In meditation, the mind is like the sky, while our thoughts are like clouds. During the practice, we learn to take an attitude of wonder at the number of different kinds of "clouds" that emerge within that wide-open sky!

During Insight Meditation, we allow our mind to become vast - like the sky - generally with the aid of our exhalations.  Some Buddhist teachers call this "mixing the mind with space."  The meditative process involves watching our thoughts, perceptions and emotions arise - miraculously, almost - like clouds in a wide-open sky.  Many people become frustrated with the number of thoughts that enter that sky, as though the practice were designed to make the mind a blank.  However, it is helpful to take different approach, one that uses the thoughts to bring about a sense of intrigue. Here, rather than treating the thoughts as an unwanted nuisance, we instead practice being FASCINATED at the number of different kinds of thoughts - or memories, feelings and perceptions - that arise during any given period of meditation.  In this approach, they become like different kinds of clouds, each with its own unique shape, color and size. Amazingly, we never know what kind of cloud will emerge next!

Photo: Burned tree with clouds above; Fern Lake Burn, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO; December 21, 2012