Opening the Good Eye: An Introduction to Miksang
Three-Day Workshop:
Pre-Requisite: None

The Miksang journey works directly with our innate visual perception which operates freely without the anchors of concept. In our ordinary way of perceiving, what usually arises is a reference point—the object of perception refers to something or symbolizes something other that what it actually is. We may think, 'I remember the last time I saw this, it reminds me of something, I know what it means, I don't like it, I do like it, it's so beautiful, it's so ugly, it's is a good thing, it's a bad thing' and on and on. On the other hand, it is possible to open our eyes and see, without labeling and dividing and sub-dividing things into good, bad or irrelevant. Level one assignments work to help us see the world in a direct way before concepts arise in our minds. These assignments are simply designed to remove the clouds that block clear seeing by to short-circuiting the long-standing patterns and concepts we have developed

Master Class: The Essential Instructions on Looking and Seeing
Four Day Workshop:
Pre-Requisite: Opening the Good Eye

The basis of the Miksang journey is to have a relationship with the actual practice of clear seeing. This involves understanding and working with three aspects:
•The Flash of Perception
•Visual Discernment
•Forming the Equivalent

We are calling this a Master class because it will guide you so that you can become a master of your ability to express your experience. This is not an introductory course. In order to be able to collapse our discipline into a single moment so that shooting is completely free and spontaneous, we have to be firmly balanced on the two legs of genuineness and confidence. Without these, we can become confused by uncertainty, self doubt, and external reference points. We can slip into the conventional trap of negotiating our direct experience.

This intensive helps us refine our ability to move through these seemingly separate moments seamlessly with confidence and genuineness. Each day of the workshop we will explore as a group one of the above aspects in more detail than is possible during normal Miksang Levels. For example, on day three, there will be much emphasis on technical instruction so that our expression of each perception could be more accurate and powerful. We highly recommend this workshop after Opening the Good Eye, however it is a pre-requisite for Space and Cutting Loose.

Beyond the Elements of Form: The Heart of Perception:
Three Day Workshop
Pre-Requisite:  Opening the Good Eye
                            Recommended: The Essential Instructions on                             Looking and Seeing.

Having  developed confidence in our ability to recognize when we are being stopped by a flash of perception and stabilized our experience of the flash, we find that as we look at and appreciate what stops us, we begin to resonate and connect to the object of our perception. We explore this resonance and its qualities—It is the heart of our perception.

Beyond the Elements of Form: The Fields of Perception
Three Day Workshop
Pre-Requisites:  Opening the Good Eye                       
                              The Heart of Perception

Once we have developed some openness beyond what 'this', or 'I' think about what we see, it is possible to engage with 'that'. We will enter what Chögyam Trungpa calls 'fields of perception': water, clouds, sidewalks, people. As part of this course we will also look at the work of Impressionist master Claude Monet and his remarkable motifs. 

Space: Further Dimensions of Perception:
Four Day Workshop
Pre-Requisites:  Opening the Good Eye
                              The Heart of Perception
                              Fields of Perception
                              Essential Instructions on Looking and Seeing

In this course we will explore visual space both as subject matter and as the ground for all sorts of visual play—both harmonious and chaotic. We will look at the work of André Kertész, Henri Cartier-Bresson's 'decisive moment', as well as the artist and meditation master Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.

Cutting Loose
Five Day Workshop:
Pre-Requisites:  Opening the Good Eye
                              The Heart of Perception
                              Fields of Perception
                              Space: Further Dimensions of Perception        
                              Essential Instructions on Looking and Seeing

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.

Master Class: The Five Styles of Creative Expression
Five Day Workshop
Pre-Requisite: All previous Miksang classes

As we become free of concept in our visual experience and we can spontaneously form the equivalent of our perception, the whole world is our playground. The world presents itself to us in its own unique way, and we choose to resonate or not, depending on our unique predilections which are basic to our makeup, our basic style.  This style becomes manifest when our relative filters and cultural bias become transparent.

The five styles of creative expression presents the view of the unconditional energy of reality manifesting as five distinct yet perceivable styles. We explore how these styles express themselves in our being and in our experience of the perceptual world.

In his book, Dharma Art, Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche provides this introduction:

"We are trying to get at some basic understanding of seeing things in their absolute essence, their own innate nature. We can use this knowledge in regard to painting or poetry or arranging flowers or making films or composing music. It is also connected with the relationships between people. These five Buddha principles seem to cover a whole area of new dimensions of perception. They are very important at all levels and in all creative situations."

In the past this course has been quite interesting—using photography as our base medium, we will expand our study of the five families into other areas of expression such as music, dress, food, objects, etc.