Counting Breath

The author notes a number of ways to count the breath.

My favorite was and Is that of counting exhalations, but not counting inhalations.

This also appears to be what is required to meditate as far the method proposed in this book, Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy, is concerned.

Saying one, two and so on places whenever you exhale, I noted, some tension in the tanden.

I thus place tension in the lower belly while stressing the vocal cords silently.


I count, sometimes, inhalations only, passing exhalations.I do this to train myself to prevent chest breathing, that is to inhale in two phases: first, let the tanden or lower belly fill with air and then tense it by pushing it forward with force, while taking the recommend posture, such as belly forward to place the weight of the body in the lower belly, and thus prevent upward tension displacement that may cause physical and mental instabilities.


The author recommends to simultaneously count and expire, I am referring to the second method of breath counting discussed in the chapter of Counting and Following the Breath, so that as one expires one also says one or two and so on. Having practiced this, I have faced the problem of losing the count as a result of thinking about something. This becomes difficult in some cases, I have to keep trying to count up to ten for hours without success

I also noted that if I succeed in counting the breath, then I gain a sense of I can do attitude towards life: I can choose an end and then attain it. I can engage in goal directed activities with single minded focus despite resistance.

The solution to this problems the author says is to stop or almost stop breathing. It is true if you do this, after taking into account other recommendations such as posture and so on, one actually gains a capacity to control his or her thoughts, in addition to emptying himself from egos.

The problem of losing yourself in your thoughts goes hand in hand with moderate exhalations. This is a great discovery.

The solution, therefore, is to stop the breath or almost stop breathing, after taking the recommended posture, and don't forget also to inhale or exhale as needed, and then expel as much air as possible by contracting abdominal muscles and then expire in an intermittent fashion: expire and then stop and then expire and then stop and so on.

Positive samadhi, in my experience, refers to the emergency of state of mind that is able to create delighting work. This mind comes about as a result of the form of the breathing just mentioned in the previous paragraph.

This form of breathing will be discussed at length in subsequent chapters.