Experience, gladden, steady and free the mind

With the breath still present, know the state of the mind, brighten it when it is dull, steady it when it scatters, and release it when it is caught.

Pourquoi ça marche

The third group of steps turns to the mind itself: breathing “experiencing the mind,” “gladdening the mind,” “immersing the mind in samādhi,” and “freeing the mind.” Unlike the earlier groups, these steps respond to whatever condition the mind is in — lifting it when it sinks, collecting it when it scatters, loosening it when it grips. The skill being trained is reading the mind’s present state and adjusting to it, which contemplative-science reviews describe as the monitoring side of meditation training.

Comment faire

1. Breathing in and out, ask what the mind is like right now — bright or dull, settled or scattered, open or tight.
2. If it is dull or flat, gladden it: recall something you appreciate, or take an interest in the freshness of the next breath.
3. If it is scattered, steady it by resting more fully with the breath and the whole body.
4. If it is caught on something — a worry, a craving, a grudge — breathe out with a sense of releasing its grip.
5. Return to simply knowing the mind, and repeat as its state changes.

Données probantes

The four steps are in MN 118, which assigns them to contemplation of the mind. Lutz and colleagues’ review distinguishes focused-attention practice from monitoring practice and describes the capacity to notice and regulate one’s own attentional state — a theoretical framework that fits what these steps train, not a test of them. (mechanistic)

The Lutz review is a conceptual framework; these four steps have not been studied as such.

Sources

• Sujato, B. (trans.). Mindfulness of Breathing (Ānāpānassatisutta, Majjhima Nikāya 118). SuttaCentral.
• Lutz, A., Slagter, H. A., Dunne, J. D., & Davidson, R. J. (2008). Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12(4), 163–169.
• Anālayo, B. (2019). Mindfulness of Breathing: A Practice Guide and Translations. Cambridge: Windhorse Publications.

Erreur fréquente

Applying the same remedy whatever the mind is like — pushing for more focus when the mind is already dull, for instance, which deepens the dullness instead of gladdening it.