--- ai_generation_date: '2026-10-12' ai_model: gemini-3-pro-preview ai_prompt_hash: 964013ba audiodharma: talks: - date: '2021-02-09' is_meditation: false mp3_url: https://audiodharma.us-east-1.linodeobjects.com/talks/12905/20210209-Gil_Fronsdal-IMC-mindfulness_of_breathing_28_feeling_thinking.mp3 section_slug: mindfulness-of-breathing-28-feeling-thinking speakers: - speaker_name: Gil Fronsdal speaker_url: https://www.audiodharma.org/speakers/1 talk_start_time_seconds: 0 title: Mindfulness of Breathing (28) Feeling Thinking url: https://www.audiodharma.org/talks/12905 video_unavailable: false collapsed_sections: [] location_city: Redwood City, CA video_unavailable: false youtube: id: I6jEb21gat8 imprecise_upload_date: '2021-05-04' title: 'Dharmette: Mindfulness of Breathing (28) Feeling our Thinking' upload_date: null uploader_str: Insight Meditation Center uploader_url: https://www.youtube.com/@InsightMeditationCenter youtube_url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6jEb21gat8 --- # Mindfulness of Breathing (28) Feeling Thinking - [Gil Fronsdal](https://www.audiodharma.org/speakers/1) _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 (28) Feeling Thinking](https://www.audiodharma.org/talks/12905) Today I'm going to discuss the seventh step of Anapanasati[^1], the Buddha's teachings on breath meditation. The way it's worded, it says, "One trains oneself: breathing in, one experiences the activity of mind; breathing out, one experiences the activity of mind." This refers to the mental formations, the constructing activity of the mind. In simple terms, this is called the activity of the mind. This is a really rich topic, what the mind is. The Pali word is _citta_[^2], and it's a rich and wonderful topic that I'll touch on as we go along here. But in simple terms in English, we might call it the mind. One of the main activities of the mind for many of us is thinking. There are two different ways to become aware of thinking that I'm emphasizing here. One is to observe it, just to know what's happening. The other is to really experience it, to feel the experience, to feel what it's like to be thinking. Both are important. Learning to recognize, know, and observe thinking is often a stepping stone to feeling it and experiencing it more fully. As always with mindfulness of breathing, there's the rhythm—the background beat or the foreground beat of breathing—that we're getting centered and focused on. The breathing protects us a little bit from getting caught up in the world of thinking. Resting, focusing, or becoming stable on the breathing allows awareness to begin to open up and become more expansive, more inclusive, and better able to take in what's going on. With a stable, present attention to breathing, it's possible to be aware of thinking without being bothered by it. We don't need to make it into a problem, think it's wrong to think in meditation, be upset about it, or even call it a distraction. We can avoid being bothered because there isn't a very strong pull into that world; we don't get lost in it very much. But even if we do get lost in it, we're better off not being bothered by it. Being upset and agitated because we think is a recipe for perpetuating the thinking. The more agitated we are, the more the mind tends to want to produce thoughts, ideas, and stories. The art is not being bothered, not being upset, and not being attached to thinking. But it is also not being aversive to thinking. We shouldn't make thinking our very best friend, nor should we make it our enemy. Thinking is just happening, and we are just aware of thinking going by. The classic image in Buddhism is having thoughts drift by like clouds in an endless sky. I love the metaphor of clouds for thinking because if you put your hand into a cloud, you don't get anything. You might get a little bit moist, but there's no solidity there. You can put your hand right through it. It turns out that thinking is actually less solid than a cloud. It's a kind of virtual reality. But the attachment, engagement, and energy we invest in our thinking makes it sometimes feel more solid, real, and important than almost anything else in our lives. We can get so wrapped up in our stories, ideas, and thoughts. The paradox here is that the more energy we put into thinking, the harder we try to anxiously think or attach to it, the less effectively we actually think. The most creative, innovative, wise, loving, and beneficial ways of thinking tend to occur without a lot of extra energy. There can be a choice to focus on some things to think about in daily life, but to do it with an easy, relaxed mind. That ability to stay focused and very relaxed allows the thinking mind to be most productive and creative. Maybe there are exceptions, but for many people, they rarely ever approach this idea of a creative mind that's relaxed. Therefore, learning not to be bothered by our thinking is a very important, useful skill to learn in meditation. Having this wisdom not to be caught up in it, or to fight against it, allows us to have a certain equanimity and be patient when the mind wanders. We often thought we have to keep coming back, starting over again and again. At some point—with this idea of the seventh step of Anapanasati—there is some stability, some centering on the breath, and an ability to stay with the breathing more continuously. Of course, that ability comes and goes. Many of us will start at step one of Anapanasati regularly, feeling like we are just beginning, and that's completely fine. But at some point as we settle in, maybe toward the end of a long sitting meditation or when conditions come together, there is enough stability that we can become aware of thinking. We experience it like clouds in an endless sky; we don't get too caught in it, and we aren't heavily focused on it, but we are aware. There are a few things that are interesting to notice when we can do this. One is to notice whether we think more in words or more in images. For some people, it's one or the other, and for others, it's a combination of both. Once you recognize what your primary quality of thinking is, you can investigate something more: where does that operate? If it's an inner voice speaking, where is the loudspeaker, or where is the inner mouth doing the speaking? People generally feel it's behind their forehead, somewhere in the area of what many modern people call the brain. In the ancient world, and still in places in Buddhist Asia, people associate the heart center with where they are thinking. Maybe some of you do as well, but there is a tendency in the modern West to point to the head, partly because the brain has such a big role in thinking that we gravitate towards there. But the words might be spoken somewhere else inside. Or, if you are thinking in images, it might be like a scene just in front of you with your eyes closed. It might be like a projection screen or scenery in front of you. There is some directionality there as we sensitively watch it. That sense of a location for the inner voice—if you can find it—or the directionality of seeing an image is a means by which to know or start noticing the extra energy that goes into thinking. If it's an inner voice, there's often a contraction, tightness, and pressure if there's a lot of extra energy going into thinking. If it's a lot of imagery, there might also be a contraction or tightness, but it might be in a different location. For some people, it might actually be around their physical eyes, even with their eyes closed. Because they're seeing an image, there's a habit of engaging the eyes to focus on the image, so there might be tension in the eye area. By noticing the location where thinking seems to be occurring, it's also possible to notice how much energy is being expended and the emotions that might be connected to that energy. You start seeing there's more to thinking than just thoughts and images. There's the energy involved, the tensions, the pressure, and the interest. There is curiosity, or the feeling of being glued or locked onto it. There can be emotionality connected to thinking; sometimes the emotions are the fuel for it or the source for what we're thinking about. It's possible to step back—to settle back and just observe thinking without necessarily observing the content of the thought. The content is often not so important for the purpose of meditation, but rather the associated aspects of thinking: the energy, the tension, the directionality, the location, the emotionality, and the interest we have in it. You can step back and observe all of those without studying them or getting too active. That gives you access to the instructions to experience the mental activity. In this case, to experience what it's like to be thinking, or to say it differently, to really feel it. Feel it somatically and physically, even though it's mental; there might be sensations of thinking. This allows us to disinvest ourselves from the story and the ideas without dismissing the thinking. By experiencing different parts of thinking, the thinking itself tends to become quieter and stiller. As thinking becomes quieter and stiller, we may be able to more fully stay with the in-breath and the out-breath, focusing on the body breathing. We might do so with a greater sense of ease and well-being that comes along with simplicity and contentment. Being content just to be present and breathe. More often than not, discontent about life and impatience belongs to the realm of thinking or is fueled by thinking. This is not an instruction to get really busy noticing and focusing on thinking. Rather, stay with your breathing and don't be bothered or troubled by thinking. But as it becomes relevant, touch into experiencing and feeling what's happening as you breathe. Have the idea that you're breathing through the thinking, breathing with your thinking. The breathing supports you so you're not getting caught in whatever you're thinking about; you can just observe it and feel it. May you develop a new relationship with your thinking. Don't assume that the way you think is the way it has to be. There might be wonderful, delightful, relaxing, creative, and wise ways of thinking that could take a very different form than how you usually think these days. Thank you very, very much, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. --- [^1]: **Anapanasati:** A Pali term meaning "mindfulness of breathing," which is a core meditation practice taught by the Buddha. [^2]: **Citta:** A Pali word often translated as "mind," "heart," or "mind-heart," referring to the quality of consciousness or state of mind.