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Where to place attention during breath meditation?

tiachopvutrutiachopvutru
edited July 2010 in Meditation
I'm simultaneously reading two books: Food for the Heart: The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah and The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment. The first suggests placing attention on the tip of the nose for samadhi practice, while the latter suggests placing it at the tanden (a point two-finger width a couple/few inches below the navel).

I personally prefer placing attention at the tip of the nose, but supposedly there are some benefits to doing it at the tanden (which the author does explain). I'm also interested in doing martial arts sometimes in the future, and apparently there's something in common about concentrating on the tanden as the center of the body in those practices, so it would be like [strike]killing[/strike]hitting (observing the first precept :p) two birds with one stone.

From the beginning when I first looked up at Buddhist meditation, it has been repeated that this matter is up to personal preference, so I feel kinda lame asking about it. But, can someone make a comment concerning the question above or clarify the tanden/hara matter?

Comments

  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran
    edited July 2010
    All I can say that may help is that focusing on the abdomen helps one keep in touch with the body. (So I have heard.)<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
  • dennis60dennis60
    edited July 2010
    Where one focuses their seeing..or eyes seems unimportant. The attention of one's mind is on the breath or breathing. One inhales and the mind is concentrated on that, and then as it stops, and then when it exhales, then stops, and so on. The breathing should just be normal, not exaggerated. IMO
  • DisneyDisney
    edited July 2010
    IMO, it seemed to me that it is still a good focus that will achieve the ultimate peace.
  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran
    edited July 2010
    Excuse me sorry, Disney if that's what I think it is in your DP... thats awsome.
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    edited July 2010
    tiachopvutru wrote: »
    I'm simultaneously reading two books: Food for the Heart: The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah and The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment. The first suggests placing attention on the tip of the nose for samadhi practice, while the latter suggests placing it at the tanden (a point two-finger width a couple/few inches below the navel).

    Yes, there's quite a lot of variation across the traditions on this, and some advise being aware of the whole breath process rather than on a particular point. The tip of the nose approach perhaps enables a more focussed conentration while the navel approach is probably more grounded. My advice would be to experiment a bit. The basic practice is mindfulness of breathing, which just means paying attention to the breath.

    P
  • ListenListen New
    edited July 2010
    Hope I'm not out of place in this thread, but I have a related question... Sometimes I make use of *both*, sort of tracking the breath from point of entry through the nose and then the feeling of expansion in the abdomen (and in reverse as well). Is this ill-advised?
  • tiachopvutrutiachopvutru
    edited July 2010
    ^From the book I read by Ajahn Chah, you track the breath through three points--tip of nose, chest, and abdomen--until your mind is refined enough to concentrate solely at the tip of the nose.
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    edited July 2010
    Listen wrote: »
    Hope I'm not out of place in this thread, but I have a related question... Sometimes I make use of *both*, sort of tracking the breath from point of entry through the nose and then the feeling of expansion in the abdomen (and in reverse as well). Is this ill-advised?

    No, I've heard it taught like that, and mostly take that approach myself these days.
    This is how the Buddha described mindfulness of breathing in the Anapanasati Sutta:

    "There is the case where a monk, having gone to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty building, sits down folding his legs crosswise, holding his body erect, and setting mindfulness to the fore. Always mindful, he breathes in; mindful he breathes out.
    Breathing in long, he discerns, 'I am breathing in long'; or breathing out long, he discerns, 'I am breathing out long.' Or breathing in short, he discerns, 'I am breathing in short'; or breathing out short, he discerns, 'I am breathing out short.'"

    This appears to describe an awareness of the whole breath process.

    P
  • lamaramadingdonglamaramadingdong Veteran
    edited July 2010
    follow the breath and see where it leads you
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    edited July 2010
    lamaramadingdong wrote: »
    follow the breath and see where it leads you

    I agree, but it can be quite confusing for newcomers because there are so many different techniques around.:)

    P
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