Search results for: "Focus"

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  2. Varieties of Mindfulness
     … So that’s where we focus our attention. That’s what we should keep in mind. This is called dhammanussati, keeping the Dhamma in mind. This is why the Buddha has us listen to the Dhamma, read the Dhamma, because the Dhamma contains all sorts of useful and encouraging ideas. For instance, there’s the passage where the Buddha is talking to his son … 
  3. In Alignment
     … And you have to be careful not to focus on them. As I was saying today, it’s like a sign on the side of a road. It says, “Now entering Valley Center.” But you don’t drive on the sign. You keep on the road. You notice that the sign is there, but you don’t focus on it. The same holds true … 
  4. Effective Self-Discipline
     … You realize that if you want results, you have to focus your energy on the causes. You have to focus your attention on them and get them right. Right now the causes are being mindful of the breath, being alert to the breath, and being ardent as you stick with the breath. Those are the issues you focus on. Sometimes it seems paradoxical. On … 
  5. Goodwill Is Respect
     … by the way you breathe, by the way you talk to yourself, by the perceptions you hold in mind, and the feelings you focus on. Be careful as you focus on the feelings, because if you generate a feeling of ease and then leave the breath and just focus on the ease, that’s going to last for a little while and then start … 
  6. Is the Buddha’s Wisdom Selfish?
     … You might ask, “This focus on your happiness and your suffering: Isn’t this selfish? Isn’t this a small goal compared to larger goals you can think of, such as working for the good of other beings?” Well, not according to the Buddha’s analysis of what suffering is and how happiness is found. Because one of the answers to the question, “What … 
  7. Your Duty Lies Right Here
     … When the Buddha talked about gaining penetrating insight into arising and passing away, the *penetrating *there is the word you have to focus on. When you penetrate into these things, you realize what kind of causes they come from, what they lead to—and again, whether they’re skillful or not. You also realize what should be done if they’re skillful, and what … 
  8. The Buddha’s Letter
     … And you can choose which of those to focus on. For example, when there’s intense pain, you focus on the body. Remember: The body’s one thing, the feeling is something else. Your awareness is something else. They can occupy the same place right here, but when you can see that they’re separate right here, that’s your protection. You tune into … 
  9. Skilled in Aims
     … You focus the mind on a pleasure that has nothing to do with sensuality. In fact, it’s when the mind gets past sensual thoughts, secluded from sensual thoughts and secluded from all types of unskillful dhammas—unskillful qualities from wrong view all the way up through wrong mindfulness—that you lift the level of your mind. You give it a good foundation inside … 
  10. Messaging Your Mind
     … One is to focus on the sensation of breathing in and of itself. In other words, you’re not going to think about the breath in relationship to anything else at all, just the breath feels as it comes in, how it feels as it goes out. The second activity is to put aside any interest in the world outside. No matter how wonderful … 
  11. At Home in Your Own Skin
     … This is why you focus on the breath, because the breath, of all the different elements and properties in the body, is the one that’s closest to the mind. And it’s the one you can use to adjust all the other properties so that you feel at home. Adjusting the breath is like knowing how to run a thermostat in your home … 
  12. All-around Knowing
     … So you start right around the navel and focus on that section of the abdomen as the whole area you’re going to work with. Pay attention there and notice how the breathing feels there. If there’s any tension or tightness in that part of the body, allow it to relax, because the tension is what blocks the breath energy. When you work … 
  13. Body Contemplation Is Compassionate
     … So you learn how to focus on those. And here again, perceptions and intentions are going to play a huge role when you pass away. You want to be able to question your perceptions, question your intentions, and not just run with whatever comes through the mind. So these contemplations are really valuable. They give you alternative themes to focus on when the breath … 
  14. Strong Through Admirable Friendship
     … So that’s what you want to focus on. That’s where your time is best invested. Of the different strengths of the mind, strength of persistence is one of the most important. When you believe that what the Buddha taught was true, then you want to carry it through. You don’t just sit there believing. You act on that belief—and it … 
  15. The Mirror Inside
     … You give them focus—you focus on your actions. This has to do with not only actions of the body, but also actions of speech and actions of the mind. Like right now as we’re meditating, we’re engaged in actions of the mind, and you want to observe these, too: What are you doing right now? When the Buddha talks about developing … 
  16. Happy to Be Here
     … Where it feels good to focus your attention. You’ve got lots of choices, so explore them. There’s nobody hovering over you to tell you that you have to breathe like this or focus like that. You’re free to explore. That fact, in and of itself, can make the meditation really pleasant. Something you enjoy doing. Then the more you enjoy being … 
  17. Brahmaviharas at the Breath
     … If there are pains in your knees, pains in your hips, you don’t make that the focus of your attention. You focus on the parts that are comfortable. You remind yourself, after all, that those knees and those hips are not really yours. You have the choice as to whether or not you want to lay claim to the pain in those knees … 
  18. It’s Good to Talk to Yourself
     … So when we sit down to focus on the breath, we get frustrated when we see that the mind is still talking to itself about the breath. Then it wanders off and talks to itself about something else. Then it comes back and talks about the breath. It’s important to realize that talking to yourself is a necessary part of getting the mind … 
  19. Fires of the Mind
     … Just make up your mind, “Okay, what I did in the past is past; what we’re going to focus on now is the present moment.” On the one hand, there is this negative meaning to fire in the mind. But there’s also a positive kind of fire. It corresponds to the different words they have for burning in Pali. A lot of … 
  20. Being Your Own Teacher
     … See how long you can stay with the breath and not lose your focus. If you do lose your focus, see how quickly you can come back. And learn which of these exercises the mind enjoys the most so that when one of them starts getting dry and the practice as a whole starts getting dry, you can switch to the exercises you enjoy … 
  21. Conditions for Concentration
     … Ajaan Suwat would talk about bringing an attitude of confidence, glad that you’re here, inspired by the fact that you have time to focus on your mind and do some inner work that’s unrelated to the drudgery of the world. You can lift your mind above its ordinary concerns. Ajaan Lee, when he talks about settling down in concentration, has one point … 
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