Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Which view...
Amber Waves of grain
Individual or simply a group?
Looking at this image brings that to my mind. Are we simply all strands of grain in a larger, whole picture or are we one-at-a-time individuals? Different teaching will espouse different thoughts.

The wheat in the photo is beautiful. 
Both as a whole and in each individual strand.
The artist in me wanted to pull the individual out - make it stand out all on it's own. The photographer in me just wants to get the technical part correct.

A blend occurs with me.
In our minds, our egos we may all be individuals but in reality we are all connected. It is a hard concept for some to remove that "self" into a "non-self." 

Is this grain of wheat striving to be seen, to stand up as a "self"? Or is this simply a beautiful flowing amber field? Either way, it appeals to me.


According to Zen master Kosho Uchiyama, when thoughts and fixation on the little "I" are transcended, an Awakening to a universal, non-dual Self occurs:  "When we let go of thoughts and wake up to the reality of life that is working beyond them, we discover the Self that is living a universal non-dual life (before the separation into two) that pervades all living creatures and all existence."

3 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. great thinking - very deep and provocative. I probably would go for the grain to be part of the group and photo but then I am not a photographer. Lol, I made a mess here. Clicked too fast and wasn't finished with what I am saying. Anyway, now I lost my thread - no doubt it was nothing important. I think I personally would love to see a field of grain/wheat as a whole instead of picking out that one. But you see, that's the beauty of art! we all see things differently. Hugs.

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  3. Woo hoooooo! I adore the focus and depth. This image has an enchanting, dreamy mood. The darker wheat draws attention, but does not take away from the softness and movement as a whole. I so admire your skills, technical and artistic. Beautiful job, Amy.

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Let me know what you think!