All true, Neo, but what I was really meaning was an absolute stilling of the mind. I don't think we can do that with any stimuli, including a cat, lover, nature, etc. We humans are so geared to be aware and react that to just sit our arse down and close down the mind, all thought, is usually pretty difficult. Once we've gotten there, the stimulus of a cat or touch of a lover may not disturb, but until then, they can be a distraction from that stillness of absolutes. Even when we think we are still with the examples cited, there is still that stimuli of how to react to the cat's purrs, the lover's touch, the path of the canoe, etc. Our bodies are still on "alert" mode, thus we are not *giving* up to whatever force we might believe in to allow whatever healing or calming we are striving for to happen. BY becoming totally thought-less, we are allowing that greater Force a presence in our body for mending without physiological hindrance.

My Opinion Only - To Each Her/His Own,

katSW