Mindfulness Of Breathing - Closing Considerations

We’ve come to the end of this series of talks on mindfulness of breathing, which were the classic teachings on this practice given by the Buddha. In the best records we have of the meditation practice that the Buddha himself did, he explained that he practiced mindfulness of breathing.

It's not only a practice to bring us to awakening. It is also a practice to do after enlightenment. The point is to continue practicing. Before awakening, practice. After awakening, practice.

Transcript

So we've come to the end of the 16 steps of mindfulness of breathing. And this series of talks are really, We looked at it from the classic teachings on this practice given by the Buddha a long time ago. And in the best records that we have of the actual practice, The meditation practice that the Buddha did himself, It's explained that he practiced this mindfulness of breathing, These 16 steps that we've been investigating. And he would do it as a fully awake being, Like he sometimes would go off into the forest on a retreat for two to four weeks at a time. And before he went, Or after he came back, He would explain that he was practicing mindfulness of breathing. So it's that old, Some 2600 years old. And what's interesting is it's not only a practice to bring us to this awakened state of being, This enlightenment. It's also a practice to do after enlightenment. So the point is to continue practicing before awakening practice, After awakening practice. This is helps us have confidence in what we're doing here. And certainly this, This Buddhist practice can be more than just mindfulness of breathing. There are other techniques that we have explored and will continue to, But to have confidence in the practice that you do. That's one of the signs of maturing and developing this meditation practice. So rather than measuring success by states of meditation or concentration, States of calm or insight, Whatever it might be that you're measuring yourself against, You know, I don't want to dismiss the value of deep states of concentration, But it's more important to have confidence in the practice that we're doing, Like it's worth doing, And to really trust it. One of the greatest gifts that mindfulness practice has given me is to have real trust in being mindful. Just in the practice of mindfulness and showing up and just being aware of what's happening now. And you know, There's plenty of times where I run into difficult situations and I'm not quite mindful. I don't know how to find my way. I don't understand what's happening. But even in those situations where there's confusion, And not knowing what to do, I trust in being mindful. Like confusion, Confusion right now, Uncertainty, Just being able to name it. There's a sense of purpose and grounding, It's sort of an orientation to my life. Just coming back to the breath, Coming back to the body and that practice, You know, We can't really go wrong with pausing, Stopping and looking and being present to see what's really going on here. Seeing what's happening inside of me, What's happening outside of me. We can't go wrong by coming back and just breathing. One of the possibilities of practicing mindfulness of breathing is that it really does become second nature to be aware of your breathing, Of how you're breathing and where the breath is constricted or held. And then coming back to okay, How can I relax? Where is the easefulness in breath? And to find that ease makes a huge difference. Again, It's a reorientation, Sort of a psychological reset of the emotionality of the mind just like that, Just by like, Okay, Take a breath, Notice what's happening. And when the breath is relaxed, It's harder to, To cling and to contract around things. So in this way, It's a little bit like a protection. There's a wonderful rhythm to breathing in breathing out. And this rhythm is a protection of getting caught and fixated on our preoccupations, On our concerns. So I think mindfulness of breathing is always useful. In my reading of the classic instruction of these 16 steps, I believe the most, The most important steps have been expressed, You know, In that I will, I will breathe in, I will train, I will train myself in breathing in, I will train myself in breathing out. So whatever is going on, That simple that first step, I train myself to breathe in, I train myself to breathe out. That's the first one. And there's an intentionality. In that first step, Just to breathe in, Breathe in the middle of our experiences, Whatever they may be, Doesn't matter what they are. Breathing is worth getting so caught up in that we can't just float on the river of our breathing. We have this amazing capacity for wisdom and insight, Every single one of us, Which should come into awakening when we're relaxed, And settling into experience with breathing. Just that simple breathing in and breathing out. You know, We've done this practice since January, Since the beginning of the year. It's been it's almost May, You know, Five months we've been on these 16 steps. Thank you for hanging in there with it. It's been quite a journey. And I hope it's been meaningful and supportive to you. That's the point is to see how this works. 2600 years later. My hope is that it's given a new perspective to for yourself and maybe even opened up deeper dimensions of your inner life that you haven't really thought about or seen before. You know, I've been doing mindfulness of breathing kind of informally, It's not been my central practice, But for 25 years. And when the breathing is at the center of it all. It's a wonderful center. It really is. So thank you for this opportunity to share this series of mindfulness of breathing for all these months. And we'll move on now. But first, I'll take your questions and comments. So thank you. Thank you so much.