The impulse arose to write this post during practice. I have learned to trust my inner guidance, so here it is. Plus people have said to post more, I hope this is useful.

I have been doing exercises relating to questioning the mind and the silence that arises before thought. What is knowing? It is the same as not knowing. The mind wants to know, but that is merely a conditioned impulse. I have a personal history as a planner, but perhaps that's also only an illusion :)

Upon contemplating wonder and what arises before thought, the sensations moved into the body. I felt waves of light emanate from me, and inexplicable happiness. Reality seemed to thin, everything was lighter. There was a sense that all was well - not just for me, but everything, everywhere.

I am realizing that there is a lot of "cycling" in practice - the same things keep happening but on deeper levels. Insights from decades ago arise and sharpen. There are less words, less thoughts, more awareness. (there are some similarities to the MCTB, but though the Maps of Insight are detailed and probably accurate, I prefer to focus on practice and less on conceptual models.)

The knowledge and thought arises that everything is like a stream...consciousness, thought, action, it appears and fades. There is no stopping. All of creation is an endless dance, and the self is lost in it as it remembers what was before birth.

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