When the Buddha teaches breath meditation, it’s pretty proactive. You’re going to be breathing in certain ways, trying to induce certain mind states, certain feelings, certain states of awareness, by the way you breathe.

"Remember: When the Buddha teaches breath meditation, it’s pretty proactive. You’re going to be breathing in certain ways, trying to induce certain mind states, certain feelings, certain states of awareness, by the way you breathe. But to prepare the mind for that activity, you have to make it as impassive as possible so that when anything undesirable comes up in your meditation, you don’t get excited about it, you don’t get upset by it. You have to see it clearly if you want to deal with it."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Secluded from Sensuality"

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