In our practice it is important to develop a big wide view of things. In fact as soon as we lie down for practice, we open our awareness infinitely in all directions–below, above and all around. This actually is an old yogic technique used to recognize the spaciousness of the mind and heart. “Visualize oneself in the form of a vast sky, unlimited in all directions” guides the Shiva Tantra, The Wisdom of Shiva (Vijnana Bhairava). In meditation, it is best to realize Big Sky Mind (and by extension Big Sky Heart). This is because the nature of mind most closely resembles space. It is a thing that cannot be divided into parts, measured by a machine, or seen with the naked eye. To have Big Sky Mind is to be an open vessel so that the things of the world flow through you. Take time each day to rest in spaciousness, openness, no-thingness. Then let the texture, the feel, the embodiment of that space remain with you throughout your day. Like John Cage once said, “Every something is an echo of nothing.” As a composer, he was of course thinking of silence relative to sound. So spend time in both space and silence. Lots of time. As much time as you can find in a day.
The mind is typically narrow, smug and self centered. So to embody an altruistic presence, a compassionate presence, you have to make your mind/heart generous and kind. This practice is akin to putting your camera on panorama mode to capture a wide view. “Pano mind” and “pano heart” help loosen the grip of the sticky and clingy ego. Big view is a like a landscape ink drawing from the Tang dynasty where two-thirds of the scroll is devoted to space, sky and rugged mountain while a speck of a figure—a farmer– is depicted on the mountain path. In the presence of Big Sky Mind we are made to feel small. Whatever hubris the heart may harbor vanishes.
Mind generally turns outward via its five senses. But in Big Sky Mind, all the senses release their grasp and you rest in the ground of empty awareness. Then, like being in a sensory deprivation tank, like deep sleep, like the pause between in-breath and out-breath, your body and mind blend  into undivided space.
