Theos-Talk Archives (April 1996 Message tl00951)

A post to medit-l was supposed to be forwarded to this list,
which would have answered Doss's question about my own recent
new thoughts, feelings, etc.  Something went awry, so here's th
gist:

This Saturday I went kayaking in the Chesapeake Bay for the
first time (tried once years ago but it was too rough).  Even
though the winds were up to 20 knots, since they were from
shore the seas remained calm-- 1-2 feet.  I was in Norfolk's
Ocean View section, within sight of the meeting point of the
bay and the Atlantic Ocean.  It was an exciting new experience,
after years of paddling, to be out in a body of water that
filled the horizon, from which one could go all the way to
Europe or Africa, gently rocking and rolling on the swells.
There was something liberating about being able to lie back,
stop paddling, and just bounce around relaxed.

After playing in the bay for 45 minutes or so, I came back in
and drove a few blocks to a friend's house where I was supposed
to meet him and another friend to go out to dinner.  Neither of
them was there yet so I ended up sitting on the porch for 20
minutes waiting.  Or rather, bouncing on the porch-- for the
rocking of the bay continued to reverberate within my body for
the whole time, especially when I closed my eyes.

This sensation of still bouncing after coming out of the water
was familiar because after ocean swimming, one feels this while
lying on the sand.  But the bouncing on the surface felt in a
kayak apparently does more to one's inner ear than swimming
does, since the post-bouncing sensation was very intense.  This
is related somehow to the way one sees red afterimages after
staring at a green object and then looking at something white.
But it also was remarkably similar in some ways to my recent
meditation practice, which involves a transition from *hearing*
the shabd or "audible sound current" or Voice of the Silence,
to *feeling* it-- translating sound into tactile sensation,
which is like *riding* or *surfing* the "sound."  Conclusion:
the inner ear is very significant to meditative practice, at
least of the type I have been pursuing.  Implication: keep
observing the "flowing current" physical sensations of
meditation in relation to those felt during kayaking, seeking
for the connections both physically, psychologically and
spiritually.