Hello,
From most information I find, where one focus's their attention on the breath is as personal as favoring either Coke or Pepsi. Then I see claims of superiority being made and I get confused.
In Zen, Katsuki Sekida stresses deeper exhalation down to the line of the reserve volume of oxygen, at about 1200 ml. You focus on the tandem. Your attention is at the rise and fall of the stomach with tension emphasized between the abdominal muscles and diaphragm. His claim is that this is the only way to go.
In "Practicing the Jhanas" based off of the teachings of Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw, it says: "The attention is placed at the awareness of breath as it goes in and out of the nostrils...This is very important! If you do not follow this instruction your practice will never progress to the point where the nimitta merges with the breath at the anapana spot."
Well, hell, I want nimitta to merge. I want white light to appear when concentration deepens and the jhana factors are gaining strength!
>Rich Hanson (A Theravadin guy) claims that there's a connection with longer exhalation and functional MRI-backed stages of absorption.
>It seems like if you focus attention at the nostrils, you have to ignore the rising/falling of belly. However, the reverse doesn't seem to be true.
>If you're focusing attention at the nostrils, are you still doing deeper breathing (diaphragmatic/abdominal) or are you doing thoracic cavity breathing? Hasn't it been proven that deeper breathing is better for you on all fronts?
I like focusing attention on my stomach. But it's not like I've attained anything of prominence to keep me from doing the other method if need be.
As far as traditions go: I have an elemental attraction to Zen (Rinzai-ish) but I want Jhanas, I want Stream Entry, I want all that and I'm just going to have to put Zen on the back-burner so I can follow instructions the right way. But this bifurcating of where one places attention has me all messed.
Does it matter? How much? Am I denying myself white light if I stick with the stomach? Need as much in-put as any of you are willing to give.
Thanks very much,
Mike
PS: I've been sitting for eight months, attention always on stomach; four months emphasizing longer exhalation; hard time switching to nostrils.