Cattāri Brahmavihārā

So, last night my teacher gave a talk about the subject of breath meditation and mindfulness with an emphasis on our practice off the cushion. I have always given up on trying to keep the breath in mind after a week or two precisely because it requires so much effort and the results weren’t immediately clear or spectacular.

And yet, I know there is much to the admonition and that mindfulness of the body vis-a-vis the breath is a key part of the path as outlined in the Satipatthana Sutta so why the resistance? Doubt, fear, sloth: all of which I should immediately see for what they are. And yet, my delusion is strong and I somehow believe that I need to hold fast to the thoughts and they will deliver me. And, despite the fact that it hasn’t worked yet I show no signs of wising up.