today i walked a path laden with droplets of water that took me upwards defying gravity defying reason defying common sense.

i woke up this morning a little distressed and anxious. also, there was a great deal of lethargy discouraging me from sitting my morning meditation. before getting out of bed, i remembered to work up some motivation and determination to maintain the path. as i got ready to sit the meditation, i was thinking it would probably be a short session as the hindrances were strong in me. much to my surprise, i remained fully focused and concentrated for my usual 30 minutes, after which i felt very refreshed and at peace and quite ready for the new day. also, one practice which i have found very useful lately in my sittings is the practice of metta meditation, for myself and then for someone about whom i had been thinking at that particular point in time.

also, today i gave special attention to my shoulders because i found them to be unusually tense. i found that this tenseness correlated well with the level of thought and anxiety in my mind. so, as the meditation deepened and focused itself, my shoulders naturally sagged. however, the tenseness would resurface after a while and it would take a renewed effort to relieve it. this process actually continued to a lesser degree throughout the day. however, it was a very peaceful and positive day. i was very present and mindful. there was a decent amount of Right Effort being regularly applied yielding very constructive results.

as i showered, i looked at the tiles and saw many small but distinct droplets lining the wall. i realized how easy and normal it was for me to miss their presence there every time i had previously looked at the wall without really looking. not looking with my whole body. not just simply looking and simply seeing. there seemed to be an infinite number of droplets and each one seemed to have its own distinct life and personality and existence and character and reality. it was an incredibly grounding and eye-opening (literally) experience.

however, the picture is also relevant because of the perspective and path-like element of the shower wall. this represents my path, but in more ways than one. it also represents the unification of ALL. at the beginning of the path, i.e. the very bottom of the picture, there are lots of drops and each is distinct and separate from all of the others. as you begin to move your eyes up the path, the drops begin to merge and lose their “separate-ness”. these drops here represent distinctions and dualities and interpretations and abstractions of the real world. at the very top, they simply merge into one unified field where distinctions cannot be perceived anymore. also, the actual lines of the path themselves come closer together as you move up the path. they are reducing all notions of difference into an eventual solitary “same-ness” between everything. they are reducing distance which separates things into ONE point. the ONE universe, undifferentiated.

“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then beleive them to be true.”
– Buddha