Search results for: "The Breath"

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  2. The Skill of Renunciation
     … So when you’re going to focus on the breath, you can focus anywhere in the body. Take a couple of good long deep in-and-out breaths and notice where the sensation of breathing is most prominent, where it’s clearest and easiest to see that now the breath is coming in, now the breath is going out. Focus your attention there—and … 
  3. Talking Among Your Selves
     … So, focus on the breath. Talk to yourself about the breath. How does it feel right now? I noticed that when Ajaan Fuang was teaching his students, he would have them describe how they were feeling the breath. Then he would use their vocabulary to talk to them. There was one guy who had had trouble getting the mind to settle down with the … 
  4. Sort Things Out
     … As soon as you feel another distraction getting ready, what are you going to do? Usually it’s a sign that the breath isn’t as comfortable as it could be or that your attention is getting a little wobbly. So focus on in, deeper into the breath, and think of the breath permeating deeper into the body so that it feels more nourishing … 
  5. Occupy Your Space
     … First, with the breath: Think of the breath as a whole-body process. The Buddha talks about different aspects of the wind element in the body. One is the in-and-out breath. Then there are lots of other breaths in the body, too: the breath energy that goes up, the breath energy that goes down. You can notice this as you breathe in … 
  6. A Good Dish of Concentration
     … You’ve got form, i.e., the breath. Then you’ve got feeling, which are feelings of pleasure, pain, neither pleasure nor pain, that are here in the body. And as the Buddha said, by focusing continually on the breath, you can actually give rise to a feeling of well-being. That’s what we’re trying to create. Now, to focus on the … 
  7. Practice in Dying Well
     … So even though we’re focused on the breath, we’re here at the breath so that we can see our mind. Think of the breath as a mirror for the mind. It keeps you anchored in the present moment. If anything happens in the mind, it’ll show up in the breath. Consider it a way to getting to know your mind better … 
  8. For the Cessation of Dukkha
     … So the big separation line right now is between focusing on the breath and focusing on anything else that’s not related to the breath. Hold on right here. Try to make your sensation of the breath fill the body as much as you can. If you can’t feel the breath in the body or the subtle breath sensations in the body, focus … 
  9. Adjusting the Flame
     … When you breathe in, where do you feel the breath? From what directions does the breath come in? Where does it come in? When the breath sensations come in, do they fight one another or do they flow smoothly together? Look into that. And experiment. See what’s just right for right now. What level of energy does the body have? Often you come … 
  10. Breath Meditation: The Fourth Tetrad
     … You’ve got to deal with the pain effectively or else you won’t be able to stay with the breathing. Or a distraction comes up in the mind. You’ve got to deal with the distraction. You can’t wait until you’re finished dealing with the breath. And that fourth tetrad is also there for you to use. It basically gives you … 
  11. The Forerunner of All Things
     … This is why we’re focused on the breath, because the breath is right near the mind. I’ve heard sometimes people say “What are you going to do when you die? You’ve been focusing on your breath all your whole life, but the breath is going to leave you.” The reason we focus on the breath is not to get the breath … 
  12. The Image of the Raft
    When we meditate, we choose one object to focus on—in this case, the breath. If we’re going to think, we think about the breath. What we’re going to watch is the breath. We gather all these different mental activities around the breath. This is how the mind can become one. Once you’ve chosen the breath as your object, you try … 
  13. Eight Principles
     … the little patches of time times when you can be with the breath, and really study the issues of the breath. Learn to understand what this bodily fabrication is. It has an impact on feelings and, of course, feelings have an impact on the mind. And as you think about the breath and evaluate the breath, you learn about perceptions. All these fabrications—bodily … 
  14. Strength for Your Goodness
     … Think of the breath as surrounding you—because when we talk about the breath, it’s not so much the air coming in and out of the lungs. It’s the feeling of energy flow in the body, and you can feel that anywhere in the body. So notice where it’s most prominent: the sensations that tell you now the breath is coming … 
  15. Remembering Ajaan Lee
     … You were supposed to let the breath do whatever it’s going to do. You were not supposed to manipulate the breath in any way at all. I found myself getting headaches and feeling confined. Reading Ajaan Lee—where he encouraged to play with the breath, experiment with the breath, trying to see which kind of breathing feels best, and then to spread that … 
  16. The Mind’s Eating Disorders
     … What kind of breathing would be good now? Now, you won’t be experiencing just the breathing. There will also be pleasant and unpleasant feelings associated with the breath. So how can you breathe in a way that gives rise to a sense of pleasure? And while you’re dealing with this, you’re going to be noticing how you perceive the breath. What … 
  17. Doing Meditation
     … Right now you’re focusing on the breath. In the beginning, that requires a lot of repeated reminders to yourself: keep focusing on the breath, keep focusing on the breath. But you often find that simply reminding yourself to do that is not enough. More is required. Use your ingenuity in figuring out ways to make the breath more interesting, more comfortable, a more … 
  18. Dhamma in Vinaya
     … You have the intention to stay with the breath. And you’ve got the object, which is the breath. Then there’s your perception. What perceptions are useful? You can perceive the breath as a whole-body process. You can perceive the breath as originating from outside, you can perceive it as originating inside, or as a cocoon of energy around the solid parts … 
  19. A Basis in Well-being
     … You work with the breath to make it comfortable, you want the mind to be comfortable with the breath, you want the mind to be comfortable here in the present moment. That’s your foundation, that’s one of the main factors of the path. It’s when the mind feels at ease in this way that there’s a good sense of well … 
  20. A Home for the Mind
     … The liquid and the breath energy are the good ones to focus on, because they can change. The breath, in particular, has no obstacles. If tighten up the arm, that’s usually the liquid. In other words, the blood gets locked up in some spots and doesn’t flow is easily as through others. But the breath energy always flows, but here again there … 
  21. Taking an Active Role
     … So as you’re working with the breath, remember to think of the breathing as a whole-body process. In Ajaan Lee’s instructions, he has you start with different parts of the body, finding a center, working through the body and then trying to connect everything. The Buddha works the other way around. You maintain a full-body awareness, and then look at … 
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