Mindfulness of Breathing

Yesterday, I wrote about what meditation essentially is. Today, I hope to cover the area of attaining calmness of the mind. Having a calm mind is very beneficial, especially to us sufferers of OCD. As we practice to attain a calm mind, we find that the calmer it gets, the more concentrated it gets naturally. In Buddhist meditation, a calm mind is the same thing as a concentrated mind.

Imagine a wild elephant. It goes here, it goes there. It goes wherever it pleases because it has never been tamed. Its immense power is thus spread over a wide area and unharnessed. Once we have tamed the elephant and calmed it down, then we can use its power in a controlled manner to effective use. It then becomes a useful friend instead of a dangerous enemy.

An untrained, uncoordinated mind is very much like that wild elephant. We may be physically peeling potatoes, but in our minds we are on a romantic cruise down the river. We get through the day like this, one fleeting thought to the next. The funny thing is, we don't even realise we are doing it. Once we calm the mind down and concentrate its power, then we can put it to good use, for example in pulling down the walls built up by OCD one brick at a time.

The most common form of Buddhist meditation to achieve a calm mind is called anapanasati which in Pali means "Mindfulness of Breathing". This is a very important meditation technique. In fact, one of the five celebration days in the Buddhist calendar is Anapanasati Day which next year falls on November 5th. It is to commemorate the day that the Buddha first gave instructions on how to do anapanasati some 2500 years ago.

In brief, in anapanasati, we find a quiet place, sit down in a comfortable position with straight backs and start to focus our attention on the sensations caused by our natural breathing. We can choose the rising and falling of our abdomen or the sensation of air passing through our nostrils. Once we decide which part of the breathing process we wish to concentrate on, we keep our minds rooted to that spot. The mind can only think of one object at a time and here we choose that object as our own breathing.

A beginner will find that probably within a few seconds, his or her mind will start to wander away to something else, it is a natural habit. The meditator then gently coerces the mind back onto the breath and keeps it there for as long as possible before it starts to wander again. In half an hour, the mind may wander away like this dozens or even hundreds of times. The meditator must not get annoyed with himself or herself, but try to realise when wandering has occured and gently bring the mind back to the breath. After a while, a deep sense of calm and peace starts to pervade the mind.

It is good if we can practice this daily, say for 15 minutes to begin with. Over time, we will find that it gets easier and we can do it for longer. We will find that our minds become calmer, even after meditation and that it is more natural to fully concentrate on anything that we choose. This mental strength will become very useful when we go head to head against the gorilla of OCD.

Let me use another analogy to help show the point. OCD is like a wolf who has come to attack a flock of sheep in a pen at night. When the wolf jumps into the flock, the sheep scatter in all directions. To an unprepared mind, when OCD jumps into the fray, all other thoughts are dislodged and scatter in all directions. Resistance to the threat is thereby substantially reduced.

Now, instead of a flock of sheep, imagine there is a herd of wildebeest. Wildebeest concentrate in numbers for safety when moving. They do not scatter like sheep and even lions have to be a bit cautious lest they be trampled on. Imagine the look on the wolf's face after he has entered the pen only to find a mass of wildebeest charging at him instead of the sheep! This herd of wildebeest is like a concentrated mind stamping out the delusion of OCD.

I would suggest that you read some more information on anapanasati here and then try to give it a go yourself. Start gently without any expectations or pressure on yourself. You have a whole lifetime to master this wonderful technique! As a small caution, if you are suffering from clinical depression or a mental illness like schizophrenia then please consult a professional before embarking on a meditation programme. If you are worried about certain aspects of the technique or want further clarification then please get in touch with a qualified meditation teacher. If done properly according to the instructions, then no problems should arise.

Metta,
John