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Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 4:40 am
by tiltbillings
Brizzy wrote:Excellent point about right effort, which is an essential part of the path. A lot of opposition to Thanissaro's teachings might be traced to right effort being an inconvenience within traditions which promote a 'bare attention' agenda. Thanissaro's/Buddha's teachings on pleasure can also throw up problems for traditions who view pleasure as 'craving sankhara's' which must be eradicated, and that they should not allow themselves such pleasure, but repeatedly warn of the terrible dangers of Samadhi rather than the terrible dangers of no Samadhi. (Thanissaro gave quite an amusing talk on this somewhere- cant remember its name).
I have no trouble with Ven Thanissaro's teachings, with as little as have explained here. Those traditions which promote "bare attention" of which I am aware, via the teacher with whom I have worked, have certainly not shown feelings of being inconvenienced, threatened, or in any way discomforted by what I have seen explicated in this thread, and certainly those '"bare attention" traditions' would certainly not be threatened by "
Thanissaro's/Buddha's teachings on pleasure as 'craving sankhara's' which must be eradicated, and that they should not allow themselves such pleasure," and certainly they would not buy into "
repeatedly warn[ing] of the terrible dangers of Samadhi rather than the terrible dangers of no Samadhi."
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 4:42 am
by tiltbillings
retrofuturist wrote:Greetings,
tiltbillings wrote:What exactly is "easeful breathing?"
He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.'
Yes, but what is the actual practice of this?
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 4:44 am
by retrofuturist
Greetings,
tiltbillings wrote:Yes, but what is the actual practice of this?
Doing it.
Metta,
Retro.
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 4:45 am
by tiltbillings
retrofuturist wrote:
There is the case where a certain person fabricates a non-injurious bodily fabrication...
What is an example of a "
non-injurious bodily fabrication?"
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 4:51 am
by Brizzy
tiltbillings wrote:Brizzy wrote:Excellent point about right effort, which is an essential part of the path. A lot of opposition to Thanissaro's teachings might be traced to right effort being an inconvenience within traditions which promote a 'bare attention' agenda. Thanissaro's/Buddha's teachings on pleasure can also throw up problems for traditions who view pleasure as 'craving sankhara's' which must be eradicated, and that they should not allow themselves such pleasure, but repeatedly warn of the terrible dangers of Samadhi rather than the terrible dangers of no Samadhi. (Thanissaro gave quite an amusing talk on this somewhere- cant remember its name).
I have no trouble with Ven Thanissaro's teachings, with as little as have explained here. Those traditions which promote "bare attention" of which I am aware, via the teacher with whom I have worked, have certainly not shown feelings of being inconvenienced, threatened, or in any way discomforted by what I have seen explicated in this thread, and certainly those '"bare attention" traditions' would certainly not be threatened by
"Thanissaro's/Buddha's teachings on pleasure as 'craving sankhara's' which must be eradicated, and that they should not allow themselves such pleasure," and certainly they would not buy into "
repeatedly warn[ing] of the terrible dangers of Samadhi rather than the terrible dangers of no Samadhi."
I think you unintentionally re-wrote my argument regarding pleasure as 'craving sankharas' which must be eradicated. It is certainly not the Buddha nor Thanissaro who teaches this.
Metta
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 4:52 am
by tiltbillings
retrofuturist wrote:Greetings,
tiltbillings wrote:Yes, but what is the actual practice of this?
Doing it.
Metta,
Retro.
Doing what? I am not trying to be a smart-ass here. I am trying to get a picture of what the actual practice is that some here seem to be advocating.
He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.
So, one sits, about to breath in, thinking:
'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.' And then there is the in-breath: '
I am breathing in calming bodily fabrication.' And so forth, in and out with this these thoughts? Is this correct? So, how does this thinking calm the bodily fabrication, and what exactly is meant by bodily fabrication?
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:00 am
by retrofuturist
Greetings,
tiltbillings wrote:Doing what? I am not trying to be a smart-ass here. I am trying to get a picture of what the actual practice is that some here seem to be advocating.
MN 61 wrote:"Whenever you want to do a bodily action, you should reflect on it: 'This bodily action I want to do — would it lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Would it be an unskillful bodily action, with painful consequences, painful results?' If, on reflection, you know that it would lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both; it would be an unskillful bodily action with painful consequences, painful results, then any bodily action of that sort is absolutely unfit for you to do. But if on reflection you know that it would not cause affliction... it would be a skillful bodily action with pleasant consequences, pleasant results, then any bodily action of that sort is fit for you to do.
"While you are doing a bodily action, you should reflect on it: 'This bodily action I am doing — is it leading to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Is it an unskillful bodily action, with painful consequences, painful results?' If, on reflection, you know that it is leading to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both... you should give it up. But if on reflection you know that it is not... you may continue with it.
"Having done a bodily action, you should reflect on it: 'This bodily action I have done — did it lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Was it an unskillful bodily action, with painful consequences, painful results?' If, on reflection, you know that it led to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both; it was an unskillful bodily action with painful consequences, painful results, then you should confess it, reveal it, lay it open to the Teacher or to a knowledgeable companion in the holy life. Having confessed it... you should exercise restraint in the future. But if on reflection you know that it did not lead to affliction... it was a skillful bodily action with pleasant consequences, pleasant results, then you should stay mentally refreshed & joyful, training day & night in skillful mental qualities.
There is no "actual practice" that can be advocated independent of the origin of the action...
AN 3.112 wrote:Bhikkhus, these three are the origins for the arising of actions. What three? Greed is an origin for the arising of actions, so too hate and delusion.
Bhikkhus, an action by nature greedy, arising from greed, is demerit and wrong. It brings unpleasant results and conduces to more action not to the cessation of actions. Bhikkhus, an action by nature hateful, arising from hate, is demerit and wrong. It brings unpleasant results and conduces to more action not to the cessation of actions. Bhikkhus, an action by nature deluded, arising from delusion, is demerit and wrong. It brings unpleasant results and conduces to more action not to the cessation of actions. Bhikkhus, these three are the origins for the arising of actions.
Bhikkhus, these three are the origins for the arising of actions. What three? Non-greed is an origin for the arising of actions, so too non-hate and non-delusion.
Bhikkhus, an action by nature not greedy, arising from non-greed, is merit, not wrong. It brings pleasant results and conduces to cessation of actions not to the arising of more actions Bhikkhus, an action by nature not hateful, arising from non-hate, is merit not wrong. It brings pleasant results and conduces to the cessation of actions, not to the arising of more actions. Bhikkhus, an action by nature not deluded, arising from non-delusion, is merit, not wrong. It brings pleasant results and conduces to cessation of actions, not to the arising of more actions. Bhikkhus, these three are the origins for the arising of actions.
There are no universal absolutes regarding action that can be mechanically prescribed that will be fruitful and skilful to all persons, at all times, and in all circumstances. Action is cetana, and the vipaka will be commensurate.
This is why the Buddha taught via "guidelines" - if the individual's "actual practice" (in terms of outward form or mechanics) in the present moment adheres to the guidelines, then it is good/skilful. If the individual's "actual practice" (in terms of outward form or mechanics) in the present moment doesn't adhere to the guidelines, then it is bad/unskilful.
Metta,
Retro.
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:00 am
by tiltbillings
Brizzy wrote:tiltbillings wrote:Brizzy wrote:Excellent point about right effort, which is an essential part of the path. A lot of opposition to Thanissaro's teachings might be traced to right effort being an inconvenience within traditions which promote a 'bare attention' agenda. Thanissaro's/Buddha's teachings on pleasure can also throw up problems for traditions who view pleasure as 'craving sankhara's' which must be eradicated, and that they should not allow themselves such pleasure, but repeatedly warn of the terrible dangers of Samadhi rather than the terrible dangers of no Samadhi. (Thanissaro gave quite an amusing talk on this somewhere- cant remember its name).
I have no trouble with Ven Thanissaro's teachings, with as little as have explained here. Those traditions which promote "bare attention" of which I am aware, via the teacher with whom I have worked, have certainly not shown feelings of being inconvenienced, threatened, or in any way discomforted by what I have seen explicated in this thread, and certainly those '"bare attention" traditions' would certainly not be threatened by
"Thanissaro's/Buddha's teachings on pleasure as 'craving sankhara's' which must be eradicated, and that they should not allow themselves such pleasure," and certainly they would not buy into "
repeatedly warn[ing] of the terrible dangers of Samadhi rather than the terrible dangers of no Samadhi."
I think you unintentionally re-wrote my argument regarding pleasure as 'craving sankharas' which must be eradicated. It is certainly not the Buddha nor Thanissaro who teaches this.
Metta
It certainly was unintentional. Let me try again:
- I have no trouble with Ven Thanissaro's teachings, with as little as have explained here. Those traditions which promote "bare attention" of which I am aware, via the teachers with whom I have worked, have certainly not shown feelings of being inconvenienced, threatened, or in any way discomforted by what I have seen explicated in this thread, and certainly those '"bare attention" traditions' folks which I know would certainly not be those "who view": "Thanissaro's/Buddha's teachings on pleasure can also throw up problems for traditions who view pleasure as 'craving sankhara's' which must be eradicated, and that they should not allow themselves such pleasure,," and certainly they would not buy into "repeatedly warn[ing] of the terrible dangers of Samadhi rather than the terrible dangers of no Samadhi."
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:05 am
by tiltbillings
retrofuturist wrote:Greetings,
tiltbillings wrote:Doing what? I am not trying to be a smart-ass here. I am trying to get a picture of what the actual practice is that some here seem to be advocating.
MN 61 wrote:"Whenever you want to do a bodily action, you should reflect on it: 'This bodily action I want to do — would it lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Would it be an unskillful bodily action, with painful consequences, painful results?'. . .
That certainly is one way to practice, but it seems not to be the whole of it.
These are no universal absolutes regarding action that can be mechanically prescribed that will be fruitful and skilful to all persons, at all times, and in all circumstances. Action is cetana.
This is why the Buddha taught via "guidelines" - if the individual's "actual practice" (in terms of outward form or mechanics) in the present moment adheres to the guidelines, then it is good.
Guidelines, but certainly not specifics, which is why working with a teacher can be a very good thing, indeed.
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:26 am
by retrofuturist
Greetings,
Thanissaro Bhikkhu's own experience under his teacher is probably relevant in this regard...
Jhana Not by the Numbers
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... mbers.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Metta,
Retro.
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 6:09 am
by tiltbillings
Thanks. Interesting discussion on his part, which makes my point about the need for working with an experienced teacher.
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 6:19 am
by farmer
Tilt is asking a good, specific question and getting only vague answers. Maybe that is because Venerable Thanissaro, rather than teaching specific types of breathing, leaves the meditator with a set of suggestions/questions to explore on his or her own. Those of us who have tried his approach know from experience what he is talking about, but our understanding is in the form of "muscle memory" rather than conceptual knowledge, which makes it hard to verbalize.
Maybe it will be helpful if I give a few concrete examples of ways I use breathing to support samatha:
* A long, deep, exaggerated breath is helpful for setting the tone at the beginning of sitting meditation. "Take a deep breath" is standard advice for someone who wants to clear anger or anxiety from their mind, so this is just a very natural way of "putting aside greed and distress with respect to the world."
*I tend to continue with deep in-breaths and slightly shorter, heavier out-breaths as long as I feel my mind wants to get involved with distractions. The deep breathing seems to clear out the bodily sensations associated with any anxiety, greed or ill will that get carried in from daily life, and provides a clear object for the mind to settle on.
* As I settle into concentration, it feels natural to let the breath slow, soften and become shallower. The in and out breaths seem more equal at this phase.
* If a distraction arises, it can be helpful to "breathe through" the corresponding sensation in the body. (That sentence makes a lot of sense to me, but may sound bizarre to you...)
* The habit of monitoring the quality of the breath carries through into daily life. If I am sub-consciously irritated by something, I will often notice the aversion first as a tightening in my breathing.
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 6:55 am
by tiltbillings
farmer wrote:Tilt is asking a good, specific question and getting only vague answers. . . .
Thanks. I appreciate your catching what I was asking and I appreciate even more the time you took for your response. It was helpful.
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 8:14 am
by mikenz66
tiltbillings wrote:
I have no trouble with Ven Thanissaro's teachings, with as little as have explained here. Those traditions which promote "bare attention" of which I am aware, via the teachers with whom I have worked, have certainly not shown feelings of being inconvenienced, threatened, or in any way discomforted by what I have seen explicated in this thread ... ]
Me neither. I don't see much point in speculation about how so-and-so who follow this-or-that approach might be uncomfortable with such-and-such. I certainly don't feel "threatened" by anything that Ven T says.
If one examines the whole "packages", not just a couple of details, there's really not so much disagreement. With these apparent disagreements regarding "bare attention", it's partly a matter of terminology, such as where one puts divisions between right intention, mindfulness, effort, etc.
Mike
Re: Thanissaro Bikkhu and manipulation of the breath
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 8:24 am
by retrofuturist
Greetings,
farmer wrote:Maybe it will be helpful if I give a few concrete examples of ways I use breathing to support samatha...
Interesting list Farmer... very similar to what I've experienced, following the sutta instructions and listening to the likes of Thanissaro Bhikkhu etc.
Metta,
Retro.