Ānāpānasatisuttaṁ (MN 118)
The Discourse about Mindfulness while Breathing
Mindfulness while Breathing
Santi bhikkhave bhikkhū imasmiṁ Bhikkhusaṅghe
Monks, there are monks in this Community of monks
ānāpānasatibhāvanānuyogam-anuyuttā viharanti.
who live engaged in and devoted to the development of the meditation of mindfulness while breathing.
Ānāpānasati bhikkhave bhāvitā bahulīkatā mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā.
Mindfulness while breathing, monks, when it has been developed and made much of yields great fruit and brings great advantages.
Ānāpānasati bhikkhave bhāvitā bahulīkatā Cattāro Satipaṭṭhāne paripūrenti, BJT, PTS, ChS;
Mindfulness while breathing, monks, when it has been developed and made much of fulfils the Four Ways of Attending to Mindfulness,
Cattāro Satipaṭṭhānā bhāvitā bahulīkatā Satta Bojjhaṅge paripūrenti,
the Four Ways of Attending to Mindfulness when they have been developed and made much of fulfil the Seven Factors of Awakening,
Satta Bojjhaṅgā bhāvitā bahulīkatā Vijjāvimuttiṁ paripūrenti.
the Seven Factors of Awakening when they have been developed and made much of fulfil Knowledge and Freedom.
Kathaṁ bhāvitā ca bhikkhave ānāpānasati?
And how, monks, is mindfulness while breathing developed?
Kathaṁ bahulīkatā mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā?
How, when it has been made much of, does it yield great fruit and bring great advantages?
Preliminaries
Idha bhikkhave bhikkhu araññagato vā, rukkhamūlagato vā,
Here, Pṭs:
suññāgāragato vā, nisīdati.
or to an empty place, sits down.
Pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā, ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya,
After folding his legs crosswise, setting his body straight,
parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā,
and establishing mindfulness at the front,
so sato va assasati, sato ChS:
ever mindful he breathes in, mindful he breathes out. Pṭs:
Mindfulness of the Body
Dīghaṁ vā assasanto “dīghaṁ assasāmī” ti pajānāti,
While breathing in long, he knows “I am breathing in long”, There is a disagreement in the Commentaries as to the meaning of
dīghaṁ vā passasanto “dīghaṁ passasāmī” ti pajānāti,
while breathing out long, he knows “I am breathing out long”, Pṭs explains that as he is contemplating the long breath coming in and out wholesome desire (
rassaṁ vā assasanto “rassaṁ assasāmī” ti pajānāti,
while breathing in short, he knows “I am breathing in short”,
rassaṁ vā passasanto “rassaṁ passasāmī” ti pajānāti,
while breathing out short, he knows “I am breathing out short”,
sabbakāyapaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: experiencing the whole body I will breathe in, Pṭs:
sabbakāyapaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: experiencing the whole body I will breathe out, Notice that we see a change in the instructions from the present tense of the verb to the future. Vism. says that in the first section he should just be breathing, and only now should he deliberately cultivate knowledge and that the change in tense signifies this.
passambhayaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: making the bodily process calm I will breathe in, Pṭs:
passambhayaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ passasissāmī ti sikkhati.
he trains like this: making the bodily process calm I will breathe out.
Mindfulness of Feelings
Pītipaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
He trains like this: experiencing joy I will breathe in,
pītipaṭisaṁvedī PTS: -
he trains like this: experiencing joy I will breathe out, Pṭs:
sukhapaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: experiencing pleasure I will breathe in,
sukhapaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: experiencing pleasure I will breathe out, Pṭs:
cittasaṅkhārapaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: experiencing the mental process I will breathe in,
cittasaṅkhārapaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: experiencing the mental process I will breathe out, Pṭs:
passambhayaṁ cittasaṅkhāraṁ assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: making the mental process calm I will breathe in,
passambhayaṁ cittasaṅkhāraṁ passasissāmī ti sikkhati.
he trains like this: making the mental process calm I will breathe out.
Mindfulness of the Mind
Cittapaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
He trains like this: experiencing the mind I will breathe in,
cittapaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: experiencing the mind I will breathe out, Pṭs:
abhippamodayaṁ cittaṁ assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: gladdening the mind I will breathe in,
abhippamodayaṁ cittaṁ passasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: gladdening the mind I will breathe out, Pṭs:
samādahaṁ cittaṁ assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: concentrating the mind I will breathe in,
samādahaṁ cittaṁ passasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: concentrating the mind I will breathe out, Pṭs:
vimocayaṁ cittaṁ assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: freeing the mind I will breathe in,
vimocayaṁ cittaṁ passasissāmī ti sikkhati.
he trains like this: freeing the mind I will breathe out. Pṭs:
Mindfulness of (the Nature of) Things
Aniccānupassī assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
He trains like this: contemplating impermanence I will breathe in,
aniccānupassī passasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: contemplating impermanence I will breathe out, Pṭs:
virāgānupassī assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: contemplating dispassion I will breathe in,
virāgānupassī passasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: contemplating dispassion I will breathe out, Pṭs:
nirodhānupassī assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: contemplating cessation I will breathe in,
nirodhānupassī passasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: contemplating cessation I will breathe out,
paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: contemplating letting go I will breathe in,
paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī ti sikkhati.
he trains like this: contemplating letting go I will breathe out. Pṭs:
Evaṁ bhāvitā kho bhikkhave ānāpānasati.
Like this, monks, is mindfulness while breathing developed.
Evaṁ bahulīkatā mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā.
Like this, when it has been made much of, it yields great fruit and brings great advantages.