Since all meditation is improvisation, it’s foolhardy to pin Self-inquiry down such that it seems like “a recipe.” It’s not; it’s a spontaneous art.

That said, we can look at this “blackbird” in myriad ways. Here’s one:

1. A thought has arisen. Recognize that this is the case, regardless of the content of the thought.
2. Every thought points back to a localized center. This is a “sense of me” that appears to be “in here” and “existing at this moment in time.” Call this I-sense-ST. In other words, there’s a matrix consisting of an apparently localized center, which appears to be situated at a particular place in time. Specifically, this localized center often appears to be “in the head” or “in the heart.”
3. Inquire: “What is the real center?”
   • Am I localized? Am I limited?
   • I am only right here, not there?
   • Am I right now, not then?
4. In S3, we open up to being, or at least to the possibility of being, Absolute Presence. Be silent and just open.