Looking and Seeing: Section Six: View Interlude

It seems the authors' use of view is equivalent to philosophy, one’s “point of view.”  This section dips into the ideas underlying the practice. The authors proceed with a review of the flash of perception as an unconditioned experience, something that happens to us, something that interrupts our everyday experience of the world.  The reality is that this flash is the reality behind the ideas that color our understanding of the world.  Our ideas are the equivalent of clouds, the flash of perception a gap in the clouds allowing us to see what has always been there waiting for us to discover (or perhaps rediscover, as children seem to have largely uninterrupted access).  

Deep Features of the Flash of Perception

• A flash happens.  It cannot be made (though it can be solicited).  
• A flash is shocking. It interrupts.  
• It is free of self-perception, self-preoccupation.
• It can be disorienting, even frightening.
• It is completely free of context.

The Five Wisdoms
Further qualities of the Flash of Perception

1. Space and Equality:  There is a sense of wholeness.  There is nothing to add, nothing to remove.  There is no special perception - all are equal manifestations of reality.
2. Clarity:  There are no obstructions or obscurations.
3. Richness:  There is depth and complexity.
4. Attraction, Beauty, and Harmony:  The flash is exciting and attractive.  We experience beauty beyond conceptions and content is no longer relative; even trash can be beautiful. 
5. Dynamic Energy:  All the elements of the perception are held together in harmony, the dynamic energy of life. It is not just an aesthetic, but life itself.

Hot Boredom, Cool Boredom
Given that this practice is based on meditation, the authors wish to alert readers to potential problems as they develop their photographic practice.

Hot boredom is the feeling of frustration with our chatty, preoccupied mind.  It drives us to distraction.  It’s itchy.  We want it to stop, and this leads some people to in fact stop.  This is the first danger.  If we have strong intention, we can learn to live with this and move beyond it.

We are then faced with cool boredom, allowing ourselves to relax into the very mundane nature of experience, accepting what is, and thereby learning to appreciate what makes the common extraordinary.

In photography this can manifest as boredom with clear perceptions, as the desire to be especially creative, to do something new, or to be recognized.

A Note on Heartbreak
Contemplative art always has a gap between perception and expression.  The experience can never be completely captured.  Trungpa compares this to unrequited love and a feeling of sadness. This is inevitable but can be taken as a sign of walking the path.

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