HI Marcelo,
I've bought Shaila Catherine Focused and Fearless and Ajahn Brahm's books,i found quite useful method and techniques,but i'm actually having trouble where to rest my attention between the breathe,if they say it is one pointedness should my object of meditation be continuous ?
Since it takes a 'long time' between a breath i don't know where to rest my attention,im aware of the breath and when it ends i can't stay in the area of the nostrils because i find nothing there,it automatically goes to my posture or the whole sensation of the body, is that okay ?
I also have a trouble closing my eyes,when i do it,more thoughts come to my mind then when im with eyes open,is it okay to practice with eyes open ? Just for the beginning,as i develop and enhance my concentration.
Thanks for sharing your practice.
So, people do practice eyes open as well as eyes closed; generally eyes open practice is done at a wall or eyes looking downward a few feet in front at the floor in order to reduce the amount of stimulation coming in from the visual field of many objects/events. However, I assure you =) the mind can still wander this way and create funny images from the carpet or from the wall textures, too. That is okay; this is part of the actual action of our minds: like a funny puppy always looking for something to engage with, unless out-cold asleep.
What you're written about not finding the breath is familiar as well as mind going to the bodily sensations. So, first, there are some teachers that teach to follow the breath in the motion of the breahing body for just this reason you mention: mind goes there anyway in being connected to sensation, and, as well, because there is a pāli word, subkhaya?, that to some translators suggests using the whole breathing of the body. Other people learn and do well with keep attention on just one spot.
In either case, mind in the breathing body or mind at one spot, the mind at some point become unable to find the breath anywhere simply because sensate perception in meditation becomes quite 'odd' or breathing itself becomes very shallow or both happen. So this too is mind and we learn to stay with that. Now the 'puppy' mind is developing alertness and stilling calmness, without fidgeting nor without wanting nor creating stimulating mental objects.
As for "I AM", as you say, you love this author's work; why not keep studying in that vein, perhaps locate people who've studied that deeply, and see if that practice, and tweaks you may make to it, helps you lead a content, skillful life reliable in the conditions you encounter?
