I made two daily time commitments for this month of silence. The first was to make the short outdoor hike to the meditation hall for a sunrise fire. The second commitment was to repeat this process at sunset. Morning and evening, sunrise and sunset, fire and meditation; this was the rhythm that contained and created the daily structure of my time in silence.
Out of silence, I now ask, “What frames the rhythm of my day and what possibility does it give rise to?” I could easily begin my day with a cup of coffee and end it with a glass of wine. And although I enjoy both of these drinks, I have to ask what kind of rhythm and mentality does that create for my day?
Here at home I don’t have a meditation hall to hike to and build a fire. What will I choose in its place?