Search results for: "Focusing"

  1. Page 61
  2. A Good Narrative
     … That’s the one aim that’s really worth focusing on. Of course, the young prince had the question, “Is this possible?” Then the fourth vision he had was of a forest ascetic, a wilderness ascetic. “If there’s any lifestyle,” he said to himself, “that could accomplish the deathless, this would be it.” And the feeling he felt when he saw that ascetic … 
  3. The Buddha’s Rules of Order
     … There are times when you need to be focusing on the good things, the things that are pleasant. That’s the right time and place for that. There are other times, of course, when you’ve done something wrong. But here again, noting that you’ve done something wrong has to be done out of compassion because you want to do things right, and … 
  4. A Post-goodness World?
     … those distracting thoughts, or the state of concentration you can develop if you really stuck with the breath? This is one of the reasons why the Buddha recommends you develop the perception of inconstancy before focusing on the breath. Anything that’s going to be less than a reliable happiness: It’s good to see it as inconstant so that you can side with … 
  5. Remarkable Qualities
     … Use your ingenuity to think of different ways of breathing, different ways of focusing. Those principles in the seven basic steps in Ajaan Lee’s guide to meditation are very broad principles that allow a lot of room for variation. There’s nothing to say that you have to breathe in a particular way. You’re encouraged to figure out what kind of breathing … 
  6. Mindfulness: Get with the Program
     … Instead of focusing on the mind-state, you tend to focus on the object. But when you’re with the body in and of itself, then it’s a lot easier to see feelings in and of themselves—in other words, simply as events. Mind-states in and of themselves—simply as events. That way, you can get a handle on them. You can … 
  7. The Thread of Mindfulness
     … Sometimes you hear that mindfulness is a broad, open, easeful acceptance of whatever comes up, whereas concentration is narrower, more focused, effortful—in other words, two things you can’t do at the same time. I was even reading a book on mindfulness saying that basically there are two paths: the path of mindfulness on the one hand and the path of effort and … 
  8. The Buddha’s Encouragement
     … You come out of it wondering, “Was I awake? Was I asleep?” And while you’re in there, you’re not really clear about what you’re focused on. There’s restlessness and anxiety. You can worry about things you did in the past or about things that can happen in the future. Or doubt: You can decide that doubt is reasonable: doubt about … 
  9. Potentials for Rapture
     … The Buddha recommends that if you’re focusing on the breath, and the body doesn’t become comfortable, you can drop the breath for a little while and think about an inspiring theme. It could be the recollection of the Buddha, the Dhamma, or the Sangha—something that you find it uplifting to the mind; something that allows the body to calm down. Then … 
  10. Choosing to Believe in Your Choices
    As you sit here focused on the breath, you’ll sometimes find that the mind is not with the breath. It’s someplace else. And when you notice that, you have a choice. You can either stay with that someplace else and follow whatever the thought is or you can come back to the breath. They’re both here: the thought and the breath … 
  11. The Bright Tunnel
     … People sometimes complain that the Buddha focuses an awful lot on suffering. That’s because he has a cure. If you had a cure for suffering, wouldn’t you want to talk about it too? The people who are afraid to talk about suffering: they’re the ones who don’t have a cure. They always try to cover things up, pretend it’s … 
  12. Fence Me In
     … Like this business of sitting here focusing on your breath. If someone totally unacquainted with Buddhism were to walk in right now, what would they say? “What are these people doing sitting here stock still?” Those who are well-trained in the meditation are sitting here and they’re getting a strong sense of stability inside, a strong sense of ease, and many of … 
  13. Seeing with the Body
     … This is why the Buddha focuses you back on just the suffering in and of itself. Don’t ask who’s doing this. Don’t ask how you’re involved in it. Just ask, “What’s happening here?” Look at things in and of themselves as events, as processes. Start with the breath in and of itself. That’s pretty neutral. And ask yourself … 
  14. Recollecting the Devas
     … You’re supposed to be focusing on your mind. So try to keep your gaze controlled.” He reflected that that was a good instruction, so he gave it a try and found that it helped improve his meditation. This is the important point about how he handled those visions. It wasn’t that he accepted everything he was told. Whatever he saw in the … 
  15. Put the Other Person’s Heart in Yours
     … When there are some things you can’t change, then if you’re focused on the things you can’t change and get frustrated and upset about them, you waste your energy. There are things in the world you can change that you can make better, but you waste your ability to be helpful there if you focus on the things you can’t … 
  16. What’s Real
     … So when you’re sitting here focusing on bodily fabrication, i.e., the breath, and you’re directing your thoughts and evaluating the breath, that’s verbal fabrication. Then there are the perceptions of the breath. How do you perceive the breath? Is it just a little bit of air coming in and out of the nose? How about thinking of the body as … 
  17. Noble Treasures
     … Compunction, which goes along with shame, basically focuses on the results of the actions. You realize, “I can’t be apathetic. I care about the results of my actions. I want to make sure I don’t do any harm.” Then there’s learning, here meaning the knowledge of the Dhamma you get from listening to Dhamma talks and from reading. You might try … 
  18. Equanimity & More
     … That gets you focused.
  19. Fear of Death
     … This is why the Buddha focuses so much attention on the issue of death. The first reason is to remind you that there’s a lot of work to be done before you go, so that you become more and more heedful about how you spend your time, because you don’t know when it’s going to happen. It’s not the case … 
  20. Cut Through the Narratives
     … Instead of focusing on what they mean to you, he says to focus on what they do to you. Certain pleasures, when you pursue them, just don’t happen. Some do. The pleasure comes and you pursue it. Sometimes pains come and you pursue them. But what happens to the mind when you focus on these things, when you hang around with them, identify … 
  21. Dangers Outside & In
     … And start your goodwill there, focused on them. We’re often told to start goodwill with yourself, then go to people you like, and then people you’re neutral about, and then people you don’t like. But in a case like that, you may not have any time. So, goodwill for the bandits and then for the whole cosmos. Because even if they … 
  22. Load next page...