Breathe in, breathe out.

Stay with the breath.  If things come up it is an opportunity for you to watch and let them go—in terms of thoughts, feelings, emotions, passions.

Watching means freedom—being able to watch it as the other-than-yourself.

Through the breathing to stabilize and come to a rest in yourself—it is an opportunity—and to find the freedom that is complete and total and comprehensive, not just at one level but throughout. So therefore it is progressive, a process. Each time a greater freedom, each time a greater opening.

It will bring you to yourself: this is an opportunity for you to be with yourself. Give yourself to yourself completely and totally.

The rest of the day you always give yourself to the outside – to the other; now here is an opportunity for yourself to give to yourself totally. Be with it: it will reach you to your freedom, it will bring you to a comprehensive understanding of the Reality, it will awaken you to the Reality—that which you are, that which is all.

Things may come up—they are no concern of yours: they arise in your being and pass away. Keep that attitude so that you arrive at an emptiness in yourself, and the silence of your being.

I am giving you tools to help yourself to help yourself. This kind of breathing is a very simple, and yet a very effective tool for you to arrive at yourself, to arrive at the Reality. Through yourself you will know all things; through yourself you will know the Reality—comprehensively, completely, totally. But remember, it is a process; it is not restricted to one state or two: the Reality is immense…

And while you are in the middle of work during the day, take the opportunity to be with yourself, say for five minutes or so. Have a break while you are at your workplace; have a momentary stop. There too you can use the breathing as a tool to remember to come to yourself—then back to work. Try not to have long spells without remembering: even if you have a moment to yourself, that moment will carry you far and long.

Allow yourself to be drawn in through the working of the breath.

Arya Vihar

15 March 2000