The Practice of Living Awareness
STEP TWO: TIP OF THE NOSE
Practitioners of meditation often report that it offers them a greater sense of peace and ease when dealing with life’s ups and downs. Undoubtedly, this generates more happiness and a lighter way of being in the world. They also notice improvement in their ability to focus. Improved concentration leads to clarity, mental stability, and insight. All of this sounds like a really good thing.
In order to cultivate peace and develop concentration, we’ve got to train our mental body. We’ll start with the lower mind – the aspect of the mental body that immediately recognizes the thoughts generated by the brain… lots and lots of them. The lower mind has a massive pool of thoughts to pull from - to mix and match, juggle, and sometimes even bombard you with, or so it feels.
It’s helpful to train the mind in a gentle and steady manner. How? By gently and steadily getting to know the mind – and a great way to do that is to simply observe it. Give it space and observe. The tip of the nose offers a wonderful vantage point for observation; a lovely place to rest your awareness as thoughts pass by.
In order to cultivate peace and develop concentration, we’ve got to train our mental body. We’ll start with the lower mind – the aspect of the mental body that immediately recognizes the thoughts generated by the brain… lots and lots of them. The lower mind has a massive pool of thoughts to pull from - to mix and match, juggle, and sometimes even bombard you with, or so it feels.
It’s helpful to train the mind in a gentle and steady manner. How? By gently and steadily getting to know the mind – and a great way to do that is to simply observe it. Give it space and observe. The tip of the nose offers a wonderful vantage point for observation; a lovely place to rest your awareness as thoughts pass by.
DAY 1The Meeting Place
Meeting places can be quite specific, like the tip of your nose. |
DAY 2Steady As We Go
Presence is your anchor. Have a look around. |
DAY 3The Freedom To Choose
What are you aware of? The choice is entirely yours. |