FOCUS AND DISTRACTION Breathing#1
audio file · 12 minutes
A Path to Tranquility · Ānāpānasati Sutta · First Step
In this small sequence of five exercises, Martin takes as his starting point a famous and beloved 2000-year-old text from the Buddhist canon, namely the Ānāpānasati Sutta. A timeless and crystal-clear guide to moving towards physical and mental peace by becoming aware of the breath and its connection with the body.
Ānāpānasati Sutta is Sanskrit and literally means 'breathing-presence-instruction'. One might ask why we choose to take a 2000-year-old text as our starting point. There are several reasons for this: Firstly, because the text is so clear and precise. There is something fascinating about how people so long ago formulated practices in a way that to this day, in a way, cannot be said better. And it is not only fascinating. It also reminds us that what we care for in exercises like these, what we cultivate, is probably not tied to a specific time and a specific culture. Rather, this training addresses fundamental human possibilities: Our innate talent for being aware, for feeling the breath, for sensing the body with alertness and curiosity. And then the Ānāpānasati Sutta is a famous text. In it, 16 steps are described in the deepening of presence – of which we concentrate here on the first steps.
Presence training is initially easy to describe and understand. In practice, however, it is also easy to get distracted and go astray. Here, a step-by-step description can help you better orient yourself in what is called for in the immersion of presence.
First step: FOCUS AND DISTRACTION
The first step in mindfulness training is, in almost all gradual descriptions, the practice of gathering attention. Typically, ordinary, everyday attention is scattered. It jumps from thought to thought or from thought to feeling to body sensation. Or it jumps between past, future and a commentary track to the here and now. Therefore, the ability to maintain focus is first trained. In relation to breathing, this simply means that the practitioner tries to be aware of the inhalation when breathing in. In the same way, mindfulness is trained with the exhalation when breathing out. Each time you discover that you have lost focus on inhalation and exhalation, respectively, you re-establish this focus. When you are able to maintain focus for a longer period of time without distraction (perhaps about two minutes), you can move on to the next step.
I have listened to several of your meditations in the practice library with great joy. I am grateful that you share all of this so generously. Thank you very much.
I would like to follow the January Practice Home, (from earlier) but have not been able to find it. Where should I look???
Dear Helen,
Thank you for your words, we are pleased that you practice with us.
Regarding your question about the January practice with the theme of home: first of all, thank you for your interest in following these guides. In recent years, in the month of January, we have shared a guide every day. When the month is over, the various guides will remain in our practice library, but without the designation January practice. If you want to do your own October practice, for example, you will be able to find at least 31 guides with the theme of home in the practice library (often this can be read from the title), and you can freely put together your own order.
Kind regards Jeanette / Kontemplation