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The Treatise on the Stages of Yoga Practice 12
Practicing breathing, walking, and sitting with the Buddha
At the Hall of a Thousand Stars, the gatha inviting “the Buddha to breathe, the Buddha to walk” transforms each breath, each step into a source of joy and peace. The second gatha invites the Buddha to sit with our own back, so that our back is upright and our mind relaxed; the third gatha contemplates that “the Buddha is the breathing, the Buddha is the sitting; I am also the breathing, I am also the sitting,” for only the Buddha breathes and sits with such noble quality. The story “There is the printing but there is no printer” reminds us of non-self: there is only the phenomenon of printing, there is no printer behind it, just as the breath and the sitting are the Buddha, not a separate “self.”
Contemplating non-self and acceptance
All dharmas rely on each other (interbeing, interdependent co-arising). When we contemplate the five skandhas —
- form (body)
- feelings (sensations)
- perceptions
- mental formations
-
consciousness
— we see there is no permanent self, only a river of impermanence flowing on. Attachment to self gives rise to suffering, so recognizing and accepting ourselves as a “continuation stream” opens the way to peace. The mantra “You are only partly right” helps us respond to praise and blame with balance, maintaining insight, not letting arrogance or inferiority dominate. When we deeply understand non-self and practice complete acceptance, we create happiness for ourselves and for the community.