When beginning any mindfulness of breathing meditation, the recommendation is to focus with persistence and curiosity on the sensation of breathing in and out exclusively. As attention becomes stabilized and disciplined, an additional recommendation involves maintaining primary attention on the breathing process while expanding attention to also include peripheral sensational awareness, such as body sensations or sounds in the room. This becomes the basis for vipassana (vee-pah-suh-nah), insight meditation. This guided meditation is intended to facilitate this process. Peter suggests considering self-experience as the hull of a boat in the midst of the currents in a river and the breath sensations are like an anchor embedded in the bed of the river and persistent attention focused on the breath as the “rope” that connects the anchor with the bow of the hull. Other sensory stimuli are like objects floating past on the current, “bumping” into awareness; when simply noted as peripheral without attachment, the stimuli come and go and there is no craving and clinging, no dukkha (doo-kah). When attachment occurs, simply note the experience and “reset” the anchor of breath awareness into the bed of the stream of consciousness.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:11 — 82.7MB)