa Ernst
Peony with Rain photography by Lisa Ernst
A lot of talented photographers attended the October 5 retreat. Everyone has uploaded images to a “mindful photos” Flickr account, which you can view here. Enjoy their talent while viewing the beautiful grounds of Penuel Ridge.
10/5 Meditation and Photography Retreat by Lisa Ernst
Living in The Divine Abodes
Saturday, November 16 8:30 a.m. – Noon
Led by Lisa Ernst
Nashville Friend’s House
Please join us as we learn to cultivate what the Buddha called “the immeasurable states of heart and mind” – the Brahma Viharas or Divine Abodes. These are the qualities of love, compassion, joy and equanimity that reside in us all. We will learn powerful practices to reduce anger, greed and pride by opening our hearts to love for all beings. As our hearts awaken, we can discover a deeper sense of openness and interconnection with all of life.
Led by meditation teacher Lisa Ernst of One Dharma Nashville, this retreat is appropriate to newcomers as well as experienced meditators. It will include guided and silent meditation, walking practices, instructions and dharma talk.
Retreat cost is $35 and is due by November 11 to reserve your spot.
Paypal is available here. If paying by check, make it out to One Dharma Nashville and send to: One Dharma Nashville c/o 12 South Dharma Center, 2301 12th Avenue South, Suite 202, Nashville, TN 37204. Please include your email address.
For questions email onedharmaretreat@gmail.com
Orange Bugs on Pod
photography by Lisa Ernst
On October 5 I led One Dharma Nashville’s 2013 Contemplative Photography Retreat at Penuel Ridge in Ashland City. It’s a beautiful retreat site and very conducive to meditation and photography. Rather than writing a general recap, I thought I’d share something written by one of the attendees, Tracy Wilson about her experience at the retreat:
Some Things I Learned on My Contemplative Photography Retreat
by Tracy Wilson
1. Birds, butterflies, caterpillars and bees wait for no one! They are as engaged with their busy little comings and goings as I am. All things change and change is constant and uncontrollable.
2. I tend to stop breathing when taking photos. When I don’t breathe, my shoulders tense up and I feel uncomfortable. So…breathe!
3. I tend to want to make adjustments to the subject of my photo…moving a leaf here, adding something there. The best photos are taken when I just let things BE as they are and accept. When I let go of trying to control them, I am more at ease and mindful and get better shots.
4. Light changes with the whim of the clouds and the turning of the earth. Photography depends on the amount of light available. It changes what and how I see things and what the camera picks up. When the light changed from morning to afternoon, the world was “new” and many things were illuminated that I had not seen before. Light changes everything.
5. Moving through my day mindfully is very relaxing and decreases inner conflict. The more I slow down, the more I see and hear.
6. Focusing on a leaf floating in a reflective pond quiets the mind.
7. Walking a Labyrinth is a lesson in patience and a beautiful way to walk mindfully. I’d love to have one!
Leaf and reflection in pond at Penuel Rigdge, photograph by Tracy Wilson
To see more of Tracy’s shots from the retreat, go here.
Intimate with All Things
Awakening the Wise Heart
Residential Retreat at Bethany Hills, Kingston Springs, TN
Thursday evening, December 5 – Sunday Noon, December 8
Led by Lisa Ernst
The dharma offers a pathway to discover equanimity, freedom and compassion. Through cultivating a wise heart, we come to know what it means to awaken in the midst of our life, to be deeply intimate with the totality of our experience.
This silent retreat will foster a quality of compassionate presence that opens the heart and dissolves the illusion of separation. It will include sitting and walking meditation, instructions, lovingkindness practice and optional meetings with the teacher. The retreat is appropriate for newer as well as experienced meditators.
Retreat cost is $190 if paid in full by Monday, November 4. After, the cost is $215. A reduced fee spot is available if you need financial assistance. Please inquire for rates. Attendance for all three days is required. There will be a separate opportunity at the retreat to make a dana offering (donation) to the teacher.
If paying by check, make it out to One Dharma Nashville and send to: One Dharma Nashville c/o 12 South Dharma Center, 2301 12th Avenue South, Suite 202, Nashville, TN 37204. Please include your email address. Paypal is available here.
Lisa Ernst is the founder and guiding teacher at One Dharma Nashville. She began meditation practice in the late ’80′s in the Zen Buddhist tradition, studying closely with two Rinzai Zen Masters and attending numerous mediation retreats. Lisa has also studied and practiced in the Theravada tradition since the late 90′s. She has been teaching since 2005 and was given dharma transmission from Trudy Goodman in 2010.
For questions, email onedharmaretreat@gmail.com
In a moonlit night on a spring day,
The croak of a frog
Pierces through the whole cosmos and turns it into
a single family!
-Chang Chiu-ch’en
Frog in Spring
I’ll be taking my Living the Questions retreat to Insight LA on Sunday, October 13.
Cultivating Clarity though Living The Questions
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot begiven you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.”
–Rainer Maria Rilke
Unanswered questions, intractable situations often appear to stand in the way of living from our deepest intentions. At times we might feel blocked even from knowing what our true priorities are. But if we take time to turn inward with a spirit of patience and inquiry, instead of requiring the dilemmas to go away, or insisting on immediate resolutions, we can discover the resources that we need. During this day of sitting and walking meditation, we will have the opportunity to practice opening our hearts to our unresolved inner dilemmas. We will learn to explore our questions more gently and skillfully. Internal dilemmas contain a rich source of insight; learning to live with them brings about a radical shift that opens the door to clarity and equanimity.
For registration and full retreat information, go here.
The rain has stopped, the clouds have drifted away,
and the weather is clear again.
If your heart is pure, then all things in your world are pure.
Abandon this fleeting world, abandon yourself,
Then the moon and flowers will guide you along the way.
– Ryokan
Reelfoot Lake Lotus
photography by Lisa Ernst
Cultivating Clarity, Receptivity and Joy With a Camera
Saturday, October 5, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Penuel Ridge Retreat Center
Led by Lisa Ernst
Please join us for a day of mindfulness as we combine meditation and the practice of contemplative photography. We will use our cameras as a means to reflect our mindful awareness of this moment in its myriad, ever changing forms. This contemplative approach to photography often yields unexpected and remarkable results that differ from conventional shots. There’s no need for expensive equipment or technical knowledge, just a willingness to meet the moment with your camera in an open and receptive state. A simple, yet profound joy often arises in this alliance of mind and heart, camera and surroundings.
Led by meditation teacher and artist Lisa Ernst, the workshop is suitable to beginning and experienced meditators. In addition to morning and afternoon photography sessions, the workshop will include meditation, silence and group interaction. The beautiful retreat site at Penuel Ridge includes many acres of wooded hills, open fields and a lovely, secluded lake.
The retreat fee is offered on a sliding scale from $75 – $100. Two reduced fee spots are available for those who need financial assistance.
A $50 deposit reserves your space and is due by 9/27 (or pay the full amount if you prefer). Paypal is available here. If paying by check, please make it out to One Dharma Nashville and send to One Dharma Nashville, c/o 12 South Dharma Center, 2301 12th Avenue South, Suite 202, Nashville, TN 37204. Be sure to include your email address. Additional details and directions will be provided in advance of the retreat. For more information or to reserve your spot email onedharmaretreat@gmail.com.
I originally posted this article last July and decided to re-post it now as I have another photography and meditation workshop coming up on October 5 at Penuel Ridge Retreat Center. If you’re in the Middle Tennessee area, I hope you can join me. Info is here.
As a visual artist, painting was my primary form of expression for many years. It still plays a large role in my creative retinue, but over the last several years I have discovered and fallen in love with mindful photography. This type of shooting, also known as contemplative photography, is accessible to anyone who cultivates mindfulness in their lives – no special equipment or technical skills are needed.
Many people think of photography as an activity that creates separation from present moment experience because the photographer is always seeking that perfect shot. From this perspective, the great shot is always in another moment, something to strive and search for. But every good photographer knows the value of training the mind to be completely present and aware in each moment, where great shots often reveal themselves, no seeking required.
When I use my camera in a receptive and open state, my shots reflect how the moment presents itself in its myriad, ever changing forms. I’ve found that this approach yields unexpected results that often differ from conventional shots. Advanced camera equipment isn’t important; being present and open is. A simple, yet profound joy arises as my sense of “I’” as the photographer dissolves into the alliance of mind and heart, camera and surroundings. When the shoot is complete, I am always deeply relaxed and refreshed.
One of my favorite places for contemplative photography is Reelfoot Lake, in West Tennessee. In mid to late summer the lake is covered, even clogged, with huge yellow lotus flowers. Often the park rangers have to thin the plants out a bit. The endless vista of lotus flowers across the lake is truly an amazing sight. Locally my favorite place is Radnor Lake, just a block from my home. I can go any time of year and enjoy the ever changing weather conditions and seasonal transitions. To me, they are all beautiful although I have a special affinity for foggy mornings and icy winter afternoons.
Although I use my photographs as the basis for many of my paintings, I do most shoots simply to experience the joy of the moment, immersed in my surroundings with a camera. Occasionally an image stands out that I want to paint, such as this one, “Lotus Lake” from a shoot at Reelfoot Lake a few years ago:
Lotus Lake, Acrylic on Canvas, 48″ x 36,” private collection
If you’ve never experienced mindful photography before, I hope you’ll give it a try. All you need is a camera and an hour or two to shoot. In September I plan on offering a meditation workshop where we will practice the art of mindful photography in a rural setting. The day will include meditation, photography and group interaction. No special photography skills are needed; any camera will do. I’ll post more details soon.
Reelfoot Lake at Dusk
The Lotus Blooms in The Mud 