Any reality can be object of right understanding

Why is mindfulness of breathing included in the “four Applications of Mindfulness”, in the section on “Mindfulness of the Body”? The reason is that any reality can be object of right understanding, also the namas and rupas which appear when there are conditions for mindfulness of breathing. Breath is rupa, conditioned by citta. It appears at the nosetip or upperlip, but it is very subtle. One may be thinking of a concept of breath instead of being mindful of it. We may take for breath what is not this kind of rupa. If there are conditions for mindfulness of breath it can appear as hardness, a characteristic of the Element of Earth, as heat, a characteristic of the Element of Fire, or as motion or oscillation, a characteristic of the Element of Wind. These characteristics can appear, no matter whether one is walking, sitting, standing or lying down. Breath is tangible object, only a rupa, but we cling to it. Don’t we cling to tangible objects in our daily life, all day long? We cannot stop clinging merely by sitting down and trying to concentrate on the nosetip or upperlip.

Any reality which appears at this moment, be it calm, akusala citta or any other reality, can be the object of right understanding. If one is attached to calm there is attachment, not bhavana. We may be attached to the calm which can arise while we reflect on the teachings. Reflection on the Dhamma is actually included among the subjects of samatha (Visuddhimagga Ch VII, 68) . Reflection on the Dhamma is indispensable in order to understand the meaning of what the Buddha taught. Are we attached to calm while we take part in Dhamma discussions and reflect on the teachings? Do we want more and more of such moments? We should not forget that the goal of the teachings is not calm of the level of samatha but the eradication of defilements through the development of insight. Because of clinging to calm we may forget to be mindful of the nama or rupa which appears now. Acharn Sujin said: “There is seeing now, no calm. Study it now, that is the development of satipathana. There should not be attachment to calm. One knows that seeing arises, but is there understanding of it? It is useless to see without understanding, to hear without understanding. When one knows this, one is not involved in wanting to be calm. No matter how calm one is, without studying and understanding reality as it is, it is useless. It cannot condition satipathana.”