Mindfulness of Breathing Day 2

Our goal is to realize Nibbāna only, or to attain Nibbāna only. If you want to attain Nibbāna, what we should try to realize? First, you must try to understand or to realize the Four Noble Truths.

            What are the Four Noble Truths?

            The Noble Truth of Suffering (Dukkha Sacca)

            The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering (Samudaya Sacca)

            The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha Sacca)

            The Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering (Magga Sacca)

 

These Four Noble Truths are very important for each Buddhist. If you realize these Four Noble Truths then whenever your Insight becomes mature, you may realize Nibbāna by Path and Fruition Knowledge. If you realize Nibbāna stage by stage, with four types of Path and four types of Fruition, then you can become Arahant, you may destroy all defilements including the attachment to any new existences.

            To become Arahant, what you should try? You must practise the Noble Eightfold Path. You may already understand the Noble Eightfold Path.

1)     Right View (Sammā Diṭṭhi)

2)     Right Thinking (Sammā Saṅkappa)

3)     Right Speech (Sammā Vācā)

4)     Right Action (Sammā Kammanta)

5)     Right Livelihood (Sammā Ājīva)

6)     Right Effort (Sammā Vāyāma)

7)     Right Mindfulness (Sammā Sati)

8)     Right Concentration (Sammā Samādhi)

 

Among this Noble Eightfold Path, Right Speech (Sammā Vācā), Right Action (Sammā Kammanta), and Right Livelihood (Sammā Ājīva), these three are called the training of Virtue or Morality (Sila Sikkhā).

Right Effort (Sammā Vāyāma), Right Mindfulness (Sammā Sati) and Right Concentration (Sammā Samādhi), these three are together called the training of Concentration (Samādhi Sikkhā).

Right View (Sammā Diṭṭhi) and Right Thinking (Sammā Saṅkappa), these two are together called the training of Wisdom (Paññā Sikkhā). Based on the purification of your virtue, you must try concentration practice. What is Sammā Samādhi?

According to the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, four types of Jhānas are called Sammā Samādhi , Right Concentration. The concentrated mind can produce strong and powerful light, the Light of Wisdom. With the existence of the Light of Wisdom, if you practise the training of Wisdom, that is Sammā Diṭṭhi - Right View and Sammā Saṅkappa – Right Thinking, it is possible.

What is Sammā Diṭṭhi?

1.     The Right Understanding of the Noble Truth of Suffering (Dukkha Sacca)

2.     The Right Understanding of the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering (Samudaya Sacca)

3.     The Right Understanding of the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha Sacca)

4.     The Right Understanding of the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the cessation Suffering (Magga Sacca)

These four types of Right Understanding are called Sammā Diṭṭhi – Right View. So to understand the Four Noble Truths is Right View – Sammā Diṭṭhi. Among the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Truth of Suffering (Dukkha Sacca) and the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering (Samudaya Sacca), these two Noble Truths are the objects of Vipassanā Insight. You must contemplate them as anicca, dukkha, anatta.. These two Noble Truths are called Saṅkhāra – Formations. These formations as soon as they arise, they pass away very very quickly, so they are anicca, impermanent. They are always oppressed by arising and passing away so they are dukkha, suffering. There’s no permanent entity and permanent substance, so they are anatta, non-self. If you contemplate these formations as anicca, dukkha, anatta. Such type of contemplation is called Vipassanā Insight. If you want to practise Vipassanā meditation accoding to Buddha’s instruction, then you should try to understand the Noble Truth of Suffering (Dukkha Sacca) and the Noble Truth of the origin of Suffering (Samudaya Sacca).

What is the Noble Truth of Suffering (Dukkha Sacca)?

“Saṅkhitena Pañcuppādānakkhandhā dukkhā”

“In brief, Five Aggregates of Clinging are called Dukkha Sacca - the Noble Truth of Suffering”.

What are Five Aggregates of Clinging?

The Clinging Aggregate of Materiality

The Clinging Aggregate of Feeling  

            The Clinging Aggregate of Perception

            The Clinging Aggregate of Formations

            The Clinging Aggregate of Consciousness

These Five Clinging Aggregates are called the Noble Truth of Suffering.

According to Buddha’s Teaching, the Clinging Aggregate of Materiality is Matter. And the Clinging Aggregates of Feeling, Perception, Formations, Consciousness are called Nama, mentality. So they are altogether Mind and Matter only. If you want to practise Vipassanā systematically, first you should try to understand with your direct knowledge, this Mind and Matter or Ultimate Mentality and Ultimate Materiality.

According to Buddha’s Teaching, our body is composed with small tiny particles called Kalāpas. These Kalāpas are not Ultimate Materiality. They are a group of Ultimate Materialities. If you analyze each Kalāpa, you can understand Ultimate Materiality. At least, there are eight types of Materialities, such as earth element, water element, fire element, wind element, colour, odour, flavour and nutritive essence. In some Kalāpas, there may be nine types of Materialities, in some Kalāpas, there may be ten types of Materialities, etc... At that time you understand Ultimate Materiality. To understand such Ultimate Materiality, first you should try to practise Samatha Concentration. Based on Purification of your virtue you must practise Samatha Concentration. You should try to attain first Jhāna, second Jhāna, third Jhāna, Fourth Jhāna. To attain these Jhānas, there are forty Samatha Meditation subjects. Among forty, thirty Meditation Subjects can attain Jhāna if you practise them systematically. Among these forty Meditation Subjects, usually we teach Ānāpāna, Mindfulness of Breathing or Four Elements Meditation. If you practise Ānāpāna, Mindfulness of Breathing systematically, you may attain up to fourth Jhāna stage. Based on this fourth Jhāna, if you practise ten Kasiṇas, eight Attainments, Four Sublime Abidings, etc,… it is also very easy. So when you are practising Ānāpāna, your meditation object is only just breath, the breath is touching on your nostril or upper lip. You should focus on the breath which is touching on your upper lip or your nostril. You should not emphasize touching sensation. You should emphasize breath on the touching point only. Your meditation object is only breath, not sensation. But when you’re focusing on your breath object, when your concentration becomes deeper and deeper then you may not feel touching sensation. You may feel only just breath, no problem, at that time, please focus on breath object only. Again, when your concentration becomes deeper and deeper then you will not see your body or your face. Your mind will stay with your breath only. If the breath and mind stay together, it is very good, no problem, please continue to concentrate on that breath object only, then very soon Nimitta may appear. When breath becomes Nimitta, then you should concentrate on that Nimitta. What is the Nimitta? Nimitta is the sign of concentration, or the cause of concentration. What is the sign of concentration? When your concentration becomes deeper and deeper on you breath object, then breath will become colorful one, usually for many meditators, the breath become smoky colour. The breath which is coming out front your nostril becomes smoky colour. That smoky colour and breath must unify together, must be same; the breath becomes smoky colour, the smoky colour becomes breath. Breath and smoky colour must be same, at that time your mind automatically will stick to the Nimitta. If you concentrate on your Nimitta, when your concentration becomes deeper and deeper then smoky colour will change into white wool, white colour like cotton wool. That cotton wool coloured Nimitta is called Uggaha Nimitta, Learning Sign. Smoky colour is called Parikamma Nimitta, Preliminary Sign. If you can concentrate on the Uggaha Nimitta, Learning sign, white colour Nimitta, when your concentration again becomes deeper and deeper, then that white colour Nimitta will change into transparent body like Morning Star. That transparent body Nimitta is called PaṭibhāgaNimitta, counterpart sign. You must concentrate on that PaṭibhāgaNimitta, counterpart sign. If you can thoroughly concentrate on that couterpart sign then slowly your concentration will become deeper and deeper, then full absorbtion will appear. That full absorbtion is called Jhāna concentration. You can attain up to fourth Jhāna if you practise systematically in this way. So this Nimitta is called the sign of concentration. Concentrated this mind produces this Nimitta. So this is called the sign of concentration, but it is also the cause of concentration. If you can concentrate on the natural breath, your concentration can not become deeper and deeper. But when your concentration becomes deep and stable then the breath will become Nimitta. If you can concentrate on your Nimitta systematically then your concentration will develop. So this is also called the cause of concentration. Today I will stop here but you can discuss your difficulties in this case. Any question?

Female voice: Is Nimitta produced by your own mind?

Sayadaw’s:     Yes, yes, concentrated mind can produce Nimitta. Because in-breath and out-breath are produced by mind. When the mind becomes concentrated mind, that concentrated mind can produce this Nimitta. Because the mind can produce the breath, as well as concentrated mind can produce Nimitta. That Nimitta and breath are same. According to the Buddha’s teaching, the breath is produced by your mind. Every consciouness which arises depending on your heart-base can produce mind-produced-Kalāpas. If you can discern Four Elements systematically in your breath, breath is nothing  but a group of small particles, called Kalāpas. These Kalāpas, if you analyze then there are eight types of Materialities. Among eight types, there’s color. One Kalāpa’s color and another Kalāpa’s color together become Nimitta.

Female voice: So the Nimitta is one kind of material? Is that right?

Sayadaw’s:     Yes, this is material but before you break down the compactness, at that time we call, this is concept, Pannatti, including a group of small particles as a solid, as a compactness, you can see as Nimitta.

Male voice:     How are Four Elements related to breath?

Sayadaw’s:     Not only the breath, the whole body is related to Four Elements. Our body is composed with primary four elements and derived materialities. Here, please try to see, do you see color? In my hand, do you see colour?

Male voice:     Yes.

Sayadaw’s:     What is the color? This color is four elements’ color only. Please touch your hand, you can feel Hardness, Roughness, Heaviness or Softness, Smoothness, Lightness, or Flowing, Cohesion, Heat And Cold, Supporting and Pushing. These are Four Elements. Hardness, Roughness, Heaviness, Softness, Smoothness, Lightness are called Earth Element. Flowing, Cohesion are called Water Element, Heat and Coldness are called Fire Element. Supporting and Pushing are called Wind Element. These are four elements. If you practise this Four Elements Meditation systematically and when your concentration develops, you can see small particles called Kalāpas, there’s no hand, there’s no body, only just a group of Kalāpas. If you analyze these Kalāpas, at least there are egight types of materialities : earth element, water element, fire element, wind element, colour, odour, flavor, nutritive essence. So among these Kalāpas, Four Elements are very important, preliminary materialities.

                                    There’s color. What is color? The color of Four Elements only.

                                    There’s smell. What is smell? The smell of Four Elements only.

                                    There’s taste. What is taste? The taste of  Four Elements only.

                                    There’s nutritive essence. What is Nutritive Essence? The four element’s nutritive Four Element

So Four Elements are preliminary elements which compose our body. Breath is one part of our body only. So if you can discern Four Elements systematically in your breath, you can see breath is nothing but a group of small particles called Kalāpas. Among these Kalāpas, in every Kalāpa, there are eight types of materialities or nine types of materialities including breathing source. Among these nine types, Four Elements are preliminary elements. They are very important.      

Male voice:     We are thinking of fire, earth, water, etc.. and relating to the sign. When you make the breath change into small particles, I thought you relate to the sign, in relationship to air, earth and water, the earth changes into water?

Sayadaw’s:     No, no change. They never change. My meaning, please listen. Now you’re practising Ānāpāna, at the time, you have no enough concentration, at the time you can not see your breath becomes smoky color. But there’s still color but you can not see because you have no concentrated mind. When your concentration develop, at that  time, you may see your breath becomes smoky color, not changing, but really there’s color, you can not see by your natural mind. When your mind is concentrated mind, at that tiem you can see this color. Again when your concentration becomes deeper and deeper, then you can see the color is white color. Again when your concentration becomes deeper and deeper, that color becomes transparent color, like Morning Star only. But your breath has such color, your concentrated mind can produce such color only.

Male voive:    Thank you Sayadaw.

Female voice: Sayadaw, is that color already there? Or concentration produces White? Or is the White already there?

Sayadaw’s:     It has color but that color is not bright. When concentration becomes deeper and deeper, at that time concentrated mind can produce this color.

Male voice:     Master, are there any stages that lead up to preliminary sign in concentration? Are there stages of concentration before you reach that preliminary sign?

Sayadaw’s:      There may be different colors. . Different colors, why they become different, only one meditation object? Because of the difference of  perception.

“Saññajahi etaṁ saññanidānaṁ saññapabhavaṁ

This is mentioned in the “Visuddhi Magga” – The Path of Purification. Your concentrated mind is always associated with perception, Sanna. When concentration becomes deeper and deeper, at that time if your perception which associates with your concentration changes, that color may be changed. Especially when you attain access concentration stage, the Nimitta becomes very bright, Nimitta becomes transparent and bright. At that time if you can maintain your concentration more than one hour, two hours or three hours, etc for many days, then Nimitta also becomes stable, your concentration also becomes stable and deep. At that time, if your perception changes, Nimitta will be changed, for example if you want Nimitta to be red, then quickly Nimitta will become red like Ruby color; if you want it to be yellow color then it will become yellow. If you want it to become round Nimitta, then Nimitta will become round. If you want to see Nimitta long then it will become long. It will be always changing depending on your perception. If Nimitta is always changing like that then you can not go to Jhāna, you can not attain Jhāna because you can not concentrate thoroughly on your Nimitta. So for the beginners, when Nimitta the first time appears, you shouldn’t emphasize color, you should not emphasize Four Elements on that Nimitta. If you pay attention four elements in that Nimitta, then this is not your Ānāpāna Meditation, it will become Four Elements Meditation, the meditation object changes. If you emphasize color, then they are Color Kasiṇa. But among ten types of Color Kasiṇa, this Ānāpāna  Nimitta is not the object of Color Kasiṇa meditation. So this a little bit difficult to explain. Because of this reason, you should not emphasize the form, you should not emphasize color, you should not emphasize four elements in the Nimitta. How you should practise? Just Nimitta only you should focus; whether it is red or white or any color, no problem. In the same way before you are seeing Uggaha Nimitta, Learning Sign and PaṭibhāgaNimitta, Counter-part Sign, in the Preliminary Sign stage, at that time also if your perceptions is changing then your Nimitta will be changing, but it’s usually for meditators who practise for a long time only.

Male voice:     I wonder if before the first sign, when it appears like smoke, before that, are there stages in concentration to develop towards that preliminary sign?

Sayadaw’s:     Yes, yes, there are four stages:

                                    Number One  is long breath,

                                    Number Two is short breath,

                                    Number Three is the whole body of breath

Number Four is the subtle breath or cessation of breath

                        So there are four stages.

When you’re practising Ānāpāna, you should try to understand your breath: when it is long, you should try to understand your long breath; when it is short, you should try to understand your short breath. Intentionally you should not to try to make your breath long or short. Please allow your breath in a natural way. At that time, if you can concentrate thoroughly on your long breath or short breath, when your concentration becomes stable, at that time, you should try to observe the whole body of breath. When it is long, you should try to understand the whole body of breath; when it is short, you should try to understand the whole body of breath. What is the whole body of breath? The breath on the point, from the beginning to the end, you should try to understand the breath. From the beginning to the end, it is called “the whole body of breath” only. It is not necessary to follow inside and outside, just watch one point only, one touching point only. On the touching point from beginning to the end, you should try to understand your breath only. When you’re practising this way, when your concentration becomes deeper and deeper, the breath becomes very very subtle, very gentle, very bright. At that time, you should not try to make your breath clear (Sayadaw is breathing in and out with clear sounds), in this way, you should not do. Please try to focus on that  subtle breath, subtle breath is very good, this is the sign of deeper concentration. When your concentration becomes deeper and deeper, your breath will become subtler and subtler. On that subtle breath if you can concentrate, it is very good. Why? Very soon, Nimitta will appear. When the breath becomes Nimitta, you must focus on the Nimitta. When you focus on the Nimitta, at that time breath becomes gross, then sometimes you may pay attention to your breath object, sometimes you may pay attention to your Nimitta. So object will be two. If there are two objects, concentration can not develop high. So because of this reason, subtle breath is very good. When the breath becomes Nimitta, at that time if you can focus on the Nimitta, you may be able to forget your breath object.

Male voice:     In “Visuddhi Magga”, under the heading of Ānāpānasati, it is said that in this stage, that it will come, that you can concentrate on your breath and the Nimitta, as well as breathing in and breathing out. How can you compare the stage that you told him, the Nimitta as well as subtle breath. ( Transriber can not get one sentence here). So at that stage, how can you compare to this one, because I’m asking that, when the Nimitta comes, you said, initially if we try to concentrate on the Nimitta, then it will disappear. So with this stage, you try to concentrate on the Nimitta instead of breathing in and breathing out?

Sayadaw’s:     When the Nimitta appears, you must concentrate on your Nimitta only. At that time, still there’s breath, the breath completely stops when you attain Fourth Jhāna stage only. As long as you do not yet attain Fourth Jhāna, there’s still breath but that breath becomes very very subtle, very gentle, very bright. Because of this sublteness you may be able to maintain  your concentration on your Nimitta only. Nimitta is your Jhāna meditation object; natural breath is not your Jhāna meditation object. “Assāsapassāse nissāya uppannanimittampi ettha assāsapassāsa sāmaññavasena”. What is the meaning? Depending on the natural in-breath and out-breath, the Nimitta appears. Therefore Nimitta can be called in-breath and out-breath. So in-breath and out-breath and Nimitta are same, Nimitta is assāsa, passāsa; Assāsa, passāsa is Nimitta. So they are same. Because of this reason, we can say when you are focusing on your Nimitta, you are practising Ānāpāna only, Mindfulness of Breathing. Maybe when the breath and Nimitta unify together, at that time usually mind automatically sticks to the Nimitta. At that time if you emphasize only the Nimitta, it is better. For begginers, as soon as Nimitta appears, usually Nimitta is not stable. At that time if you focus on the Nimitta, very soon it will disappear. Then again you must focus on your natural breath. When your concentration becomes deeper and deeper, at that time Nimitta will appear. At that time if you quickly switch your attention to the Nimitta then Nimitta will disappear. Because of this reason usually we teach not to focus on the Nimitta very very quickly. You should focus on your natural breath only. When the breath becomes the Nimitta, Nimitta and breath unify together, at that time mind automatically shifts to the Nimitta. At that time if you can focus on the Nimitta then your Nimitta becomes stable. Usually for beginners they may maintain their Nimitta for five minutes, ten minutes only. When Nimitta disappears, they must go back to their breath again. If they can concentrate on the breath again, then Nimitta will appear again. So it depends on concentration, when concentration becomes deeper and deeper and stable then Nimitta also will become stable. At that time they should focus on the Nimitta only.

 

Male voice:     Bhante, for a beginner, when we start Ānāpāna, first we try to establish that.. that we can feel the object which is Ānāpāna, the point of contact, and then we try to observe long breath as long breath, and short breath as short breath by following the breathing through that point, not following the breath, but at that point. Is the next state, the whole breath meaning your concentration is now able to follow breath from the beginning to the end without interruption? What is that the whole breath is about?

 

Sayadaw’s:     Yes.

 

Male voice:     And when we can establish to follow the whole breath from the beginning to the end without interruption, then we get to the subtle breath, when breathing becomes so subtle and maybe not even aware of it?

 

Sayadaw’s:     Usually when they are practising to understand long breath and short breath, at that time breath becomes subtle for some meditators. When they are practising to understand the whole body of breath, at that time also the breath becomes subtle, when concentration becomes deeper and deeper. Because these three stages are combined together, when they are focusing on the long breath, at that time they may be able to concentrate the whole body of breath without interruption; when they are focusing on the short breath, at that time they can concentrate on the whole body of breath without interruption. So at that time three stages are combined together. Because of this reason when they are practising long breath, short breath, or the whole body of breath, the breath can become subtle.

 

Male voice:     And for beginners, sometimes this process would have to be repeated to go back, like one day you can experience the subtleness, then you kind of lose it, then you go back to watch the long breath and short breath and whole breath to reestablish. Is that the practice?

 

Sayadaw’s:     Yes.

 

Male voice:     And what about another way to look at it, that is if the mind is watching the point of contact of breathing, if we can make sure that we are constantly, we are establishing mindfulness of that point. Would that be the same as observing the whole breath?

 

Sayadaw’s:     At that time you should not emphasize the point too much. You should emphasize the breath on the point, it’s better. Then slowly you may forget the touching point, you may be able to maintain your concentration on the breath only. For some meditators they may follow inside the nostril or outside upper lip, because of this reason, we fix touching point only.

 

Male voice:     Yes, yes, always focusing on the touching point. To a beginner, even if try sometimes we very hard to maintain the focus, the mind drifted away. What is the best way to pull it back again?

 

Sayadaw’s:    Maybe counting. Counting is the best way. For many meditators at the beginning mind is always wandering, this it natural. They must pull back again, pull back again, pull back again, in this way they must try hard. At that time continuous practice is necessary. When walking, when sitting, when standing, when lying down, in every bodily posture if they focus on their own breath then slowly their mind will stay with their breath.

 

Male voice:     Bhante, would it be useful to use force like “I will not let my concentration go away” and try to use loose power to hang-on to the point.

Sayadaw’s:      For some meditators, we teach to do Adhitthana, we call “strong determination”. When we want mind’s concentration on the breath lasts long for five minutes, in this way: “ I will try for five minutes”. After sitting, before you pay attention to your breath object, you should decide “ I will try…”. This is good.

Male voice:     Thank you, Bhante.

 

Female voice:I don’t really understand the difference between the contact… the sensation of breath and the breath itself. Because during a personal interview you told me to pay attention on the breath itself, rather than the sensation of the breath. But isn’t that true, because the breath is just idle wind. Is it true, it is because of the sensation of the breath that I can sense the existence of the breath itself? So if without pay attention to the sensation of the breath, I don’t know how to feel breath itself

Sayadaw’s:     It is true, but you should not emphasize sensation, for example when the breath touches upper lip, sometimes you may feel the upper lip become hard, hardness, sometimes you may feel here warmness, sometimes you may feel coldness. Hardness, roughness, heaviness or softness, smoothness, lightness, or heat and coldness, or maybe there is pushing and supporting. When your breath touches your upper lip or nostril, if you emphasize your sensation, you may feel hardness, roughness, heaviness, softness, smoothness, lightness or heat and coldness, or supporting and pushing. If you emphasize that sensation, you will feel these three elements. These three elements are not Ānāpāna meditation object. These three elements are the object of Four Elements Meditation only. You should not confuse Ānāpāna meditation and Four Elements Meditation. If you practise Four Elements Meditation, then Four Elements are your meditation object. If you practise Four Elements Meditation, you should not discern Four Elements not only one point, but throughout your body you must discern. It is Four Elements Meditation. Now you are practising Ānāpāna. When you are practising Ānāpāna  the breath on the touching point is your meditation object, so sensation is not your meditation object. If you emphasize sensation, you may feel hardness, roughness, heaviness, softness, smoothness, lightness or heat and coldness, or supporting and pushing only. But these are not your Ānāpāna meditation object. Your Ānāpāna  meditation object is only breath which is coming out from your nose. But when the breath is coming out without touching sensation, you can not feel, it is good. But you should not emphasize touching sensation, you should emphasize breath which touches on your upper lip or nostril. There is one log, you are cutting with saw. Saw is going this side and that side. If you follow this side and that side then your concentration can not develop. That saw is touching on the log. From the touching point if you emphasize on the saw then your concentration can develop. The breath is liked saw, touching point is liked log, you must emphasize not touching sensation, you should emphasize only saw. Do you understand? So saw is your meditation object, touching is not your meditation object, but from the touching place you must emphasize only saw, ok?

 

Female voice: Is the point of contact part of Ānāpāna  meditation? If I am aware of the point of contact it will fall into Four Elements? Isn’t that ok?

 

Sayaday’s:     If you emphasize the point of contact, if you emphasize the sensation then slowly you will feel Four Elements only.

 

Female voice: I don’t get the last sentence.

 

Sayadaw’s:     If you emphasize the touching point, and if you emphasize touching sensation then slowly you will feel Four Elements only, not breath.

 

Male voice:     Sayadaw can you explain a little bit what are experiences of perceiving the breath rather than the sensation of elements at the touching point. What is the experience of focusing on the breath rather than on sensation?

 

Sayadaw’s:     Some meditators when they are focusing on their sensation, slowly their face or maybe around this area becomes hard. Then if they emphasize that sensation and if they continue emphasize that sensation, then whole face will become hard. So this habit will be dangerous for them. If they practise for many months, for many years, then slowly many tensions will appear. As soon as they close their eyes, then suddenly these tension, hardness and many tensions will appear. Many tensions may be are hardness, roughness, heaviness then cohesion. Cohesion and hardness, roughness, heaviness together become tension. When the wind element supports then tensions will become stronger and stronger. And again pushing, this is the function of the wind element. The function of the wind also supports, then it will become very heavy and many tension. Because of this reason then they can not concentrate on their breath object. When they may focus on their breath object, as soon as they focus on their breath object, then very soon their whole head becomes very tension, very hard. Because of this tension they can not bear, they can not meditate well. So it is very dangerous one. But if they want to practise Four Elements Meditation, then they should emphasize throughout the body, Four Elements stage by stage, one point is not enough.

 

Male voice:     When you are saying that, at the initial stage that several kinds partition, there is stage when you are taking breathing in and breathing out, you consider as two bodies, as one body. But you said the beginning, middle and end of the breath, so when breath’s going and when it’s coming out, do you consider as two stages by the mind or just we should concentrate on the point of touch?

 

Sayadaw’s:     On the point of touch only. But at that time, two objects it is true. but when Nimitta appear, when Nimitta appears, becomes one object: in-breath also Nimitta, out-breath also Nimitta, Nimitta also Nimitta. These three become one. Before you are seeing Nimitta, they are completely different, the in-breath is the object of one mind, out-breath is the object of another mind. So they are completely different. But Nimitta is at that time for beginners the nostril or upper lip, it is called Nimitta. But when breath becomes Nimitta, at that time in-breath also Nimitta, out-breath also Nimitta, Nimitta also Nimitta, these three are same, one object only.