Hanh - Breathe, You Are Alive : the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing.

Breathe, You Are Alive : the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing. — read online for free the complete book (whole text) full work

Below is the text of the book, divided by pages. System saving the place of the last page read, allows you to conveniently read the book "Breathe, You Are Alive : the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing." online for free, without having to search again every time where you left off. Put a bookmark, and you can go to the page where you finished reading at any time.

Light

Font size:

↓

↑

Georgia Tahoma Arial Verdana

Reset

Interval:

↓

↑

Bookmark:

Make

1234567...26

Table of Contents

Breathe, You Are Alive!

Breathe and you know that you are alive.
Breathe and you know that all is helping you.
Breathe and you know that you are the world.
Breathe and you know that the flower is breathing too.
Breathe for yourself and you breathe for the world.
Breathe in compassion and breathe out joy.

Breathe and be one with the air that you breathe.
Breathe and be one with the river that flows.
Breathe and be one with the earth that you tread.
Breathe and be one with the fire that glows.
Breathe and you break the thought of birth and death.
Breathe and you see that impermanence is life.

Breathe for your joy to be steady and calm.
Breathe for your sorrow to flow away.
Breathe to renew every cell in your blood.
Breathe to renew the depths of consciousness.
Breathe and you dwell in the here and now.
Breathe and all you touch is new and real.

Annabel Laity

INTRODUCTION

Stop and Breathe

IN THE Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing, also known as the Anapanasati Sutta, the Buddha shows us how to transform our fear, despair, anger, and craving. I was so happy the day I discovered this sutra. I thought Id discovered the greatest treasure in the world. Before, Id been content to simply gain knowledge. I didnt know how to enjoy the present moment, how to look deeply into my life, and how to enjoy the positive conditions that were all around me. This sutra is so basic and so wonderful. There are many great sutras, but approaching them without this sutra is like trying to reach the top of a mountain without a path to go on.

Breathing is a means of awakening and maintaining full attention in order to look carefully, long, and deeply, see the nature of all things, and arrive at liberation. The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing is the Buddhas way to help us remember to breathe and to enjoy our breath. When you breathe in slowly, mindfully, you can enjoy your in-breath. Just breathing in can make you very happy. Allow yourself to be happy while breathing in. You know that many people have a stuffed nose. They dont enjoy their in-breath very much. So if youre able to breathe freely, thats already something. You know that breathing out freely helps release toxins and that is something wonderful and healthy. For those of us who enjoy breathing in and out, this is already the practice of peace and happiness. Peace and happiness are already there inside of you and around you.

We all have the tendency to run away from suffering. But the fact is that without suffering, there is no way to cultivate understanding and compassion. I dont want to send my friends and children to a place without suffering, because a place without suffering is a place without understanding and compassion. Without understanding and compassion, there can be no happiness.

In Plum Village, where I live, we have a lotus pond. A lotus can never grow without mud. We cannot plant a lotus on marbles. So just as the mud plays a very vital role in bringing out the lotus, suffering plays a vital role in bringing understanding and compassion. When we embrace our suffering and look deeply into it, we can learn a lot.

In Buddhism, we often speak of taking refuge in the Buddha. The Buddha is not a person outside of us, but the energy of mindfulness, concentration, and insight in us. We have the seeds of compassion in us. There are times we are capable of understanding and capable of being compassionate. The energy of understanding and compassion can be generated from within us. That is the energy of the Buddha inside. The Buddha is always there within you, and you can touch the Buddha at any time you like. One of the ways to reach the Buddha, anytime and anywhere, is through your breath.

Several years ago I was in Seoul, South Korea. The police had blocked traffic so that we could have a walking meditation in the city. When the time came to lead the walking meditation, I didnt know what to do. I couldnt walk, because hundreds of journalists and people with cameras were closing in. There was no path to walk. So I told the Buddha, Dear Buddha, I give up, you walk for me. The Buddha came right away. He walked and people made a path for the Buddha to walk.

The Buddha is in you, and the Buddha knows how to breathe and how to walk very beautifully. When you forget, you can ask the Buddha to come, and he will come, right away. You dont need to wait. I wrote these gathas, small practice poems, to remind us of this.

BREATHING GATHA 1

Let the Buddha breathe,
Let the Buddha walk.
I dont have to breathe,
I dont have to walk.

Were lazy from time to time. Were human. We can allow ourselves to be lazy. This first gatha responds to my laziness; the Buddha is doing everything.

In the beginning, we distinguish between ourselves and the Buddha within ourselves. But as we let the Buddha walk and breathe for us, we can begin to enjoy the walking and breathing.

BREATHING GATHA 2

The Buddha is breathing,
the Buddha is walking.
I enjoy the breathing,
I enjoy the walking.

BREATHING GATHA 3

Buddha is the breathing,
Buddha is the walking.
I am the breathing,
I am the walking.

In the beginning, we believe that there must be someone in order for the breathing to be possible. There must be someone in order for the walking to be possible. But in fact the walking, the breathing is enough. We dont need a walker; we dont need a breather. Think of the rain. Were used to saying, the rain is falling, or the wind is blowing. But if its not falling, its not the rain. And if its not blowing, its not the wind. It is the same with breathing and walking with the Buddha. We begin to touch the reality of no-self. There is only the breathing going on; theres only the walking going on.

BREATHING GATHA 4

There is only the breathing,
There is only the walking.
There is no breather,
There is no walker.

BREATHING GATHA 5

Peace while breathing,
Peace while walking.
Peace is the breathing,
Peace is the walking.

In traditional Chinese medicine, doctors often offer their patients something healing that is delicious to eat. And just by eating, you begin to heal in a pleasant and relaxed way. The same thing is true with the practice. While you practice sitting, you enjoy sitting. While you practice breathing, you enjoy the breathing. And if you are able to enjoy yourself, then healing and transformation will take place.

When youre able to stop and breathe and enjoy each moment, youre doing it for all your ancestors. Make a peaceful step. Smiling and touching the earth happily is very important. Your practice is not for yourself alone, it benefits the whole world.

We practice stopping and observing to arrive at liberation. We live as if were in a dream. Were dragged into the past and pulled into the future. Were bound by our sorrows, agitation, and fear, and we hold on to our anger, which blocks communication. Liberation means transforming and transcending these conditions in order to be fully awake, at ease and in peace, joyfully and freshly. When we live in this way, our life is worth living, and we become a source of joy to our family and to everyone around us.

Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing

Next page

1234567...26

Light

Font size:

↓

↑

Georgia Tahoma Arial Verdana

Reset

Interval:

↓

↑

Bookmark:

Make

Similar books «Breathe, You Are Alive : the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing.»

Look at similar books to Breathe, You Are Alive : the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing.. We have selected literature similar in name and meaning in the hope of providing readers with more options to find new, interesting, not yet read works.

Rebecca Dennis

And Breathe: The Complete Guide to Conscious Breathing for Health and Happiness

Dinah Bradley

Breathe, Stretch & Move: Get Rid of Workplace Stress

Mariam Gates

Breathe with Me: Using Breath to Feel Strong, Calm, and Happy

Andrew Smart

Breathwork: How to Use Your Breath to Change Your Life (Breathing Techniques for Anxiety Relief and Stress, Breath Exercises for Mindfulness and Self-Care)

Tania Clifton-Smith

How to Take a Breath: Reduce stress and improve performance by breathing well

Barker

The Breathing Revolution: Train yourself to breathe properly to banish anxiety and find your inner calm

Janet Brindley

Breathe Well and Live Well with COPD: A 28-Day Breathing Exercise Plan

Lee Al

Perfect Breathing: Transform Your Life One Breath at a Time

Elliot

Every breath you take: how to breathe your way to a mindful life

Chopra

Deep Breathing Exercises For Healthy Lungs: Effective Exercises to Fight Respiratory Ailments

Thich Nhat Hanh

Transformation & Healing

Larry Rosenberg

Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation

Discussion, reviews of the book Breathe, You Are Alive : the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing. and just readers' own opinions. Leave your comments, write what you think about the work, its meaning or the main characters. Specify what exactly you liked and what you didn't like, and why you think so.