Aloha,
SMALL UNIVERSE
Learning Strategies only sells the small universe CD as a part of the level II course.
REVOLUTIONS
A regular CD holds around 65 minutes of music, and that is more than likely what dictated the
amount of revolutions, otherwise I'd think he'd have liked to have rounded it to 36 revolutions, or 48...
FORM OR FREE FORM
Master Lin would say that the whole point is to be in the emptiness. When your there, you'll know what to do.
LOTUS FIRST?
Good, better, best. Extending one's time in meditation is good. Since the full lotus allows one to stay in the emptiness the longest and
opens up the channels in the lower spine, it would be most beneficial for their meditations to be in that position. It is however, not
required in order to receive
benefits from increased time in meditation. I started with doing the half hour meditations from level I in the full lotus for a while then
upped it to the hour+ meditations in levels II, III and IV. Being in the full lotus while reading or watching a movie helped, and yet it
was the time spent in meditation that resulted in the biggest shifts. You may also notice that a certain leg on top (see earlier post for
significance), may be easier for you than the other. I worked with the easier one until I got it comfortably to an hour and beyond, then
switched over to the more
challenging one. It was like starting over, and similar to when one gets past their mental blocks during fasting, working with the other
leg on top was less of a struggle than the first time. Do the leg and knee stretches he recommends in the level II manual. Last night at a
friend's meditation group, I was prompted to do my meditation in the Japanese sitting style (feet and kidney channels). I had to smile
as I went right to the response I was going to submit to your post, since it's a difficult posture for me that I haven't revisited since
starting on the lotus. As with my above response, I started with a half an hour -and yes, it was like starting with the full lotus all over
again. Next time...45 minutes or more if prompted.
I'm going to be at a retreat this weekend and if I feel prompted for more clarification, I'll ask Master Lin.
Much Love,
Shawn Grim