The breath, the Buddha said, is like a big rain cloud that comes at the end of the hot season, it washes all the dust out of the air. It gives the mind something cool, clean, and refreshing to focus on.

"The breath, [the Buddha] said, is like a big rain cloud that comes at the end of the hot season. And if you’ve ever been in India, you know what the hot season is like: It’s very dusty. When the rains come, they wash all the dust out of the air. And the breath functions in that way. It gives the mind something cool, clean, and refreshing to focus on when contemplation of the body becomes oppressive."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "No One Size Fits All"

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