Hello,
It was said that if you looked at the Buddha's face,
You would see it was perfectly purified.
There was no tension left anywhere.
If you look in his eyes,
You would see perfect wisdom.
He was absolutely free from confusion and saw with perfect clarity.
If you look at his feet,
The feet that he walked on for 45 years after his enlightenment,
His body was breaking down and he was in continuous pain.
He would see perfect compassion.
In this practice,
We will draw on the Buddha as inspiration for practicing with balanced,
Wholehearted effort.
Let's practice.
If you're not already in position,
Get there.
Seated with a neutral spine is good.
Perhaps if you're especially prone to sleepiness,
You may choose standing.
And if you're very restless,
You might like to lie down.
Now come to your senses.
Notice any sights before you close your eyes.
Just notice shapes,
Color,
Light and shadow.
And close your eyes and notice seeing is still happening.
Notice any sounds.
Start with the ones far away and closer.
Notice any smells,
Tastes.
Now notice any obvious sensations in the body,
Maybe the aches,
Maybe the ease.
Maybe you notice you're being supported by the surface you're sitting on and held by the earth.
Now notice the breath.
Ask yourself,
What's the breath like right now?
Perhaps you can imagine that you've never before felt what it's like to breathe and pay attention as if this were the case.
Now again,
Bring to mind the Buddha and his perfect purity,
Wisdom and compassion.
And as you breathe in and out,
Connect his name to your breath.
On the inhale,
Buddha.
And on the exhale,
Do,
Buddha.
Say this to yourself in your mind as you breathe in and out.
And you may wish to keep an image of the Buddha lightly in your mind as well as you practice so as to keep your mind bright.
When you get caught in thoughts,
Just recognize that you're distracted.
Release the distraction.
Relax any tension that arose in your body and return to the breath and the Buddha's name,
Buddho.
Just keeping your attention the whole way through the inhale and then connecting to the exhale and paying attention to the entire exhale.
Anchoring your breath to the Buddha,
Keeping your heart joyful.
There's nothing to do right now,
Nowhere to go.
Connecting to the breath,
Sustaining your attention,
Keeping the Buddha in mind.
What must he have felt like when he practiced breathing meditation after his awakening because he still did practice?
How do you think that would feel in your body?
As we end this meditation,
Perhaps go through your day keeping the Buddha in your heart,
The historical Buddha who became fully awakened and taught for many years,
But also the Buddha that exists within you,
Your own potential for awakening.
Thanks for your practice.
