ānāpānasati

ānāpānasati is, perhaps, the simplest of meditative practices to grasp—vipassanā might be thought simpler but is problematic for beginners who find it hard to grasp what exactly they should be doing,

(it is all very well for the experienced meditator to smile a superior smile with their head filled with the idea of not-doing;‘bare awareness’; ‘choiceless awareness’—but the Buddha, wisely, was quite specific in his prescription of definite modes of meditation, using specific objects. There is too great a wealth of evidential material on this subject to dispute this, if you take the time to return to the suttas)

but, perhaps, the most distinguishing fact of ānāpānasati is “that it can take you all the way“—that is, no other meditation subject is needed to reach the final goal of all meditation: nibbāna

enough of an introduction—already many things are probably plain: no apology will be made for the inclusion of technical terms, they are essential to avoid misnunderstandings through the inadequacy of English terminology— Pāḷiis a beautiful language and these terms are concise and apposite. In later posts the terms should be briefly glossed or given pop-up hover links (my knowledge of technical terms belonging to html is clearly poorer…).

This is intended to be a meditator’s blog of a particular kind: I happen to be chronically ill with a young family—two conditions that might well be seen as major hindrances to the development of any meditative practice. So, my intention is to write of the trials and joys of an individual in circumstances far from a remote cave in Thailand, or a mountain retreat centre, who still endevours to maintain some kind of bhavana.

In fact, one of my bodily conditions makes it extremely painful to sit (spinal cord damage)—thus even the ‘holiday’ of a meditation retreat is a practical impossibility for me. Hardly ideal conditions for practice.

but that is what this blog is about—practice within, and through, these conditions, whether they are seen as a hindrance or a devadūta. As the Buddha advised the householder Nakulapita, who was plagued by illness: āturakāyassa me sato cittaṃ anāturaṃ bhavissatī’ti—Though my body may be sick, still I will cultivate a healthy mind. (SN.XXII.1—Nakulapita Sutta)