BY: Larry Rosenberg with Laura Zimmerman
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4 Thoughts
1. The Power of Breath Awareness (‘a joyful abiding in the here and now’)
“Thoughts also come and go. So do moods and images. Likewise, the body feels comfortable, then uncomfortable. The mind is optimistic, then pessimistic. You are totally interested in practice, then bored with it. Throughout it all, make your home in whole-body breath awareness. The breath is like a good friend helping to support that awareness. Every time you’re with an in-breath or out-breath, you’re learning how to be in the present moment. You’re learning how to be with the breath sensations just as they are. It’s actually an advantage that the breath takes on so many different qualities, for this challenges the mind to learn how to stay awake with the breath when it’s long, when it’s shallow, when it’s fine, when it’s coarse.”
This passage beautifully summarizes the power of breath awareness: It teaches you to be in the present moment, to be with things just as they are.
And it made me think about how this practice is really “life awareness.” Of course, we say “breath is life” all the time. But that’s not quite what I mean here. It’s more a metaphor for the realization that if you can bring awareness (and acceptance) to the breath in all its forms, you’ll be able to do the same with all the things life throws at us. Simply put, you learn about life by bringing awareness to the breath.
As Rosenberg also says, “The breath accompanies you the full length of life’s road: you learn about the body, feelings, mental formations, the mind itself, and, finally, the lawfulness of impermanence and emptiness of a substantial self.”
If that seems too far-fetched for something as simple as breathing, remember that the Buddha still practiced breath awareness after enlightenment:
“Even after full enlightenment, the Buddha himself set aside personal retreat time for the practice of mindfulness of breathing, calling it ‘a joyful abiding in the here and now.’”
If it was enough for the Buddha, I think it’s enough for us, too : ) So here’s to using our breath to joyfully abide in the here and now a little more in our lives 🙏
2. How to Practice Breath Awareness
“We’ll start with a translation of the third of the sixteen steps in the sutta itself: ‘Being sensitive to the whole body, the yogi breathes in. Being sensitive to the whole body, the yogi breathes out.’ The frame of reference is the whole body, sitting. This implies that you experience each breath as it turns up in you, however that is. It’s not a desperate search. It’s not trying to encompass the entire body. It’s just feeling whatever you feel. That’s good enough.
What’s crucial is the quality of awareness. The sensations turn up more distinctively in different places in the body from breath to breath, and this helps train the mind because it’s challenging. Not only is the mind learning to be attentive, but also to be supple, flexible. It is learning to stay with breath sensations as they emerge, whatever their quality, wherever they are most vivid.”
That’s breath awareness in a nutshell. Rosenberg suggests whole-body breath awareness, not a single-pointed focus such as in the nostrils or abdomen. There are benefits to both approaches, but Rosenberg makes a compelling case for this one here and in Thought #1 above.
Typically, this would be practiced in a seated position as part of a formal meditation session. But Rosenberg had another passage on “perfect practice” that jumped out at me, which can be used anytime, anywhere. I use it 10+ times a day now and find it incredibly valuable:
“At this very moment, whether you know it or not, each breath happens right here and right now. Little by little the question becomes, Are you intimate with this breath just as it is? Intimate, meaning not separate but fully experiencing whatever you experience as the breath fills up the lungs and empties in this particular posture at this time in this place.
When the mind gets caught up in its productions, can you return to the body and the breathing? Wherever you feel those breath sensations at any moment, your practice is perfect.”
So, you just notice your breath in whatever posture you’re currently occupying. Do that periodically throughout your day for 1-3 breaths, and watch your body and mind transform for the better 👏
3. Life is the Real Practice
“Could it be that our encounters with partners, colleagues, and strangers hold the same potential to liberate us as sitting in a solitary room, mindful of breath? I encourage you all to investigate this possibility. As you do, it might help to remember the simple and beautiful words of the Chan master Sheng Yen: ‘Practice should not be separated from living, and living at all times should be one’s practice.’”
That’s how the book ends, and this idea of treating our lives as the practice is a significant theme of the book. Of course, I absolutely love this. Yes, I have a formal breathing routine in the morning I never miss. But in my opinion, the whole point is to take what we learn during practice into the real world to live a better life, which is what Rosenberg advocates here.
He provides many ways of doing this. But, for our purposes, I love his suggestion for bringing mindful breathing into our days:
“Breath awareness is one method that can help you develop full attention to otherwise easily overlooked moments of daily life. Using this practice throughout the day transforms many small and simple activities into meaningful chances to develop a mind that is focused, calm, and alert.”
This really works. The book has motivated me to do it more throughout my day, and it’s truly powerful. (To start, use the short instructions from Thought #2.) So, enjoy treating your life as your practice as you find more chances to cultivate “a mind that is focused, calm, and alert.” 👏
4. The Proof is in the Pudding (plus some ‘ouch’ teaching)
“From there, it’s up to you. “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” You have to bite into the pudding, chew it, and taste it. … Tentatively, take the teachings as true and useful. But investigate them. As you read, test them out in your direct experience.”
This is the perfect mindset for us to adopt for any mind-body practice we might use. Get inspired by the words, the teachers, and the teachings. But ultimately, it’s up to us to test them in our lives and see if they actually work. We have to taste the pudding.
And although I’m not a Buddhist, perhaps I’m consistently drawn to Buddhist books because this mindset was precisely what the Buddha encouraged:
“[The Buddha] advises them that just because a teaching is ancient, or recited from the scripture, does not make it true. Just because it appears reasonable, or you’re drawn to the person teaching it, does not mean it is wise.”
Amen to that. And don’t forget that this applies to modern science, too : )
***
P.S. Rosenberg shares an amazing little story to drive this point home. There’s a young, popular Dharma teacher who knew everything about everything—all the citations, all the scriptures, and so on. He came to give a talk, and an old master showed up. But the old master kept falling asleep…
“The more authorities he cited, the sleepier the old master appeared. Finally, the young teacher interrupted himself to ask, ‘What’s wrong? Is my teaching so boring, so awful, so totally off?’ At that point, the old master leaned over and gave him a hard pinch. The young teacher screamed, ‘Ouch!’ The old master said, ‘Ah! That’s what I’ve traveled this long distance to hear. This pure teaching. This ‘ouch’ teaching.’”
1 Life-Changing Idea
The Best Advice on Methods (plus long beards)
“While you practice a particular method, it can be helpful to believe that your technique—or your teacher or lineage or meditation center—is the best. You feel fortunate. This mobilizes energy and often inspires strong practice. But as you grow on the path, more ingenuity is called for. You have to become self-reliant and see what you need from moment to moment. Just watch out for compulsive shopping around, which stems from the restless mind and its refusal to sustain any effort.”
Reading this was like taking a long slow exhale for my brain. It’s perhaps one of the most honest and insightful passages I’ve read on methods and teachers. I just love how he recognizes the power of believing your approach is the best: “This mobilizes energy and often inspires strong practice.” While simultaneously, he acknowledges that it will eventually change.
It means that if you’re currently excited about a method, that’s amazing. If it’s encouraging you to practice, get as excited as possible. But as you grow, realize that at some point, you’ll have to become more self-reliant. What do we do then? Back to Rosenberg for another gem:
“For me, approaches to mindfulness and concentration need to be adjusted to our unique character structure and temperament. The same holds true for all your meditation practices: choose the method that helps you let go of grasping and attachment. If it does, it is in the service of the Dharma. You may learn the approach from a little-known teacher who never wrote a book or presented at a Buddhist conference. Find out what is skillful for you, and don’t worry about what is useful for the person sitting next to you. This investigation requires patience and honesty. As you do it, it’s a practice—not a waste of time.”
Amen to that. I’m going to do my best to follow this. I hope you’ll join me.
***
P.S. The above passages ultimately lead to trusting yourself, not a particular method or teacher. As usual, Rosenberg has a funny story to drive this home: “Years ago, a wonderful Hindu teacher, Swami Chinmayananda, who taught me the Vedanta, said, ‘The longer the beard, the bigger the fake.’ And he, himself, had a beard that almost touched the floor!” That makes me laugh but also makes me think of how in today’s society, our version of “beards” are our credentials touching the floor: Ph.D., MD, Psy.D., D.O., and on and on : )
1 Stack of Memorable Quotes
“As you will hear me say throughout, each yogi responds to a particular approach in his or her own way. For both teacher and student, the choice of methods remains “skillful means.” No one size fits all.”
“Breathing awareness is not just about calming the mind—a common assumption among meditators not familiar with this method. Rather, the breath helps you maintain full attention, enabling you to see with greater clarity and accuracy the true nature of all forms: everything that arises passes away.”
“[The Buddha] realized that the process of respiration, so often taken for granted, comprises the basis for a method of awakening available to all of you.”
“Waking up is becoming more alive. The aliveness that’s available to all of you is already here in this moment. It’s life in the form of breathing.”
“Awareness is never limited to a particular time, place, or posture; and neither is the breath. Wherever you find yourself, the breath is present. If you aren’t breathing, you’re dead.”
“Mindfulness, the breath, and movement are happening within the same time frame. Can you be simple and alert enough to know this unitary event just as it is?”
“You're more alive when body and breath are permeated with the energy of awareness.”
“Of course, it is a truism that none of us can live without breathing. But can you make use of this truism, so that it helps your contemplative life?”
“But no matter where you find yourself, you have the ability to help the mind quiet down. Wherever you go, the breath is with you, providing an anchor. At moments that are right for you, you can turn to it just as you might turn to a good friend, to help you stay alert and cut down on the mind’s habitual, unnecessary thinking that often squanders so much energy.”
“The next step is crucial: you give relaxed, careful attention to respiration and to the obvious, often neglected fact that each one of us is breathing. In other words, you are alive! Did you know that?”