Inner Strength - Access to Insight

33The Refinements of the BreathAugust 3, 1956When we sit in meditation, the important point is to be observant of the levelsof the breath. The breath in the body has three levels: common, refined, andprofound.1. The common breath is the breath we breathe into the body. It comes in twosorts. (a) That which is mixed with impure or polluted air: When it goes into thelungs, it doesn’t all come out. The dregs hang on in the body. And when thesedregs mix with the blood in the heart, they can cause the blood to be harmful tothe body, giving rise to diseases. But these diseases don’t need to be treated withmedicine. If we treat them using the breath, they’ll go away. (b) The other sort ofcommon breath is that which is beneficial—the breath mixed with pure air. Whenit mixes with the blood in the heart, it’s beneficial to the body.2. The refined breath is gentle and soft. It’s the delicate breath sensationsderived from the in-and-out breath that permeate between the blood vessels andnerves. This breath is what gives rise to our sense of feeling throughout thebody.3. The profound breath lies deeper than the refined breath. It’s cool, spacious,empty, and white.The refined breath that spreads to nourish the body is the important level ofbreath to use as a basis for observing all three levels of the breath. When thisrefined breath is spread fully throughout every part of the body, the body willfeel light, empty, and quiet—but we’re still mindful and alert. The mind is stableand so is the sense of the body. When this is the case, we’re constantly mindfuland alert. At this point, a bright light will appear in our sensation of the breath.Even though our eyes are closed, it’s as if they were open. We’ll feel as if thebreath in our body had a white glow, like the mantle of a Coleman lanternbathed with light. This is the profound breath. The mind becomes serene andstill; the body becomes serene and still.The mind at this point is said to be in right concentration, which can lead toliberating insight. Liberating insight can cut away all concepts dealing with pastand future. In other words, the mind is content to stay with the profound breath,the spacious and empty breath. As long as the mind hasn’t penetrated to thislevel of the breath, it isn’t free from hindrances. It doesn’t give rise todiscernment; it has no true awareness. But when the awareness that comes fromstillness gains power, it gives rise to strength and light. The mind and breath areboth bright. When every aspect of the breath is equally strong, the profoundbreath becomes apparent: quiet and smooth, free from waves, motionless andresilient. The breath at this point isn’t affected by the in-and-out breath. Thebody is quiet, with no feelings of pain. It feels buoyant, saturated, and full, likethe mantle of a Coleman lantern: There’s no need to pump, there’s no sound, the