Contemplative Photography part 2
If you read part one of this book review and were wondering when this book is going to be released, you are in luck as it’s just around the corner…like next week April 12th, according to Amazon.com. If you are a person who enjoys the process of photography, it’s a worthy read. If you are interested in a Buddhist perspective on how we envision the world, it is a worthy read. I was lucky in that both of those things interest me, so I thoroughly enjoyed going thru this book.
The last few chapters of the book are mostly technical with details on basics like the mechanics of the camera and the workings of light. It’s not enough to overwhelm you, but if you are reading the book for the reasons I mentioned above, you may find your eyes glazing over and it’s ok to skip those chapters, tho do be sure and check out the pictures.
This book overall has been a nice intersection for me of where meditation, study, and real world action all come together in a beautiful and harmonious way. This intersection is, for me, the type of sweet spot I look for in all spiritual paths I’ve skipped along over the years. Andy Karr shared with me in some of his emails that this kind of sweet spot is what his teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche emphasized in his teachings. The Practice of Contemplative Photography, for this reason, is again, a read worth your time and money.
Profiles in LGBT Spirit – @foolishbeing
Mark, @foolishbeing (if you’re a Twitter type), agreed to be my first Profile in LGBT Spirit post. Give him a read, ya’ll. I think too often in the LGBT world, a lot is talked about, but rarely if at all have I ever seen spirituality a hot topic of the Queer roundtable. As I’ve said in my introduction to this series of posts, if you, or anyone you know is an LGBT person who would like to participated, please contact me. I’d like to get a diverse set of posts up here, not just Buddhist ones.
I want to thank Mark for being the first to take on this process and allow his thoughts to be posted here. His twitter and other accounts are listed below in one of his answers if you’d like to connect with him.
***Management here would like to point out that tho Mark mentions having a partner in his answers below, he is quite single now and taking applications for a husband.
- @foolish being … man or Triffid? you be the judge.
1) Spirituality often evolves over time. It can start with what tradition we grew up in, or if there was no tradition, it may be bits and pieces we pick up on our own. What was your spiritual timeline before you found your current path?
I grew up devoutly Catholic. I have always loved the liturgy and core teachings of historical Christianity. My primary attraction and enjoyment of my path was the beauty and goodness of the Tradition. After high school I became a Franciscan brother in a small contemplative reform of the Order of Saint Francis of Assisi (the one with the birds 
For several reasons, including struggle with depression and the suppression of my sexual orientation, I left the order and set out on a new path. I remained a Catholic until I no longer felt welcome and I resolved the inner contradiction about my orientation. If the Church was wrong about this, and I new it was, what else was a sham? I tried a couple of other, more welcoming churches and got my fix for beautifully liturgy at the Orthodox church. I still felt like a fish out of water.
2) What attracted you to your current path and how long would you say you’ve been following it?
As I continued down the new road of accepting my orientation, I eventually met and fell in love with the man who would become my longterm partner. He had been practicing zen for some years. In high school I was attracted to Buddhist teachings that I encountered in our world religions class. I went to a Catholic high school. And as I read more when I was a brother, I was attracted to Zen Flesh Zen Bones, and a small book by Thomas Merton comparing zen masters and the desert fathers of early christian monasticism. When Eric and I decided to solemnize our relationship we turned to the Anchorage Zen Community. The “elders” there who very grounded lay practitioners, offered to help but suggested that we go see the Shin Buddhist priest who had just moved to town. We approached him and he agreed to marry us according to the tradition of Jodo Shinshu, but not legally of course. But he insisted that we go through the regular marriage preparation sessions. Those conversations moved me to attend the lectures on Buddhism and the Pure Land tradition that he was offering. As I listened to the teachings on emptiness and the Heart Sutra I realized that the teachings felt natural to me. That was in 1997. I had first started meditating in 1977. The journey continues on.
3) Initial attraction is sometimes fickle. What keeps you on your current path?
I continue to feel a natural attraction and fit with the teachings I encounter in Buddhism. I rings true to me. At the same time I am careful not to attach too much to a label. One of the attractions of Buddhism for me is there is no “true church.”
4) Do you talk about your path with other people? Practice with other people? Or is it a private experience for you? If you do interact with others regarding your path, in what capacity do you do that? If your practice is more private, what form does it take?
and…
5) What teachers and/or teachings resonate the most with you on your current path?
I was one of the founders of the small Jodo Shinshu sangha in Anchorage, Alaska. Rev. Yuho became my teacher. I still consider him my teacher even though I live in Pittsburgh and he lives in Belgium.
My current practice is something of a blend of traditions. The radical, stripped down versions of 13th century Japanese Buddhism, Shinran’s Pure Land, and Dogen’s Zen appeal to me very much. Each of them viewed the Buddha’s teaching through a bare bones approach. For Shinran it was “just entrusting”, that is not relying on the self but on the power of Unhindered Enlightenment and respond in gratitude. Dogen, similarly held laser focus on “just sitting”. Zazen, like Shinran’s “entrusting” was not so much working toward enlightenment as accepting it.
I blended this Buddhist practice with the Japanese martail art of aikido. Aikido (“the way of harmonizing energy” or “the way of peace”) is a martial practice that seeks to neutralize aggression with love and respect for the aggressor. When I moved to Washington DC from Alaska my aikido dojo became my primary place of spiritual practice. Since I moved to Pittsburgh in June 2010 I have not found a group (sangha) here. But I have found the Online Meditation Crew to help keep me practicing and growing. I still have contact with Rev. Yuho and others through the Internet as well. One of my goals is to find a practice community where I can meet physically here in Pittsburgh.
I try to practice mindful living, gently watching myself as I move through my day. I also try to sit in quiet breath-centered mediation at least once a day. At the same time I am gratefully aware that the “self” that practices is not the agent, but the object of liberation.
6) How do you live your path on a daily basis? (in the bathroom, at work, with friends, with partners, etc)
Formally, I sit for meditation, zazen, at least once a day. Twice is better but I don’t always do that. Informally, throughout the day I take advantage of moments to stop, reflect and pause. This can be triggered by something I notice in nature, or while observing people or myself. Often reading about science or philosophy invites me to stop in my tracks and take in the truth around me.
7) What external resources, if any, do you use on a regular basis? (websites, blogs, twitter feeds, etc)
The Online Meditation Crew. On Twitter I follow several people who use the hashtag #OMCru. One of the most important books to me that I return to again and agin is “Zen Mind, Beginners MInd” by Shunryo Suzuki. More about me and my path can be found at bonbu.blogspot.com, bonbu.jimdo.com, www.facebook.com/blackandgold, and on Twitter @foolishbeing I welcome all contacts.
8) If you had to explain your path to someone from another planet, what would you tell them?
Everything is changing. Everything is connected. Pay attention.
