There’s still time to register for my Fall Contemplative Photography and Meditation Workshop, coming up on Saturday, October 4 at a lovely, rural site in College Grove, TN (about 35 minutes from downtown Nashville). Full information and registration is here.
Here’s a shot from our 2012 photography workshop, by Bobby Zahn:
The wind traverses the vast sky,
clouds emerge from the mountains;
Feelings of enlightenment and things of the world
are of no concern at all.
~ Zen Master Keizan Jõkin
A Shroud of Mist
by Lisa Ernst
Whatever it is, I cannot understand it
Although gratitude stubbornly overcomes me
Until I am reduced to tears.
– Saigyo
Frozen Water with Reflection
All beings by nature are Buddha,
As ice by nature is water.
Apart from water there is no ice;
Apart from beings, no Buddha.
How sad that people ignore the near
And search for truth afar:
Like someone in the midst of water
Crying out in thirst.
– Hakuin
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.
In dying to this moment,
We lose ourselves,
but gain everything.
And as Rumi eloquently puts it:
When you lose all sense of self the bonds of a thousand chains will vanish.
A Flock of Egrets
– photography by Lisa Ernst
First blooming in the Western Paradise,
The lotus has delighted us for ages.
Its white petals are covered with dew,
its jade green leaves spread out over the pond,
And its pure fragrance perfumes the wind.
Cool and majestic, it raises from the murky water.
The sun sets behind the mountains
But I remain in the darkness, too captivated to leave.
– Ryokan
Lotus at Reelfoot Lake
photography by Lisa Ernst
The practice of meditation is the study of what is going on. What is going on is very important. – Thich Naht Hanh
Still Lake with Clouds
Photography by Lisa Ernst
The Lotus Blooms in The Mud 