immerse...

just finished reading natalie goldberg's writing down the bones. as you may guess, it is a book about writing. more specifically, it treats writing as a zen practice, as a way of being, of channeling one's energy in a meaningful fashion, of attaining oneness with the world, of finding peace.

for some, it may be about writing alone. but really, it could be any activity you are able to immerse yourself in. while writing is immensely fulfilling to me as well, i find that photography helps me be, just the same. to be a photographer, one must see the world as is, and then see the world as it can be seen - in its greater glory. both require intense observation power, meditation if you will. if i cannot focus on the minutiae of a blade of grass and find myself one with it, i do not see its beauty. if i do not see its beauty, how can i photograph this beauty? i could point my camera at it aimlessly, but i do not know what i will get. i may luck out, but it is more likely that i may fail.

photography is surrender - accepting the world as it is - this, and nothing more. because i cannot photograph what isn't, i must train my mind to accept that this is all there is. and yet, there is more. because in immersing myself in what is, i find that i discover limitless beauty. in observation with energy and with focus, i see more. this too is a practice tnh, natalie, and indeed many others talk of in zen. a sheet of paper exists not merely as a sheet of paper, but encompasses within its limited physical existence a variety of beautiful things. the truth is no longer only what our eyes see, but what our inner consciousness can be brought to perceive. correction: what we can actively bring it to perceive. i am reminded now of william blake, as his words attain new meaning:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

and so it is with running. as with any activity that brings us to the moment so that we can truly be. and so i urge you, gentle reader, to immerse yourself. do whatever brings you joy, and lose yourself in it. be it writing, photography, running, or smelling the flowers, cooking, washing dishes, walking, surfing, you name it. frequently indulge yourself, so you may allow your inner consciousness the space it needs to breathe, the space it needs to emerge, so that it is no longer in the background, no longer suppressed beneath layers... the results will reward not only you but everyone around. it's your easiest shot at peace. and when you should choose to seek, you shall find.