Finding the space between thoughts
There is no identification with form or self, in the space between thoughts.
The way I work is to take a phrase like the one above and start drawing. For me, thoughts are all about time. They are based either in the past or the future. We may think we are thinking of the present moment, but the second our mind takes a snapshot of the present moment and coverts it into thought, it's now of the past. To be present, is to let our thoughts subside and just be. So the drawing starts with a representation of thoughts and time, personified by two figures (past and future). I chose figures because we identify as a separate self, which is a creation of our thoughts. As I start working the drawing starts to talk back and present new ideas and more depth to the subject. I notice the space between the figures (or thoughts) connects with everything else and is essential in enabling us to exist. Without the space, we would not have the outline of the figures. This reminded me of the connection one feels when we unexpectedly encounter wildlife. That moment when time and thoughts fade and a feeling of oneness replaces them. It is as if we enter that space and become that universal and formless presence.
The quiet mind is the point of connection. With thoughts there is duality such as past and future, knowledge and ignorance, while in the stillness between thoughts, there is total unity. There is no identification with form in the space, leading me to ideas about 'no self'. The patterns I used in that space where the two figures overlap, is taken from a tomb. For me, a tomb is the ultimate expression of the space between thoughts, the space between death and rebirth, the impermanence that unites us all. We can experience that stillness and formless state if we calm our thoughts. If we do, we experience death and the formless dimension of pure awareness.
"Pay attention to the gap - the gap between two thoughts, the brief, silent space between words in a conversation, between the notes of a piano or flute, or the gap between the in-breath and the out-breath. When you pay attention to those gaps, awareness of 'something' becomes - just awareness. The formless dimension of pure conciousness arises from within you and replaces identification with form." Eckhart Tolle
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