by Carla Caruso

Adelaide Himeji Garden would have to be one of the most photographed spots in Your Park Lands.

In April, the traditional Japanese garden in Peppermint Park / Wita Wirra (Park 18) turned 40 and the Adelaide City Council held a celebration in its honour.

Among the festivities, Himeji mayor Hideyasu Kiyomoto delivered a video message to Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor and other special guests in attendance. 

The manicured garden was originally designed by council staff in 1982, in consultation with Adelaide’s Japanese community, after Adelaide and Japan’s Himeji entered a sister city relationship. 

With it being such a photogenic spot, we thought we’d chat to Nicole Lionnet (below), APA’s Ambassador for Parks 18 and 19, about how best to capture imagery there.

And her approach is, in fact, as “zen” as the site itself. The practising Buddhist employs a form of photography called Miksang, based on the Dharma Art teachings of the late Chögyam Trungpa.

“Miksang is a Tibetan word, meaning ‘good eye’,” explains Nicole, a city resident. “It is a contemplative photography practice that has the Buddhist teachings underlying it.

“A contemplative reality is something that’s free from concepts and concerns and ideas. Most of the time, our minds are pretty busy. They’re busy with concepts, opinions, concerns, a bit of ‘I like this’, ‘I don’t like that’. When we’re in our heads like that, we can miss a lot of our world.

“Miksang has trained me in experiencing what’s called a ‘flash of perception’ – where I’m totally in the moment visually … I think of it as a heart practice, and the point of it is that it connects me. It brings me in communion with just the ordinary and extraordinary world that I’m in.

“The important thing is that flash of perception, where it’s just me connecting with whatever it is – that bird that’s sitting there, that leaf that’s changing colour in autumn, that reflection that I’m seeing in the water, the clouds in the sky.

“Whatever it is, really that’s the juicy bit, that’s the contemplative bit. And then, the photography practice is just taking a facsimile of that moment [that] you can share with others.”

Nicole is the only practising Miksang teacher in Australia, conducting workshops online. As well, she says: “Each time, I’ve taken the guided walks [for APA] I’ve included a five to 10-minute photographic exercise, where I’ve quietened everyone down, got them to close their eyes, and undertaken a little mindful process with them. Then I’ve just invited people to walk around the gardens slowly and see what they see and take some photos.”

Nicole says “if you can look, relax, and be open, the world will say, ‘Woo, look at me.’” “I obviously practice my Miksang wherever I go – both in the urban built world and nature, and certainly all over the Park Lands. It’s great when you’ve got your phone in your pocket; it’s so easy to just stop and take a photo or three.”

Nicole has had “a long connection” with Himeji Garden too. “I used to work at Hutt St Centre as a social worker with the homeless. I knew that Himeji was a place that people who were homeless would find a bit of respite in. And why wouldn’t you? It is just such a beautiful and quite peaceful place.”