The idea behind this method is not too dissimilar from the structure found in the 14th century spiritual classic, the Cloud of Unknowing, but conceptually reversed. In “The Cloud of Unknowing”, the anonymous author tells the reader to “continually place a cloud of forgetting between yourself and the creatures or forms of the world, and a cloud of unknowing between you and God.” In short, they’re saying, “let go of all the concepts that tie you to form, and let go of the concepts that you think characterizes emptiness” So that all is left is a naked intent toward the Real.

In this method, we use the image of a body of water, with its restless wind and waves at the surface (representing thoughts, feelings, and emotions) and we continually sink down beneath them. As a body of water is tumultuous at the surface, often it is supremely still at the bottom.

To get an idea of the type of visual image I’m referring to, take a look at the episode cover for this meditation, which is an original piece of artwork called "Anxiety" done by a good friend, Mike Reynolds.

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