Search results for: "Focus"

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  2. Tending the Flame
     … There’s fire, so ask yourself, “Where in the body is the warmest spot right now?” Focus there and then think of it intensifying and then spreading from that spot, in the same way that the breath energy would spread from the spot where you were focused on it. If things start getting too hot inside the body, then you can think of water … 
  3. Skill
     … You’re going to focus on the breath, and as for any other intention that comes up right now, you don’t need it. And one of the skills you have to learn as you meditate is how to ward off those other intentions. They are going to come. Don’t get upset when they do, just see it as a challenge. Again, it … 
  4. The Burning House
    The Burning House May 4, 2016 We focus on the present moment so that we give the mind a sense of feeling at home here. This is the place where you belong. Now, for most of us, we don’t live here. We live in the past, we live in the future, and come running through the present moment just for a moment, like … 
  5. The Skill of Happiness
     … Is it comfortable? What kind of breathing would be comfortable right now? And you also evaluate your focus: Where’s a good place to focus? You can focus on the tip of the nose, the base of the throat, the middle of the chest, just above the navel—anyplace where you can clearly notice now the breath is coming in, now it’s going … 
  6. There’s Work to Be Done
     … You simply focus on the comfort, ignore the breath, and you blur out. That’s a lack of mindfulness, a lack of alertness, a lack of ardency. Always keep those three qualities uppermost in your mind. These are the things you’re working on right now. Your focus is on the breath, but you’re also trying to bring good qualities of the mind … 
  7. The Brightness of Life
     … We focus on the breath. We focus on thoughts that are nourishing for the mind, because they give us strength. As long as the mind still feels the need to feed and as long as it’s still hungry, let’s give it good healthy food: the healthy food of right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration, right view—all the right factors that we … 
  8. Customs of the Noble Ones
     … You have to want to do it—but you have to learn how to focus your desire properly. If all you can think about is the results, nothing gets done. Nothing gets accomplished. Focus your desire on the causes. You want the mind to settle down and be still, but the cause for stillness is staying with the breath. So focus your desire on … 
  9. Strength of Concentration
     … And what do we talk to ourselves about? The formula says that we should put aside all thoughts of sensuality, all concerns about the sensual pleasures today, sensual pleasures tomorrow, and we’re going to focus on three things. The themes of right concentration are the frames of reference in establishing mindfulness, and the three big frames you’re going to be focused on … 
  10. Seeds of Becoming
     … The Buddha commented on how, in getting to know other people—getting to know their virtue, their resilience, their honesty, their wisdom—you have to focus on the right aspects of their behavior and you have to be observant. That takes a lot of time. Well, the same point applies to your own mind. You have to focus at the right spots, where craving … 
  11. Mindfulness: The Whole Formula
     … how you put things together, how you put names on things, how you come up with thoughts, how you focus on feelings. Sometimes you focus on feelings in a way that makes them worse than they have to be. Or you can blot them out entirely. There’s a lot going on inside, so there’s a lot to see. So you want to … 
  12. Skillful Effort
     … Some people object to the Buddha’s focus on suffering and pain as giving a really negative outlook on life. But he’s not trying to give a total outlook on life, he is trying to focus on where the real problem is, and to give you skills for overcoming suffering. He’s like a doctor. When you go to the doctor and the … 
  13. Food for Consciousness
     … Which ones are you going to focus on? And how are you going to focus on them? What are you going to do with them? Which ones do you want to develop and which ones do you want to just leave aside? You have to choose, and as a meditator you have to choose well, because there are some pleasures that are good for … 
  14. Food for Endurance
     … When you hear the word endurance, it seems to be nothing but pain, and more pain, and more pain, for a long period of time, but the key to true endurance is realizing that you don’t have to focus on the pains. You can focus on the things that are good in the present moment—starting from within. And if within doesn’t … 
  15. Concentration Teamwork
     … What you want to do is get away from the sense of the breath coming in and going out, and focus more and more on the sense of breath energy already in the body, the energy that’s there all the time whether you’re breathing in or breathing out, because that’s going to become more and more the center of your focus … 
  16. The Dhamma Wheel
     … So focus on your breath. As for any other thoughts, put them aside. And to do this, you develop three qualities. One is mindfulness, the ability to keep something in mind. In this case, you’re going to keep in mind the fact that this is where you want to stay. And if you’ve meditated before, you try to remember what lessons you … 
  17. Perceiving the Breath
     … And what does it mean to crush your mind with the mind? It means that you focus down on one spot and you stay there and just blare out every other thought that might come up. You might use the meditation word and repeat it really, really fast, or say, “I’m just going to focus on this one spot. I’m not going … 
  18. Remember This
     … You don’t focus on them; you don’t connect them up; you focus on areas between them, where things are going well. The “going well” here may not be all that impressive to begin with, but if you give it some space, give it some time, it’ll develop. One of the advantages of the kind of mindfulness practice that encourages you to … 
  19. Fabrication Theory
     … You could focus on the breath for a few seconds and then wander off to something else and focus on it for a few more seconds and then wander off again, but it won’t make much difference. The difference comes from sticking with the breath as long as you can. No matter how compelling your thoughts may be, you’re going to stay … 
  20. The Dhamma Eye
     … You’re going to focus on the breath. You want to stay with the breath—that’s the object. Then the range of your body is the world that’s relevant, and you’re going to be the meditator, looking after this. In the beginning, you don’t have to be too self-conscious about this. Just focus on the breath. Make sure the … 
  21. Monotasking
    When we focus on the breath, we’re monotasking. We’ve got one thing to do right now, and that’s to stay with the breath. For those of us who are used to multitasking, we feel at loose ends. It’s as if we’d grown lots of extra hands to take care of our multiple tasks all at once, and now all … 
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