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Talk: 19920219-Larry_Rosenberg-UNK-anapanasati_full_awareness_of_breath_series_tape_2-33805 Leandra Tejedor.json Start_time: 01:15:32 Display_question: I appreciate the guidance of allowing the breath to be uneven. Keyword_search: breath, unevenness, allowing, equanimity, awareness, attention, mind, unpleasant Question_content: Questioner: I've been experiencing, what you're talking about, with the breath being uneven, and just allowing it to happen. I've been guilty, because it has been uneven, but, however, have just been allowing it to happen. And so, it's a great relief to hear that that's okay. Being given permission to breathe, in a way, that I was already doing. Larry: Yeah, I understand. Questioner: That feels terrific. Larry: Okay. Let me add to that. Not only are you being given permission, but there's great value in it. Let me suggest the point. The question, if you couldn't hear it, is that, if the breath is what, uneven and not so pleasant? Questioner: Yes. It's just a state of unevenness. Larry: Right. Questioner: And I've accepted it. Larry: Right. For it to be okay to do that. It is okay. But it's even better than okay, for the following reason. The breath is going to be very, very different. Sometimes it's smooth, sometimes it's long. It's so different. Right. So that's part of how the attention gets trained. In other words, if the breath were always what? Each one is a challenge. That's how equanimity develops. In other words, sometimes the awareness is… anyone could pay attention to the breath, when it's nice, and smooth, and easy. Oh, wonderful. Far out. Questioner: This is like a game. It's like a dance, the breath. I really enjoy it, once I know it's okay. Larry: It is, but you see, what I'm trying to say is that the very variety, of the kinds of breath, is what trains the mind. Questioner: Oh! I see. Larry: See, look at it this way. Look at it this way. Let's say the mind… you're able to pay attention to the mind, at this level of subtlety, and awareness can keep up with it. Okay. Then suddenly it drops down to a much more subtle level. But awareness is still up here. It's got to drop down to the same level of subtlety. So that's a challenge. Put it another way, the breath becomes awful, like short, and rapid, and very unpleasant. So, at that point, it's much easier to just space out, and fantasize. Right? But the practice is to soften, to even, embrace, and accept, in a sense, the ugly duckling, breath. Questioner: Right. Larry: Yeah. So that trains the mind. Questioner: Oh, that’s incredible. Larry: Yeah. See? So, it's a virtue. It's good. End_time: 01:17:50
