Anapanasati 5: Contemplations of Body & Joy, Teaching On Mindfulness Of Mental Activity

This recording reviews some of the concepts in my previous talks on the Anapanasati sutra or the sutra on the full awareness of breathing. There is a guided meditation through contemplation of the body and of joy. This is followed by a short period for walking meditation and teaching on mindfulness of mental activities. These are followed by a second guided meditation.

Transcript

Hello.

Today we have another opportunity to practice with the Anapanasati Sutra,

The full awareness of breathing.

Just as a reminder of the origins or the meaning of the word Anapanasati,

The Anapana part refers literally to the action of the breath,

The inhalations and the exhalations.

Sati is that bare receptive attention which opens us up to a full engagement in our experience.

Sati,

As some of you have heard me say before,

Is an expression of how we meet the request of practice,

Which is to look at our lives and see what helps us to nurture awareness and what it is that makes that nurturing more difficult.

The practice of Anapanasati is one of mindfulness established on an object,

Couched within the context of mindful breathing,

Being aware of sensations of the body,

Feelings,

The mind,

And objects of mind or dharmas as they happen,

To know them in the setting of the breath and to disentangle ourselves from them.

Before we begin,

I want to go back through some concepts and vocabulary that we've been using in the last several sessions.

First of all,

Remember that there are 16 steps in the Anapanasati Sutra.

They are divided into four sets of four,

Each four going by the term tetrad.

The first four,

The first tetrad,

Are contemplations of the body,

Which is where we've done most of our work so far.

The second four,

Or the second tetrad,

Are contemplations,

Feelings,

And so forth.

We've talked about physical posture before and for those of you who are not experienced meditators,

If you're in a seated meditation posture,

Just be sure that you're upright.

You don't need to hold yourself rigid,

But your spine is straight,

Your shoulders relaxed and rounded.

Just make sure that your breath can flow easily and freely.

You can have your eyes closed or gently cast downward,

Hands maybe resting gently on your lap or on your legs.

If you're lying down,

Which some people do,

If you find sitting to be difficult,

Please be sure that you're on your back.

I recommend putting a pillow under your knees,

Which eases a strain on your lower back.

Have your neck straight,

Don't have your head tilted forward,

You know,

Chin down or backward,

Eyes sweep you toward the ceiling,

Gently open or closed.

Your hands can be by your side or on your body,

But if so,

Place them low enough that the weight of your hands doesn't impede your breathing by being heavily on your chest or heavily on your belly.

And then consider the idea of seclusion.

You have a physical seclusion,

You have the space around you,

The room that you're in,

And honor that physical space as a place that's providing you an opportunity for undisturbed practice.

Also set an intention in your mind,

Create a seclusion in your mind,

Deciding purposefully to practice in this moment and in this place.

So one of the terms we've used in our guided meditations is bringing mindfulness to the foreground or bringing mindfulness to the fore.

And you know,

It's a funny thing because it's not something that you really do,

Rather it's something that you just let happen.

You invite mindfulness,

You let it rise to billow up.

But where does that actually happen?

Where does that reside?

I take this expression bringing mindfulness to the fore,

Literally.

In a way in which imagination and reality sort of meet as one,

I imagine almost a bubble of mindfulness,

If you will,

In front of my body in such a way that it encompasses not just my head,

The seat of the mind,

But my torso also,

The seat of my heart.

Something that really is truly right in front of me,

Very delicate,

Something that I can hold with gentleness.

It can't be grasped,

But it can be welcomed,

Mindfulness,

And it can be invited to stay like an old friend.

And if it strays,

We beckon it back,

Welcoming it with open arms.

Another thing we've talked about when working with distractions is this idea of guarding the sense doors.

Now the writings of Bhikkhu and Alia are my primary teachings on Anapanasati practice and he speaks of the idea of sense doors through which perceptions enter,

Sight through the eyes,

Sounds through the ears,

Thoughts through the mind,

Etc.

And these can distract us from our meditation.

So he encourages us to greet perceptions as they arrive at the doors of our senses with mindfulness as a guardian,

That's his word,

But not to keep perceptions out,

That would surely be a distracting and losing battle in itself,

But to be sure that we see them for what they are.

Simply perceptions,

Which we don't need to divert our attention to,

Rather,

And this is a subtle difference,

These perceptions simply become part of our attention.

We treat them not as something which draws us away,

But as part of where we already are,

No more important than the object of our meditation,

Just there with us in our field of awareness.

And as we keep our primary focus on the object of our meditation,

Calming the body for instance,

These other things tend to move to the background.

And we simply let them be there.

Another term that we've used is peripheral awareness,

Peripheral mindfulness,

Or moving mindfulness of a certain object into the periphery.

The Anapanasati Sutra,

The sutra on full awareness of breathing,

It leaves us in the connection with body,

Feelings,

The mind,

And objects of mind,

As we said,

Couched in the context of the breath.

And this is obviously key in the first two steps in contemplation of the body,

These are all about the breath.

But there are later steps where the breath is not the main thing,

Not the primary object of our attention,

Such as when we bring our attention to the whole body or when we calm the body.

Yet mindfulness of the breath has to be there nonetheless.

The sutra tells us that the breath is the base of all the 16 steps.

In each section,

Breathing in I calm my whole body,

Or breathing out I experience the mind.

The breath has to be there,

But not necessarily as our main focus.

Just as when we're in a house,

Its foundation is not where we bring our main engagement,

It's not where the party is,

But the foundation of the house is there,

It's vital in supporting all that we do in that structure.

So too,

The breath as we move through the 16 steps of the sutra,

Our mindfulness of the breath,

Whether it's our primary object or whether it's in a peripheral awareness,

Must be present as we move through the 16 steps of the sutra.

Another thing we've talked about is a simple sense of contentment,

And this is quite key to moving through the remainder of the sutra as we're working in the first tetrad,

Contemplations of the body.

Within that first tetrad,

As we settle in with the breath,

We bring our awareness to the whole body,

And from there to calming the body.

Even as we're just breathing in the moment,

We can find contentment.

I mean it's a fine thing to mindfully breathe in the moment,

To just relax and be content.

I encourage you to be open to that.

But more pragmatically,

As we enter into the second tetrad on feelings,

Where the first step calls for the experience of joy,

From what better place to cultivate joy than from a place of contentment that already exists?

Here are the steps of the first tetrad,

Our group of four instructions,

Those having to do with the body.

Breathing in a long breath,

I know that I'm breathing in a long breath.

Breathing out a long breath,

I know I'm breathing out a long breath.

Breathing in a short breath I know I'm breathing in a short breath.

Breathing out a short breath,

I know that I'm breathing out a short breath.

Now I always want to point out,

Obviously you don't need to be saying these words to yourself,

And your breath may be long,

It may be short,

It may be shallow,

It may be deep,

It may vary somewhat.

None of that is important.

The spirit of these first two instructions is simply to know the quality and the nature of your own breath.

Your breath doesn't have to be any special way when you're meditating.

It really only has to be your own.

The third instruction in that first tetrad,

Breathing in,

I'm aware of my whole body.

Breathing out,

I'm aware of my whole body.

Breathing in,

I calm my whole body.

Breathing out,

I calm my whole body.

But over the last week or two,

We've been blending into the first step in the second set of four instructions,

Or that second tetrad,

Contemplation of feelings.

And the first step in that group is,

Breathing in,

I feel joyful.

Breathing out,

I feel joyful.

Now why joy?

Well honestly,

When we are breathing in the moment,

Aware of our bodies,

Calm in our bodies,

Just being with our breath,

In a way,

Joy really is a very natural response to that state.

Now joy can be subtle,

Or it can wash over you like a cleansing wave.

It's different every time.

Sometimes it's not necessarily joy at all,

But perhaps an intensification of that feeling of contentment that you cultivate earlier,

And just being with the breath and being with the body.

Maybe just a sense of happiness.

Also as we move into contemplation of feelings,

We may sense that we're entering into a wild place,

And we are,

With lots of things calling to us,

Lots of places to land,

And not all of them pleasant.

And so the sutra chooses one for us,

One where the contemplation of the body can lead us to contentment,

To joy.

And that's a fine place to start contemplating the feelings,

A fine thing to feel,

Joy,

A birthright for us really,

And one that we often forget.

Remember the subtle pleasant feeling tone of simply breathing in the present moment is the base of our experience of joy.

We may be distracted by tension as we work in the first tetrad to calm the body,

Preventing our experience of contentment and joy,

And perhaps we need to stay with the body contemplations for a while.

That's okay.

Conversely,

We might just need to be careful as we move into contemplations of feelings,

Not to generate an expectation of joy which can set us up for disappointment by actually driving it away.

So all of that said,

Let's go ahead and do a 20 minute or so guided meditation.

I'll read briefly from the sutra itself,

And then we will move through contemplations of the body and into an awareness of joy.

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.

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 am breathing in.

Breathing out,

I know I am breathing out.

Bring your body to its meditation posture.

Let your mind rest on your body as your body rests on the cushion or the floor.

Be aware of sitting upright,

Rooted,

Aligned.

Strong in your posture.

There is an expression of commitment to the way.

And as we have for the body,

Establish a seclusion in the mind.

Rest from the day-to-day expectations,

Responsibilities.

Set those aside for now and formulate an intention to practice here,

Now,

For your own growth and for how your growth can benefit others.

As you have aligned your physical posture,

Also align your mind,

Your mental posture,

To be upright,

Connected with your intention to practice.

Hold to that connection lightly,

Yet in a very real and dedicated way.

And as we realign ourselves when our physical posture weakens,

The posture of our mind needs to be realigned whenever our attention is lost,

Gently bringing it back to the breath,

Back to the practice.

Straightness of your body encourages straightness in your mind.

Be here,

Now.

This present moment is your life.

Dwelling in the present moment,

Make mindfulness predominant.

Bring mindfulness to the foreground.

Consider how this feels,

Where this resides,

In your mind,

In your body,

Perhaps both.

Bring your attention to the space right in front of your body,

From your head to your belly,

A space where mind and body exist as one.

Feel your mindfulness in this space,

Held in place by your mind at one end,

By your hands laying loosely in your lap at the other.

And for a moment,

Be aware of the feeling of mind and body when mindfulness is present.

Being with sati.

Since your mind and body is one,

Meeting yourself where you are.

Experiencing the experience that's being experienced.

Allow yourself to be open,

Spacious,

Soft,

Yet alert,

Awake.

With mindfulness in the fore,

Become aware of your breathing,

Your inhalations,

Your exhalations,

Just the breath,

In and out.

Pay attention to the end of your exhalation,

The bottom of your breath.

Feel that slight,

Natural pause there,

A place of stillness,

A place of quiet.

Don't try to make it longer.

Your body will inhale when it needs to,

But find a sense of ease in that place.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Rest.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Rest.

Rest.

Now with a sense of inquiry,

Breathe in a breath and observe its length.

This is an opportunity to explore with attention.

Observing the breath supports the mind in mindful observation.

Observe the length and the feeling of your interrelation,

The nature of your exhalation,

And the feeling of your exhalation,

The feeling of your exhalation,

The feeling of your exhalation,

This process of observing the length of your breaths,

Their nature,

Makes it easy to see when your mind is about to wander and to bring it back to the comfort of the breath.

Not forcefully,

But gently.

There can be contentment in just this,

Being with the breath in a state of mindfulness.

See if you can find this,

If you can allow it to be just the easy and gentle contentment of breathing in the moment.

Right.

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When you feel ready,

With a degree of stability in the breath,

Move on to whole body awareness.

Feel the linkage of your breath and your body.

Not in a particular place,

But in your body as a whole,

At one with the breath.

Let the object of your mindful observation shift quietly to the body.

Keeping your awareness of the breath now in the background,

In peripheral awareness.

Still mindful of the inhalations,

The exhalations,

But no longer focused so much on their quality,

Just that your breathing is.

And as a background now,

To awareness of the whole body.

This awareness of the body,

Our experience now is more on the energetic level.

Subtle,

Inclusive awareness pervading the entire body.

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And in our awareness of the body,

There naturally comes a calming of the body,

A calming of its activity.

A deep sense of relaxation.

Breath is calm.

Body is calm.

Subtle.

Peaceful.

Content.

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Consider that brief pause at the bottom of your exhalation,

A place of stillness and rest.

Experience it,

But don't dwell there.

Of course you can't.

Your body will inhale when it's ready to.

But there is peace there.

Allow yourself a sense of contentment,

Being here now in this moment,

Following your breath.

Let this contentment be real.

It's yours to have.

Let this contentment be real.

It's yours to have.

Let this contentment be real.

It's yours to have.

Bring your attention now to your whole body,

Keeping your awareness of the breath now in peripheral awareness,

Real,

But not now the main focus.

Feel the reality of your entire body at once.

Bring your mindful observation there.

Let this contentment be real.

It's yours to have.

Let this contentment be real.

It's yours to have.

Let this contentment be real.

And as you dwell in this mindfulness of your body,

Begin to feel calm in your body.

Relax the muscles of your face,

Your jaw.

Let your shoulders be soft and rounded,

Your hands lying loosely in your lap.

Inhalations.

Exhalations.

Aware.

Calm.

Contempt.

Let this contentment be real.

Let this contentment be real.

Let this contentment be real.

Content with breathing in the present moment.

Aware of your body.

Relaxing your body.

What a fine place to be.

Hold yourself open to the reality of joy,

To the experience of joy.

Don't try to force it.

Don't even necessarily expect it.

If you remain open to joy,

It will sooner or later find you.

Let this contentment be real.

Let this contentment be real.

Let this contentment be real.

Perhaps joy is not an expression that you find today.

If not,

Deepen your contentment.

Safe in your space.

Happy and grateful in your practice.

If a full-on experience of joy is yours today,

Let's begin to let that modulate.

Let your energy relax down into a simple state of happiness.

We have much to be happy for.

Happy if nothing else that we can share in a meditation practice that the Buddha himself taught and practiced.

Grateful for the opportunity.

Feelings of gratitude are appropriate here.

Thanks forAre there any other questions?

And now we take a further step back.

Practicing on attachment we let these experiences we're having move into peripheral awareness along with the breath,

Along with our feelings of the body.

And just come to an observation that thoughts may be happening.

There is activity in our mind.

But we find that observational vantage point of stillness.

We have thoughts.

They just are.

They rise,

They fall.

Like a small cloud that passes for a moment in front of the sun causing shadow before drifting further on allowing the light to return.

So too may thoughts,

Your involvement with thoughts,

Shade the light of your awareness.

But these too can pass on when we disentangle ourselves from the content of our thoughts.

Not chasing them,

Not pushing them away.

Just letting them be.

Just knowing that they are.

Mental activity arises.

Mental activities pass.

Not problems.

Just clouds that move for a moment across the light of your awareness.

Just be aware that they are.

Thisik.

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Today's meditation has brought us through the third step in the second tetrad of the Anapanasati Sutra,

The sutra on the full awareness of breathing,

That third step in the second set of four,

Awareness.

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Reviews

Wow that was really outstanding! Wonderful gentle guidance, lessons and some silence too. Very little wandering mind and deeo peace and joy. So grateful for your practices. Thank you. ☮️💖🙏