Quotation

He who learns must suffer, and, even in our sleep, pain that we cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God. - Aeschylus

Monday, May 2, 2016

Buddhist Meditation: The Breath of Moksha

Moksha is liberation, a liberation not from the physical constraints of the oppressor's shackles, but rather a liberation from the shackles of suffering.  Liberation requires striving and discipline, but as we read in the Pāli canon, the Buddha provides us with the paths upon which we can journey to the other shore where liberation is realized.

At Sāvatthi, the Venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said: "Venerable sir, is there one thing which, when developed and cultivated, fulfills four things?  And four things which, when developed and cultivated, fulfill seven things?  And seven things which, when developed and cultivated, fulfill two things?"
"There is, Ānanda, one thing which, when developed and cultivated, fulfills four things; and four things which, when developed and cultivated, fulfill seven things; and seven things which, when developed and cultivated, fulfill two things."
"But, venerable sir, what is the one thing which, when developed and cultivated, fulfills four things; and four things which, when developed and cultivated, fulfill seven things; and seven things which, when developed and cultivated, fulfill two things?"
"Concentration by mindfulness of breathing, Ānanda, is the one thing which, when developed and cultivated, fulfills the four establishments of mindfulness.  The four establishments of mindfulness, when developed and cultivated, fulfill the seven factors of enlightenment.  The seven factors of enlightenment, when developed and cultivated, fulfill true knowledge and liberation."

The path to liberation does not need to begin with grand gestures or bold actions; it can begin with a single breath of which one is fully aware.  This is the one thing which, when developed and cultivated, can ultimately lead to our liberation.  So what does it mean to develop and cultivate it?

"How, Ānanda, is concentration by mindfulness of breathing developed and cultivated so that it fulfills the four establishments of mindfulness?  Here, Ānanda, a monk, having gone to the forest, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty hut, sits down.  Having folded his legs cross-wise, straightened his body, and set up mindfulness in front of him, just mindful he breathes in, mindful he breathes out. 
Breathing in long, he knows: 'I breathe in long.'; or breathing out long, he knows: 'I breathe out long.'  Breathing in short, he knows: 'I breathe in short.'; or breathing out short, he knows: 'I breathe out short.' He trains thus: 'Experiencing the whole body, I will breathe in'; he trains thus: 'Experiencing the whole body, I will breathe out.'  He trains thus: 'Tranquilizing the bodily formation, I will breathe in'; he trains thus: 'Tranquilizing the bodily formation, I will breathe out.'
He trains thus: 'Experiencing rapture, I will breathe in.'; he trains thus: 'Experiencing rapture, I will breathe out.' He trains thus: 'Experiencing happiness, I will breathe in.'; he trains thus: 'Experiencing happiness, I will breathe out.' He trains thus: 'Experiencing the mental formation, I will breathe in.'; he trains thus: 'Experiencing the mental formation, I will breathe out.'  He trains thus: 'Tranquilizing the mental formation, I will breathe in.'; he trains thus: 'Tranquilizing the mental formation, I will breathe out.'
He trains thus: 'Experiencing the mind, I will breathe in.'; he trains thus: 'Experiencing the mind, I will breathe out.' He trains thus: 'Gladdening the mind, I will breathe in.'; he trains thus: 'Gladdening the mind, I will breathe out.' He trains thus: 'Concentrating the mind, I will breathe in.'; he trains thus: 'Concentrating the mind, I will breathe out.'  He trains thus: 'Liberating the mind, I will breathe in.'; he trains thus: 'Liberating the mind, I will breathe out.' ..."

At each breath we take while sitting at the foot of the tree just as the Buddha did, we assert conscious control over the largely involuntary motions of the body, building our will so that we can then breathe again no matter what might pass across the body.  And then we breathe as each thought passes through our mind and each feeling passes through our heart, each breath a moment of building of an establishment of mindfulness.

This establishment is not the Western mindfulness of a meditation divorced from its purpose of liberation, nor is it the meditation performed for the sake of continued comfort.  Seeking after comfort will lead to the naraka in which the trees are no longer for sitting under serenely, but rather for the torture of those who still cling to their suffering just as they cling to the trees, embracing that which will simply lead to yet more suffering in their desire to avoid suffering.

The establishment of mindfulness leads not to the seeking after comfort which perpetuates the cycle of suffering, but rather to liberation from the cosmos of suffering.  The four establishments of mindfulness taught by the Buddha fulfill the seven factors of enlightenment, the factors of enlightenment which then fulfill true knowledge and liberation.  And it all begins with a single breath.

This is the breath of moksha, the breath which draws in true insight and expels ignorance.

The Naraka of Nirvana - The Breath of Moksha - The End of Ātman




By ntennis - I (ntennis) took this photograph., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11519654

Note: The above is a mural of one of the hell dimensions (narakas) in the Buddhist cosmology.  The inhabitants are climbing thorny trees while being attacked with spears and beaks.

2 comments:

  1. I discovered Buddhist practice and meditation just two years ago in order to forgive someone in my life who caused much harm. I have learned a lot about myself in the process and more importantly about how to be compassionate to others. I wish there was a way to inspire people to meditate who would never think of doing it. This article is amazing and it is articles like these that beckon me to create some type of meditation group in my community to teach people how to meditate. Especially those who would never consider it otherwise.

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    1. Stephanie, I am glad that you sought forgiveness and healing. That is a wonderful thing! :-) Also, it's great that you are inspired to share the benefits of meditation with others. There are videos online to help those who are interested in this type of meditation. Feel free to share this link to help them get started: https://youtu.be/ch-3i3ZXGEg

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