| Yongey Peace Prevails Center 7714 W. Catalina Drive Phoenix, AZ 85033 |
| Under the guidance of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche |
Finding Peace: Breathing Meditation
by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
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What I am going to talk about now is a method that you can use as a spiritual practice to allow our
nature to become more evident.
First point of importance is the physical posture. For this method to be effective, the posture should be
erect, dignified, sitting up straight, but not too straight as to cause discomfort. You can either sit as I am
in a chair, having your feet flat on the floor, or if you want to sit cross-legged on the floor that’s fine.
However, trying to force yourselves into a cross-legged posture that’s painful for you is
counterproductive, and so that’s not recommended unless you find it comfortable.
There is a relax feeling to this posture. It's important to just relax! As the body relaxes, so is the mind at
rest. As you allow your mind to relax, there is as sense of being in the present moment of nowness and
openness. So, in this relaxed state, let your mind be aware of your breathing, not focusing too strongly,
just barely aware of it. If other thoughts crop up don’t block them, but don’t indulge them or follow
them, either. Keep your primary intent of being merely aware of the breathing. You don’t have to do
this for a long time, particularly in the beginning, try just short periods.
The next step is to allow your mind to actually begin to follow the breath instead of just being aware of it.
Your mind follows the breath as you breathe in and then as you breathe out. You should do it in a very
relaxed even manner, so that there is no jerkiness or irregularity. As you breathe in, your mind follows
the breath in. And then you breathe out and the mind follows the breath out into the open space in front
of you. And just kind of rest there for maybe two or three seconds as you relax on the out breath before
you breathe in again. Obviously, more than two or three seconds is going to be difficult if you don’t
breathe in again; and therefore, don’t force it. Do this over and over again.
The point is, initially, we are not able to experience that space and openness for a period longer than a
second or two; it’s difficult to maintain the experience. When we tie meditation in this way with
breathing, for short periods of time, many times over, we become increasingly familiar with the
experience. Then we will be able to have that experience for longer periods of time.
Do not get caught up in the small details, such as "this breath is longer than the last breath," etc. Even if
you have a bad meditation, it is perfectly fine. The key lies in not becoming too fixated in the
experiences. Of course, a certain amount of interest and recognition is necessary; but getting too
engrossed can be problematic. The important point is to keep pursuing the practice. Nothing ever comes
without diligence, but diligence does not mean becoming obsessive, either. It’s more a case of pursuing
the practice, and allowing those insights that do come up to be what they are without getting too caught
up in them. That, by far, is the best approach.
nature to become more evident.
First point of importance is the physical posture. For this method to be effective, the posture should be
erect, dignified, sitting up straight, but not too straight as to cause discomfort. You can either sit as I am
in a chair, having your feet flat on the floor, or if you want to sit cross-legged on the floor that’s fine.
However, trying to force yourselves into a cross-legged posture that’s painful for you is
counterproductive, and so that’s not recommended unless you find it comfortable.
There is a relax feeling to this posture. It's important to just relax! As the body relaxes, so is the mind at
rest. As you allow your mind to relax, there is as sense of being in the present moment of nowness and
openness. So, in this relaxed state, let your mind be aware of your breathing, not focusing too strongly,
just barely aware of it. If other thoughts crop up don’t block them, but don’t indulge them or follow
them, either. Keep your primary intent of being merely aware of the breathing. You don’t have to do
this for a long time, particularly in the beginning, try just short periods.
The next step is to allow your mind to actually begin to follow the breath instead of just being aware of it.
Your mind follows the breath as you breathe in and then as you breathe out. You should do it in a very
relaxed even manner, so that there is no jerkiness or irregularity. As you breathe in, your mind follows
the breath in. And then you breathe out and the mind follows the breath out into the open space in front
of you. And just kind of rest there for maybe two or three seconds as you relax on the out breath before
you breathe in again. Obviously, more than two or three seconds is going to be difficult if you don’t
breathe in again; and therefore, don’t force it. Do this over and over again.
The point is, initially, we are not able to experience that space and openness for a period longer than a
second or two; it’s difficult to maintain the experience. When we tie meditation in this way with
breathing, for short periods of time, many times over, we become increasingly familiar with the
experience. Then we will be able to have that experience for longer periods of time.
Do not get caught up in the small details, such as "this breath is longer than the last breath," etc. Even if
you have a bad meditation, it is perfectly fine. The key lies in not becoming too fixated in the
experiences. Of course, a certain amount of interest and recognition is necessary; but getting too
engrossed can be problematic. The important point is to keep pursuing the practice. Nothing ever comes
without diligence, but diligence does not mean becoming obsessive, either. It’s more a case of pursuing
the practice, and allowing those insights that do come up to be what they are without getting too caught
up in them. That, by far, is the best approach.
| -- from a teaching in 2006 or earlier |