Tags
Buddhism, Catholic, Fear, Hymns, Old Testament, relationships, Vipassana
Habit, as much as anything made me stop at the entrance of the sacred forest path that all my photographic adventures at Blue Lake Ranch embark from. I was feeling tight inside and still hearing the story lines along those familiar strains of “she said this and THEN i said that – so she started it…” a familiar and boring and old refrain old married couples learn to deal with from time to time. Stopping, I closed my eyes, took some breaths, quieted down then just practiced one of the meditation techniques of Vipassana Buddhism. I found the fist like tightness in my abdomen and I watched it – noting – anger anger anger. Till it passed – a matter of a moment at best. As the tightness left so to did the old stories and in that moment there was a taste of freedom. I opened my eyes and this image jumped out at me.
I’ve never been any good with anger. I tend to push it away and I am quite adept at doing so I am pleased to say. I have multiple techniques by and through which to evade and avoid recognizing, dealing with, accepting, and/or expressing anger. The same can truthfully be said, in my case, as well for fear, self- doubt, and anxiety. But for the moment anger is the topic. I am sure that I am not alone in my reluctance to confront the energies of anger or in comfortably allowing those same energies to be mustered and expressed through me. I tend to do what many of us do when anger arises – my first choice is to run my second is to shut down. Buddhism teaches another way.
Growing up privileged, white, male, liberal art educated, middle-classed, and methodist, I was schooled as so many were in the tried and true methods for seeing one through this world of ours and through this “vale of tears.” Avoid by acquiring “stuff,” or avoid by stuffing self, or deny by numbing out. Personally, I’ve used combinations of all three prescribed and proscribed methods for getting through life and earning my reward in the “sweet bye n bye.” And who knows – maybe all this would work – maybe it does work for others – I can’t say. All I can say is it doesn’t work for me.
I’ve discovered another way. A simple, subtle, uncomplicated way of being with anger – others and my own. I just note it, physically locate it, and observe it. I don’t cling to it, feed it, numb out or use stuff to avoid it and it goes away for the time being leaving me with more spacious and gentle energies to work with photographically. This freeing of energies and being able to work from within a more quiet, peaceful, and spacious mind has become part of my everyday practice of living and certainly a huge part of my creative work, and photography.
Jump …. indeed! a truly dynamic image…
i have no idea what you mean and i laughed as i read it. go figure?
“Jump” is the first thing I thought of, too, when I saw the first image. The leaves look like a progression, a leap into the Void, an act of Faith.
hi. i like that line of thought – the progression.
Faith.
i have never been without faith and yet so seldom did I then choose to exercise it.
“Cast your bread upon the waters” is an old testament observation that has been much on my mind of late.
Have you heard of a woman by the name of Jamison? A book on Exuberance? You jumped to mind when I heard another speak of this person and her struggles with bi-polarities and such. Exuberance is surely a better way of approaching some experiences than to merely label as “mad.”
Yes, Sandy-Sue I have a web site and an etsy store
if you go to etsy and search for robert bridges imagery i should pop up. or my website which is http://www.rbridgesimagery.com and i would be really pleased were you to go take a look – more at the website then etsy.
thanks
robert
Namaste, my friend, Namaste.
every time some one says Namaste to me I think of the person who exhorted me to shoot from the heart – warmth and a smile arise. Thank you
it is a greeting that I don’t use casually! and you knew that.
Awesome photo of the three leaves… I certainly respect and champion your technique in dealing with/managing anger. I hadn’t thought about the power of taking photos. Yes…it puts life in perspective for me, too. Many thanks for that insight. It’s a bigee!
hey – thanks but not mine – straight out of Vipassana meditation 101 – lest how I learned it all I’m saying is it works for me too and then i don’t have to carry it around all day long. Guess we gotta bow to the Buddha….
So many gifts in this post…
It takes such courage to sit with one’s anger, to let the attachments fall away, to be naked to oneself. The energy can be used, then, to take action, to make different choices, to make incredible art.
You remind me to focus on what I need to do, not to make judgments of how others live their lives, not to “should” on anyone else. Another result of sitting with our own discomforts. I bow to the Buddha, and to you.
And on a completely different note, I’ve been wondering for awhile, Rob, are your photographs for sale anywhere?
Another amazing commentary Robert. I will try this out very soon I am sure. I hope you enjoyed that blog you may have visited (life as I see It), that I mentioned. It’s a very peaceful place…I bet you’ll like it a lot!
You must be near Durango, yes? I visited a friend at Valecitto Lake a few years back…what a beautiful place! He was running a motel/bed & breakfast right on the lake. Now I believe he is into landscaping.
I was surprised at seeing cowboys and wranglers me being city folk.
I have some questions about some of your photos—more at another time.
Judy, The Lioness