Reading Highlight

Quiet yourself and focus on the forms in front of you. Listen to what the mind says about each form. The mind likely knows what each object is, perhaps its history, whether its appearance is pleasant or unpleasant, and its shape and color. This is form or object consciousness. Now relax your eyes and do not focus specifically on any object. Sense the alive space within which each form appears. Let the alive space surround and hold the objects of sight. If you have relaxed sufficiently you may sense that space encompasses a sense of aliveness, something fuller and richer than the mere sight of an object. This is formless awareness. Though the formless cannot be experienced, it can be sensed. Learn to differentiate between form and the formless.