The waves on the ocean are born from the ocean and fall back into it only to rise up again and return once more. The waves of the ocean are like human emotions and thoughts. Those arise out of the full potential of relatedness and of wisdom and then, after a few seconds (a fleeting thought), a few minutes (a craving), or a few years (a relational situation), dissipate. In reality, they are returning to their source – the ocean of potential of relatedness and wisdom. – This metaphor represents the exacting, contracting, and self-focused processes of emotions and mind.
The expanse of the waters of the ocean are a metaphor for the open, expansive, non-personal emotions and thoughts that a person has. Billions of creatures live in the vastness of the ocean, and they can because the ocean offers them space and place. In a person, the natural capacity for an open mind or open-ended emotions (such as kindness, caring, enthusiasm or gratitude) provide space and place to others as well as to their thoughts, concerns, ideas, or joys.
The depth of the ocean is like the natural emptiness of the mind and the natural limitlessness of the power of compassion. If one is in the deep blue darkness of the ocean, there is no up or down, right or left. Emptiness is directionless. There is only the purity of the water as it is, and whatever passes through seems to appear out of and then disappear back into the emptiness. The human sense of self does the same. It arises to meet a moment; it appears into existence uncounted times a day. This sense of self then dissolves back into the potency of Presence that is the wholeness of identity, not predicated on you/me, have/have not, take and keep. The proof of this description and analogy is the change of demeanor, tone of voice, mood, and attitude that each of us proceeds through throughout the each day. The potentials are limitless, yet a person typically reinstates a select few masks and calls these, in their synthesis, myself.
Step 9 says “understand the primary three qualities and tendencies of awareness.” Doing so gives us solid tools to use in our sitting practice whereby to ripen and refine as well as sustain any state of meditation. Recognizing these same qualities through the day releases us from robotic living. Live from the range of Beingness, instead! Downloadable podcast: Entry: Like waves of the sea