Racial Justice Through a Mindful Lens
Class - Photography | Available
Contemplative photography may not seem like an obvious tool in the fight against systemic racism—but in truth, it offers a deeply subversive and healing way to disrupt the habits of perception that uphold bias, disconnection, and "othering." Systemic racism is maintained, in part, by inherited patterns of seeing—social conditioning that categorizes, judges, and filters the world based on race, class, and power. Contemplative photography invites us to pause that mental machinery. Instead of looking through the lens of “what I already know,” we practice seeing freshly, without labeling or evaluating.
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” —Marcel Proust
Whether you're a seasoned photographer or just curious, this course is for anyone seeking to deepen presence, awaken the senses, and discover wonder through the lens of a camera. Just bring your curiosity, your smartphone or camera, and something to write with.
Timothy Auman
I am an ordained lay Buddhist, certified mindfulness teacher, and former university chaplain dedicated to the application of Taoist and Zen thought to the issues of everyday life. As a visual artist, my approach to photography focuses on learning (or perhaps we could say re-learning) how to see. My work is influenced by the Miksang (the Tibetan word for “good eye”) movement, having studied with John McQuade and Miriam Hall for many years. In contemplative photography, we focus on taking the time to actually see, to become aware of and present with what is actually happening in the phenomenal world, and then create an equivalent image with our camera. The main difference between Miksang Contemplative Photography and other forms of photography is that Miksang is based on clear perception before an overlay of thoughts, interpretations, preferences, story lines, likes and dislikes, what we think might make a good image and so forth arise. Meditation, dharma teachings and contemplation are woven into all I teach. If you want to know more about contemplative photography, please sign up for a class.