Contemplative photography is a form of dharma art—art that is based on perception, free from fabrication and expression, free from contrivance. Buddhist theories of perception were first developed in the 5th and 6th centuries CE, through the work of Vasubhandu, Dinnaga and Dharmakirti. You might wonder how these ancient theories could have any bearing on the practice of photography, a quintessential modern form of art. In fact, they are intimately related as we will explore in this talk.
Andy Karr doesn’t like to talk about himself very much, but he does talk and write about Buddhist teachings, particularly the profound paths of the Mahayana and Mahamudra. He is the author of Contemplating Reality, an experiential guide to Buddhist philosophy (Shambhala Publications, 2007) and co-author of The Practice of Contemplative Photography: Seeing the world with fresh eyes (Shambhala Publications, 2011). His latest book, Into The Mirror: A Buddhist journey through mind, matter, and the nature of reality will be published by Shambhala in May, 2023. He spoke with participants and students at RYI on 7th Feb, 2023.

Andy Karr - "Contemplative Photography"

How does one express the inexpressible? How does one convey awakening and enlightenment as demonstrated by Buddha Shakyamuni?

Join us for a short presentation on Buddhist Visual Literacy, a practice rooted in the Science of Creativity and the Arts. It combines art, valid cognition (Skt. pramāṇa), and symbolism to connect people experientially to the Buddhist path. Reliant upon our direct interaction with Buddhist art, experiential investigation is joined with current museum practices to evoke clarity and insight. Exploration driven by the deep habit of innate curiosity to discover what is mysterious and to share that with others is necessarily done through processes connected with symbolism.
In essence, Buddhist Visual Literacy makes a deep dive into narrative and the senses as our basic palette of creativity. It is intended to encourage creative vitality through experiential understanding of the symbolism and skillful expressions of the Buddha’s teachings without deviating from their intended meaning.

Stephanie Johnston had the good fortune to meet the dharma in her early university days and the greater good fortune to try to understand it and bring it into her life, especially under the guidance of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. She is the Director of Practice Instructors and a senior teacher in Nalandabodhi. She is also a long time student and faculty of Nitartha Institute. Bringing pretty much anything to the path—or trying to figure how to do that—lights her up.
She spoke with students and participants at RYI on 11th April 2023.

Stephanie Johnston - "Symbolizing the Awakened Heart: Buddhist Visual Literacy"

Śākyaprabha (ca. 7th–8th c. CE), an Indian specialist in Buddhist monastic law, composed two Sanskrit commentaries that both survive in Tibetan translation: The Āryamūlasarvāstivādiśrāmaṇerakārikā, or Verses for Novices of the Noble Mūlasarvāstivādins, and his own commentary upon the verses. Śākyaprabha distills the monastic regulations on novice Buddhist monks from the enormous monastic law code, or Vinaya, of the Mūlasarvāstivādin school, into roughly 240 verses. He organizes these verses around 14, instead of the usual 10, novice precepts. This talk will provide a general introduction to the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, and explore the role of the Vinayavibhāṣa, a commentary no longer extant, in Śākyaprabha’s organization of novice precepts and offenses.

Chris Emms is a PhD Candidate at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. His research focuses on the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya and Mūlasarvāstivādin Vinaya commentarial literature. His dissertation is a study and translation of select chapters of Śākyaprabha’s Āryamūlasarvāstivādiśrāmaṇerakārikā, or Verses for Novices of the Noble Mūlasarvāstivādins, together with its auto commentary. He is a Sanskrit Lecturer at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute and a Sessional Instructor at McMaster University. Chris spoke with students and participants at RYI on July 13, 2023.

Chris Emms - "Organizing the Vinaya: Śākyaprabha’s Arrangement of Novice Precepts and Offenses"

Rangjung Yeshe Institute (RYI) has conducted study programs in Nepal for more than 25 years. Since 2002 RYI has partnered with Kathmandu University offering academic credit for those study programs. In 2009 RYI launched its online learning program. Our aim is to utilise our expertise and experience to enable students from around the world to study Buddhism and Himalayan Languages with us.

New tracks tagged #KanyingShedrubLing