Anapanasati 12: Gladness And Concentration

In this recording, we move further into contemplations of the mind, discussing the idea of gladness as a natural extension of our awareness of the mind, and the deepening of concentration that results from a loosening of the effects of the five hindrances on the mind.

These meetings can be joined live on Sunday evenings at 5:30 Eastern time. Google "Pittsboro Recovery Dharma" to find a zoom link.

Transcript

Great.

And Sam just joined us and he's a Thich Nhat Hanh fan,

I know.

Sam,

Jill is here from Massachusetts and I believe she said she largely practices Jill as an overstatement in Thich Nhat Hanh's tradition.

That's not an overstatement.

Not an overstatement.

Okay.

Alright.

You're welcome.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Well,

We,

And Jill,

I don't know how far you've gone through the series,

But we had stopped for a number of weeks.

I love it.

Oh,

Good.

We had stopped for a number,

Oh,

Eleven.

So,

You know,

Then we'd stopped for a number of weeks in the beginning contemplation of the mind,

Of becoming aware of the mind.

And it really felt as we were doing that that we all needed a chance to just really root ourselves in body and breath in that first set of contemplations.

To really have an opportunity to experience joy,

To experience,

You know,

Contentment,

To calm the feelings so we could really begin to move into contemplations of the mind from a place of clarity.

Or at least as much as we have at this point in our development.

And depending on the day.

Last week,

I spoke a little bit about the 10th step in the overall scheme of 16,

The second step in the contemplations of the mind,

Which is gladdening the mind or allowing our minds to be happy.

So what I'd like to do is speak just a little bit more about that and then talk about concentrating the mind.

Then we'll do guided meditation,

And we'll do quiet meditation as we normally do.

So,

You know,

I've been looking back through the whole thing and there's a thread that most of you are I'm sure seeing because Sam and both Sam's here have been with the group all along there's a thread that runs through the steps of all of Anapanasati to this point,

You know,

Contemplation of the body we experienced that contentment,

Presence and mindfulness of the moment and the breath.

And that helps us as I said a moment ago to be rooted in our meditation before we move on to examining the feelings.

And then as we begin to examine the feelings.

We experienced joy we experienced happiness,

Which is followed by a calming of the feelings and we clear the mind of those reactive patterns,

Our feelings,

As I was saying,

So we can move into contemplations of the mind from a position of equanimity.

And so the first contemplation of the mind we begin to see our difficult thoughts these things which result from greed,

Hatred,

Delusion and we understand that they're impermanent and we practice non attachment we allow them to pass and in time our mind begins to rest in itself.

And this naturally leaves itself to a sense of relief it does for me a sense of gladness,

Which we introduced last week.

There's a difference though between the contentment and joy which came before in contemplation of the feelings and the body,

And this gladness,

Which starts to come from insight into the workings of the mind,

The joy and happiness that are inherent and contemplating the feelings.

Those function as conditions for the important step of calming the feelings they help us to remove distractions.

The rising of gladness in the mind is more like the fruition of that calmness,

Which allows us to approach the mind watching difficult experiences rise to simply be and then to fall away is all things do.

I said last week you know a sense of gladness is a reasonable response to this,

Just as a simple contentment was a reasonable response when dwelling mindfully with the breath.

So this next step,

The third step in contemplating the mind is breathing in,

I concentrate my mind,

Breathing out,

I concentrate my mind.

And this stems directly from having made our minds glad.

We often think of concentration as being directed toward an object.

But the concern here is more simply with concentration itself having a mind in a concentrated state.

In practicing the previous steps,

We've begun to develop and build our concentration,

Certainly after gladdening the mind,

We find ourselves able to experience even more directly how meditative joy can help us to raise and sustain a concentrated mind.

Now part of this has to do with the hindrances that the Buddha speaks about grief and anger and restlessness and doubt and dullness,

You know,

As our concentration increases,

These hindrances begin to lose their power,

Their ability to sort of buff it us about to pull us out of our practice,

It weakens.

And as we come back to the breath again and again,

We gather our minds and the effects of these hindrances they start to fade which allows us to more ably sustain concentration our minds become more open.

And we find the energy that we've been losing in the chasing of these negative thoughts.

And it's an energy we can use to gather ourselves together and see clearly into the deeper truths of our lives.

A statement I like is that a mind that is glad and aware of itself will of its own accord become concentrated.

It's like a convergence,

A unification of the mind within itself.

One of my favorite writers on this topic is Biku Inayo.

I also enjoy Larry Rosenberg.

Biku Inayo writes that about our subjective experience as being held at this point in a loving unified embrace without its usual fragmentation.

The whole body awareness that we practice throughout the Anapanasati sequence now expanding into a whole body,

Whole mind experience.

So why don't we sit in a guided meditation.

Find your comfortable posture.

I heard these words of the Buddha one time when he was staying in Savatthi.

The senior practitioners in the community were instructing those who were new to the practice,

Some instructing 10,

Some 20,

Some 30,

And in this way those new to the practice gradually made great progress.

That night,

The moon was full.

The Buddha,

The awakened one was sitting in the open air and his disciples were gathered around him.

After looking over the assembly,

He began to speak.

Friends,

Our community is pure and good.

Such a community is rare and any pilgrim who seeks it,

No matter how far she must travel,

Will find it worthy.

Friends,

The full awareness of breathing if developed and practiced continuously will be rewarding and bring great advantage.

And what is the way to develop and practice continuously the method of full awareness of breathing?

It is like this.

The practitioner goes into the forest or to the foot of a tree or to any quiet place,

Sits stably holding his or her body straight and practices like this.

Breathing in,

I know I'm breathing in.

Breathing out,

I know I'm breathing out.

I invite you to take a moment to consider your posture.

A seated meditation posture should be stable,

Upright,

A reflection of the condition of your mind.

A straight and stable body is a condition for a straight and stable mind.

Find your posture,

Root yourself.

Take several deep breaths.

Let your body begin to relax.

Feel the muscles of your face,

Jaw,

The root of your tongue,

Shoulders.

Feel your weight begin to sink,

Rooted in place.

Consider the room where you are,

The seclusion it offers for you to practice this evening,

Its safety,

Its familiarity.

Bring a sense of gratitude for this,

The seclusion.

Very welcome in a busy world.

And as you consider the seclusion of your body,

So also continue to consider a seclusion in the mind.

Worries,

Responsibilities,

Miscellaneous thoughts,

They don't need to be here.

Set an intention to practice in this place,

This time,

With this small sangha assembled for your own benefit and for how that can be to the benefit of others.

Let your mind begin to relax.

Consider now your practice of mindfulness.

Invite mindfulness to rise around you.

Breath by breath.

Mindfulness is not something that we create,

But rather that we cultivate,

Something that we grow through an open invitation and receptivity.

Feel it pillow around you.

And as it does,

Bring your mindfulness to your breath.

The sutra says simply breathing in,

I am aware I am breathing in.

I know I'm breathing out.

I know I'm breathing out.

No more complicated than this.

Come to know the nature of your breath.

Long or short,

Smooth,

Rough,

Hesitant.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't need to be any special way.

It only has to be your own.

Your breath.

Your closest ally.

A sense of impermanence is key in Anpanasati meditation.

We find this in the breath itself.

We inhale changes to an exhale.

The way we experience the breath changes from moment to moment.

Day to day.

Two breaths never quite the same.

All things subject to change.

As you breathe.

Let your breath move slightly into the background.

Let that awareness be in your peripheral awareness.

Bring some of your attention into your body.

Become aware of your whole body.

Awareness of the breath still there.

But linked now to the body.

Let it all connect together forming a base for all that comes.

Let your breath be calm.

Let your body calm.

And as you sit,

You may be able to feel a sense of contentment growing.

Such a fine place to be in a busy,

Troubled world.

Just quiet.

Mindful of the breath.

Mindful of the body.

Content.

And let it all connect together.

Sometimes as we sit,

You may begin to feel a sense of joy beginning to creep up.

Just a small spark.

Maybe a fire that engulfs you.

I encourage you to hold yourself open to this experience.

Hold yourself open to the possibility of joy.

You may find yourself somewhere along a continuum.

Simple contentment.

A rising sense of joy.

Or something that passes,

Changes as all things do,

Into a sense of happiness.

I hope you can allow this to be for just a moment.

And when it's there,

Bring it along as you would a small spark and a fire.

Mindfulness of the body moving into your peripheral awareness.

The force of your mindfulness to wherever you are in that continuum.

These feelings are a gift we can bring to ourselves.

And as we experience happiness,

We bring it to others.

If in our lives and in our meditation we only ever came this far,

It would be enough.

And yet as you consider joy,

You may find things that are tearing at your mindfulness.

These feelings that run through our mind,

These reactive patterns we have to the stimulus that comes to us through our senses.

Too hot,

Too cold.

My son making noise in the shower in the next room.

We have irritation,

Flashes of anger,

Sadness,

Worry.

The Buddha spoke of a sixth sense,

Which is the mind itself.

Small things,

Our mind presents to us seeking a reaction.

But just because a feeling presents itself does not mean we need to pursue it.

We don't need to unpack it.

We don't need to explore it.

These are the little things.

Just see that they're there,

Recognize them for what they are.

Something's pleasant.

Something's unpleasant.

Simply neutral.

All things are subject to change.

All things are impermanent and if we don't hold to these feelings,

If we don't cling to them,

If we don't try to push them away,

But rather reside in our place on that continuum between contentment and happiness,

These feelings will pass.

Like the sound of a car.

Like the sound of a crowd that crowds through our ears.

Bringing noise,

Bringing confusion that diminishes as we move away from it.

And our mind becomes quiet.

Clutter gets removed when we don't attach to the feelings.

Just let these things go.

Hhhhh And it has the feelings calm.

Bringing awareness to your mind.

Shining like a still pond in the sun.

This is where the feelings run deep.

This is where the emotions are.

Many of them positive but many of them not.

Every day we're torn out by feelings of clinging and greed.

Hatred,

Aversion.

Wishing we were somewhere where we're not.

Wishing we were doing something that we aren't.

Clinging to experiences,

Hoping against hope that they don't stop.

If they're pleasant.

Greed,

Hatred,

And delusion are spiritual confusion.

Feeling somehow that these dark emotions are the norm.

Feeling somehow that we're separate from our brothers and our sisters from the world around us.

When we're not.

Contemplation of the mind involves a strong sense of impermanence,

Not attachment.

Anger comes to the mind,

Sadness comes to the mind.

See it come.

Watch it rise.

And just let it be.

Know what it is.

Let it run itself out.

If you don't hold it.

If you don't try to push it away.

It will just play itself out.

And it will gradually fall just as waves rise from the water.

They run and they fall.

So too do our thoughts.

If we let them.

It can be tempting to unpack these things to see what they are and examine them.

And sometimes that's appropriate work.

But not now.

See thoughts rise.

Let them be and let them fall.

Such a relief to know that we don't need to be bound by what our minds concoct.

That with time and practice the suffering we experience from greed and hatred and delusion it can pass.

As long as we let it.

And when you experience the passing of suffering just even for a moment just that is enough to make the mind glad.

Just that enough to make the mind whole and at peace within itself.

And it may only last for a moment.

Another thought can come right behind it.

When it does bring yourself back to your practice.

Repeat the process with impermanence not attachment.

And each time.

Be glad.

I invite you for a moment to find your breath.

Reestablish and strengthen that awareness.

Find the connection to your body.

Find your mind.

Look for the open shining places.

At this level of practice concentration comes from the same non-interference that we've been practicing all along.

In practicing non-attachment in relation to the feelings.

In relation to the contents of our mind we become settled within and at ease.

All we really need to do is to be with our thoughts with the same basic quality of knowing that we bring to our breath.

Sati.

Bear awareness.

Sati.

Sati.

Sati.

Sati.

Sati.

Sati.

Reviews

It is hard for me to find guided meditations that I truly find helpful at this point on my path. This one is excellent for beginners and advanced practitioners alike. Although all aspects of this practice and all concepts are well known to me, in Sheldon’s voice and narrative style I feel deeply supported, and I’m able to let go of tensions and distractions more readily and fully. I perceive the presence of someone who has truly achieved deep peace and who truly knows contentment, free from hierarchical attachments to identities such as “spiritual teacher,” “awakened,” etc. Very highly recommended.

Moving on to the next steps. Marvelous instructions and love any references to Thay. Takes my practice deeper and is making it more fulfilling. Many thanks. ☮️💖🙏