The theme of Tricycle Meditation Month 2016 is “beginning again.” In this video from the Tricycle online retreat archives, Thanissaro Bhikkhu, an American Theravada Buddhist monk of the Dhammayut Order, gets back to the basics of the breath, teaching us how to approach breathing “proactively” so we’re at ease during meditation.
“The breath shapes your experience in the body, it is your primary experience in the body,” Thanissaro Bhikkhu says in his talk. “We tend to think the breath is something that comes in and out of the solid body that we’re already experiencing, but if it weren’t for the breath we wouldn’t be able to experience the solid body at all. [The breath is] one of the few processes in the body that can be automatic or willed, and we’re going to be focusing on how you can use the willed aspect of the breath in order to develop concentration and a basis for insight.”
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More from Thanissaro Bhikkhu:
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