Larry Rosenberg.

[lyallben]

Has anybody on the board experience with " full body awareness" anapana as taught by Larry Rosenberg? (I believe
he was a student of Ajahn Buddhadasa and other Teachers.) Or similar forms of anapana,not focused exclusively at the nostrils?

[tiltbillings]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Rosenberg

[marc108]

I'm not familiar with Mr Rosenberg but there are plenty of other teachers that teach that way. I practice that way as well

[tiltbillings]

I'm not familiar with Mr Rosenberg but there are plenty of other teachers that teach that way. I practice that way as well

He is a nice guy and a good teacher.

[lyallben]

I'm interested to learn from your experience and know about other Teachers.
What I find refreshing about Larry Rosenberg is that he doesn't teach a one approach suits all.

[porpoise]

Has anybody on the board experience with " full body awareness" anapana as taught by Larry Rosenberg? (I believe
he was a student of Ajahn Buddhadasa and other Teachers.) Or similar forms of anapana,not focused exclusively at the nostrils?

I found Larry's book "Breath by breath" very accessible and practical. You might also want to look at some other commentaries on anapanasati like "Mindfulness with Breathing" by Buddhadasa Biddkhu, and "Breathe! You Are Alive" by Thich Nhat Hanh

[David N. Snyder]

He is a nice guy and a good teacher.

Excellent. I don't know him, but this is good to hear and from his wikipedia page, it appears his 80th birthday is in just a couple of weeks. May he live even longer to teach the Dhamma!

[Javi]

Breath by Breath is a great introduction to anapanasati, really helpful book, definitely recommended for those who are interested in the full body breathing approach (I think Thanissaro B. teaches something similar irc).
Also check out Larry's talks on Anapanasati

[marc108]

I'm interested to learn from your experience and know about other Teachers.
What I find refreshing about Larry Rosenberg is that he doesn't teach a one approach suits all.

is there something specific you wanted to know?

other teachers who teach the 'whole body' method are Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Ajahn Sucitto & I believe Gil Fronsdal as well.

[lyallben]

I'm interested in reading or listening to other Teachers who practice this method.
Thanks.
I never realised Ajahn Sucitto taught in this way. I enjoy his talks and humour.

[marc108]

I'm interested in reading or listening to other Teachers who practice this method.
Thanks.
I never realised Ajahn Sucitto taught in this way. I enjoy his talks and humour.

His description & method are my favorite:

Meditation: A Way of Awakening, Page 47: Mindfulness of Breathing
http://forestsanghapublications.org/vie ... 12&ref=vec

[lyallben]

Richard Shankman is also open to using full body anapana as is Andrea Fella ( a student of Thanissaro Bhikku).
I listened to a talk by Ajahn Sona and he seemed to be saying that his interpretation of the Anapana Sati Sutta was that awareness at the nostrils was the correct technique- to appreciate the subtlety of breath.
How do other people feel about this whole body anapana method? When I first started meditating there were only two alternatives awareness at the nostrils or the Mahasi Method.
Do you think Jhana is possible through using this whole body anapana method?

[marc108]

Richard Shankman is also open to using full body anapana as is Andrea Fella ( a student of Thanissaro Bhikku).
I listened to a talk by Ajahn Sona and he seemed to be saying that his interpretation of the Anapana Sati Sutta was that awareness at the nostrils was the correct technique- to appreciate the subtlety of breath.
How do other people feel about this whole body anapana method? When I first started meditating there were only two alternatives awareness at the nostrils or the Mahasi Method.
Do you think Jhana is possible through using this whole body anapana method?

Mr. Shankman has said that the highest levels of Jhana are attainable by nose, abdomen & full body & I believe him given his experience. Ajahn Sona makes the argument (http://www.leighb.com/case_of_the_missing_simile.htm) that the nose is the correct spot because it's use is consistent across the Patisambhidamagga, Vimuttimagga & Visuddhimagga. I started my Anapanasati practice using my nose but lost most of the sensation in my nose due to allergies, then tried other various methods but settled on the whole-body approach re: Ajahn Sucitto. In my experience, the experience of meditation is different using different spots but can still be totally congruent with the Buddhas approach to meditation regardless of spot.

My personal opinion is that the spot doesn't matter, per-say, unless you are trying to do very deeply absorbed Jhanas re: the Visuddhimagga. You have, clearly, very attained teachers teaching all variety of 'spots'... nose, abdomen, whole-body, even no spot at all.

[Javi]

Apparently Ajahn Chah taught to start with a combination of belly, chest and nose attention (most likely among others). From Ajahn Chah on Meditation.

When we breathe in, the beginning of the breath is at the nose–tip, the middle of the breath at the chest and the end of the breath at the abdomen. This is the path of the breath. When we breathe out, the beginning of the breath is at the abdomen, the middle at the chest and the end at the nose–tip. Simply take note of this path of the breath at the nose–tip, the chest and the abdomen, then at the abdomen, the chest and the tip of the nose. We take note of these three points in order to make the mind firm, to limit mental activity so that mindfulness and self–awareness can easily arise. When our attention settles on these three points, we can let them go and note the in and out breathing, concentrating solely at the nose–tip or the upper lip, where the air passes on it’s in and out passage. We don’t have to follow the breath, just establish mindfulness in front of us at the nose–tip, and note the breath at this one point – entering, leaving, entering, leaving. Soon the mind becomes peaceful, the breath refined.