Search results for: middle way

  1. Book search result icon Desires for the End of Desire Q & A
     … In Method Two, Ajaan Lee says, “Learn to know the points of focus of the mind that are also the resting spots of the breath, i.e., first the tip of the nose, the middle of the head (by the way, where is the middle of the head?), or the palate, etc.” Would you explain what this means and what we have to do … 
  2. Book search result icon Desires for the End of Desire Q & A
     … And just as the wind can go through the screen because the screen doesn’t try to catch the wind, in the same way just let the sounds go right through you without your trying to catch them.” Q: You said yesterday that the path is admirable in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end, but I am rather trying to develop … 
  3. Book search result icon Desires for the End of Desire Drowsiness, Restlessness, Anxiety, & Doubt
    April 25, 2025, Morning Drowsiness, Restlessness, Anxiety, & Doubt Yesterday morning we discussed strategies for dealing with two of the five hindrances that can get in the way of your concentration: sensual desire and ill will. Today I’d like to discuss strategies for dealing with the remaining three: drowsiness, restlessness and anxiety, and doubt. • First, drowsiness: There’s a story in the Canon where … 
  4. Book search result icon Desires for the End of Desire Q & A
     … The only difference from sitting is that this whole-body awareness should be firmly anchored in one spot of the body that’s relatively immobile, such as the middle of the chest, the middle of the head, or the stomach. That’s because your awareness has to keep going in and out, in and out, as you’re walking so that you don’t … 
  5. Book search result icon Desires for the End of Desire Q & A
     … One intermediate stage, though, would be to focus on breathing in two spots of the body at once, for example, in the middle of the head and the base of the spine. There are some people who find it easier to concentrate if you give them two things to do at once, rather than just one. If that’s the way you are, that … 
  6. Book search result icon Desires for the End of Desire Q & A
     … re going to stay with your object all the way to the other end of the path. If you’re focusing on your breath, try to focus on a part of the body that moves as little as possible in the process of walking—for example, the middle of the chest or the middle of the head. If you’re going to stay with … 
  7. Book search result icon Desires for the End of Desire The Problem of Desires
     … bodily, verbal, and mental. • Bodily fabrication is the way you breathe. • Verbal fabrication is the way you talk to yourself. In technical terms, it’s called directed thought and evaluation. You direct your thoughts to a particular topic, and then you make comments about it, you ask questions, you answer the questions. That’s the evaluation. • Finally, there are mental fabrications, which are perceptions … 
  8. Book search result icon Desires for the End of Desire Introduction
     … As the Buddha said, the path is admirable in the beginning, admirable in the middle, admirable in the end. So it’s a good path to be on even if you don’t get all the way to the end. This is a point we’ll emhasize several times in the course of the retreat. You may decide that the total end of suffering … 
  9. Book search result icon Desires for the End of Desire The Problem of Pain
     … So the key to keeping our minds uninvaded will be to perceive and think about the pain in new ways. Unfortunately, the Buddha doesn’t give us detailed instructions on how to do this. He does, however, note that body, feeling, perceptions, thought constructs, and consciousness are all separate events. That gives us a clue as to how to take apart what seems to … 
  10. Book search result icon Desires for the End of Desire Remembering Ajaan Lee
     … In the middle of the afternoon, they saw an enormous cloud of ocean mosquitoes coming toward shore. So he told everyone to get out of their mosquito nets. As he told them, “I’m going to fight off the mosquitoes with mettā. No holds barred.” And sure enough, after five minutes, the mosquitoes all went away. This attitude, by the way, is very typical … 
  11. Book search result icon Desires for the End of Desire Q & A
     … To get my mind concentrated, I breathe in, making the breath energy come up from the foot all the way to the head in front, all the way up to the head as it’s placed there. And then I make it come back down again when I make the next step. This practice necessitates that I walk very slowly, step by step, synchronizing … 
  12. Book search result icon Desires for the End of Desire Delight in the Dhamma
     … The Dhamma explains these issues not only clearly but also in an honorable way. As the Buddha said, “The path is admirable in the beginning, admirable in the middle, and admirable in the end.” To begin with, the words of the Dhamma are inspiring. The practice is a noble practice, one in which we engage in developing the noble qualities of our hearts and … 
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