What is Buddhism? Practice, faith, meditation, a way of life?
I will tell him what he can bring us.
That’s a good answer.
Education in the West teaches to look outward, towards the world: biology, geography, physics, history…
Isn’t that teaching and learning?
…but it doesn’t teach them to learn to know themselves by looking inside themselves.
Maybe we can’t discover ourselves in the universe?
But if you don’t look inside yourself, you will believe that you are only what others think of you, and thus you will lose control of your own being.
We certainly live in the age of narcissism.
Because this lack of education for self-knowledge leaves young people at the mercy of others and, even worse, of social networks…
If only they were young!
…and, lacking security and maturity, instead of focusing on improving themselves, they seek the approval of others with a like or showing off their vacations on the networks, always waiting for what they say about them .
How can we start getting to know each other?
Start by learning to breathe.
Man, if they’re reading us, they already know.
They breathe, but they don’t know it, and if they don’t know how to really breathe, they won’t learn to control their emotions and, thus, know themselves until they no longer have to depend on others to know who they really are.
Can you teach us a little bit about breathing?
Of couse! Let’s see: simply exhaust the entire inhalation and exhalation now.
Inspiration… Ahhhrffff.
Like this. Deep in the nose… Continue… More!
And I exhale through my mouth: uffffffffff.
That’s not enough, Lluís. Exhale through the mouth, yes, but not only: you must also exhale even more with the whole stomach and all the entrails.
Uf… Aggh…
Get all the air out, now from your stomach and, now, already… pay attention…
Like this? Uffffff.
So, so… Now contract the anus..!
The anus?
Yes, the anus. Contract the anus. End the exhalation by contracting the abdomen, intestines and rectum… Just like me. Contract the anus!
I already do, yes.
And, before you start exhaling, hold air in your lungs for thirty seconds.
Here, “squeeze your ass” is a very popular expression…
Don’t talk to me: focus on breathing.
Ufffffffffffff!
Better, Lluís, better. Human emotions are connected to breathing, which, as you know, accelerates or relaxes according to the rhythm they set, but breathing can also modify them.
And if I get depressed, do I breathe worse?
Or he gets depressed because he breathes worse. Just breathing well will make you feel better.
Will I feel better now?
Relax the anus at the end of the expiration after contracting it. Now you can.
I relax him.
And don’t expect anything from this breath. Avoid the anxiety of expectation. Don’t think about it: just breathe.
Do you teach breathing at school?
We learn to meditate, which is not difficult, because to begin with it simply consists of learning to breathe.
Without great physical exercises?
Just breathing correctly will already give him control over his emotions and his body, and he will soon realize that he either lost it or was never taught to have it. He was never taught to breathe.
Who runs, swims or exercises… doesn’t he learn to breathe so he doesn’t drown?
It’s one of the reasons why exercise is so popular here today, because it makes them aware of their breathing and calms them down; but now imagine that you can progress a little more in controlling your breathing, your emotions, your mind…
Is it a daily concern?
And available to everyone. That’s why meditation, mindfulness, yoga, all these formidable exercises are becoming more and more popular: they try to calm your breathing, your body, your emotions, your mind…
Little.
This is to control yourself until you know who you are, and to find out if you are happy and if you are successful, without having to ask because you have been told that your success depends on others.
Success is getting to know each other?
Success is something invented by those who want you to depend on it to achieve it: to be famous, superior, rich, handsome… And it is only decided by others, if you are one. Everything is ego.
How do you avoid falling into this temptation?
If all your effort is directed at outdoing others, it is useless. If you think you’re the best and you’re always comparing yourself to others, you haven’t improved. And if you don’t improve, you’ll never know who you are.
