Anapanasati 10: Deepening Into Awareness Of The Mind

Well,

We're mostly going to meditate like I've been saying.

We are sort of pausing at this first step in the third grouping of contemplations of the mind,

Which is sort of pausing here,

Looking to deepen our practice with contemplations of the body,

Contemplations of the feelings.

I do want to remind you of something I spoke about just a couple of weeks ago and that is going to become more important as we go along is just this idea of impermanence and how this plays out in Anapanasati practice.

You can find that feeling of impermanence just in the change of the breath,

From the inhalation to the exhalation,

The rising of our feelings,

Falling of our feelings,

Our attachment to them,

Our release of our attachment to them.

And even in step nine,

You know,

Breathing in,

I'm aware of my mind,

Seeing these thoughts that kind of govern our emotions according to the five hindrances and greed and hatred and delusions.

And,

You know,

We don't investigate their content.

We just recognize that they're there.

We're not clinging.

We're not pushing.

And we can see that even these things rise and fall,

Our attachment to them rises and falls.

So impermanence is very key here,

But I did want to make one differentiation,

You know,

Between this idea of seeing these difficult emotions in our mind and just recognizing them for what they are,

Not holding,

Etc.

Between that and,

You know,

Exploring difficult thoughts and emotions in our daily lives in order to solve them,

In order to understand them.

This is a different thing.

And,

You know,

We can,

We must bring that kind of calm awareness to the living of our lives.

And the good news is,

Of course,

Is that there's some very basic Buddhist tools that help us to do that.

You know,

Are we looking at situations in our lives,

Those things that cause us to suffer?

Are we looking at them from the viewpoint of the Four Noble Truths?

Are we looking at them with the recognition that suffering or dis-ease,

You know,

That it happens in our lives,

That it happens in everyone's lives?

Are we looking at a recognition of the root of that suffering,

The way we create our own suffering through clinging and through aversion?

The abbot at the Zen Center where I go talks about sometimes these sort of four states of being,

Of not wanting to be where we are,

Wanting to be somewhere that we're not,

Not wanting to be with who we're with,

And wanting to be with somebody who we're not,

You know,

And that we sort of just live in these things and we create our own suffering.

And are we recognizing,

Are we remembering,

Are we believing that all things are subject to change,

That all things are impermanent,

You know,

That these thoughts and emotions that we have that they can pass,

That they will pass?

And then of course the Fourth Noble Truth,

The Eightfold Path,

Which offers these almost kind of archetypal thoughts on ways of living,

Of interacting with others,

Right intention,

Right speech,

Right action,

But you know,

Not just having an understanding of those ideas,

But bringing effort to the living of them,

Allowing ourselves to be shaped by those things.

That's the trick.

And in that living to be supported by mindfulness and to develop a practice of meditation to keep our minds clear and calm and things within our own understanding.

And it's important work and it's something we should be involved in day to day.

What we're doing in this scheme of meditation is not meant to take the place of that,

Obviously.

It's meant to just be able to get some distance from these things that we work with every day and that maybe we make amends for and maybe we reach out to people and maybe we talk to our mentor or sponsor or whatever it is,

Or maybe we pray about or whatever it is that we do.

But in this scheme of meditation,

We're looking to just get some distance from them.

And that's what that ninth step is about.

Breathing in,

I'm aware of my mind,

Breathing out,

I'm aware of my mind and just seeing that these things are here.

Meditation is so important.

And remember that Anapanasati meditation is just one form of meditation out of many.

We do know that it's one that the historic Buddha Gautama of the Sakya clan in northeastern India like 2600 years ago.

We do know it's a style of meditation that he developed,

And that he practiced and taught himself.

So,

All right,

Should we go ahead and get into some meditation.

I heard these words of the Buddha.

One time when he was staying at 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 practice 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.

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

Breathing in.

I know I am breathing in.

Breathing out.

I know I'm breathing out.

Take just a minute to check and adjust your meditation posture whether you're seated or lying down.

Make sure that your breathing is unobstructed,

Your shoulders relaxed.

Think about the muscles in your face and your jaw.

Let your body be soft.

Take a few deep breaths and feel yourself rooted in your position.

Take a moment to express gratitude for the space where you are,

The place and safety it offers for your practice.

That we have this small grouping together this Sangha this Sunday afternoon.

And set an intention to leave worries,

Concerns.

Leave them aside.

They don't have a place here.

We don't need them now.

Set an intention to practice in this time,

In this place.

For your own growth and how your growth can be a benefit to others.

I invite you to bring a simple,

Bare attention to your breath.

This word Sati,

Bare attention and easy presence.

Breathing in,

I know that I'm breathing in.

Breathing out,

I know that I'm breathing out.

As you breathe,

Come to know the nature of your breath.

Its length,

Its quality.

Know it is your own and know it is your friend.

The one thing you can turn to in time of need.

The one thing that always shares your joy.

Consider what it is to be in a state of mindfulness.

And where does mindfulness reside?

Must it by need be in our mind?

Can it be in our body?

Is there really a difference?

Let mindfulness suffuse your body.

Feel it gently filling your form.

Still mindful of the breath.

Mindful of the body.

A gentle union.

Breath is calm.

Body is calm.

It's a fine and gentle place to be.

We can be content here.

Hold yourself open to contentment.

Happiness.

Just here.

Just now.

Just this breath.

Contentment.

Happy and grateful.

Thank you.

You may experience all of this along a spectrum.

That's okay.

A simple feeling of contentment.

And overwhelming wave of joy.

Simple happiness.

Perhaps moving up and down along a scale all things are subject to change.

We see that here.

But the sutra asks us to hold ourselves open to this.

As a place of solidity.

From which to examine what comes.

The work of inquiry ahead of us.

And of course there are so many feelings.

The reactions and responses we have to perceptions of all kinds.

They come,

They go.

Some are pleasant.

Some are not.

Some are just neutral.

Either way we don't need to follow them.

We don't need to push them away.

They're like ripples on the surface of a pond when the wind blows.

And if we don't bring wind to them they will settle.

Calming mental activity.

This is the little stuff.

Just let it go.

Okay.

As our mental activities calm.

Like the surface of water.

When it becomes calm the light of the sun shines brilliantly on it.

As our feelings calm as our mental activities calm.

The light of our awareness.

Begin to shine on the mind itself.

Rooted still in awareness of the breath.

Take a moment to find your breath again.

Take a moment to root yourself into your body.

Body calm.

Breath calm.

Feelings calm.

Water from.

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So many things are here.

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