16APS great for driving out thoughts, like juggling, like chinese medicine doctor listening for pulse

Great success with "full body" breath meditation

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Post by Benjamin » Thu Jan 03, 2019 8:10 pm

I've noticed that since beginning Thanissaro's style of meditation - the sort where full body awareness is focused on along with the breath - I've had significant improvements in concentration.

I think the main reason for this was that previously I had long stretches between breaths with nothing to hold my awareness; inevitably some sound or thought would arise and typically pull me off and away from the breathing. While keeping the whole body as the framework for the breath, even when there is a longer pause in the breathing, there is still the energy of the body awareness there to maintain the concentration.

Anyone practicing in a similar style? I'd love to hear what has worked for you.

AN 9.1: asubha, metta, 16 APS, anicca-sañña are 4 indispensable practices

a-subhā bhāvetabbā	Non-beautiful [foulness perceptions] (he) should-develop,
rāgassa pahānāya,	(for) [lustful] passion's removal,
mettā bhāvetabbā	Good-will (he) should-develop,
byāpādassa pahānāya,	(for) ill-will's removal,
ānā-pānas-sati bhāvetabbā	inhale-exhale-mindfulness (he) should-develop,
vitakk-upacchedāya,	(for) [distractive] thinking's-cutting-off,
a-nicca-saññā bhāvetabbā	im-permanence-perception (he) should-develop,
asmimānasamugghātāya.	(for) pride-(and)-conceit's-uprooting.
A-nicca-saññino, bhikkhave,	(for one who has) Im-permanence-perception, monks,
an-atta-saññā saṇṭhāti.	not-self-perception (is) established.
An-atta-saññī	(for one who has) not-self-perception,
asmimānasamugghātaṃ pāpuṇāti	pride-(and)-conceit's-uprooting (is) attained,
diṭṭheva dhamme nibbānan”ti.	here-and-now (is) Nirvana."

16APS great for driving out thoughts, like juggling...

If you do a challenging and/or very interesting activity, like juggling, it requires all of your attention devoid of thinking to focus on the action required. Similarly, the reason 16 APS is such an effective tool for removing thought, is it requires all of your attention and focus, and relaxation to become sensitive to the tactile experience of breath in every cell of our body. That's what's meant by step 3 of 16 APS. Like a Chinese medicine doctor holding your wrist and listening to your pulse carefully, or juggling a sufficiently challenging number of objects that it requires all of your attention with no spare bandwidth for thinking or mental commentary.

That's how you can know you have a second jhana. When the sensitivity of the tactile experience of every cell in the body, coupled with piti and sukha, is clear, uninterrupted force pervading everywhere.