Breathing: Mindfulness, Insight, Freedom
The Buddha taught thousands of times, usually to small groups, often in response to a specific question. Many of the teachings that come down to us are just a few sentences. There are really only a few teachings that are complete systems of practice. One is the Sutta on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Sati-patthana Sutta). Another is the Sutta on Breathing with Mindfulness (Ana-pana-sati Sutta). Here is a pith instruction on breathing with mindfulness, in four steps:
1. Breathing and experiencing the whole body. . . . the body naturally settles.
2. Breathing and experiencing feelings. . . . the heart naturally calms.
3. Breathing and experiencing mind’s activities. . . . mind is satisfied and steadied and activity is released.
4. Breathing and seeing all things are impermanent. . . . attachment fades and struggle is let go.
Breathing with mindfulness begins with basic attention to physical sensations, and takes us to the ultimate goal of Buddhist practice: freedom from the confusion and reactivity that causes suffering.
One difficulty with many so-called instructions is that they don’t tell us what to do; they just tell us how to be. “Be calm.” “See clearly.” “Be present.” These are not instructions, they are results. But with the Sutta Breathing with Mindfulness, we get a detailed practice, things to do, and then told what the result of that practice will be, so we know whether we’re practicing properly.
The instruction: Breathing and experiencing the whole body leads to the result: the body naturally settles
The instruction: Breathing and experiencing feelings leads to the result: the heart naturally calms
The art is to simply do the practice every day, and let the result come of itself over weeks and months.
Take the instructions in order: breathe and experience the whole body, then feelings pleasant and unpleasant, then thoughts. In any one session of meditation, it might seem that you don’t get beyond breathing and experiencing the whole body. That’s fine. Eventually you’ll find yourself breathing and experiencing feelings pleasant and unpleasant, and breathing and experiencing the minds’ activities: thoughts, memories, images, impulses. Sensations, feelings, and thoughts: that’s all there is!
When we practice consistently, daily, relying on the instructions — breathing and experiencing sensations, feelings, and thoughts — then the results will occur — the fading and release of confusion and attachment.