I recognize and enjoy three main characteristics of my times of deep concentration. I’m learning to pay attention to this wholesome triad. My best times sitting on my pillow are marked by three jewels that sparkle and glow. They make those moments spent sitting time well spent. The three are like three legs on a sturdy kind of focused attention.
Relaxation is a key element of my concentration. My mind lets go of its usual business and my body settles into a deep, relaxed state. Activity seems to stop in my mind and my body. Everything seems to shut down, but in reality it is becoming totally alive. My mind and body have nothing to do.
Spaciousness replaces my sense of form and containment. I no longer feel the limits of time or space. My mind / body reaches out and experiences no sense of limits. I am aware of nothing in particular, but instead my mind reaches out to everything that exists. I enter a void that is thriving with potential.
Brightness infuses my mind and body. This is more than a visual experience, even though flashes of light often come out of the void. There is a kind of high energy that bursts out of my mind and body. The sense of illumination surrounds me and comes from within me.
If I am having a good day, this triad of relaxation, spaciousness and brightness stays with me for awhile. Sometimes it is a passing experience, and I have to return to my breath to take me back to that same spot. Naturally, it is a triad that I am always glad to visit. Sometimes, I take the triad with me into the meandering moments of my day.