JUST KEEP BREATHING IN AND OUT LIKE THIS. Don't be interested in anything else.
It doesn't matter even if someone is standing on their head with their ass in the air.
Don't pay it any attention. Just stay with the in-breath and the out-breath. Concentrate
your awareness on the breath. Just keep doing it.
Don't take up anything else. There's no need to think about gaining things. Don't
take up anything at all. Simply know the in- breath and the out-breath. The in-breath and
the out-breath. Bud on the in-breath; dho on the out-breath. Just stay with the breath
in this way until you are aware of the in-breath and aware of the out-breath....aware of
the in-breath....aware of the out-breath. Be aware in this way until the mind is peaceful,
without irritation, without agitation, merely the breath going out and coming in. Let your
mind remain in this state. You don't need a goal yet. It's this state that is the _rst stage of
practice.
If the mind is at ease, if it's at peace then it will be naturally aware. As you keep doing
it, the breath diminishes, becomes softer. The body becomes pliable, the mind becomes
pliable. It's a natural process. Sitting is comfortable: you're not dull, you don't nod,
you're not sleepy. The mind has a natural _uency about whatever it does. It is still. It is at
peace. And then when you leave the sam¯adhi, you say to yourself, `Wow, what was that?'
You recall the peace that you've just experienced. And you never forget it.
The thing which follows along with us is called sati, the power of recollection, and
sampajañña, self-awareness. Whatever we say or do, wherever we go, on almsround or
whatever, in eating the meal, washing our almsbowl, then be aware of what it's all about.
Be constantly mindful. Follow the mind.
When you're practising walking meditation (cankama ), have a walking path, say from
one tree to another, about 50 feet in length. Walking cankama is the same as sitting meditation.
Focus your awareness: .Now, I am going to put forth effort. With strong recollection
and self-awareness I am going to pacify my mind.. The object of concentration
depends on the person. Find what suits you. Some people spread mett¯a to all sentient
beings and then leading with their right foot, walk at a normal pace, using the mantra
`Buddho' in conjunction with the walking. Continually being aware of that object. If the
mind becomes agitated then stop, calm the mind and then resume walking. Constantly
self-aware. Aware at the beginning of the path, aware at every stage of the path, the
beginning, the middle and the end. Make this knowing continuous.
This is a method, focussing on walking cankama. Walking cankama means walking
to and fro. It's not easy. Some people see us walking up and down and think we're crazy.
1A lively talk, in Lao dialect, given to the Assembly of newly-ordained Monks at Wat Pah Pong on the
day of entering the Rains Retreat, July 1978
2Previously a different translation of this Dhamma talk was printed under the title `Start Doing It!'..
They don't realize that walking cankama gives rise to great wisdom. Walk to and fro. If
you're tired then stand and still your mind. Focus on making the breathing comfortable.
When it is reasonably comfortable then switch the attention to walking again,
The postures change by themselves. Standing, walking, sitting, lying down. They
change. We can't just sit all the time, stand all the time or lie down all the time. We have
to spend our time with these different postures, make all four postures bene_cial. This is
the action. We just keep doing it. It's not easy.