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Miksang Contemplative Photography Workshop in Kyoto
Making Contact: Relaxing This, Discovering THAT
Learn to fully engage your eye, mind and heart in the present moment, see the world as it manifests, and express what you see with your camera. There is no better place to do so than in Kyoto: the city of Zen and ancient capital of Japan.
Dates: May 8th-12th, 2019
Venue: Kyoto International Community House (Kyoto Kokusai Koryu Kaikan) Map
Instructors: John Einarsen and Mitsue Nagase
Registration and enquiries: miksangkyoto@gmail.com
Group size and deposit
The workshop will run with a minimum of 4 participants who have registered and secured their place with a deposit by February 8th, 2019. Please send us an email for payment information
Course fee
This 4-day workshop is priced at US$400 per person.
A 20% non-refundable deposit is required to secure your place , with the remaining amount due 4 weeks before the workshop starts.
The workshop fee includes tuition by two Miksang Institute-certified instructors for 7-8 hours per day. As Japan is a cash-based society, please bring enough cash to cover your lunches/snacks, taxi or bus journeys to the venue (around ¥3,000 a day should be enough for these things).
We accept payment through PayPal, credit card or bank transfer. Contact us for payment information.
What is Miksang?
Miksang means ‘Good Eye’ in Tibetan. We all have a Good Eye as part of our human makeup. This means we have the ability to see the world in a pure way, without overlays of meaning and value, pleasure, dislike, or disinterest…
Read more at the Miksang Institute website
Read Kyoto Journal’s interview with the founders of the Miksang course, Julie DuBose and Michael Wood.
Workshop Schedule
May 8th ( Wednesday ) – evening orientation (18:00-20:00)
May 9th ( Thursday ) – all day (9:30-16:30)
May 10th ( Friday ) – all day (9:30-16:30)
May 11th ( Saturday ) – all day (9:30-16:30)
May 12th ( Sunday ) – all day (9:30-16:30)
The primary aim of the workshop is to “strip back” pre-existing ideas as to how one approaches photography and address the fundamental principles of perception. Each day we introduce a new learning concept and send you out on an assignment for a few hours. In the afternoon, we reconvene to edit a selection of images and present them to the group individually, followed by constructive discussion and feedback.
About the area
The area around Int’l Community House, the venue for this workshop, is particularly conducive to Miksang: the atmosphere here is laid-back and with little crowding, there are charming residential streetscapes, the lush green Okazaki Park, a number of temples including Nanzenji and tranquil venues like Murin’an Gardens. There are a number of small local restaurants and cafés to enjoy, and buses whisk you into the centre in less than 15 minutes. We can also recommend bicycle rental – just ask.
For more information: miksangkyoto@gmail.com
About John
John is the founder and publisher of Kyoto Journal and recipient of the Japanese government’s Cultural Affairs Agency award. He encountered Miksang technique in 2010 and has exhibited his photography around Japan and overseas—most recently Portland Japanese Garden. He has produced several books including Kyoto: The Forest Within the Gate, Small Buildings of Kyoto, Zen in Kyoto (Tuttle), and In the Realm of the Bicycle.
About Mitsue
Born in Japan, Mitsue spent a substantial part of her adult life in North America. She has been studying Miksang since 2010 and became a certified instructor in 2017. Today she shares her passion with others: to interact with the world through photography. She enjoys assuming the role of a “bridge” between Western and Japanese cultures by coordinating and guiding custom tailored tours to Japan, and through her involvement in other art related projects.
