When we meditate, we're creating a situation in which there's a lot of
space. That sounds good but actually it can be unnerving, because when
there's a lot of space you can see very clearly: you've removed your
veils, your shields, your armor, your dark glasses, your earplugs, your
layers of mittens, your heavy boots. Finally you're standing, touching
the earth, feeling the sun on your body, feeling its brightness, hearing
all the noises without anything to dull the sound. You take off your
nose plug, and maybe you're going to smell lovely fresh air or maybe
you're in the middle of a garbage dump. Since meditation has this
quality of bringing you very close to yourself and your experience, you
tend to come up against your edge faster. It's not an edge that wasn't
there before, but because things are so simplified and clear, you see
it, and you see it vividly and clearly.
-Pema Chodron, in /Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Vol. I, #1/
