JUST THIS BREATH

JUST THIS BREATH

"Don’t tell yourself you’ve got a whole hour to sit here. Just tell yourself you’ve got this breath: this breath coming in, this breath going out. 

That’s all there is: this breath. As for the breaths for the rest of the hour, don’t even think of them right now. 

Pay attention to them when they come. When they go, you’re done with them. There’s only this breath.

~Your meditation needs that kind of focus if you’re going to see anything clearly. This attitude also helps to cut through a lot of the garbage at the beginning of the meditation. 

You may have experience from the past of how long it takes for the mind to settle down. But by now you should have a sense of where the mind goes when it settles down. Why can’t you go there right now?

~Once you’re there with the breath, and you can get your balance, try to maintain balance. 

Again, it’s just this breath, this breath. See what you can do with this breath. Welcome it as an opportunity for making things better. 

How deep can it go, how good can it feel? How much of your attention can you give to it?"

❀❀❀

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Just This Breath

~http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/eDhammaTalks_1.pdf