There are some that disregard the breathe as management or distraction from facing the anxiety, restlessness and pain.
It is a great shortcut and it just feels good – to focus on the breathe just wipes out all the ruminating on the past and anxiety about the future – because you can only focus on the current breathe.
Not the past breathe or the breathe still to come.
You can only focus on now – the present breath. This calms the mind.
- Things are impermanent – quick to come and go.
- Things that are so quickly changeable you can’t place any hopes of solid happiness on them.
- To see that you have to develop the path.
- An important part of the path is concentration – mindfulness
- Focus on the body – one aspect like the breath
- Follow the breath – when breathing in you know you are breathing in, when breathing out you know you are breathing out.
- Try not to get distracted – with the world outside – put those aside
- Develop qualities of mind: Mindful – Keep in mind what you are doing, Alert – make sure you are doing it, Ardency – do it well
- So you want to stay here – once mind settles down – that is when you are in concentration.
- Look at the things you are clinging to: sensuality – when does it come – what sparks it?, anger, restlessness, anxiety, doubt…hinderances. When does it go?
- What is the value? what is the allure? What are the drawbacks?
- Once you see their drawbacks – their unreliability…you can let go. Lose interest in craving for more.
That is how you fulfil the duties of the 4 noble truths.
The more thoroughly you know concentration, the more thoroughly you can know the noble truths.
Where is the mind free – it is free right here.
You don’t need to look anywhere else. Get to know what is going on in the body and the mind as you stay right here – with the breathe.
The breathe is a good way to do this because you can’t watch any past breathe, you can’t watch any future breathe. All you have is the breathe right here, right now.
Form of the body, Feeling of ease, Perceptions and images of the breathe, Thought constructs – how you talk to yourself about the breathe and Consciousness – aware of all these activities.