These things continued from prior months: new baseline perception; good sleep; no medications; new exemplar; formal practice of intense mindfulness intervals. I went on retreat with the same curriculum & teacher as the one from July. It was clear that I had mastered a good deal of the material. I also got insight into the importance of concentration as an off cushion operating system. I had various minor clarifications of the warmth, omnidirectionality & centerlessness of knowing. I began to understand the importance of altruism & how the bodhisattva path looks in a literal, contemporary, pragmatic way. Generosity is more than just a practice to create space in one’s mind & express the emptiness in one’s immediate life: it is also about how you affect the larger field. I noticed this begin to make it easier to be productive & disciplined. These insights led into burgeoning thoughts on the map of ego development, which continued into November. At the ...
At the intersection of deep meditation, growing up, and mood disorder.