This Very Moment—A new book of Miksang contemplative photographs by John Einarsen

Photographs and text by John Einarsen; translation by Mitsue Nagase

John Einarsen’s images describe a journey of learning to pay attention to what is before us, to see beyond the obvious to a transcendent essence, and finally to return to the here and now with a new awareness. Isn’t that the ultimate purpose of visual art, or of meditation?

Allan Mandell

This Very Moment is a collection of color photographs taken by John Einarsen over the past decade that are based on his studies in Miksang Contemplative Photography. “Miksang” means “good eye” or “pure eye” in Tibetan. This unique approach to “seeing” was first developed by Michael Wood around 1980; it aims to see the world directly. To do this we have to dissolve our dependence on concepts, labels, memories, projections, or associations—and meet the world head on. Then we experience seeing with heart. This is the first photography book to introduce the Miksang approach in Japan.

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On Seeing (by John Einarsen)

For as long as I can remember, I have been spellbound by the visual brilliance of our world, and always had the desire to share what I saw with others.

The kind of seeing I now practice is very deliberate. It works through a spaciousness of mind—a quiet, non-seeking openness. This state occurs naturally in the gaps that punctuate our streams of thought. Within this gap-mind we’re relaxed; our awareness is not focused on anything in particular, but we remain alert and in a receptive state. Present in the moment. 

Recognizing and cultivating this spaciousness enables us to engage with our visual world more fully and directly without preconceived notions. It is always there and available. Yet it is hard to sustain. Our minds are easily distracted by a million different things. In addition, we have to work to dissolve all the ways we have been taught to see. We live in a described and categorized world, and most of the time that shorthand is what we experience. It’s a shame that we miss so much. When we stop trying to manage our experience and let go, the world comes to us in all its richness.

With spaciousness, a fresh perception can drop into our laps out of nowhere, anytime. It is delightfully disorienting. It fills our awareness as we concentrate to understand it. There is a feeling of elation and affirmation. We are fully connecting to what we see. 

A genuine perception is pure—an unasked-for offering from the universe. For me, it is meant to be honored, expressed with fidelity, and then shared with others. 

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John Einarsen is the founding editor of Kyoto Journal.

Hardback, 176 pages, 157 color photographs; Available here: