I have been trying to practise Threefold time while travelling across Syria.
I find that in travelling I am much more able to step outside the ‘normal ‘ thoughts of daily life. More than at any other time, my thought processes are likely to remain in the present – observing a different culture from the bus window, from the park bench, as I walk in the street, observing unfamiliar scenery, cultural sites, there is much greater tendency to rest in the present. Even here, of course, memories of previous similar experiences are linked in to draw comparisons, and ineviably there are also still some thoughts of planned future activity. However, the ‘present orientation’ that I feel when travelling is incredibly liberating, to some extent removing thought patterns from those of the ego self. In this way, practising here is a lot easier than when in the thick of daily living at home.
In this context, I have been reflecting on the comment in Exercise 19 – “You may be able to see a past and future tinge to all your present lived moments”. As I mentioned above, there is still some tinge of this within those more open observations brought about when stepping outside one’s habitual round of activity, such as when travelling, but in pure open observation at times one seems even to escape this tinge altogether.
I was also intereste in Rinpoche’s comments in TSK chapter 7 about the use of TSK vision in meditation al practice. Certainly I very much find that using a TSK perspective when meditating leads to a deepening of the experience. Other members of our group have expressed similar expereinces,which is why we find it so valuable to blend our yoga meditation and TSK practices.
Gaynor