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4-day Miksang Fundamentals Retreat

Your deepening with True Connection, Moments & Visual Haiku

September 5 - 8, 2023
Retreat Center Dechen Chöling, France

Meditation in Action

Experience calmness in heart & mind with visual exercises and Miksang assignments

Photographic Art

Successful pictures with your camera; with & without a lot of photography experience

Mindful in Action

Learn easily how to be mindful in the now with looking, seeing and photograping

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Coming to a full stop

Now that you have opened your heart and look with awake eyes and paused your busy thinking mind you recognize what strikes you. Completely to a full stop is crucial.

Miksang Method 5 +1

Slowing down creates space to reflect on what you see and feel what you unexpectedly see. You deepen your understanding with the Miksang Method in 5 + 1 steps.

Surrender to presence

The true nature of things as they are is the ever-present presence, which is always and already there. You full embrace the impermanence of is-ness.

Moments

Now that you have experienced 'is-ness' you further explore the nature floating moments: A moment comes together, dwells and dissolves again. You surrender being here and now, seeing now.

Intentional photography

The Miksang approach to photography starts with setting the deliberate intention of uninhibited looking. The more you stick to your intention, the easier it is for you to experience seeing fresh.

Your pictures as a mirror

Not only will your pictures improve. You gently and kindly learn to embrace obstacles in your proces of pure perception and pure expression. As each picture shows either your purity or your obstacle.

As designed by Hèlen Vink - Miksang Photography Master

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Hèlen Vink

I have developed the Miksang Fundamentals Module so that after your introduction into the proces of pure perception and ggenueine photographic expression you stabilise a solid fundament within yourself.

How do you invite more rest, peace and beauty into your life in a photographic creative way? And how do you integrate this into your everyday life? This is the heart of the Miksang approach to photography. Miksang Photography is not only based on the actual photographing - which is very important as well - the emphasis is on balancing awake and uninhibited looking and the joy of seeing from the heart with the ongoing things in your everyday life, balancing your inner world and the outer world.

You stabilise noticing and allowing your fresh perceptions. Now we come to the heart of Miksang; stabilising equanimity in the unchanging nature of things as they are and developing confidence in the nature of ever changing moments.

And relaxing your photographic ambition and shifting into genuine expression. Profound joy and delight naturally derives from this. You integrate looking and seeing without being for or against anything, free from judgment, unbiased and free from associations you fall in love with your everyday world, which becomes a playground for your personal magic and poetic expression. With open eyes, a calm mind and a gentle heart aligned, and your camera as a medium to embody Miksang 'Good Eye' as a state of mind.

In these four days your further explore the world of form and strengthen the Miksang foundations, and integrating the Miksang practice.

Mindful photography

Mindfulness and photography come together nicely here. I found it special to experience that it doesn't matter so much where you are, but that there are fresh observations everywhere that can be converted into a beautiful picture. In addition, it is nice to experience that if it doesn't work out, I can calmly let go. There are truly infinite observations.

Yvonne van Sprang

Seeing from my heart

It was a great experience to perceive reality in a different way with "Miksang", to be guided by what stops me, touches me, then to experience that intensely before I grab the camera and see the image or impression capture. See with my heart and experience more deeply with feeling. I found the effect of the visual exercises on “seeing” surprising and valuable.

Frans

With fresh eyes

Photographing without having started my stream of thoughts about the why, what I think of it and how I can make a nice picture of it. A special experience of relaxation and experiencing the beauty of everyday things around me. Not only looking, but also really seeing with a fresh eye.

Sylvia

4-day deepening retreat | Miksang Fundamentals

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€ 599

€ 499 | Now with Early Bird discount €440

4-day Miksang Fundamentals Retreat | Sept. 5-8

Deepen your Miksang Photography in this 4-day retreat, develop confidence in shooting genuinely and elegantly with 'thatness', fields of perception, fleeting moments and visual haiku.

Every day with talks, Q&A and new visual exercises from which you go out and about from the open space within, being available. With your camera and a new photo assignments as mindfulness meditation-in-action.

Pre-requisite: 4-day Miksang Introduction

Including: 1 free online Miksang Masterclass after completing Miksang Fundamentals

• Location: Retreat Center Dechen Chöling, France

• Program price is exclusive accommodation, meals and travel.

• Book your in-house accommodation at Retreat Center Dechen Chöling, this includes all meals.

Yes, I am in

Relax into reality

"If you are able to relax—relax to a cloud by looking at it, relax to a drop of rain and experience its genuineness—you can see the unconditionality of reality, which remains very simply in things as they are, very simply. When you are able to look at things without saying, “This is for me or against me, I can go along with this”, or “I cannot go along with this,” then you are experiencing a state of wisdom.

You may see a fly buzzing: you may see a snowflake; you may see ripples of water; you may see a black widow spider. You may see anything, but you can actually look at all of those things with simple and ordinary, but appreciative, perception! There are sights and colors that you have never seen. There are feelings that you have never experienced before. There are endless fields of perception.

Chögyam Trungpa

The program

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Miksang Fundamentals - Day 1

After your Miksang Introduction where you have experienced how you can look uninhibitedly and recognize your personal experiences of 'fresh' seeing' you further explore the richness of 'thatness' and 'present presence'. With visual exercises oriented towards deep looking you stabilise your unbiased looking, and availability becomes a choice.

Further processing of boredom into waking up to the thing as they are, without shying away, wanting to see something else or be somewhere else. You develop equality and equanimity about what you see, surrendering to the only moment you have: now.

Miksang Fundamentals - Day 2

Shifting from looking at permanence to impermanence with moments. What defines a moment? When stabilising availability you recognize the moments; which dawns, dwells and dissolves. You are there, you notice it, you have your camera and you know how to express genuinely, and elegantly.

Stepping on any thoughts of doubt, ignoring photographic ambition and returing to gentle apprecative looking.

Miksang Fundamentals - Day 3

Tuning in to the delicate visual world and knowing you have the choice to either align your heart and mind, or keep on thinking. Each moment you have the choice to either wake up, or go back to 'sleep'.

Forgetting the instructions and remembering the instructing.

Miksang Fundamentals - Day 4

Introduction in a moment 'plus'; a visual Haiku. Specifically you look at the world of form in which 3 elements come together. This is what characterizes a haiku. Simplicity is the other hallmark of a haiku, which is what can happen in the richness of all your visual perceptions, and you have to be awake and alert in the here and now. From unconditional openness and passion you explore the subtleties of the infinite richness of your everyday visual world.

You become deeply familiar with you still name and classify and you acknowledge that associations arise, and know that you can let this pass and ignore. Each moment you have the choice to choose real, authentic and genuine. The Miksang foundation has been strengthened and you are ready for the next training: Miksang Essence

2023

3-8

SEPT

09:30

4-day Miksang Fundamentals | True Connection & Moments

Retreat Center Dechen Chöling, Fr

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31-8

AUG-SEPT

09:30

Full 9-day Miksang Retreat | Discovering Everyday Beauty

Retreat Center Dechen Chöling, Fr

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Corona proof

Miksang Photography is Corona-proof partly because we are outside most of the day. The morning program takes place in the training room in the chateau: the 1.5 meters is guaranteed and all necessary measures are taken.

For risk reduction, there is an air purifier with a HEPA filter, VC lamp and ionizer (ozone-free).

If the COVID-19 guidelines change and the training cannot continue, the course fees will be returned and we will plan a place for you at the next Miksang Photography program.

Attention: please check the travel advice for France

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How to get to Dechen Chöling

Dechen Chöling is situated in central France, near Limoges (Haute Vienne – Limousin), about 400 km south of Paris.

• By train to Limoges > St. Victurnien > pick-up service DCL •

• By car •

About Dechen Chöling

Retreat Center Dechen Chöling is located in the middle of France. This unique retreat centre is nestled among the beautiful soft green hills of Limousin region. The main château and surrounding farm buildings sit in an open yet protected landscape. The grounds surrounding the buildings are dotted with century-old trees, flower gardens brimming with roses, and rolling fields. The extensive 56 hectares comprise of serene fields and lush forests. Some of this land has been adapted as amenities and camping sites, while the remaining land remains unspoiled in its natural form.

The building and houses on this Dharma Land of Great Bliss host a meditation hall, a modern kitchen, a rustic dining room, a cosy meditation space in the chateau, and offices. Nearby meadows and farmland are grazed by cows and horses, while the energetic Vienne river passes nearby. The immediate area lends itself well to short or long walks, energetic runs and hikes, and short dip in cool water. Small sleepy French villages are in found at a short distance from Le Mas Marvent.

You may take a trip to nearby Saint-Junien or Saint-Victurnien towns, where you can rent a bike or enjoy a coffee at one of the local boulangeries.

Visit website Dechen Chöling