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Precious Breath

BunksBunks Australia Veteran

I was bored at work this morning so calculated (roughly!) how many breaths I have left......

Assumptions:

  • I'll live to 80 (I am 42 now).
  • I take 25,000 breaths (in and out is one) per day (based on a one minute sample).

So 38 years x 365 days x 25,000 = 346,750,000

Plenty of time for awakening :D

anatamanDharmaMcBumBuddhadragonInvincible_summer

Comments

  • All any of us have is our breath right now. Use wisely.

    lobsterVastmind
  • @Bunks said:
    I was bored at work this morning so calculated (roughly!) how many breaths I have left......

    Assumptions:

    • I'll live to 80 (I am 42 now).
    • I take 25,000 breaths (in and out is one) per day (based on a one minute sample).

    So 38 years x 365 days x 25,000 = 346,750,000

    ** Plenty of time for awakening** :D

    You assume.

    lobsterVastmind
  • misecmisc1misecmisc1 I am a Hindu India Veteran
    edited March 2014

    read this statement somewhere, so typing it out here - death comes at the most uncomfortable time for all, except those who have already realized their true nature.

    buddha's teachings says(something like this) - death suddenly sweeps away a heedless human being, as a flood sweeps away a whole village at night. so be heedful always.

    Bunks
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran

    @Bunks said:
    I was bored at work this morning so calculated (roughly!) how many breaths I have left......

    Assumptions:

    • I'll live to 80 (I am 42 now).
    • I take 25,000 breaths (in and out is one) per day (based on a one minute sample).

    So 38 years x 365 days x 25,000 = 346,750,000

    Plenty of time for awakening :D

    you'll probably have many more if you do a lot of exercise, and it might extend your life.

    Buddhadragon
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran
    edited March 2014

    @misecmisc1 said:
    read this statement somewhere, so typing it out here - death comes at the most uncomfortable time for all, except those who have already realized their true nature.

    buddha's teachings says(something like this) - death suddenly sweeps away a heedless human being, as a flood sweeps away a whole village at night. so be heedful always.

    There is another story where a man saves up a huge sack of money he has hoarded to see him into his old age. He ties it hanging from the rafters above his bed so he can keep it safe and keep his eye on it. One night a rat chews through the rope whilst he is asleep and the man never wakes up again.

    mettha

  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran

    The 20,000 people that died yesterday thought they had plenty of time too! Turns out they were wrong!

  • BonsaiDougBonsaiDoug Simply, on the path. Veteran
    edited March 2014

    @seeker242 said:
    The 20,000 people that died yesterday thought they had plenty of time too! Turns out they were wrong! <

    Exactly! Every breath you take might be your last. "Live life as though your hair was on fire." (old Zen saying, I think)

    Bunks
  • BuddhadragonDharmaMcBum
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @seeker242 said:
    The 20,000 people that died yesterday thought they had plenty of time too! Turns out they were wrong!

    I am sure some of them knew they didn't have much time.

    TheEccentric
  • BuddhadragonBuddhadragon Ehipassiko & Carpe Diem Samsara Veteran

    @Bunks said:
    I was bored at work this morning so calculated (roughly!) how many breaths I have left......

    Assumptions:

    • I'll live to 80 (I am 42 now).
    • I take 25,000 breaths (in and out is one) per day (based on a one minute sample).

    So 38 years x 365 days x 25,000 = 346,750,000

    Plenty of time for awakening :D

    You were really bored at work that day!

    Bunks
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @dharmamom said:

    My job often involves reconciling and analysing data so I felt I could justify it
    :D

    Vastmind
  • DharmaMcBumDharmaMcBum Spacebus Wheelman York, UK Veteran

    What if you saved them up by holding your breath? Would you have even longer?

    Vastmindanataman
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran

    ^^^ No...holding your breath could result in less long term
    breaths. We had to cover that in another thread...hahaha

    anatamanBunks
  • DharmaMcBumDharmaMcBum Spacebus Wheelman York, UK Veteran

    Good point @Vastmind, also @Bunks could be walking carefully counting his breaths and a Spacebus driver could come hurtling out of control towards him after holding his breath too long! Then there'd be no chance of @Bunks reaching 346,750,000....

    anatamanVastmind
  • or 8,760 shits, more or less (based on whether I've dined at a shady buffet or eaten a lot of cheese).

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @lamaramadingdong said:
    or 8,760 shits, more or less (based on whether I've dined at a shady buffet or eaten a lot of cheese).

    Ha ha! TMI...

  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    edited March 2014

    @anataman said:
    you'll probably have many more if you do a lot of exercise, and it might extend your life.

    But you'll have fewer if you meditate daily, because proper breathing technique for meditation slows the breath tremendously. This does lengthen your life, by cutting down on the stress hormones your body releases into the system.

    So it all works out the same, in the end.

  • One of the simple ways to get feedback from meditation is the breath. Mine always gets deeper during meditation. Meditation also slows the resting heart rate, much like exercise. We also have stress reduction.

    http://www.medicaldaily.com/success-through-stillness-mogul-russell-simmons-says-meditations-benefits-transcend-religion-age-and

  • howhow Veteran Veteran

    In a dream of calculating how many breaths one still may have, how many breaths snoozed away their life?
    How does one compare one mindful breath, gained or lost, against a background of mindless inhalations?

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran
    edited March 2014

    Good question @how. For how many of my remaining 340 million breaths will I be present?

  • @Bunks said:
    I was bored at work this morning so calculated (roughly!) how many breaths I have left......

    Assumptions:

    • I'll live to 80 (I am 42 now).
    • I take 25,000 breaths (in and out is one) per day (based on a one minute sample).

    So 38 years x 365 days x 25,000 = 346,750,000

    Plenty of time for awakening :D

    And so much time wasted!

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