today my open eyes opened further because my mind went still.

i woke up, meditated, and then proceeded to read for the entirety of the day. today i read the majority of a book called Saffron Tales in L.A. by a Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist monk living in California. it was a very interesting book as it documents the various events and experiences encountered by this warm and gentle monk. At a few points as i read this wonderful book, i would stop and reflect and find myself deeply affected by his stories; sometimes even moved to tears.

as far as presence is concerned, i was relatively present. Right Effort was applied occasionally and when remembered. mindfulness never fully escaped me and i was always somewhat in the present moment.

however, the main even of the day was, again, as i took a bath. i was looking at the rippling surface of the water. but my mind was split between the presence of the moment and some other pointless thought running through. as soon as i realized that the act of seeing did not have my one-pointed attention, thoughts dissipated. at this, a magnificent increase in the quality and content of the visual scene took place. the increase was proportional to the amount of clarity previously sacrificed for the thoughts. but this increase was immediately perceptible. it was as though my eyes had been covered over by a filter or as if they had only been half-open. this experience really enlightened me about how much mindfulness-energy our thoughts sap away from us. the thoughts in my head actually had an effect on how much of the scene i could see.

as soon as my eyes opened up in this manner, the ripples became somehow organic and real. also, the whole visual scenery intenified in an incredibly delightful manner.

“As the fletcher whittles and makes straight his arrows, so the master directs his straying thoughts.”
– Buddha