[Settling into your body. Connecting to the earth below and the sky above.]

Imagine that your dog just woke you up from a deep sleep with loud, sharp barks. [clap! clap! clap!]. Damn it! You were sound asleep and now you are furious. There’s no reason to bark. There’s no threat for miles around. Shit.

You look out the window. The sky is a dark blue. Stars are shining in the pre-dawn light. The trees are an even deeper blue black. It’s freezing cold out. Your meditation cabin isn’t much warmer, the fire burned down to coals over night.

The river outside reflects the sky above. There are bergs of ice being pushed downstream by a winter wind. The water is choppy, like your mind, still angry, still coming to terms with this sudden change from sleep to awake.

Your feet are cold but you know that to warm them up you are going to have to get out from under the covers, get completely naked, then get dressed. You equivocate. You bargain with yourself. You evaluate all the angles. Is there a way to stay in this cocoon? Can you put off the discomfort?

Your vajra wisdom prevails. The reality of the situation is inarguable. You throw off the blankets and feel the air cut your skin.

Just as you predicted, as you knew it would, it actually feels good. Instead of pain, you feel fresh. Your skin tingles like it’s been slapped by the world.

You are strong enough to take this. Embrace this. What you thought would be discomfort actually makes you feel alive.

You step out onto the porch naked as the last star disappears in the rising sun. There’s a light dusting of snow illuminating the grass. Three white swans are gliding swanlike upstream between the ice flows. The river seems calmer, more clear.

Your anger has been swept away by the clarity of the world. You feel alive, capable, sharp and strong like you never have before.

Time to get dressed, get the fire started, make some tea and re-read that madyamika chapter you started last night. You are sure you can understand it now.