..续本文上一页reath is a Muslim breath, is it a Hindu breath

　　 No. Breath is breath, natural breath. Buddha”s object of meditation is so universal.

　　In my teaching, everywhere around the world, I find people coming from different sects, different communities, different beliefs. I ask them to observe breath. It doesn”t go against their religion and they accept it, "Yes, observing breath is not against my religion." If, along with the breath, I were to instruct them, "You must say, ”Namo tassa bhagvato...”," many would react, "Oh no, no, no, I can”t say this." But if I tell them, "Observe only breath," then yes, they accept it.

　　Another way of concentration was very common at the time of Buddha, and it still continues today. Along with the breath a meditator imagines some image - a shape, a form of this god or that god, of this saintly person or that saintly person, founder of this religion or that religion. Again, as soon as one imagines this shape or form, it becomes sectarian, because one shape or form belongs to this particular sect, another shape or form belongs to that particular sect. Nothing doing! Buddha says no shape, no form, no verbalization, no visualization, no imagination.

　　Yathabhuta nana dassanam (realization of the truth as it is). This is Buddha”s teaching. Yathabhuta: as it happens, as it is happening at this moment. The breath has come in. That”s all. The breath has gone out. That”s all. If it is deep you are just aware that it is deep. If it is shallow, you are just aware that it is shallow. You don”t interfere with the natural flow of the nature. If it passes through the left nostril, you are just aware: it is passing through the left nostril. If it passes through the right nostril, you are just aware that it is passing through the right nostril. If it is passing through both the nostrils, you are just aware. Your job is to develop the faculty of awareness. You are asked to keep the attention at the entrance of the nostrils.

　　For three days you keep working continuously because nothing else is allowed in a Vipassana course. From 4:00 - 4:30 in the morning until 9:00 - 9:30 at night, you are permitted no reading, no discussions, no arguments, no newspapers, no TV, no radio; nothing else. You are just observing yourself. What will reading the newspaper do

　　 It will make you more extroverted. If you are extroverted you can”t observe yourself as Buddha wants you to observe yourself. So no distractions are permitted, no disturbances from outside. You simply observe your breath. You observe your breath and you are asked to be aware of this area - the entrance of the nostrils where the breath comes in, where it goes out.

　　One day, two days, three days pass, then you begin to notice that besides this breath going in and coming out, something else is happening. What is happening

　　 Some biochemical reaction or the other. Every moment there is some biochemical reaction throughout your body, but at the conscious level you are unaware of this. At a deeper level your mind keeps feeling these biochemical flows and keeps reacting to them. There is some sensation happening everywhere in the body. It may be heat or perspiration; it may be throbbing, pulsing, itching, tickling something or the other keeps happening. But you are instructed to keep your attention on the area of the nostrils.

　　On the third day you start feeling something happening here. Again, your teacher will say, "Just observe. Do nothing. If it is itching, just observe. Don”t scratch it. Don”t rub it. Just observe the itching. See how long it lasts." You observe, observe, observe. . . and it passes away. No itching is eternal; it doesn”t stay forever. It increases and decreases, and sooner or later it goes. "Oh, anicca. Oh, anicca. After all, it passes away; sooner or later it…

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