Mindfulness of breathing
Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia is now 14 years old
Our Encyclopedia recently received a wonderful opportunity for a major renewal on its 14th birthday . After many years of growing our Encyclopedia had become bit slow and sometimes even decided not to answer when people knocked on the door.
A very big thank you and blessings to Dmytro Rudiy (rudiy.nl) for his great work in upgrading the server, website and all of the infrastructure and helping make TBE fast and reliable again for everyone! 🙏🙏🙏
We kindly ask our readers to help us cover the cost of this important upgrade and also help with the ongoing costs of keeping the Encyclopedia alive and freely available.
or card
Every little donation helps and every one is deeply appreciated. 🙏🙏🙏
OM AH HUM VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUM 🙏🙏🙏
May blessings shower down on all of yous 🙏🙏🙏
Mindfulness of breathing (ānāpānasati) is the most basic and also the most popular form of Buddhist meditation. The Buddha said: ‘When mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated, it is of great fruit and benefit.’ (M.III,82). Those doing this meditation will sit in a comfortable posture, usually cross-legged and with a straight back, and try to gently focus their attention on the in-and-out movement of the breath. As they gradually proceed, they will more quickly notice when their attention strays and be able to return it to the breath. Thus they will develop enhanced concentrationl disciplineand physical and psychological relaxation. As the practice matures, concentration should be allowed to give way to mindfulness, i.e. rather than trying to control the attention, one simply becomes aware of what is happening from moment to moment. This physical comfort and mental alertness is the first step in controlling the mind so that it can be understood and eventually freed.
The Buddha said: ‘Just as in the last month of the hot season when dust and grit blow about and an unexpected shower of rain immediately settles it, so too, mindfulness of breathing, when developed and cultivated, is peaceful and sublime, a pleasant way of living and it dispels and settles evil unskilful thoughts immediately.’ (S.V,321). The famous {{Wiki|psychologist]] William James made a similar point only in modern language: ‘The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention over and over again is the very root of judgment, character and will. No one is compos sui (master of himself) if he has it not. An education which would improve this facility would be the education par excellence.’
Breath by Breath, Larry Rosenburg,1999.