Whether in a town or a forest, low in a valley or high on a hill,
delightful is the dwelling place
of one fully set free.
Dhammapada 98
Traditionally, we have images of the Buddha in the four postures of sitting, standing, walking and lying down. We can view these images as reminders that our spiritual practice is not relative to where we are or what we are doing: everywhere and everything are part of practice. Awakened beings experience everywhere and everything as freedom from limitation, because their consciousness is liberated from all clinging. The experience of unawakened beings, on the other hand, is consistently characterised by feelings of limitation. It is not because of where we are or what we are doing that we feel limited, but because of what we impose on experience. Realising this leads to letting go. Hence the Buddha's encouragement of the cultivation of all-round mindfulness.
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