Spirituality is all about finding our own path to the ultimate truth that resides in the realm of ‘Salvation.’ And, there is not one but millions of paths that lead up to that realm. You have to choose your own path and tread wisely till you get there. This is one of the most significant revelations of the enlightened one we know by the name of ‘Lord Buddha.’
We do not live in the stone age. We are not hunter-gatherers anymore. We live in the space age. We live in a highly evolved society. Specialization is the key to success in this mean world. Again, there are hundreds and thousands of fields that we can specialize in. In fact, the count could touch millions, billions or even trillions.
In the rat race for specialization, we get hooked to a field in which you have some level of knowledge, skill, passion, dedication, determination and grit to get to the top of the rung. Getting to the top is not easy. It is like climbing a mountain. But you have two crutches to lean on—persistence and consistency.
It so happens that I am into photography since a prime age. And, I have travelled a long distance in this field. With all humility, I would like to confess that I have learned the nuances and intricacies of photography the hard way. Starting with pin-hole cameras, I have reached the world of Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) which is in vogue these days.
This long haul in photography has taught me a lot of things. And, one of them is that you can learn how to mediate through photography. It might sound weird but it is true to the very hilt.
What is meditation, after all? Meditation is channelizing all your thoughts in one direction. Meditation guides your entire thought process in such a way that it converges on the one thing that you want to focus on. It leaves nothing to chance. You cease to harbor a wavering mind the moment you learn to meditate. That is precisely how photography works.
Now, let me tell you something about the Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. When you remove the lens cap, the image in front of the camera passes through the lens. Then the image hits a mirror surface placed next to the inner end of the lens. The image is then projected to the viewfinder through a pentaprism with the help of the mirror.
Then you use the focusing ring on the lens to focus on the image. As the rangefinder on the lens indicates that you are getting closer to the distance between the lens and the subject, the image comes to focus on the camera. The first image that emerges on the viewfinder is usually blurred. Then it comes into sharp focus as we keep adjusting the focusing ring to get a sharp image. As we learn the art of critical focusing, we get closer to getting crisper images. Then, there will come a day when you would be able to focus on the image perfectly. If you understand this little secret, you will have no difficulty in understanding meditation!
