Search results for: "Attention"

  1. Page 63
  2. Judging Mindfulness & Concentration
     … Or it’s just not really paying attention. You’re doing things on automatic pilot. You want to catch these things faster and faster so that you can see what’s going on clearly. As the Buddha said, you want to get to the point where you think the thoughts you want to think, and you don’t think the thoughts you don’t … 
  3. Look after the Source
     … And that’s where you should focus your attention: on the good qualities you’re developing, both because they’ll lead to your true happiness, and also because a mind that’s imbued with these good qualities is going to come up with words and actions that are more conducive to well-being all around. Still, the focus has to be in here. You … 
  4. Good for What Purpose?
     … If you don’t pay attention to the pain, it could lead to bigger problems down the line, especially if it’s something internal. But the question is: When you locate the pain, what are you doing? You’re putting together some perceptions, and they may actually make the pain worse. So when you’re sitting here meditating and there’s a pain, say … 
  5. Grounded in the Breath
     … As you give more attention to the breath, you can make it more satisfying. At the same time, you’re developing good qualities of the mind. Mindfulness, ardency, alertness: They’re all right here. As for the qualities needed to put aside greed and distress with reference to the world, the Buddha emphasizes equanimity. As the mind stays with breath and senses satisfaction here … 
  6. The Path of Action
     … It’s because we haven’t been very attentive or because we’ve picked up strange ideas from other people about what causes difficult situations or how to approach them. So all of this requires learning how to step back and question some of your assumptions and to be very, very alert about what you’re doing. When you see that what you’re … 
  7. From Dependence to Independence
     … If we trust that the Buddha knew what he was talking about, we can trust that we can focus all our attention on the simple elements in the pattern that he pointed out: that is, if you do skillful things, if you act on skillful intentions, the results will be good; if you act on unskillful intentions, the results are going to be bad … 
  8. Detail Work
     … Where are they right now? Pay attention to how they feel in that part of the body. Is there any tension or tightness around those bones? Relax it. Then move up to the next joints—relax any tension around them—and then the third joints, the bones of the palms of the hands, the wrists, the forearms, the elbows, the upper arms, the shoulders … 
  9. Shoot Your Pains with Wisdom
     … You were the one who turned your attention there and highlighted it in your awareness. You were the one who tried to make something out of it, tried to shoot it with fancy labels. The fancy labels may seem reassuring, but they’re not the skillful shooting that the Buddha has in mind. He wants you to shoot yourself with the pleasure and bliss … 
  10. Nobody’s Servant
     … But as you pay attention to the details, that’s how your discernment develops. You begin to see subtle things in the body you never noticed before. You realize you’ve got potentials here inside, so that you can become independent. Because the world outside gets swept away, swept away, and as long as we’re trying to hold onto things in the world … 
  11. Healing Skills
     … Give it your full attention, put your whole heart into it, really try to be skillful as you do this. The greater the skill and sensitivity you bring to this process, the greater the healing effect. What you’re doing is taking advantage of the medicine that’s right around you, right here. They tell the story of the Buddha’s own personal doctor … 
  12. Honesty
     … When you pay attention to the causes, you’re going to get the results. So when things aren’t going as well as you’d like them to, turn around and look: “What am I doing?” Over time you’ll begin to see the connection between your actions and your results. This is a very large area of ignorance in our minds. When the … 
  13. A Mirror for the Mind
     … The first jhāna employs directed thought and evaluation, which means that you direct your attention to the issues of the breath, and then you evaluate how it’s going, and in what ways you can make it better. Then, when it does go well, how can you make the most out of that sense of pleasure? Not by wallowing in it, but by allowing … 
  14. Ripples Go Far
     … But then when you see the larger pattern, you understand what’s going on and where to focus your attention. That’s the second knowledge that he gained on the night of his awakening: seeing all beings in the cosmos being reborn in line with their karma. And that’s when he began to focus in on the karma his mind was doing in … 
  15. Refuge in the Dhamma
     … If the student is diligent, pays attention, tries hard to study, then the teacher’s duty is to make sure the student is well taught. Beyond that, as he says, the teacher’s duty is to offer protection in all directions—an interesting idea. What it means, of course, depends on the skill that the teacher imparts as to what that kind of protection … 
  16. Practicing from Gratitude
     … Let your attention settle there, and take that as your guide for what’s going to feel good. Think of the breath as nourishing that part of the body every time you breathe in. If there’s any tension in that part of the body, allow it to dissolve each time you breathe out. If you find that there’s a sense of well … 
  17. Gratification
     … This is something you really ought to pay attention to. You try to draw out the pleasure as much as you can. That’s a type of skill in and of itself, but it doesn’t go very far. It stays totally in the present moment and leaves you no better than you were before. Whereas with the second sort of skill, you’re … 
  18. Inner Civil War
     … In other words, don’t pay attention to it. Some defilements are like the tar traps that they set out for monkeys: Once you touch it, even just to shake it off, you’re caught. So you just don’t touch it. It can be raging, but you don’t have to do anything with it. You’ve got the breath, so you stay … 
  19. Believe in Your Actions
     … You have to ask yourself, “If you don’t do the practice now, if you don’t pay careful attention to this choice right now, when are you going to start being careful? And if you keep on letting things slide this way, aren’t you building up some bad habits that are going to be hard to overcome down the line? And if … 
  20. Duties
     … Allow your attention to settle there. You can change the rhythm of the breath if you like. Try to find a rhythm that feels good. But always try to stay with that sensation of where you feel the breathing. Because when we talk about doing breath meditation, that’s the breath we’re focusing on. It doesn’t have to be the air coming … 
  21. Pleasure & Pain
     … This is one the reasons why learning how to let go of distractions is such an important part of learning meditation—being able to choose your focus, instead of simply allowing whatever comes in with the strongest force to grab your attention. There will be times when the pain is intense, and you’re not ready to deal with it yet: What are you … 
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