The sense of well-being fostered by working and playing with the breath gives you a solid foundation for observing stress and suffering. That enables you to watch pain and suffering more steadily.

"The sense of well-being fostered by working and playing with the breath gives you a solid foundation for observing stress and suffering. If you feel threatened by your suffering, you won’t have the patience and endurance needed to watch and comprehend it. As soon as you encounter it, you want to run away. But if you’re dwelling in a sense of well-being in the body and mind, you don’t feel so threatened by pain or suffering. That enables you to watch pain and suffering more steadily. You know that you have a safe place in your body where the breath feels comfortable, where you can focus your attention when the stress or suffering becomes too overwhelming."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "With Each & Every Breath: A Guide to Meditation"

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