The number one lesson in tennis is to keep your eye on the ball. In meditation you start out with a very simple process and then it gradually grows more complicated. After a while you forget the first principles: i.e., stay with your breath.

"I once heard of a tennis pro whose game had gone into a slump. He tried everything he could imagine to get his game back: fired his trainer, got another trainer, tried different rackets. Then one day he realized he’d forgotten the number one lesson in tennis: Keep your eye on the ball.

The same sort of thing often happens in meditation. You start out with a very simple process and then it gradually grows more complicated. After a while you forget the first principles: i.e., stay with your breath."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "A Private Matter" (Meditations4)

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