Being
All experience occurs in the present. We add a sense of continuity with our imperfect memories and the concept of time. Sometimes a new object or experience captivates us and immerses us fully in the now. But in a meditative state it can seem that this novel quality exists in every moment; a newness in everything that is noticed.
Every moment of experience has the potential for new sensations, thoughts, and shifts in perception. All of these arise on their own, without any effort on our part.
With an appreciation of the passing of time, and of experience arising within each moment, comes a sense of flow. The contents of our mind are noticed, transfix us for a while, and are pushed aside by the next thing to arise.
This arising of experience, the flow of perception and thoughts, this space in which the world appears is the feeling of being.
What I am trying to describe is a felt state, not just a conceptual one. When one can shift perspective to notice the world this way, everything is seen to occur in the expanse of the mind. Boundaries disappear, yet edges are clear, the sense of consciousness expands and subsumes the world.
Perhaps paradoxically, this does not lead to a solipsistic view of the world. This panoramic sense of being is recognisable through the emotions it invokes.
There is immense gratitude directed at the world for existing and for this ability to perceive it. There is love for everything that is noticed; a diffuse glow of compassion intrinsic to this feeling of oneness. And there is an awe in the magnitude and intricacy of it all.
Do an experiment now. Let your eyes lose focus so that this text appears as a haze. Then let your attention be drawn to the words in bold one by one. Does your felt experience take you closer to what I have described than just reading these words?
Every moment of experience has the potential for new sensations, thoughts, and shifts in perception. All of these arise on their own, without any effort on our part.
With an appreciation of the passing of time, and of experience arising within each moment, comes a sense of flow. The contents of our mind are noticed, transfix us for a while, and are pushed aside by the next thing to arise.
This arising of experience, the flow of perception and thoughts, this space in which the world appears is the feeling of being.
What I am trying to describe is a felt state, not just a conceptual one. When one can shift perspective to notice the world this way, everything is seen to occur in the expanse of the mind. Boundaries disappear, yet edges are clear, the sense of consciousness expands and subsumes the world.
Perhaps paradoxically, this does not lead to a solipsistic view of the world. This panoramic sense of being is recognisable through the emotions it invokes.
There is immense gratitude directed at the world for existing and for this ability to perceive it. There is love for everything that is noticed; a diffuse glow of compassion intrinsic to this feeling of oneness. And there is an awe in the magnitude and intricacy of it all.
Do an experiment now. Let your eyes lose focus so that this text appears as a haze. Then let your attention be drawn to the words in bold one by one. Does your felt experience take you closer to what I have described than just reading these words?
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