Shamatha Practice 4 with Glen

Glen Svensson, 14 Apr 2020

Session 4: Breath (abdomen)

1. Review
2. Five faults and eight antidotes
3. The actual practice
4. Meditation - breath (abdomen)
5. Tips for the practice

6. Q&A

   There are five faults one has to overcome in their shamatha practice: laziness, forgetfulness, laxity & excitation, non-application, and over-application. These are corrected by the eight antidotes: Faith, aspiration, enthusiasm, pliancy, mindfulness, introspection, application and equanimity. By reflecting on the benefits of shamatha practice, we will cultivate the quality of faith, which will consequently lead to aspiration, enthusiasm and pliancy. Glen later describes in detail the application of antidotes towards excitation (relax, release, return) and laxity (refresh, restore, retain).

Glen also speaks about the technique of counting the breaths, and their cost vs benefit relationship in our meditation. We practice mindfulness of breathing with a focus on the abdomen, which cultivates stability of attention.

Meditation starts at 25:00

Q & A: Glen speaks about walking meditation, and how walking can serve as an “anchor” point to tie your attention to, even while doing other activities. He also emphasizes the point in finding a balance between relaxation and clarity, and how we should avoid sinking into the comfortable state of subtle laxity

Download (MP3 / 14 MB)

Transcript

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