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.
Perché funziona
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.
Come farlo
- Breathing in and out, ask what the mind is like right now — bright or dull, settled or scattered, open or tight.
- If it is dull or flat, gladden it: recall something you appreciate, or take an interest in the freshness of the next breath.
- If it is scattered, steady it by resting more fully with the breath and the whole body.
- If it is caught on something — a worry, a craving, a grudge — breathe out with a sense of releasing its grip.
- Return to simply knowing the mind, and repeat as its state changes.
Prove scientifiche
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.
Fonti
- 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.
Errore comune
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.
Metti in pratica questo con IX Coach
Altre pratiche per Ānāpānasati: The Sixteen Steps of Mindfulness of Breathing
- Know each breath as long or short
Begin by simply knowing whether this in-breath and this out-breath are long or short, without making them any particular way.
- Experience the whole body and let the breath calm it
Widen attention from the breath alone to the whole body breathing, and let the bodily activity of breathing settle on its own.
- Breathe experiencing joy and happiness
Let the pleasant feelings that arise in a settled sitting become part of what you know with each breath, rather than a distraction from it.
- Know and calm the mental formations
Notice how feeling and perception are colouring this moment, and let that activity settle while you breathe.
- Breathe contemplating impermanence and letting go
Let each breath show you that experience is changing, and let that seeing turn into fading interest, ending and release.
- Move through the sixteen steps as one practice
Let a single sitting travel through body, feeling, mind and letting go, taking each group of four only as far as it is actually alive.
- Notice how breath practice builds the factors of awakening
Recognise mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy, tranquillity, concentration and equanimity as they develop out of the practice.
- Know what to do when focusing on the breath feels wrong
Recognise that breath attention can make some people more tense or uneasy — and adjust the practice rather than forcing it.
Concetti correlati
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- Meditazione del Conteggio del Respiro
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