14. Meditation 7

Notice your visual field, the energy state of your body, and emotions.

Once again, find a comfortable seat and close your eyes and then become aware of the sensation of breathing.

Just let the breath come and go as it will. If it’s shallow, that’s fine. If it’s deep,
that’s fine. There’s no need to control it.
And the moment you notice a thought is present, look into the nature of the thought itself.
Where does it come from? And where does it go?
And then come back to the sensation of breathing.

You might also notice that though your eyes are closed, your visual field is still present.
And you can actually gaze into the darkness of your closed eyes.
And there are experiences that you can have in meditation where that space opens up into a sky-like domain of visual imagery.
See if you can follow this next breath all the way through.

Now notice if there’s any predominant mood or energy state that’s coloring your mind in this moment.
Do you feel sleepy or restless or anxious or calm?
Notice any feeling tone to consciousness and then take that too as an object of awareness, just like the breath.
What is joy or sadness or doubt?
See if you can feel the signature of these emotions whenever they arise.
Is a sensation in your face, in your chest?
How is it that you notice that you feel anyway at all?
Whatever the reference point, recognize that it too is an appearance in consciousness.
Notice too that these mental states change just like the breath changes or sensations in the body.
In the final minute of the session, just begin again and bring a fresh awareness to whatever it is that you notice.
The breath, sounds, sensations in the body.

Well, once again, thank you for the effort that you’re making here.
And while it might not seem like you’re making progress from one day to the next or even that I’m introducing new techniques in the practice, gradually both of those things are happening.
And as we get deeper into the course, we’ll continue to refine what is at bottom a truly simple practice.

It’s not easy as you’ve probably discovered, but it is remarkably simple in the end.