Dear Steve,
Now that I pause to reflect on it, and having read randomly on bodhisattva teachings, I want to balance my earlier comments with an acknowledgment.
It is perhaps worth a try, to practice meditation as an intentional practice in itself, to rediscover the clarity of being, and explore the potential of just sitting.
So I will try this for some time, seeing if I can hold a visualization of one or more of the symbols for any length of clock time.
I am told the Buddha said something like, "don't take my word for it, try the practices for yourself, and if they work for you, fine, if not, try something else". But "try" in this context means to give it a fair chance.
Although I stand by my comments conceptually about meditation, I'm also aware of the child's dynamic of saying I "can't" do that. When I started doing chinups after a 20-year hiatus in exercise, my arms couldn't accomplish much, either. How is the mind any different?
So, this is intriguing, I will take it up in the spirit of experiment and exploration. Someone remind me to report back in a week or two?
I'm drawn to try the master symbol first. For Level Twos, of course, any one of the symbols may do, though I suspect the power symbol will be the easier place to start. For Level Ones, maybe a picture of Dr. Usui (or Hayashi, or Takata). That's if anyone else wants to try it.
OK, and thank you for igniting the debate, Steve! This will be fun.
Blessings,
Aronaya
