Things to remember...

1. The underlying goal and purpose of these first six weeks is for you to gain the capacity for using meditation as a tool for recognizing, or being aware of, awareness itself.
2. You are always already aware of whatever "phenomena" or "content" your attention is focused on: thoughts, feelings, sensations or experiences. Meditation allows you to directly experience being aware of the sense of stillness, silence and spaciousness, which is simple awareness without phenomena, without content.
   
3. When you identify with the content of your life (the "normal" way of living), who and what you take yourself to be is dependent on what you are thinking, feeling, sensing or experiencing - all temporary phenomena. During meditation, you just notice the arising and passing away of content with equanimity from the perspective of content-less stillness, silence and spaciousness.
4. From the perspective of being focused in awareness, as you see all content as temporary phenomena that arise and dissipate, you begin to sense, and have confidence in, the solidity and permanence of awareness as your primary identity.
   
5. As we move through this 12-week course, your confidence in the solidity and permanence of awareness as your primary identity will strengthen, as will your capacity to focus in awareness even when you are not in meditation. But for now, just practice the meditation perseveringly with patience, compassion and gentleness for yourself.