i_rabbit

I have been meditating every night before retiring. Emptying my mind (Pratyahara) and focusing (Dharana) on a mortar & pestle that is on my altar. While I am emptying I use a beaded necklace to count breaths and last night I got curious afterward how many beads/breaths there were. I counted 52 then it occurred to me that this is coincidentally(?) the number of the hexagram for meditation in the I Ching.

Hexagram 52

Keeping Still. Keeping his back still
So that he no longer feels his body.
He goes into his courtyard
And does not see his people.
No blame.

This past week it has been much easier for me to see things, situations, relationships, as they really are without all the emotional processing that I have been preoccupied with lately. This has helped me remain calm and know that sometimes the ‘correct’ thing to do is nothing - keep still - absorb.

Douglas quoted a great sutra in class today reminding us that within each of us contains everything we need and it is perfect as it is without external striving. I need to ask him which one that was before he leaves town for three weeks.

File under things that make you go hmmm…