A guided mindfulness meditation on the body and breathing with Thanissaro Bhikkhu. For more guided meditations with Thanissaro Bhikkhu visit: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/guided_meditations/guided_meditations.html Here are two great websites with many downloadable dharma talks and teachings, please visit: http://www.dharmaseed.org http://www.dhammatalks.net ‎"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? Ordinarily, the mind is like a command post where you're receiving information from all directions about all sorts of different things, and it has a tendency to reserve some attention from what you're trying to focus on right now in case an emergency comes up. But while you're meditating you want to bring all of your attention to the breath. Don't hold anything in reserve. If you find any part of your mind or body that's not connected with the breath, well, get it connected. Add it on. Let the connected parts build up as much as they can with each breath. The more fully you can be in the present moment, the better. One moment of full attention is better than a whole hour of just drifting around. Of course, a whole hour of full attention is better than just one moment, but you can't do the whole hour at once. You can only do this moment, so give yourself fully to this moment. Don't hold anything back." From "Just This Breath" ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu Whatever work you're doing, keep an eye on your mind. If you see that it's going off the path, stop whatever you're doing and focus all your attention on it. the work of looking after your mind should always come first. ~ Ajahn Fuang On the night of the full moon — Magha Puja — I decided to sit in meditation as an offering to the Buddha. A little after 9 p.m. my mind became absolutely still. It seemed as if breath and light were radiating from my body in all directions. At the moment, I was focusing on my breath, which was so subtle that I scarcely seemed to be breathing at all. My heart was quiet, my mind still. The breath in my body didn't seem to be moving at all. It was simply quiet and still. My mind had completely stopped formulating thoughts — how all my thoughts had stopped, I had no idea. But I was aware — feeling bright, expansive and at ease — with a sense of freedom that wiped out all feeling of pain. After about an hour of this, teachings began to appear in my heart. This, in short, is what they said: "Focus down and examine becoming, birth, death and unawareness to see how they come about." A vision came to me as plain as if it were right before my eyes: "Birth is like a lightning flash. Death is like a lightning flash." So I focused on the causes leading to birth and death, until I came to the word avijja — unawareness. Unawareness of what? What kind of knowing is the knowing of unawareness? What kind of knowing is the knowing of awareness? I considered things in this manner, back and forth, over and over until dawn. When it all finally became clear, I left concentration. My heart and body both seemed light, open and free; my heart, extremely satisfied and full. ~ Ajahn Lee With mindfulness established, if it is seen that everything arises in the heart-mind: right there is the true path of practice. "In your investigation of the world, never allow the mind to desert the body. Examine its nature, see the elements that comprise it. When its true nature is seen fully and lucidly by the heart, the wonders of the world will become clear." ~ Quotes by Ajahn Mun Whatever beings there are may they be free from hurtfulness, Whatever beings there are may they be free from troubles of body and mind, Whatever beings there are may they be able to protect their happiness.

• published: 17 Dec 2010
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