“The removal of outside stimuli and the suspension of the breath within the nostrils controls the mind, and the transcendentalist becomes free from desire, fear and anger, and the one who is always in this state is certainly liberated.”
Bhagavad-Gita
Meditation is for intelligence. Meditation is for those who realize it is time to wake up. And like a man fighting for his life, mediators work to gain clarity, precisely at the genesis of confusion – in the mind.
A lot of what is called meditation is in fact concentration – there are some temporary benefits, but that’s just aroma not the substance. It might look like meditation, but it’s not the direct path to the luminous mind. To the contrary, it can reinforce the confused mind, misapprehensions and all!
Lord Buddha advocated the watching of breath. In fact upon returning from an entire rainy season, he was asked, what did you do? And he replied, “I watched the breath”. For a whole rainy season, which in Southern India is around six months, he watched the breath. Why? Because as a peerless explorer of the mind, he knew that to watch the breath is to watch the mind. The two things are extensions of each other.
The illustrious Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi put it this way “Mind and breath have the same source. Hence breath is controlled when mind is controlled and mind, when breath is controlled. Breath is the gross form of the mind.”
And then of course there is the remarkably insightful Lau Tzu, who claimed “The perfect man breathes as though he is not breathing.” Professor Buteyko would agree – the optimal ventilation for a perfect human specimen is 3 – 4 litres per minute, which conforms to invisible breathing.
Getting back to watching the breath; there are few things more intricate, complex and deeply revealing than watching the breath. For some people the idea sounds boring – but that is just a trick of a devious mind that is inclined to project abstract concepts. We should get a hint of just how interesting and deeply revealing watching the breath is from Lord Buddha. Here was a fellow that was devoted to intelligence, devoted to the relentless pursuit of the highest and the most exalted logic – he represents the apex of it. Do you think he would waste his valuable time watching the breath if it wasn’t beneficially interesting?
Two of the most common impediments to mediation are known as the Tamas and the Rajas. They are obstacles. You decide to meditate, but keep on falling asleep, or get irritated, or restless, or continually distracted. The Buteyko Method is a straightforward solution to the Tamas and Rajas. That’s why people who meditate appreciate the Buteyko Method – it enables them to overcome the Tamas and the Rajas. It calms down the mind and balances the whole nervous system, eliminates Rajasic tendencies and gives energy and strength to overcome Tamas. Using the Buteyko Method a meditator can quickly attain the deep state of meditation.
Go deeply into the Buteyko Method and you come to meditation. Your life becomes a meditation. Watch the breath and you will be watching the mind. Watching the mind with intelligence and awareness is meditation.
The Buteyko Method helps to reach the state of “no thought” or complete awareness. The breath becomes imperceptible, like a slight vibration, the mind it still and tranquil, even the pulse lowers. This is in the region of states given names like Samadhi or Satori – they are peerless states of existence. And for those inclined, the Buteyko Method is one practical way of progressing towards them.
Today’s world presents enormous challenges and for those who are unaware of the nature of things – incredible and diverse suffering.
You can get all the possessions and all the health and all the circumstances that are pleasing to you – and it will still lead to suffering – all that effort will lead to suffering. This is the destiny of the person who is unaware. They will experience suffering because they misapprehend themselves and they misapprehend the nature of things.
Lord Buddha likened meditation to a raft or a boat that one can use to cross a river. It is the most rewarding trip that one can take. To realize the nature of things, the way the mind works and to apprehend ones true identity is of incomprehensible value – it is beyond discussion – the words have not been invented to describe it.
And for those who are inclined to make this trip the Buteyko Method can be a big help.