1989-06_17 Anapanasati_ Full Awareness of Breath Series - Tape 15 - Q&A 3

Talk: 19890617-Larry_Rosenberg-UNK-anapanasati_full_awareness_of_breath_series_tape_15-33818 Start_time: 01:03:21 Display_question: May I share how my mind noticed and then tried to control impermanence? Keyword_search: walking, walk, hill, breath, breathing, fast, meditation, angle, body, change, lean, notice, attention, impermanence, amused, control, greed, concentration, plan, surprise, inbreath, outbreath, extravagant, elegant, simple Question_content: Questioner: I tried to be a little creative when I was…I walk each morning up a fairly steep hill and then walk around the top of it where there was rolling, little differences in elevation. I realized at one point when, I usually try to breathe, walking and breathing, and so I'm at a fairly fast pace, but I consider myself doing some kind of walking meditation. Larry: You're in touch with the breath as you're walking? Questioner: That's right. So, I realized that as I was going up the hill, the angle of my body to the ground changed because I was staying perpendicular to some central place. And going up the hill, I sort of leaned forward, and going down the hill, I sort of leaned back. I thought, “Wow, this is impermanence.” Larry: That's right. Questioner: And I sort of noticed this, and I really paid attention to it, and I really noticed it's impermanence. And then what the mind started doing was noticing, Ah, here comes a little hill, so I guess I'm going to be leaning back pretty soon. So the mind just took over trying to plan what impermanence was coming up. That's why I noticed that and was amused. But it was good practice. I really felt like… Larry: Oh, sure. It's everywhere. Questioner: It took a lot of concentration, sort of like the walking meditation that we do here, to really notice right now, what is the angle like? Am I leaning back or a little bit forward or whatever. So, it was good concentration. Larry: When your mind was kind of planning it all out and becoming, was there any greed in that? You may not remember, but it's like you've locked on to something, and now you really want to milk it for all you can get. Questioner: Well, it's my old friend trying to control the world. Larry: I see. Questioner: That's what was happening. My mind was trying to say, “Okay, let's plan now so that we won't be surprised. Let's plan so that…” Larry: Catch that impermanence. Questioner: Right. It's under control, under my control. That's what I felt with that. Larry: Yeah. Okay. That's there. See it. And that usually returns you to a more simpler just seeing it, just perception. Greg, you know, with these breath, like inbreath outbreath, inbreath outbreath, we don't need anything extravagant or elegant or it's just attention, attention, attention. It will grow out of the attention. Yes. End Time: 01:05:55