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Our lives at times seem a study in contrast… love & hate, birth & death, right & wrong… everything seen in absolutes of black & white. Too often we are not aware that it is the shades of grey that add depth & meaning to the starkness of those extremes.” – Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) went to Yosemite National Park at 14 years old, where his parents gave him an Eastman Kodak No. 1 Brownie box camera. His love affair with his camera, as well as his father’s encouragement to live a “Ralph Waldo Emerson” life guided by a social responsibility to humans and nature, led to his advocacy for environmental conservation.
Countless people have been able to experience the majesty of nature because of Adams’ patience and expertise with a camera. One biographer called “Monolith” (see photo) his most significant photograph because the “extreme manipulation of tonal values” was a departure from all previous photography.
Unaware of ‘tonal values,” I always thought of Adams as someone who just saw the world in black and white. It wasn’t until I started taking photos myself that I realized he was in actuality a purveyor of the infinite shades of gray and the broad spectrum of light. This realization has driven some interesting observations about my own life and how, as Ikeda Sensei has said,
“Dialogue is not some simplistic assertion of one’s own position, nor is it necessarily about persuading others to one’s point of view. Dialogue is about demonstrating respect for another’s life, and being determined to learn when confronted with differences in personality and perspective.”
Adams contracted the 1918 Spanish Flu and needed several weeks to recuperate. Being stuck at home during this current pandemic has caused me to further reflect on the significance of black and white and right and wrong, and the ability to be perceive the truth. Ikeda Sensei said, “
The mark of wisdom lies, more than anything else, in the ability to listen.”
As a former executive coach, I used this guidance, my Buddhist practice and SGI meetings to train myself to be a good listener.
But, even now, I have observed that I sometimes have a tendency to internally cling to what I believe to be ‘right’ even when I might appear to be listening. This applies to personal and world issues as well as the most trivial matters. Difficult to have an open dialogue when I’ve already made up my mind!
In his dialogue with Majid Tehranian, Ikeda Sensei said,
“I regard open-minded and humble dialogue among civilizations as the key to overcoming mutual antagonism and elevating ourselves to a higher plane.”
Of course, this applies to interpersonal relationships as well.
“I am very cautious of people who are absolutely right, especially when they are vehemently so.” ― Michael Palin of Monty Python
Most Beautiful One’s (MBO) and my views are not always the same. Instead of black or white, the 'truth', if there is one, often lies somewhere in-between. Understanding this, we have learned to (eventually) appreciate each other’s perspective by chanting facing the gohonzon instead of each other, praying for wisdom (and patience), and then having an open dialogue. This has resulted in a harmonious 50+ year relationship. Imagine what could be accomplished if politicians did the same.
As a youngster, Adams was dismissed from several private schools for being restless and inattentive. I can relate to being a poor fit for public education and am still amazed that I was able to survive high school and, thanks to MBO, SGI youth activities, and Ikeda Sensei’s guidance, eventually graduate college.
One of MBO and my favorite places is Yosemite National Park where Adams took many of his most notable photos. We first went there as teenagers in 1969 when we ran away from home together. It was a few months before we started chanting nam myoho renge kyo. We stayed at Yosemite in a hippie camp site for a few weeks until hundreds of Hells Angels biked in at which point we quickly (and wisely) departed. It was a much different (and saner) experience visiting there with our children many years later!
Stay safe out there!
