Rod's Summary

My theme for Week 2 was the difference between normal everyday awareness and the mindful awareness that arises during meditation. Contrasts such as Not-centered & Centered, Jagged & Smooth, and Harried & Tranquil seem to catch the difference that I sensed. For example, after one 5-minute meditation I wrote:

[During the day] the sea of tranquility roils with a plethora of jagged issues. Focusing on the breath calms the waters somewhat. But are the raggedy demons merely hidden under the surface, continuing their cacophony of insistence unsensed?

Now, when I begin the WH meditation I can instantly sense the "Sea of Tranquility." But also, the jagged issues of the day are evident, almost as if they were rising above the smooth surface, vibrating insistently like the buzz of a cell phone. Some mornings I am able to watch these jaggies subside, but other mornings they dominate the scene and the tranquil sea remains in turmoil.

I am coming to see that neither the jagged issues of the day nor the meditative Sea of Tranquility are complete in-and-of themselves. Both are part of the landscape of consciousness. I think that both can exist simultaneously in consciousness; that Mindfulness arises from the awareness of both; and that Completeness can be found in the acceptance of both as natural partners in our Being.

... from Rod