Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation

by Larry Rosenberg

A “wonderfully accessible” interpretation of the Buddha’s teachings on breathwork in meditation, from a leading insight meditation teacher (Joseph Goldstein, author of The Experience of Insight )
 
Freedom from suffering is not only possible, but the means for achieving it are immediately within our grasp—literally as close to us as our own breath. This is the 2,500-year-old good news contained in the  Anapanasati Sutra,  the Buddha's own teaching on cultivating both tranquility and deep insight through the full awareness of breathing. In this book, Larry Rosenberg brings this timeless meditation method to modern practitioners, using the insights gained from his many years of practice and teaching. With wisdom, compassion, and humor, he shows how the practice of breath awareness is quietly, profoundly transformative—and supremely if you're breathing, you've already got everything you need to start.

Genres: Buddhism, Meditation, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Religion, Self Help

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 1998

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, the most helpful idea of this witty meditation book is his description of the mind.... it's like a dog chasing a plastic bone over and over. Our minds keep going after the same worries or different worries with the same, non-nutritive, repetitive result. Mediation is a way to quiet the wayward puppies of our mind for just a moment, and watch those fleeting worries pass by, unchased, with the same result.

Thankfully, he says it a lot better. It is a very enjoyable book.

[Tom Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two years into practice and reaping plenty of benefits from daily breathwork, I began to wonder "Now what?" and then I found this book.

4.5 stars. Sometimes a little over-the-top with the emotional appeals, but this is a very clear walkthrough of a simple (though not easy) sixteen stage practice. Thanks to this additional framework, lately when I follow the breath it's not so much in circles.

[Mark Robison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply the best book I’ve come across on breath meditation. It really gets into the nitty-gritty questions that Westerners have with “just” sitting there. He sprinkles in anecdotes from his experiences that keep the narrative moving; these are generally enlightening and often funny, as when he’s bitten by a mosquito during a meditation session where the participants aren’t allowed to move lest a monk beat them with the “stick of compassion.” And then there’s a chapter about how to incorporate everything you’ve just learned into a typically hectic life. Grade: A

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books on breath work I have read to date and the author’s teachings on the Anapanasati Sutra were very accessible. I found having read this, my understanding of Thich Nhat Hahn’s teachings deepened as well. Highly recommend this for someone who is looking to understand what meditation and breath work (and by work, I don’t mean labor) are all about or for someone like myself, seeking to deepen their understanding and practice.

[Paul Botterill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides what I find to be a potentially really useful framework for progressing my meditation practice. However, I wasn’t particularly keen on the style of writing. I cannot put my finger in what exactly but it struggled to keep my attention.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read, perhaps, 60-70 books related to "meditation" and watched many more youtube videos. I'm practicing samatha/vipassana myself and have been meditating for about four years now - every single day. In "Breath by Breath," Larry suggests that we - as he does - follow and use the Anapanasati Sutta contemplations as a framework for our practice and that by doing so, we can "launch the process of liberation," without having to be too concerned with a lot of other Buddhist teachings (i.e. the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, The Seven Factors of Awakening, all the fetters and hindrances, etc.). In other words, we can check off a lot of "boxes" by being guided by the Anapanasati Sutta because these contemplations encompass so much of Buddha's teachings. Larry's descriptive, personal experiences and insight have provided very valuable guideposts for my own practice. I highly recommend this book.

[Cindywho · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is mostly an analysis of the Anapanasati Sutra by a local teacher from the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center. It's clear, readable and interesting. He does pepper it a bit with personal stories - I had to laugh at the one about a 3 month meditation retreat in Thailand that culminated in a week without sleeping. It made me think that some people will turn just about anything into an extreme sport. His chapter on daily practice for laypeople was more useful and I did like the book. (April 29, 2007)

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommend this book to practitioners who desire to learn the benefits of living in the present moment. It is a wonderful guide to following the breath and finding inner peace.

The books speaks to me in different ways each time I read it. I will re-read this book forever.

[Tanya Hakala · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another one that I wish there was a 10 star rating system (or half stars). I give it 4.5 starts with the caveat that it takes a lot to get me to give 5 stars.

This book is a great companion as you start exploring the Anapanasati Sutta.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books about meditation and Buddhism are always hard to review. How many words can you spend on insights that are beyond language? This is always the challenge of writing about insights and awakening. Nevertheless Rosenberg has a clear and concrete guide to insight meditation.

For those familiar with this practice, there may not be a lot that is new, but it is a comprehensive and clear guide to the practice. It is firmly rooted in its Buddhist origins, so while it is not at all necessary to be a practicing Buddhist to practice insight meditation, Rosenberg uses reference points from Buddhist teachings. Therefore, it is a book for all practitioners, but those without a fundamental knowledge of Buddhist history may find themselves initially lost.

Highly recommended for anyone who wants to deepen their connection with their practice and themselves.

[Stevie Ada · Rating 4 out of 5]

A practical and personal narrative-driven book that focuses on the breath. A reaffirmation of the necessity of consistency and the importance of mindfulness as a part of daily life. Larry Rosenberg is encouraging and practical.

Of particular use was the emphasis on the many ways that our attention can wander and how we can recenter the present moment.

[Becky Brahier · Rating 4 out of 5]

One trains oneself 😌

[ROHIT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book and will be reading everything I can get my hands on by Larry Rosenberg. I enjoyed that he comes from a background like mine (highly intellectual, academic, secular); I felt that helped him speak about Buddhist practices in language that felt more natural to me than many other books, even ones I've liked.

Breath by Breath is a commentary on the Anapanasati sutra: the sutra I studies with my meditation group on breathing. Rosenberg helped my understanding of Vipassana meditation more than any other author we read, especially how to do open awareness meditation. I really learned a lot from this book about what breathing meditation can do for me and how it supports wisdom meditation.

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in conjunction with The Meditative Path and these two books really complimented each other. This book follows the Anapanasati Sutra. The author has wonderful quotes scattered throughout. For example, "Most of the time that people get discouraged with practice, they do it to themselves. They've heard time and time again that the practice is being nobody and going nowhere, then they sit down and try to be somebody getting somewhere." The author does a good job of explaining the origin of the Pali words and scatters personal anecdotes throughout as well.

[Phil Calandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation" is the discussion of the teachings contained in the Anapanasati Sutra, an ancient Buddhist Text, which outlines the basic tenets of Buddhism that the "self" is a delusion, is at the heart of suffering and that one's breathing is an escape to that suffering leading to one's insight and liberation. I would highly recommend this book.

[Matthew Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breath by Breath is a very clear, insightful commentary on the Buddha's sutra on breathing and meditation. In my opinion its more of a reference book and one to be read over and over to reaffirm the integrity of your meditation practice. This is a classic and will bring insight for all those that pick it up n

[Chazzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh so great! i recommend this book to any and everyone. it will make you so aware of self... well as much as a book can... that you'll be ready to do a vipassana retreat right then. which i haven't done, by the way.

[Sirpa Grierson · Rating 4 out of 5]

"One trains oneself. . . " For anyone who really is attempting to learn mindfulness, this is a must read. Its one that I will return to time and time again as my meditation practice becomes an increasingly practical art.

[Chris Bush · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a clear, straightforward guide to meditation to develop insight and to work towards enlightenment. Rosenberg stress a path aht is practical and grounded in living everyday life.

[Mjbick · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most impactful books I've read on my Buddhist path, Rosenberg brings personal stories to the ancient text and makes it relevant to modern life. I return to it again and again. I have it in both paper and digital versions so I have ready access to it wherever I am.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable introduction to insight meditation

[Hollis Fishelson-holstine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've probably read this at least 2x before, but suddenly this sutra seemed to unlock all kinds of mysteries for me - it's all about the breath....

[J.]

If you read only one book on mindfulness meditation, read this one. I can't recommend it too highly.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too many new ideas here. I was hoping for more exercises, instead this is filled mostly with advice on how to approach meditating that is repeated in most Buddhist books.

[Daniel Cottrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely the most technical book on meditation I've read so far in terms of level of detail, and I think it was the best way for me to grasp the practice of "Insight Meditation”. I was quite intrigued as I'd heard it was a 16-step process, but the author did a great job of breaking it down and showing how each step kind of naturally leads into the next. This serves as a handbook to insight meditation; I would only recommend it to folks who already have some sort of meditation practice and are curious to see what other kinds are out there. It can be more intense, requires more commitment, and I don't think any lay meditator *needs* this to find peace or anything, but I found it a quite fulfilling process, and will continue working to integrate this into my life as the journey has just begun! I was pretty diligent about practicing each step (called contemplations) as it came up, doing 2 one day, the first 3 the next, the first 5 the next, etc, and I found it a great way to absorb the info.

There were plenty of fun and interesting more philosophical insights, but the author also did a good job of bringing the focus back to practical application throughout, staying true to the basis of insight meditation (which I've now learned) boils down to seeing more and thinking less.

One downside though is as much as I'd say the author is a good teacher, he suffers a bit from taking some of the basics for granted and doesn't know what it's like to be a beginner anymore. For example he mentions how if someone is new they should "start small" (which I agree with), "just doing 15 or 20 minutes on their first session", which is insane and is a recipe for driving people crazy--two to five minutes serves as a much better intro. This is just one example of the kind of thing where it's too hardcore from the get-go, but if you're able to recognize these bits and scale them down, everything can be iterated on and this tendency doesn't get in the way as much.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hidden gem for those interested in mindfulness, meditation and a buddhists approach to dealing with the suffering of life.

I’m surprised this isn’t one of the most popular mindfulness books out there.

It’s very well written, funny at times, practical and a great guide for someone who wants to better understand their mind and the way of dealing with feelings, sensations, desires etc. from a buddhists / mindfulness perspective.

I typically re-read this every 3-6 months as a refresher and find myself with a new perspective or insight that I wasn’t ready for beforehand.

I have both the audio and kindle version and recommend both. The narration on the kindle is quite enjoyable and the kindle allows you to re-read key sentences to truly let them sink in.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been really trying to do it, all 16 stages, years after going on a retreat where the full 16 stages were introduced. You can of course simplify and collapse, but why not do what the Buddha suggested 2500 years ago, after 3 months of a rainy retreat. There are surprisingly few good books on this, and maybe because this one is pretty good. I wrote my own idiosyncratic book, and I had to read through this book again as part of the process. I love it that I marked it up on my first read through, I really appreciate my remarks. I've always been afraid to write in books, but I'm grateful I wrote in this book. This is a well worn used book that I greatly appreciate. Thank you Larry Rosenberg.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This classic book on Insight Meditation is not for light readers but for serious meditators. A friend urged it on me, and it's more than I ever wanted to know about how Buddha instructed his followers to meditate. Clearly I have not yet grown out of my toddler years when it comes to meditating. But the book is clearly and carefully written by one of the first Westerners to bring Buddhism to the United States, and there is also a foreword by Jon Kabat-Zinn. When you're ready to commit yourself to meditation sessions that last a bare minimum of 45 minutes and occasional days'-long meditation retreats, this is your step-by-step guide.

[Lilia Popova · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Try to be mindful, and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool. All kinds of wonderful, rare animals will come to drink at the pool, and you will clearly see the nature of all things. You will see many strange and wonderful things come and go, but you will be still. This is the happiness of the Buddha. —Ajahn Chah”

This is an interesting book giving the foundation of Buddhism and for me,as i’ve been interested in reading more about it,was a lovely read.