Rooms and Boundaries: Difference between revisions

How do Rooms and Boundaries fit in with the goals of Everyday Enlightenment?

The majority of these types of exercises are about being present in The Now.  It may be that we are hard-wired to find comfort in just one "room" at a time, and experimenting with the feeling of awareness of other rooms and how they relate to each other is analogous to the feeling of being lost in thought and then being brought back to the present moment.  To bring that point home, note two important goals of these exercises.

** You can especially learn to do this whenever you cross through a doorway - encourage an immediate awareness of the boundaries of the new room you are in.   

* In a room with many openings, notice the difference in quality between open doors (including doorways without doors), closed doors, and windows (including any transparent door)

* Appreciate how a window divides the space between the room you are in, and the space beyond, while at the same time inviting you to sense that the "outside" and the inside of the window are being brought together by the window because it is transparent.  Be aware of the space of the room you are in, and the space of the "outside" and the space of the two places added together.

* Many of the [[#Mirrors|Mirror]] exercises can be repurposed for Windows as well.

Even without actual walls and windows, we can still appreciate the quality of areas that are being divided.  Some examples of how these exercises can apply everyday in many situations...

* In the neighborhood, there's a quality to be found when inside a backyard fence, or looking at another neighbor's yard in their fence, or passing by houses that have fences and knowing you are outside of those areas

* Any kind of delineation such as a soccer field, even without fences, has a boundary

These exercises can be done whenever you are doing a stationary routine activity like brushing your teeth.  Place a sticker on the mirror you use, near where your face is reflected, as this will be a visual cue you use when seeing the mirror as a special type of doorway. Take time to visually appreciate the following and notice the quality of your mind and awareness.

* Your body exists on "your side" of the mirror

* Relax your perception of the room being divided into two rooms, and feel it as one larger room, double the size.  Move your perception back and forth between one room and two rooms.

While using mouthwash, especially if it's the kind that stings...

* Watch yourself in the mirror

* Repeat as many of these steps to appreciate what you are experiencing

* [[Television]]