..續本文上一頁 appropriate in this way, we can consider to be our practice and use it to subdue the defilements.

　　Another example is recollection of death. For those who still have strong greed, aversion and delusion and find them difficult to contain, it”s useful to take this subject of personal death as a meditation. We”ll come to see that everybody has to die, whether rich or poor. We”ll see both good and evil people die. Everybody must die! Developing this practice we find that an attitude of dispassion arises. The more we practice the easier our sitting produces calm. This is because it”s a suitable and appropriate practice for us. If this practice of Calm Meditation is not agreeable to our particular tendencies, it won”t produce this attitude of dispassion. If the object is truly suited to us then we”ll find it arising regularly, without great difficulty, and we”ll find ourselves thinking about it often.

　　Regarding this we can see an example in our everyday lives. When laypeople bring trays of many different types of food to offer the monks, we taste them all to see which we like. When we have tried each one we can tell which is most agreeable to us. This is just an example. That which we find agreeable to our taste we”ll eat, we find most suitable. We won”t bother about the other various dishes.

　　The practice of concentrating our attention on the in-and out-breath is an example of a type of meditation which is suitable for us all. It seems that when we go around doing various different practices, we don”t feel so good. But as soon as we sit and observe our breath we have a good feeling, we can see it clearly. There”s no need to go looking far away, we can use what is close to us and this will be better for us. Just watch the breath. It goes out and comes in, out and in -- we watch it like this. For a long time we keep watching our breathing in and out and slowly our mind settles. Other activity will arise but we feel like it is distant from us. Just like when we live apart from each other and don”t feel so close anymore. We don”t have the same strong contact anymore or perhaps no contact at all.

　　When we have a feeling for this practice of mindfulness of breathing, it becomes easier. If we keep on with this practice we gain experience and become skilled at knowing the nature of the breath. We”ll know what it”s like when it”s long and what it”s like when it”s short.

　　Looking at it one way we can talk about the food of the breath. While sitting or walking we breathe, while sleeping we breathe, while awake we breathe. If we don”t breathe then we die. If we think about it we see that we exist only with the help of food. If we don”t eat ordinary food for ten minutes, an hour or even a day, it doesn”t matter. This is a course kind of food. However, if we don”t breathe for even a short time we”ll die. If we don”t breathe for five or ten minutes we would be dead. Try it!

　　One who is practicing mindfulness of breathing should have this kind of understanding. The knowledge that comes from this practice is indeed wonderful. If we don”t contemplate then we won”t see the breath as food, but actually we are "eating" air all the time, in, out, in, out...all the time. Also you”ll find that the more you contemplate in this way, the greater the benefits derived from the practice and the more delicate the breath becomes. It may even happen that the breath stops. It appears as if we aren”t breathing at all. Actually, the breath is passing through the pores of the skin. This is called the "delicate breath." When our mind is perfectly calm, normal breathing can cease in this way. We need not be at all startled or afraid. If there”s no breathing what should we do

　　 Just know it! Know that there is no breathing, that”s all. This is the right practice here.

　　Here…

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