Four Applications Of Mindfulness Retreat 2013 with B. Alan Wallace (part 6)

0:01 Well, also, after just a couple of comments, we'll go into our next session. But I want to highlight a very important theme for all of these phases of shamatha practice, and that is that it always, shamatha practice always entails a balancing act, an act of balance, and that is in this initial phase of this full body awareness, especially if you're in the sumpai position, and really letting your awareness rest in that earth element, that sense of solidity. Report an error in the passage at 0:01 Highlight the passage at 0:01

0:28 And that deep sense of relaxation, of releasing, big emphasis, not on pressuring the breath out, but just releasing it fully, releasing thoughts. Then the primary emphasis in that phase of mindfulness of breathing is on the cultivation of relaxation, or simply the unwinding, the releasing, which has always been important, but never more important, I think, than in our modern era with our pace of life. Report an error in the passage at 0:28 Highlight the passage at 0:28

0:52 So the emphasis is on relaxation. But this isn't a practice for falling asleep or taking a nap or just hanging out and just relaxing. It is a shamatha practice. It is really about developing attention skills. And so therefore, on the one hand, while we're seeking to become more and more relaxed, and there's no such thing as being too relaxed, but we seek to balance that with sustaining the degree of mental clarity with which we began the session. Report an error in the passage at 0:52 Highlight the passage at 0:52

1:21 So we're seeking to really push the envelope, to be more relaxed, more relaxed, more relaxed. The clarity you have right now, just don't lose that. Normally when we get really relaxed, then we start getting groggy, dozy, fading out and we fall asleep to have a nice nap. Nothing wrong with that. But that's not meditation, it's taking a nap. So there it is, this is worth remembering. This first phase, it's a balance between relaxing more and more deeply and not trying to develop greater stability or trying to develop greater clarity. Report an error in the passage at 1:21 Highlight the passage at 1:21

1:50 It's simply a matter of don't lose the clarity you began with. But maintaining that, be much more at ease, loose, relaxed, in comfort, in body and mind. Now in the session we're about to begin, we're going to shift to what is called the Burmese technique. I think it's probably fairly recently devised, probably the 19th century is my guess. Report an error in the passage at 1:50 Highlight the passage at 1:50

2:11 I don't see any explicit basis for it in the Pāli Canon and the Buddhist teachings. At the same time, it's perfectly compatible with the Buddhist teachings. And that is, and it's useful, that's the most important. And what we'll be doing here, a very brief preamble, is we'll more narrowly focus the attention to the tactile sensations of the rise and fall of the abdomen with each in and out breath. Report an error in the passage at 2:11 Highlight the passage at 2:11

2:32 So if we're sitting upright, there's a very clear sense of directing the attention downwards, right? Because most of us have a sense we're located up in the head. And generally speaking, a rule of thumb for shamatha is when the mind is agitated or restless, it's helpful to ground the attention, stabilize the attention. Report an error in the passage at 2:32 Highlight the passage at 2:32

2:49 By directing the attention out downwards. And so that's what we'll be doing in this session about to begin. Sensations at the abdomen. Again, we're not visualizing or cogitating about the abdomen, but just sensing the bare tactile sensations. Report an error in the passage at 2:49 Highlight the passage at 2:49

3:04 But now in this phase, we're shifting the emphasis as another balancing act. So it's really worthwhile to remember what is being balanced in each of these phases of mindfulness of breathing. And that is what is being balanced here is we are now explicitly seeking to accentuate or strengthen the stability of attention. Okay? Report an error in the passage at 3:04 Highlight the passage at 3:04

3:25 So we're trying to do that, which means there can be some exertion of effort. Make it too much and you start getting tight. So we don't want it too much, but if there's none, then the mind will just be kind of meandering around. And so we're seeking to accentuate the stability of attention, which means the ability to sustain voluntarily the flow of attention on our chosen object. Report an error in the passage at 3:25 Highlight the passage at 3:25

3:46 That's stability in a word. But while we're seeking to enhance the stability of attention, the balancing act is to increase that without losing the sense of relaxation that we cultivated in the early phases. In other words, in the phases in the first two sessions this morning, it's just cultivating hopefully a deeper sense of looseness, ease, relaxation. And so bringing that to this session, Really loosen the shoulders, the face, the mind, everything soft, loose. Now begin to enhance the attention, but don't lose that. Report an error in the passage at 3:46 Highlight the passage at 3:46

4:20 In other words, don't make gains in terms of stability of attention at the loss of relaxation. Because that's how we normally do it. We really relax until we need to really pay attention and then we start getting tight. So this is the skill. This is the contemplative cultivation of attention. Rather than the kind of the ordinary habitual way where we tighten up as soon as we want to concentrate. Okay? So please find a comfortable position. We'll go right in. Report an error in the passage at 4:20 Highlight the passage at 4:20

4:47 This will be guided. Report an error in the passage at 4:47 Highlight the passage at 4:47

4:52 Mindfulness of Breathing phase two. Now Report an error in the passage at 4:52 Highlight the passage at 4:52

· · · silence, 1 minute

5:28 with fewer words, let's settle the body, speech and mind in the natural states. As we've done before, you Report an error in the passage at 5:28 Highlight the passage at 5:28

· · · silence, 1 minute

7:00 know the posture already, whether in the supine position or sitting upright. As for the eyes, there are no explicit or uniform instructions about whether the eyes should be open, hooded. Or closed. Different teachers, different traditions emphasize one or the other. So do as you see fit. Whatever is most helpful for you for sustaining the flow of voluntary attention. Report an error in the passage at 7:00 Highlight the passage at 7:00

7:31 Now direct your mental attention to Report an error in the passage at 7:31 Highlight the passage at 7:31

7:36 the tactile sensations of the rise and fall or expansion and contraction of your belly. This means you must keep your belly very loose, your muscles relaxed, soft, whether you're sitting upright or supine. The Report an error in the passage at 7:36 Highlight the passage at 7:36

7:53 sensations of the breath. Flow right down to the belly, even the lower abdomen as you inhale. You Report an error in the passage at 7:53 Highlight the passage at 7:53

8:08 let the breath flow out, the belly comes back, it recedes. Very normal. Only if you keep the belly soft and relaxed. Report an error in the passage at 8:08 Highlight the passage at 8:08

8:23 So when the inhalation is relatively short, you may find just the belly expands. Report an error in the passage at 8:23 Highlight the passage at 8:23

8:30 If it's a lot longer, let first the belly expand and then the diaphragm expand. And should a deep breath come in, all of its own accord, fill it from the bottom up, let your belly expand, then the diaphragm and finally the chest. Do not keep your abdomen contracted so you're breathing only into the chest. This is not healthy breathing. Report an error in the passage at 8:30 Highlight the passage at 8:30

· · · silence, 1 minute

9:42 Initiate that gentle oscillation, the arousal of attention, the clear focus, the concentration, during the course of the in-breath. Report an error in the passage at 9:42 Highlight the passage at 9:42

9:55 And then while sustaining that flow of focused mindfulness, relax deeply, especially letting go of thoughts, releasing the breath completely. Report an error in the passage at 9:55 Highlight the passage at 9:55

10:09 Exhalation. Report an error in the passage at 10:09 Highlight the passage at 10:09

10:14 Relax, thereby overcoming laxity. Relax. Thereby letting off steam, letting off the energy that underlies the turbulence of the conceptual mind. Report an error in the passage at 10:14 Highlight the passage at 10:14

· · · silence, 2 minutes

12:29 Faculty of mindfulness, as it's classically understood in Buddhism, we sustain the flow of voluntary attention without forgetfulness, without distraction. Report an error in the passage at 12:29 Highlight the passage at 12:29

12:43 This enabled us to stabilize the attention. Report an error in the passage at 12:43 Highlight the passage at 12:43

12:50 But the practice of shamatha, like in many other meditations, entails the utilization and refinement not only of mindfulness but of another all-important faculty. Report an error in the passage at 12:50 Highlight the passage at 12:50

13:04 And that is introspection. The mental faculty by means of which we check up on the body, we monitor the body, the posture and so on. We monitor the breath to see that it's flowing unimpededly, effortlessly. And all importantly, with the faculty of introspection, we monitor the flow of attention, recognizing as quickly as possible the occurrence of either laxity or fading out, becoming dull, spaced out, and the occurrence of excitation. Report an error in the passage at 13:04 Highlight the passage at 13:04

13:39 When the mind, the attention is drawn away by rumination or some other sensory stimulus. Report an error in the passage at 13:39 Highlight the passage at 13:39

13:50 So as you seek to maintain as continuously as possible the flow of mindfulness, intermittently monitor that flow with the faculty of introspection. Report an error in the passage at 13:50 Highlight the passage at 13:50

· · · silence, 1 minute

15:01 Mindfulness has the primary function of retaining, bearing in mind the chosen object of attention. Report an error in the passage at 15:01 Highlight the passage at 15:01

15:12 Introspection has the primary function of discernment, recognizing as quickly as possible. The occurrences of imbalances of the attention. We can call them hyperactivity and deficit or excitation and laxity. Report an error in the passage at 15:12 Highlight the passage at 15:12

15:30 When you see that your attention is strained, mindfulness has been lost. As soon as you recognize that, let your first response as an antidote be to relax, loosen up. Report an error in the passage at 15:30 Highlight the passage at 15:30

15:51 Secondly, release whatever captivated your attention. Just let it go. And thirdly, return your attention to the object of mindfulness. Report an error in the passage at 15:51 Highlight the passage at 15:51

16:05 So relax, release and return. Report an error in the passage at 16:05 Highlight the passage at 16:05

· · · silence, 3 minutes

19:09 Your spectrum must also monitor the occurrence of laxity and dullness. As soon as you see that your attention has grown vague, nebulous, spaced out or inattentive, refresh your interest in the practice. Why is this meaningful? Why do you want to do it? Report an error in the passage at 19:09 Highlight the passage at 19:09

19:32 And restore your mindfulness, Report an error in the passage at 19:32 Highlight the passage at 19:32

19:38 your attention, the continuity of your focus. Refresh, restore and retain. In this way balance the flow of your attention. Report an error in the passage at 19:38 Highlight the passage at 19:38