In the Buddha's classic teaching on breath awareness, the Anapanasati Sutta, the Buddha offers a comprehensive guide for using full awareness of breathing as the path to tranquility, deep insight, and liberation. We begin by becoming intimately aware of our direct experience of breathing. This mindfulness of each breath leads us to a present-moment awareness that is calm and clear. The Buddha instructs us to then bring this calm awareness to the body, to feelings, mind states, and emotions, and ultimately to investigate the very nature of experience itself, ever shifting and changing.
Awareness becomes a place of refuge in the face of all that life brings – the "ten thousand joys and ten thousand sorrows" that arise in a lifetime, on and off the cushion. Mindfulness of breath, always available, becomes a helpful, supportive friend along the way.
Over the course of the day, we will explore the Buddha’s profound teachings on mindfulness of breathing organically and systematically. Our time together will include sitting meditation with instructions, talks, and time for discussion and questions.
This program is appropriate for both new and experienced meditators. All are warmly welcome.