We resumed the cycle of meditations on the sense of self this morning through sitting with the choice we all made to be together for meditation, and that choice as one that we made for ourselves as well. The goodness of that ripples into the world. Choices are significant.
When Awareness is in its seat, we are present. The experience, then, is Presence. Presence is a rich mandala of qualities and subtlety, yet all within the experience of the moment.
Each facet of Presence, of Awareness in its seat, of the qualities of the mandala of present-moment awareness are demonstrations of the riches that Awareness includes, therefore that Presence includes. For example,
the richness itself
the velvety texture of Presence
the lucid, vibrancy, the alertness of Presence
the fluid dynamism of Presence and its undulations
the wholeness of Presence, thus its equality, impartiality, or equanimity.
If a Buddhist read this list, that person might recognize Five qualities: ratna, padma, vajra, karma, and buddha or tathagata (respectively). All are already present, primordially so. Our training is to re-cognize, learn all over again, that we are Awareness.
The uniqueness of each person is unmistakable. The same is so for other beings. That’s easy to see in humans, or dogs or cats; but uniqueness is found in animals that flock or school also. They move together when threatened or migrating but when eating or finding a mate, each reveals distinction.
There are also unseen beings, or rarely perceived ones such as elementals or devas in the garden or natural spaces, water spirits and nagas. They and the natural environment that they are related to are unique. The Shawsheen River in Massachusetts was identifiably different from the Nashua or Concord Rivers, though all flowed through the town I grew up in. Because these rivers were largely left natural, their flow, wetlands, and habitat was unique.
We continue to explore “the self”; this time with all beings.