Search results for: "Feelings"

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  2. Good Eating
     … The real question is, “How am I feeding right now? And do I feel gratification, do I feel real satisfaction in the way I feed? If not, are there better ways to feed?” Those questions are worth asking, and the Buddha has good answers. But the important thing is that you learn how to make those answers your own.
  3. Go in Brightness
     … So you put aside thoughts of sensuality and focus simply on the sensation of the body as you feel it from within right now. Notice how the breath feels as it comes in and goes out. Notice what kind of breathing feels good. This is called using directed thought and evaluation. You direct your thoughts to the breath, then you evaluate the breath. Is … 
  4. To Be Trustworthy
     … The same with your feelings, the same with your mind states: You look at these things just in reference to themselves, and not in reference to the world, and you regard them as tools to do good. Any time the mind wanders out into the world, thinking about the body in the world, your feelings in the world, or your mind in the world … 
  5. Remorse
     … Remorse is not an attitude or a feeling that the Buddha recommended. Because, as he noticed, it weakens you. We usually feel remorse for one of two reasons: One is the childish belief that if you feel bad enough about having done something, then the punishment will be mitigated. And the other, of course, is the feeling that if you don’t feel badly … 
  6. The Path of Mistakes
     … As for the feelings that come up, learn not to identify with them. Just watch them: “Okay, these feelings are results of actions. They, in and of themselves, are not skillful or unskillful, but the way you perceive them and the thoughts you build around them — those can be skillful and unskillful.” So learn how to step back. In this way you use your … 
  7. Stand Your Ground
     … We start with the skills dealing with the breath, the skills in developing mindfulness and concentration, trying to develop a spot in the breath energy in the body where the breath feels good going in, feels good going out. The quality of the breath energy in the body feels good—everything is flowing smoothly. As you get to know the energy in the body … 
  8. Sensitive to Fabrication
     … Notice where you feel the breathing and how it feels. You know consciously that there’s air coming in and out at the nose, but there’s more to the breathing process than that. There’s a flow of energy that goes through the body, expanding the rib cage so that air can come in and go out. The air is not doing the … 
  9. A World Apart
     … Experiment for a bit to see what feels best. If you find something that feels good, stick with it until it doesn’t feel so good any more. Then you can change. And notice where you feel the process of breathing in the body. The energy of the breath in the body exists on many levels. There’s the in-and-out breath. There … 
  10. On the Surface of Things
     … And then, what’s the feeling, the feeling tone? Body and feelings: two different aggregates that we’ve glommed together. Can you see them as separate things—separate notes in the bird song? The same goes for perceptions, thought constructs, acts of consciousness: They’re all happening right here. Our problem is that we tend to be conspiracy theorists. We want to know: What … 
  11. Mindfulness Immersed in the Breath
     … Notice how it feels. Where you feel the sensations of the breath, where you feel the energy coming in, going out of the body, may not be in the places you expect. This is why breath meditation is not simply a rote exercise. It’s a type of exploration: sensitizing yourself to how the breathing process actually feels in the body. Alertness also means … 
  12. Urgency & Contentment
     … The more you can feel at home with the breath—with a sense of ease, a sense of comfort, feeling secure with the breath—the easier it is to stay with the breath for long periods of time. And the longer you stay with it, the more you see. But if you find yourself just lolling around the house, watching the TV, raiding the … 
  13. Radical Questioning
     … It doesn’t have to be a metaphysical view about yourself, but just your general feeling of who you are, what kind of person you are, and what kind of feelings and ideas such a person should have. Well, if the feelings burn, if they cause trouble, cause suffering, you might want to question the underlying assumptions. The Buddha doesn’t have us accept … 
  14. Factors for Awakening
     … When feelings come up, relate them to the breath. How does the breath affect the feelings? How do the feelings affect the way you breathe? For instance, if there’s a pain in your body, do you tend to breathe in a way that walls off the pain so that it doesn’t spread? We often have a sense of the breath spreading but … 
  15. Self-Correct
     … When you breathe in, where do you feel it? Focus your attention there. And be alert to the fact that this may not be where you ordinarily might think you should be feeling the breath. We know the air comes in through the nose, goes down through the throat, into the lungs. But when the Buddha talks about breath, he’s talking about the … 
  16. The Dead Snake Around Your Neck
     … Try to breathe in a way that feels good and nourishing: restful if you’re feeling tense, energizing if you’re feeling tired. Then talk to yourself. That’s what verbal fabrication is. Talk to yourself about how the breath is doing, what you might do to make it better and, when it’s pleasant, what you might do to let that sensation of … 
  17. Fear
     … Can you find wealth, security inside? Can you find strength inside? Because one of the things we’re facing right now is the fact that when people feel threatened, when they feel in a position of weakness, they start do all kinds of evil. And they try everything they can to justify their evil to themselves. That’s usually where most evil comes from … 
  18. The Kindness of Body Contemplation
     … How does the breath feel right now? Where do you feel the breath? Where does the breath flow smoothly? Where does it not flow smoothly? If it’s not flowing smoothly, where are the patterns of tension in the body that get in the way? How can you dissolve them? These are things you can explore right here, right now. But it’s all … 
  19. Good & Independent
     … Try to be with the breath in a way that feels really good, remembering that the breath is not just the air making contact at the nose. It’s the energy that flows through the body that allows the air to come in, the air to go out. Ask yourself: Where do you feel that energy? How does it feel? Does it feel good … 
  20. Strengthening Discernment
     … But that’s not the only place where you feel the breath. In fact, if that’s your perception of what the breath is, it’s important to realize that you can create a lot of tightness, a sense of constriction, lots of uncomfortable feelings in the body, as you try to focus everything on that one spot. Stop to think: When the Buddha … 
  21. Meditators at Work
     … Let the breath, as it’s going out, stop where it feels natural, where it feels good. Don’t squeeze it out any more than that. The same as when the breath comes in: Watch how this feels right now. This is our work, but it’s also a kind of play. You get to play around with the breath energies, play around with … 
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