Miksang Training® The Curriculum of the Miksang Institute
Opening the Good Eye:
In this introductory workshop, we are introduced to the experience of seeing in a new way. We begin to develop the ability to synchronize our mind and eye so that our habitual patterns of seeing and labeling dissolve in a moment of stunning, vivid perception. Through visual exercises and assignments we develop confidence in our ability to connect directly with what we see, stay full present with the perception as we fully understand its qualities, and then express our experience precisely with our cameras.
Making Contact: Discovering THAT
Making Contact is where “the rubber hits the road” in Miksang. From Opening the Good Eye we have learned to prepare ourselves to see, recognize when we have a fresh perception, understand it, and express it with our camera. We have used the elements of form to train ourselves to see without labels of what things are. We have developed a sense of equanimity about what we see. In this second course we bring that approach and open, available state of mind out into the world to see. We work with our resistance to seeing without an agenda, and our struggle to make our world conform to what we want to see. We discover that real seeing takes place on the other side of boredom. As we cross this boundary we discover a world of floating wonder for us to play in. We are introduced to the practice of Deep Noticing and the Miksang Core Practice.
The Heart of Perception:
In The Heart of Perception we incorporate a new aspect of perception, our full bodied experience of seeing. With this comes new elements of dimensionality, richness, resonance, and heart connection. We develop the ability to recognize moments of transition in our environment as they take place and to express these with our camera. We resonate with our entire being as we see and connect with these moments, and we learn to trust our ability to “feel our way”.
Space: Further Dimensions of Perception:
In order to further refine our relationship with our visual world, it is very helpful to clarify and deepen our awareness of the aspect of perception which we call space. As part of our conventional way of looking at the world, there is a tendency to look at objects, which we usually fix into place through thinking, labeling and associating. We tend to move from one object to the next as we navigate our experience. Seldom do we notice the visual space in which objects appear—the space around or between things. This workshop introduces methods of relaxing our gaze and our fixation on things so that we can actually experience, notice and express the qualities of space in our world. Through exercises and assignments, our images begin to express our experience of visual dimensionality rather than our customary emphasis on form and its qualities.
Cutting Loose and Floating Free:
Having incorporated the discipline of seeing clearly and forming the equivalent of our perception with our camera, we can begin to play freely in the visual world without self-doubt or hesitation. The assignments in this course allow us to further let go of our habits and patterns involved in seeing— even those associated with our Miksang training.
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