Snippets from a Meditation Course - Weeks 16 Through 20

#165

Paraphrased from the book 'Roaring Silence':

There are no ordinary apples.

Questioner (Mr. A): What is it like to experience the colour and texture of thought?

Practitioner (Mr. B): Pray tell me this - what is it like to see this apple? What is it like to touch the apple?

A: It’s cool and waxy . . . It’s very green, isn’t it! This doesn’t seem to be like an ordinary apple [laughs].

B: [laughs] There are no ordinary apples.

A: What?

B: There's no ordinary anything. You become able to experience the colour, tone and texture of thought because you develop the experience of openness in which you can see thought in its spatial context, space being the non-dual perception of emptiness and form. You have the apple in your hand, you can feel it. You're not distanced from it by thoughts about it. You simply catch the apple in space, and there it is – in your hand. 

Week 16 - Walking Meditation

Find a quiet place without distractions or obstacles like an empty room large enough to walk in circles. Walk with your eyes looking downwards at about 45 degrees but keep your head upright. Allow your eyes to relax and gaze to move smoothly over the ground.

Be aware of each part of your foot as it presses the ground. Be aware of sensations of your trackpants brushing against your legs and the slight brush of air against your skin. Walk at half your normal speed to experience this. If you're lost in thought, gently bring yourself back to the awareness of the present moment and sensations.

Try this for fifteen minutes every time you meditate.