Presence

Buddha statue at Niagara Falls Bird Sanctuary
Buddha statue at Niagara Falls Bird Sanctuary

Sit for a short time; then take a break,
a very short break of about thirty seconds
or a minute.

But be mindful of whatever you do,
and do not lose your presence
and its natural ease.

Then alert yourself and sit again.
If you do many short sessions like this,
your breaks will often
make your meditation more real
and more inspiring; they will take
the clumsy, irksome rigidity,
solemnity, and unnaturalness
out of your practice and bring
you more and more focus and ease.

Gradually, through this interplay of
breaks and sitting, the barrier
between meditation and everyday life
will crumble, the contrast between
them will dissolve, and you will find
yourself increasingly in your natural
pure presence, without distraction.

Then, as Dudjom Rinpoche used to say:
“Even though the meditator may leave
the meditation,
the meditation will not leave the meditator.”

Sogyal Rinpoche

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