Search results for: "Perception"

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  2. Not-self in Context
     … So you learn how to use these perceptions when they’re appropriate. Ultimately, when you let go of everything, you let go of even the perceptions of self and not-self. But in the meantime, as long as you’re on the path you learn how to use them well. So remember the path comes first, and passion for the path comes first. Don … 
  3. Meditate Because You Have To
     … feelings and perceptions. The perceptions here are the perceptions you hold in mind to stay with the breath, your images of what the breathing is like. When you breathe in, where does the breath energy comes in? Where doesn’t it come in? You can play with that to see how the perception of the breath alters the way you breathe and then you … 
  4. Developing the Path
     … One is being true in your perceptions. In other words, there are rules that really depend on how truly you perceive the object, how truly you perceive the situation. That will determine how serious the offense is if you break the rule or come close to breaking it. So you really have to be careful about how you perceive things. Then there’s the … 
  5. Friends with Pain
     … It helps break up the perception of pain as a solid thing that’s occupied, say, your knee or your arm or whatever. You begin to see that it’s a lot more porous than you thought. The perception that made it seem so solid, you begin to see, is a construct. That’s when you can really look into the pain and go … 
  6. The Patience of a Hunter
     … the issue of perception, the perception that adds unnecessary stress, unnecessary suffering— the perception by which you understand things and the understanding that could be perfectly okay as far as daily life goes, but when you’re sitting here trying to be aware of the body and the mind right now, the perception may be part of the problem, part of the stress that … 
  7. Nobody’s Servant
     … Even the three perceptions—the perceptions of inconstancy, stress, not-self— don’t apply to what’s unfabricated. The unfabricated lies beyond self and not-self. We use those perceptions to test anything that’s possibly a source of happiness, to check and see, “Is this the real thing?” If it’s inconstant, No. Stressful? No. If you see that anything is inconstant and … 
  8. The Path Has a Goal
     … One was the dimension of nothingness; the other was the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. Yet the Buddha realized that neither of these attainments was the goal for which he was looking. So he left those teachers and went off to try to find another path of practice that would take him to his goal: the deathless, a happiness that was free … 
  9. Right Next to Ignorance
     … And then you’ve got feelings and perceptions—mental fabrication. This is one of the reasons why we focus on the breath, thinking about the processes of how the breath is fabricated, and thinking about directed thought and evaluation and the perceptions we bring to the breath, because our ignorance is right next to these things. It’s conditioning these things. You might say … 
  10. Weathering Karma Storms
     … And finally, perceptions—the perception that “yes, this is past bad karma coming in” is a really useful one. It takes you off the hook right now. It reminds you that the important thing for you right now is to find a safe place to hang out—maybe just a small part of your awareness. The thoughts that have invaded and are remaining in … 
  11. A Divine Seat
     … Then there are perceptions and feelings, which are mental fabrications. Perceptions are the mental images you hold in mind, like the image of the breath energy going down the spine, or the image of the breath coming up through the soles of the feet or filling the chest, bathing the body. Think of the breath as being all around you. We do have this … 
  12. Negotiating with Death
     … There are your perceptions—on the one hand, perceiving what kind of hunger you’ve got: are you hungry for salt, hungry for sugar, hungry for water? Hungry for something light, something heavier? And then your perceptions also identify mental hungers. What does the mind feel the need for right now? There are also the perceptions of what would satisfy your particular hunger. As … 
  13. The Steps of Breath Meditation
     … Once the awareness separates out, you can begin directly manipulating the factors of the mind, the feelings and perceptions that shape your awareness. You can watch them as they do this, for now the breath is out of the way. It’s like tuning-in to a radio station: As long as there’s static, as long as you aren’t precisely tuned-in … 
  14. Disenchantment
     … Mental fabrication is feeling and perception. These are the basic elements the Buddha has us focus on as we concentrate. First, of course, we learn how to dress them up in a new way. In other words, bring the directed thought and evaluation to the breath, to create feelings of comfort. You use your perceptions to maintain that sense of comfort. So these elements … 
  15. There’s Work to Be Done
     … where you can fight against the perception of inconstancy by creating a sense of constant well-being and a constant focus; how you can fight against the perception of dukkha, stress, pain, by creating a sense of well-being, and allowing it to spread throughout the body. And you’re fighting against the perception of not-self. You ask yourself, “Well, what can I … 
  16. A Frame for the Day
     … As for mental fabrications, those are perceptions and feelings. Start with the perception of which of your belongings are valuable, and which ones not. You’ve got to hold those perceptions in mind. That way, whatever happens, you’re not going to lose your virtue, and if there’s anything you have to sacrifice in order to maintain your virtue—any wealth, or status … 
  17. The Spider on the Web
     … On that stirring, you slap a perception that this is a thought about x, and then you decide whether to run with it or not, where to take it. In that moment of slapping the perception on: What’s behind that, what’s making that choice? It can be pretty arbitrary. After all, prior to that, it was just a little stirring of energy … 
  18. Hold on to Your Frame of Reference
     … changing the way you breathe, changing the focus, changing your perception of the breath. This perception that you hold in mind is essential to the mindfulness practice—to perceive the breath not just as air coming in and out through the nose, but as the whole range of energy flow in the body. Some people find it easy to tap into that energy flow … 
  19. All-around Knowing
     … That helps to change your perception of breath and get it more in line with a perception that will actually help comfortable breath energies to flow throughout the body, to saturate every cell, every nerve end. You need the right perception in order for this to work. Then you move up to the middle of the chest, the base of the throat, the middle … 
  20. Sense Restraint
     … Those three perceptions don’t cover everything. They apply to everything but they don’t encompass the total nature of things. No perception can. So you have to ask yourself, when you’re applying a perception to something, what is your purpose in applying it? After all, that’s what perceptions are—they’re representations of something that we use for certain purposes. If … 
  21. Everything You Need
     … The same with holding onto your feelings, holding on to your perceptions, your thoughts, your awareness: You hold on because they’re going to be helpful. But just because they were helpful yesterday doesn’t mean they’re going to be helpful today. And you have the choice of saying, “No,” today. That’s where you bring in the perception of not-self. So … 
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