… So staying in touch with the breath is an excellent way of getting yourself in touch with what’s going on with the mind.
At the same time, being in touch with the breath is the best way of staying in touch with how the body’s faring. If, when you’re eating, you stay in touch with the breath, you get a better …
… But the question is, where
does the teaching actually make a difference? Where does it really
help? Probably the most useful formulation of emptiness is one of the
earliest ones, where the Buddha talks about emptiness being a way of
perceiving in which you don’t add to or take anything away from what’s
really right here, right now.
We spend most of …
… Part of the middle way that he ultimately formulated was the set of principles expressed in MN 101:
You don’t load yourself down unnecessarily with pain.
You don’t reject pleasures that are in accord with the Dhamma.
You’re careful not to be infatuated with those pleasures.
But you’re willing to endure pain when you find that pursuing even seemingly innocent …
… My father accompanied me as far as the middle of a field. There, when we had said our goodbyes, we parted ways.
That day I walked, passing the town of Muang Saam Sib, all the way to Ubon. On my arrival, I was told that Ajaan Mun was staying at the village of Kut Laad, a little over ten kilometers outside the city. Again …
… I want my feelings to be like that,” and expect them to be that way.
Simply telling them to do things doesn’t necessarily make them do it.
You can tell the body not to grow old, but it doesn’t listen to you.
If you gain a sense of peace in the concentration and you say, “I want
this to last. I don …
… But the Buddha
pointed out that neither way succeeds in finding true happiness.
He said the true path was a middle way between these two extremes,
starting with right view, all way through right concentration. Then he
explained right view in terms of four noble truths: suffering, its
cause, its cessation, and the path to its cessation. His teaching was
like a doctor’s …
… down around the navel, the tip of
the breastbone, the base of the throat, or right in the middle of the
head at the palate.
When the breath energy starts spreading in your body as the air starts
coming in, where does the energy in the body start? And does it feel
okay? Does it feel like it has to battle its way through …
… Years back there was a movie called The Devils, about a priest and a nun in the Middle Ages. In the first scene, the nun’s walking around with her head off to one side at a 90-degree angle because she’s so warped from not having given herself over to natural desires. You could tell where the movie was going, so I …
… See what different kinds of breathing there are, and which
ways of breathing have the best effect on the body, best effect on the
mind. This gives you something to explore, something to get interested
in, something to get intrigued about. Something as simple as the
breath can have such an impact on your health, your body, the mood of
the mind. And as …
… It’s a good way to get out of your head and down into the body. Give yourself a good comfortable place to stay and be aware of the breath coming in, aware of the breath going out. Notice how the breathing feels in different parts of the body, because the breathing is a whole-body process. If it’s not a whole-body …
… I’d be embarrassed to die
in the middle of this thought or this concern or this worry,
whatever.” It helps you step outside.
Then you can develop the alternative potentials. You can breathe in a
soothing way. You can remind yourself of topics that calm you down.
And those potentials are always there. That’s what you’ve got to
remember. We tend …
… You’ve got to see how it performs, because you can describe the world in all kinds of ways, but which description is going to be best at giving rise to dispassion? There’s that sutta where a group of monks are going abroad to a part of India that wasn’t in the Middle Country in India and before they go, the Buddha …
… for the protection of those within and to ward off those without; in the same way, the disciple of the noble ones has heard much, has retained what he has heard, has stored what he has heard. Whatever teachings are admirable in the beginning, admirable in the middle, admirable in the end, that—in their meaning & expression—proclaim the holy life that is entirely …
… This is important, too, because the way we make
our livelihood tends to blind us to the harm that we’re causing. If,
in order to feed, we need to do this or do that that’s harming someone
else, we usually find ways to justify the harm. In that way, we create
a lot of bad karma along with a huge patch of …
… So spreading thoughts of unlimited goodwill help in this direction is a way of preparing you to settle down with the breath. Then actually being with the breath is a very good way of showing goodwill for yourself right now. There’s enough suffering in life. You don’t have to compound it by breathing in a way that’s harsh, uncomfortable, or unhealthy …
… It’s simply showing two
different ways you can get the mind to be mindful and* *concentrated.
So if you find yourself having trouble settling down, remember these
two ways of doing it: thinking in ways that will get you more
interested in the present moment, and thinking in ways that can get
you uninterested in anything that would pull you away from the …
… You’re strict in your observance of the precepts but, at the
same time, you observe them in such a way that you don’t grasp at
them. In other words, you don’t develop any pride around them. And you
practice them in a way that’s conducive to concentration. This
requires skill, because a lot of people, when they’re strict about …
… Work your way up
through the torso, the neck, the head. Then with the arms, start with
the fingers, up the arms to the shoulders. See if your mind is willing
to settle down with the sensation of the body as it relaxes here into
the present moment. If it is, fine.
If it’s not willing to settle down, you have to ask …
… This is a path that’s good in the beginning, good in the
middle, and good in the end—good all the way through. As for yourself,
remember that you’re not stuck with any particular innate nature. If
you find yourself thinking any petty or unwise or selfish thoughts,
that’s not necessarily your nature. Those are just habits you’ve
picked up …
… You’d start with a powder and then mix it with water, kneading
the water through the powder in the same way you’d you knead water
through dough for bread. In the same way, as you meditate, you get a
sense of ease from staying focused on the breath and then you knead it
through the body.
So you have to figure out …
Sensitize Yourself | ePublished Dhamma Talks : Volume I
… So staying in touch with the breath is an excellent way of getting yourself in touch with what’s going on with the mind. At the same time, being in touch with the breath is the best way of staying in touch with how the body’s faring. If, when you’re eating, you stay in touch with the breath, you get a better …
AN 7:63 Nagara Sutta | The Fortress
… for the protection of those within and to ward off those without; in the same way, the disciple of the noble ones has heard much, has retained what he has heard, has stored what he has heard. Whatever teachings are admirable in the beginning, admirable in the middle, admirable in the end, that—in their meaning & expression—proclaim the holy life that is entirely …
