Why I Do the Photo a Day For a Year Project
In July 2010 I attended the “Introduction to Zen Training” retreat at Zen Mountain Monastery. I had been interested in Buddhism for a few months and had been reading around the fringes of the subject, but I didn’t have much of a specific aim. Mostly, I craved guidance. I had been researching different meditation practices online when I stumbled upon this Zazen 101 which introduced me to the Mountains and Rivers Order.
Almost immediately after walking onto the grounds of the Monastery, I felt like I was home at last. Warm, inviting and quietly vibrant, the entire weekend painted a vision of what a Zen life could offer. The Mountain and Rivers Order was founded in the early 80s by John Daido Loori and is known for their emphasis on supporting laypractice and theEight Gates training matrix.
A modern approach to the Eight Fold Path, the Eight Gates are “a spiritual training matrix that help us to reclaim and become intimate with our inherent stillness, clarity and compassion. The Eight Gates are: zazen, study with a teacher, academic study, liturgy, right action, art practice, body practice and work practice. These areas of concentration overlap and interpenetrate in various ways, yet they always point to the nature of the self, the ground of being.” (Eight Gates)
The photo a day for a year project is my attempt to implement the art practice of the Eight Gate program into my life. Creativity is unique and important part of approaching our spiritual life. In his book, “The Zen of Creativity,” Daido Loori, Roshi says, “The creative process, like a spiritual journey, is intuitive, non-linear, and experiential. It points us toward our essential nature, which is a reflection of the boundless creativity of the universe.”
I have no ambitions to become a professional photographer and I imagine I’ll never show my photos in a gallery or ever sell a print. There is no real goal or aim to my project but the difference in my life has been, quite frankly, amazing. I can genuinely say now I have a creative side. One day and one photo at a time, I have grown more aware of the beautiful world I’m a part of, delighted in the mondaine and become a witness to the wonder of being truly present. What a gift!
I’ve learned to add a new habit, attach it to an old one. Hopefully, as I continue to post my daily pictures, I will take more time to also update the blog. Additionally, I have been adding Zen quotes, or bits of poetry to the photos. A new dimension of the same project and equally as satisfying. The first half of the project can be found here.
Leave a comment