Cattāri Brahmavihārā

Walking through the cold wastes of Brooklyn I was able to remember from time to time to return my attention to the breath in the abdomen where I have decided to feel it. I say “time to time” because the mind was generally awash in various streams of thought related to problems at work but I am grateful to have had the presence of mind to see my aversion to these thoughts and my desire to push them away. For this insight I credit the small refuge of the breath that at least gives me a vantage point outside of the raging river of obsessive and anxiety-ridden thought. It was at this point whne I caught myself thinking: when will these thoughts stop? When will I no longer be plagued by these worries? It is hard to say if this was simply born from aversion but it is nonetheless true that, if I want to give the mind better nutriment and solace then there is simply no better remedy than mindfulness of the breat in the present moment. We’re always cultivating something so I might as well try to incline my actions and intentions towards something that is to my long term benefit.