Odd Sensation

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beautiful breath
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Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 11:00 am

Odd Sensation

Post by beautiful breath »

Hi

I have been practicing Shikantaza of late. Almost inadvertently too, my Samatha on the breath seemed to have just led to a silent awareness.

Trouble is as soon as I start to experience a sense of calm I find that I start to feel a little breathless. I have to return to the breath in order to halt whats an unpleasant feeling.

Anyone else experience this?

BB...
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Astus
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Re: Odd Sensation

Post by Astus »

By breathless you mean you feel choking or that you don't recognise the breath? If it's the second one, no problem, just leave it as it is, it is a sign of calmness. If the first one, observe what changes, what makes you feel in need of air, try to breathe through the mouth.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
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beautiful breath
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 11:00 am

Re: Odd Sensation

Post by beautiful breath »

Astus wrote:By breathless you mean you feel choking or that you don't recognise the breath? If it's the second one, no problem, just leave it as it is, it is a sign of calmness. If the first one, observe what changes, what makes you feel in need of air, try to breathe through the mouth.
Hi, its the second sensation. Not breathless before or after. Its almost as if I am exerting some sort of energy, a little like lifting a weight.

BB..
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Astus
Former staff member
Posts: 8883
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 11:22 pm
Location: Budapest

Re: Odd Sensation

Post by Astus »

Then no need to worry about it or think to much of it. Of course, you may also make this situation a subject of your meditation, and look at it whether there is really a difference between breath and no breath.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
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