I went to a talk at Spirit Rock tonight, and the teacher mentioned that it doesn’t matter so much what the attention is on as long as we are aware of what it’s on.
It reminded me of bi-directional attention, which has been interesting to me since the initial opening.
Attention can be on something within content, within form, an image, a word, sensations, taste, smell and so on.
Attention can also be on awareness itself. It can be on content of experience as awareness itself.
It’s not really bi-directional. I notice I wrote that since that’s how I thought of it back then.
Now, it’s more just a noticing of form, and awareness as – or making up, or constituting – that form. I can feel a sensation. Notice the space within and around it. And notice it all as awareness. And the same with an image. A word. A sound. Taste. Smell.
I can also explore what seems the most as “me” or “I”, and notice that too as sensations, images, perhaps words. Feel the sensations. Look at the images, words. Notice the space within and around it. Rest with it. Notice all as awareness. Rest with it.
This is a form of mindfulness that makes sense of me.