Can I Achieve Thoughtlessness Without Breath Awareness?

I was on and off focusing on the breath.

I had no thoughts and wasn't dozing off either.

Can I still lose focus on my breath?

I had no thoughts and wasn't dozing off either.

Can I still lose focus on my breath?

Yes.

Because you have shifted your attention to somewhere else.

If you shift your attention to the tip of your nose,

You will automatically become aware of the breath.

But if you shift your attention to somewhere else,

Then no matter how hard you try,

You won't be aware of your breath.

So when I teach that do not make an exerted effort to be aware of your breath,

All I'm saying is that just shift your attention and the awareness comes.

Because our attention tends to wander off and then we become distracted easily.

And when we become distracted,

We see,

But we don't see.

And we hear,

But we don't really hear.

We see the situation,

But since we're distracted,

We don't fully intake the situation.

We hear something,

But since we're distracted,

We don't really understand what we're hearing.

So therefore,

If you focus on the tip of your nose,

Then awareness of breath comes to you automatically.

But if you don't shift your focus on the tip of your nose,

Then you won't realize your breath.

So what we're practicing is basically trying to focus and sustain the focus on the tip of your nose.

And if we are conversing with somebody,

Then we have to focus on what's being said.

When we are walking,

We have to focus on our walking motion.

And if we are really focused on the walking motion,

Then we are also sensitive to all the different sensations that we feel while walking.