So we are making our way slowly through these 16 steps of mindfulness of breathing and we're coming to the 11th step of developing Samadhi or unification of the mind.
The text says breathing in one unifies the mind breathing out one unifies the mind or another translation is breathing in one steadies the mind breathing out one steadies the mind or another translation breathing in one concentrates the mind breathing out one concentrates the mind.
So the words unify steady and concentrate.
These are all in the domain of this third tetrad this third grouping of practice.
So we experience the mind.
We gladden or satisfy the mind to the best of our ability experiencing the ease the calm that's there and then we concentrate and unify the mind and the sequence points to the fact that it's a lot easier to collect or unify the mind to become steady when there's a sense of satisfaction when this ease and calm feel enjoyable.
We're not recoiling from inner pain or struggle.
We're not afraid of ourselves or trying to avoid parts of ourselves.
Now we've come to a place where there's inclusivity.
So we're associating more with inclusivity.
What they say in Zen is kind of like the big mind rather than the particular details.
You know we might still have details in our life that are difficult but we're not locked into them and preoccupied with them.
The mind holds it all more expansively or in an open way.
So Samadhi is the word used to cultivate the mind or the body in meditation Samadhi or unifying the mind gathering it together and we're kind of getting out of the way by not adding any extra tension and stress.
Samadhi moves us concentration moves us towards less and less stressful states of the mind less places of agitation and into deeper peace.
So I want to read a very early commentary from the Abhidhamma and it defines Samadhi and it has a whole series of definitions.
So I'm just going to read a few so you can understand a little bit about what this word encompasses.
Samadhi means embracing.
Samadhi means single pointedness.
Samadhi means unconfused.
Samadhi means unscattered.
Samadhi means undisturbed.
Samadhi is acquiring harmony.
Samadhi is receiving harmony.
Samadhi is going along in harmony.
Samadhi is lightening up in harmony.
Samadhi is harmony welfare and happiness.
So in these different descriptions you get a very different feeling for Samadhi than you would if you just thought it was concentration of the mind.
It's much bigger than that.
Some people have even said that Samadhi is kind of like a re-parenting.
So if parenting didn't go so well for you growing up you didn't have that type of parenting that is harmonious.
It can have a deep and profound impact when we allow ourselves to be nourished by it.
So there's this kind of requirement to sort of dwell,
To dwell and to abide in these states that to really let this state of goodness steep into you and affect us.
So if we're in a hurry,
Like if we're in a hurry to get more,
Like if we're hurrying through just resting in the breath to get more concentrated we're not going to allow that nourishment,
That reconditioning to open us in a useful way on this path of liberation.
And the Buddha teaches,
He talks a lot about encouraging people to abide in something that is wholesome and good.
This is sort of like resting in the safety of just this in-breath,
Abiding in kind of a fearlessness,
Abiding in contentment when we're sitting.
It's often been described in the suttas as Samadhi being a state of pleasantly abiding here and now,
Pleasantly abiding.
So I think of abiding as kind of being akin to being really receptive.
When we abide,
We're patient,
We're not in a hurry,
We're just receptive.
And sometimes we sit down to meditate and these states,
This abiding of receptivity,
It's not available.
Sometimes we sit down,
We're angry,
We're agitated,
We're tired.
And so to say,
Okay,
I'm going to sit here and abide in these good feelings,
It just doesn't work,
Right?
So that's where we just go back to that first step of the Anapanasati,
Which can be really supportive for us.
Just breathing in,
Just breathing out.
And at some point,
As the meditation proceeds,
At some point,
We can start to experience that goodness,
That nourishment and the beneficial feelings and sensations that are here.
And that's where we can rest and abide.
And when states of harmony and steadiness and unification arise,
Now we're really here and we're really present.
We can really feel in the present that there's a harmony,
There's a gladness,
A well-being.
And let it nourish us.
I often use the description of like a soothing balm,
Our awareness is like a soothing balm as we breathe in,
You can feel that soothing balm.
That's the nourishment of the practice.
And mindfulness of breathing,
You know,
The reference point is always breathing,
Breathing in and breathing out.
We're always using that as a support,
Kind of as the guide or kind of a pointer,
A way of staying with these different steps.
So if we're staying with the breathing,
We're staying in the present moment,
We're just abiding in that present moment.
And sometimes it's pleasant in the here and now if we're not lost in our mental activity.
So the development of Samadhi is a movement away from agitation and energetic states towards kind of a less energetic state.
We feel more and more satisfied.
We become quieter,
Less activated.
And that's kind of the direction the practice is going.
And it's gentle work,
You know,
To stay here,
To be with this,
To kind of hang in there,
Come back,
Be here without the stress of having the struggle,
You know,
To struggle against difficulties in the mind,
Distractions in the mind.
The gentle work of staying here can be represented by what happens on the in-breath.
In the beginning of an in-breath,
It's like a whole new life,
A whole new experience.
The mind can connect to that.
That's the in-breath.
Then it can connect again to just the out-breath and stay with the out-breath the whole time.
It's gentle,
These two movements.
And it's the same movement of the mind.
Stay here,
Be with this.
As we settle in,
There's less and less need to do the work of connecting and staying.
It just becomes second nature.
And then the mind starts to become stable.
We're able just to rest in the breathing and stay.
So the principle of this movement is towards less and less activity as we go towards concentration and Samadhi.
And part of the purpose is to clarify our ability to see,
To observe so that it doesn't have the agitation or the filter of thinking.
We're no longer overlaying concepts onto our experience.
So Samadhi is a way that clears our perception and purifies our awareness so that we can start seeing in a deeper and deeper way.
And that's for the purpose of our freedom,
Our liberation.
So thank you for your kind attention this morning,
Your presence,
Your practice.
I'll stop here and take questions.
