Dearest Friends,

It was delightful to be in your company in our most recent gathering!

In our last session, we continued our exploration of the breath as a support for generating liberating insight (vipassanā), focusing specifically on how the breath can offer us a direct and sustained experience of the truth of non-self (anattā). Like I shared in my brief reflections, the truth of non-self can be summarized in this way: Nothing that exists (ourselves included!) is a solid, stable or independent entity. We can break this understanding down as follows:

• Nothing is solid: The phenomena we perceive as solid entities are actually made up of fluid processes. For example, the phenomenon that we refer to as the “self” is constituted by a physical body, feeling tones, mental perceptions, mental formations and consciousness—none of which are solid entities in themselves.  
• Nothing is stable: Nothing that exists is permanent. For example, the constituents of the self that were enumerated in the previous bullet point all change from one moment to the next: the body ages, feeling tones alternate, mental perceptions shift, mental formations shift and consciousness evolves.
• Nothing is independent: Everything that exists arises due to causes and conditions. As the beloved Zen Buddhist master Thích Nhất Hạnh described so eloquently, a sheet of paper comes to be because of clouds, rain, trees, sunshine, forests, etc. Nothing exists in isolation.

Each of the truths enumerated above can be observed by watching the breath. The breath changes from one moment to the next…and its evolving nature is determined by multiple causes and conditions, e.g., the state of the body, the state of the heart and the state of the mind. If we’re tired, the breath changes. If we’re excited, the breath changes. If we’re worried, the breath changes. Hence, observing the breath gives us a beautiful opportunity to directly experience the truth of non-self.

SUGGESTED PRACTICE:

Sit quietly with your gaze lowered or your eyes half-closed. Then after a few moments, direct your attention to the breath. First, notice how your breath reflects the condition of your body or your physical state. Do this for a few minutes. Then notice how your breath reflects the condition of your heart or your emotional state. Do this for a few minutes. Finally, notice how your breath reflects the condition of your mind or your mental state. Do this for a few minutes. At the end of the meditation, pause briefly to reflect on any insights that might have arisen for you following this direct and sustained experience of the truth of non-self. 

REFLECTION PROMPTS:

1. How does your breath reflect the state of your body, heart and mind?
2. How has a heightened awareness of the link between your breath and your physical, emotional and mental state supported you in acting with balance, skill and wisdom?
3. How does the truth of non-self feel when it’s experienced in a concrete way rather than just contemplated in an abstract fashion?