For me, this image says it all.
As the Entry practice is experiencing three aptitudes of mind and emotions, the Intermediate practice will explore how those three abilities or natural tendencies of awareness-mind are operational through one’s day. The three qualities are:
- exacting-contracting,
- expanding-opening,
- and to be naturally empty-void like the sky.
The image shows myriads of circles. Some are highly in focus, others barely so. Some have something that has formed or coalesced within their center, others do not. Two are particularly illumined: one with complexity, one with simplicity. All of these variations can represent any moment, its circumstances and energies, the people involved or being in isolation, the perceptions, thoughts, beliefs, sensations, personal reality of shoulds, coulds, woulds, and more. In other words, every moment there is a plethora of possibilities that are arising to be labeled, chosen as aspects of the reality of the moment, and then acted upon through thoughts unspoken, words spoken in body language or verbally, action or non-action, as well as the sense of self which is reified by all of these and through out the process.
It is amazing and completely empowering to realize the myriad of options that one has every moment! We contemplate with this first, and then meditate in silence for most of 20 minutes.
Downloadable podcast: Intermediate: How do we choose our reality-