Placing Awareness Prior To The Breath
J wrote:
>Could you say more on your technique?
> Also, it reminds me of the darkzen method of antecedency of the
> breath. Have you read his work?
Yes, I like the Dark Zen teachings a lot. Here's the quote that you
cited:
"4. To recollect that which is most antecedent to the in breath and out breath means that you must tune into that which is prior to the entire breathing cycle itself. Just as the hand which lifts a staff is not part of the staff, likewise the antecedent recollection is not a part of your breathing. As a practical illustration, you must recollect the antecedent as you breathe in and breathe out. If the breathing is long or short, labored or otherwise, you must focus on the antecedent so that breathing follows after it. When you breathe, for example, your normal belief is, "I am breathing." It never dawns on you to retract your attention and look in the opposite direction so as to rise above breathing. Not surprisingly, this is not an easy task (owing to force of habit, all of us still attend to conditions which are always posterior)."
http://www.darkzen.com/teachings/methoddzm.htm
COMMENT: Rereading the above, I realize that I always thought of 'prior' to the breath as 'not ahead' of the breath, which of course is incorrect. Whatever is antecedent to the breath of course is before the breath, and thus similar to both 'the backbeat' that I've mentioned and also that 'leaning forward' into the half-second that divides pure perception from the 'self-reflection'. Thanks for sending me back to re-read that paragraph!
At times I have also tried thinking "I breathe in" during the out-breath, and "I breathe out" during the in-breath -- a practice suggested by Dark Zen's suggestion to 'look in the opposite direction.' This results in the impression that 'breath is breathing me,' which is quite an interesting experience, as if that great Elemental Entity Pneuma is exhaling air into all creatures on the planet through its own breath cycle.
>Could you say more on your technique?
> Also, it reminds me of the darkzen method of antecedency of the
> breath. Have you read his work?
Yes, I like the Dark Zen teachings a lot. Here's the quote that you
cited:
"4. To recollect that which is most antecedent to the in breath and out breath means that you must tune into that which is prior to the entire breathing cycle itself. Just as the hand which lifts a staff is not part of the staff, likewise the antecedent recollection is not a part of your breathing. As a practical illustration, you must recollect the antecedent as you breathe in and breathe out. If the breathing is long or short, labored or otherwise, you must focus on the antecedent so that breathing follows after it. When you breathe, for example, your normal belief is, "I am breathing." It never dawns on you to retract your attention and look in the opposite direction so as to rise above breathing. Not surprisingly, this is not an easy task (owing to force of habit, all of us still attend to conditions which are always posterior)."
http://www.darkzen.com/teachings/methoddzm.htm
COMMENT: Rereading the above, I realize that I always thought of 'prior' to the breath as 'not ahead' of the breath, which of course is incorrect. Whatever is antecedent to the breath of course is before the breath, and thus similar to both 'the backbeat' that I've mentioned and also that 'leaning forward' into the half-second that divides pure perception from the 'self-reflection'. Thanks for sending me back to re-read that paragraph!
At times I have also tried thinking "I breathe in" during the out-breath, and "I breathe out" during the in-breath -- a practice suggested by Dark Zen's suggestion to 'look in the opposite direction.' This results in the impression that 'breath is breathing me,' which is quite an interesting experience, as if that great Elemental Entity Pneuma is exhaling air into all creatures on the planet through its own breath cycle.