This is an AI-generated transcript from auto-generated subtitles for the video above. It likely contains inaccuracies, especially with speaker attribution if there are multiple speakers.

Mindfulness of Breathing (23) Inspiration Through Imagination

So, my friends, the subject for this week is the fifth and sixth steps of mindfulness of breathing, which is to experience joy and happiness in meditation. It is certainly not easy to experience that, and you can't just do it because the instructions say you should do so. But to explore this territory of joy, happiness, and meditative well-being—and some of the conditions that support it or bring it about—can be very helpful. That is our topic for today and for this week.

The Role of Pāmojja (Gladness)

Often in the suttas, the precursor for joy and happiness is gladness, and the word for this is pāmojja^[1] (p-a-m-o-j-j-a). Pāmojja comes from a root word—we never know if the root or the etymology is that important for the people who spoke it, but it's certainly a fun game to play. The pa- prefix can mean either "outward" or "upward," and mojja comes from the word for face, mukha.

The idea is something of an uplifting face—a face that is rising up. Sometimes the mouth is closely associated with this word for face, and it implies the lifting of the mouth. I think of it as uplifting the corners of the mouth to make a smile. It is that which makes a smile, or a beatific upward gazing at what inspires us.

In fact, the Buddha encouraged people, when there are difficulties in meditation, to think about or imagine something that is inspiring. This is inspiring not in a way that is activating, because the word for inspiring also carries the meaning of confidence, peacefulness, or a kind of brightness. It is that which brings a peaceful, confident brightness. In simple English, we would say "inspired." To be inspired when we sit down to meditate involves activating the imagination. We find that imagination is regularly referenced in the teachings of the Buddha in relationship to meditation.

Imagination in Meditation

This was certainly very different from how I was introduced to both Vipassanā^[2] practice and Zen practice, where the explicit and implicit instructions were not to be involved in thinking so much, and certainly not to be involved in imagination. Meditation practice was about just being present for things as they directly are, unmediated by concepts and unmediated by the imagination. It was just the experience in and of itself, the direct sensations, and direct contact with things.

That is definitely true, but it becomes true as the meditation gets more and more centered in the present moment. To get ourselves centered in the present moment with some joy and well-being, the imagination can be harnessed and utilized for that purpose.

The Buddha encouraged people to think of an inspiring topic. One of the things he talked about was to think about someone whose practice or way of being really inspires you. You can think of someone who is inspiring enough to make you really want to sit and be here, putting to rest the other thoughts and concerns that keep you distracted.

Inspiration Through Virtue and Muditā

Another encouragement is to be inspired by your own virtue. Of course, that requires us to be virtuous, but that really means virtuous conduct. You don't have to be inspired by what you're feeling on the inside; the Buddha's teachings are to be inspired by how you act in the world. If you're acting in the world without causing harm—if you haven't stolen any money from the bank lately, or killed any of your neighbors recently, and so on—then that is a source of being inspired. It doesn't mean you have to be one hundred percent virtuous, but recognize the way that we are living a virtuous life, even if it's just for today. We do not need to be burdened by the past so much, but rather be inspired by what is good and beneficial.

To be inspired by one's own virtue might be a hard thing for many people to imagine or experience, but it is certainly one of the teachings of the Buddha. One of the purposes of being virtuous is to create the inner context to be inspired, gladdened, and uplifted so it is easier to stay present.

Another thing the Buddha makes explicit about what is inspiring is muditā^[3], or appreciative joy. Think about the things in the world that bring you a wholesome, nourishing kind of joy, like sharing in the joy of others who are doing wonderful things. Be inspired by that.

This idea of being inspired by things is not meant to take us away from the present moment or to become a spiritual bypass. We are not meant to dwell there, constantly thinking and fantasizing about it. Rather, we do it just enough that it truly orients us to the present moment. It brings these uplifting feelings and a goodness that we are capable of feeling, and then we ride those feelings into the present moment. It's sometimes easier to be present if there is some modicum of well-being there as well. Again, it is not meant to override or bypass the challenges or suffering we have, but it helps create a context where it is easier to be with the challenges, to work through them, and to breathe with them.

Harnessing the Imagination

The principle that supports this idea of using the imagination for something inspiring is to do it when the alternative is worse. Human beings spend a lot of time in their imagination: imagining the future, the terrible things that are going to happen, or remembering the past. A certain percentage of our memory is fantasy; it is well known that we don't necessarily remember accurately what happened in the past. We tell ourselves a story and spin it a certain way around the things that really have a charge for us, whether good or bad. We stretch certain parts of the memory to fill the space in a way that is not completely accurate. Sometimes that can be very depressing and agitating. Certain fantasies are not helpful at all.

If we're going to be in the imagination anyway, it's possible to use it. Don't fight the imagination if that isn't working, but harness it to help you be here in the present moment and gather yourself together. Then, when you're here enough, you can let go of the imagination and just sit here and be present.

In the course of these teachings, I have offered some imaginary scenarios and images to help. For example, I love this image for breathing: the waves of the ocean washing up on the sandy shore. Especially when the waves wash ashore, they are washing up across the sand and making it wet for a while, and then they recede. As the water recedes, the surface gets pulled underneath the sand, offering a whole different texture and feeling of receding and absorbing. I use it in different ways in meditation. I imagine the experience of breathing as the waves, and my body as the sand. The sensations that come and go, the cycles of upswelling and receding with the exhale, are washing across the shore—the sand of awareness. That image keeps me there and involved.

I've known some people—one person in particular—who used the image of a large, wonderful, majestic bird flying in the sky. The inhales and the exhales were the slow, long flapping of the bird's wings. That kept her engaged, involved, and flying along.

So, use the imagination to help you be connected, and use it to help you be inspired. Knowing how not to overuse it is important. Use it so it's onwardly leading in the direction I talked about yesterday: moving toward less activity, toward quieter or stiller states of mind. Moving from the coarser to the more refined, from the more active to the more peaceful. We use these things to support that process, knowing at some point we have to let go of them. We don't rely on them too much, overdo them, depend on them, or use them as an antidote to avoid facing our difficulties. Rather, we use them as a way to be present in an effective way.

A Practice for the Next 24 Hours

I want to end now with this idea of inspiration—that which brings a brightness, uplift, delight, confidence, trust, and a willingness to engage in practice. For the next twenty-four hours, I would encourage you to consider what inspires you. Stay close to thinking about it, visiting it, and being connected to it somehow. Maybe there are many things. You can talk to others—friends or strangers—and take on this assignment to talk about what inspires you. Share a little bit and hear from them about what inspires them. Perhaps it is in ways that are spiritual in nature, or has to do with the fundamentals of what gives their life purpose or value.

In doing so, I hope you have some wonderful conversations and some wonderful time with yourself thinking about what it is that inspires you. Stay close to that. Thank you very much, and we will continue tomorrow with how the Buddha uses imagination for meditation. Thank you.