From Piya Tan
SD 1 -- The Book is now available: http://dharmafarer.org/wordpress/?page_id=526
The truth is in how you
breathe
A voice that often bugs me as I complete each
reflection is whether it is another splash in the play-pool of
clever words. To write with feeling is clearly harder than to write
what we think. The two are clearly different as our experience of
the Buddha’s Buddhism deepens.
The sweetest taste that Buddhism promises us is that of spiritual
freedom. But if our tongue is still busy with another mouthful, let
us at least find a proper spoon to taste the Dharma meal with when
it comes. And what a breath-taking meal this will be. Here is how
we prepare ourselves for life’s true feast.
(1) Watching the present
moment
We begin breath meditation by simply “letting
it come, letting it go.” The most popular opening gambit
involves watching the breath, that is, breath meditation [Note 1].
As we watch the breath (that is, keeping our mind on the
awareness of the breathing process), some physical discomfort
may arise. Then, we simply note that discomfort as an experience
without any comment (this is “non-judgemental awareness”), and
whenever distraction arises we bring our attention back to watching
the breath.
The main difficulties we face in meditation are mostly rooted
either in the past or the future. In the initial uneasy stillness
of the meditating mind, unhappy thoughts of things done or undone
in the past may arise, or one may project fond hopes of the future.
These are simply tricks the “doing mind” forces on us.
To let go of the past means not thinking about our work, or family,
or responsibilities, or bad times we had as a child. We abandon all
past experiences by showing them no interest at all. We let go of
even what happened to us just a moment ago. When we meditate, in a
way, we become someone with no history.
(2) Silent awareness of the
present moment
Our inner speech or mental chatter prevents us from mentally
focusing. The opposite of these negative states is the silent
awareness that arises in meditation, and to value this, we
need to remove the importance we give to our thinking, or the way
we think. In this way, we are ready for the more valuable
truthfulness of silent awareness that will raise the quality of our
lives.
One way of overcoming inner speech or mental chatter is to
cultivate a more refined present-moment awareness, watching every
moment so closely that we have no time even to comment on what has
just happened.
Another useful method of cultivating silent awareness is to
recognize the space in between thoughts during a period of inner
chatter. If we look carefully and we need to we will notice that
little window of silence.
(3) “Sustained attained on the
breath”
We now go on to silently know that the
breath is coming in, or going out. We need to go on doing this for,
say, a hundred breaths successively, without any break or missing
even one. This is the third stage of the
forest-method breath meditation, known as “sustained attention on
the breath.”
We cannot make this stage happen. It comes
naturally when we have properly and patiently done the
previous stages. We silently know that the breath is coming in,
that it is going out, that is, at the first touch of it, as soon as
it arises.
(4) “Full sustained attained on the
breath”
Then we go on to observe the sensations that
gradually arise through the one and same breath, not
missing a moment of it. When the in-breath finishes, we
know that moment: we see in our minds that last
moment of the in-breath. Then we notice there is a pause or gap
before the next breath comes, or even longer pauses before the next
breath. If we are a bit unsure about this, just feel the
stillness of the pauses, and enjoy them.
Then we go on to notice the very first moment of the out-breath,
and we notice every sensation of the process of the out-breath,
until it disappears, completing the exhalation. All this is done
silently and in the present moment. And we go on doing this for
many hundreds of breath in a row.
Remember: “You” cannot reach this stage; only the mind reaches this
stage. This is where the mind takes care of itself, as it were, and
it does so very well indeed, if you just let it.
Revisioning 15
Piya Tan ©2010
[Note
1]: See Anapanasati Sutta (M 10)
= SD 7.13.
[Note 2]:
This writing is inspired by Brahmavamso, “Cultivate tranquility,
harvest insight.” Buddhadharma Quarterly, fall
2004. Download from http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2004/fall/ajahn-brahm.html;
also on http://sites.google.com/site/santifm10/ajahnbrahm.