Joseph Goldstein - Foundation Of Mindfulness Of Breathing

Here, Joseph Goldstein guides meditators through the first foundation in the Satipatthana sutta, the Buddha's discourse on the foundations of mindfulness.

Transcript

So as a way of beginning, Just feel the body sitting. You might do a quick scan, Either starting from the top of the head and going down or starting from the legs and going up, Go up and down. Just get a sense of feeling your body sitting, Feeling the posture, Settling into your seat, Settling back into it. So your back is well supported without being tense. And quite importantly, And something to remember throughout the sitting, Is to relax the eyes. Because we often unnecessarily tense the eyes in an effort to be mindful. We engage the eyes in a way that's unnecessary. Just for a moment, Experience a softening of the eyes, Relaxing, And remembering to check in with that throughout the sitting. So we're firm in our seat, The spine and back well supported by the cushion, By the chair, The eyes are softened, The eyes are soft, Soften the jaw so we're not clenching in any way. Soften the throat and the shoulders, The shoulders, Soften the chest. Doing a quick scan up and down the body in this place of relative relaxation, Of ease. The very first instruction the Buddha gives with regard to the breath, It says, Ever mindful, One breathes in. Ever mindful, One breathes out. It's quite a general instruction, Staying relaxed, Staying open. Ever mindful, One breathes in. Ever mindful, One breathes out. Keep it that simple. No straining, No tension, No tension. Just a gentle, Gentle, Gentle, Gentle, Gentle, Gentle, Gentle, Gentle, Gentle, Gentle, No straining, No struggling. We're breathing anyway. Breathing in, Simply know you're breathing in. Breathing out, Simply know you're breathing out. No forcing, No hurrying of the breath. Let it come in its own time, Its own rhythm. No forcing, No hurrying of the breath. If there's a space between the out breath and the next in breath, Simply be aware of the whole body sitting until the next in breath comes by itself. And then, If you're not aware of the whole body sitting, You're not going to be able to breathe. You're not going to be able to breathe. You're not going to be able to breathe. Until the next in breath comes by itself. So you're not forcing, You're not rushing it. Breathing is the most natural process in the world. We can relax into it. Just as it is. Notice any tendency to struggle, To want, To hold onto. And then relax. Relax back into the body. Relax the eyes. The breathing is happening all by itself. It's simply to be aware, To be mindful. Ever mindful one breathes in, Ever mindful one breathes in, Ever mindful one breathes out. In this relaxed, Open, Easefulness of awareness, We might begin to notice that no two breaths are exactly the same. This is the basis for the Buddha's next set of instructions. Breathing in long, One understands I breathe in long. Breathing out long, One understands I breathe out long. Breathing in short, One understands I breathe in short. Breathing out short, One understands I breathe out short. So this is a simple refinement of our understanding of how the breath is happening. So that simple understanding or recognition with each in breath, With each out breath, Is it relatively long, Relatively short? It's not to make it long or short. It's simply to recognize with each breath how it is. It's simply to recognize with each breath how it is. You don't have to measure the breath. There's no absolute long or short in this instruction. It's just the general sense. Is it relatively long? Is it relatively short? You could even add to the Buddha's instruction medium. So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So, So,

Reviews

Always good to sit with Joseph. Thanks for sharing this practice with us. Namaste

This was very good. I did though find the coughing of an audience member distracting. I continued on and it did stop after awhile. Joseph Goldstein’s experience in guided meditation made me stay with it. I’m glad I did. I will be listening to this again tomorrow morning. Thank you!

Beautiful 🙏

To support Joseph Goldstein, I suggest you donate through the Insight Meditation Society website rather than donating to Tristan Dry, whose connection to Joseph is not explained. Joseph is one of the founding teachers of IMS.
https://www.dharma.org/generosity/ims-support/

Wonderful. (I was sort of surprised there was no actual ending words or bell—I kept on meditating for a while 😊) Such beneficial instruction 🙏