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ânàpànasatisuttaü (MN 118)
The Discourse about Mindfulness while Breathing

Mindfulness while Breathing

Santi bhikkhave bhikkhå imasmiü Bhikkhusaïghe
Monks, there are monks in this Community of monks

ànàpànasatibhàvanànuyogam-anuyuttà viharanti.
who live engaged in and devoted to the development of the meditation of mindfulness while breathing.

ânàpànasati bhikkhave bhàvità bahulãkatà mahapphalà hoti mahànisaüsà.
Mindfulness while breathing, monks, when it has been developed and made much of yields great fruit and brings great advantages.

ânàpànasati bhikkhave bhàvità bahulãkatà Cattàro Satipaññhàne paripårenti, BJT, PTS, ChS; paripåreti, here and below, but a plural verb is needed, compare the next two lines.⁰¹
Mindfulness while breathing, monks, when it has been developed and made much of fulfils the Four Ways of Attending to Mindfulness,

Cattàro Satipaññhànà bhàvità bahulãkatà Satta Bojjhaïge paripårenti,
the Four Ways of Attending to Mindfulness when they have been developed and made much of fulfil the Seven Factors of Awakening,

Satta Bojjhaïgà bhàvità bahulãkatà Vijjàvimuttiü paripårenti.
the Seven Factors of Awakening when they have been developed and made much of fulfil Knowledge and Freedom.

Kathaü bhàvità ca bhikkhave ànàpànasati?
And how, monks, is mindfulness while breathing developed?

Kathaü bahulãkatà mahapphalà hoti mahànisaüsà?
How, when it has been made much of, does it yield great fruit and bring great advantages?

Preliminaries

Idha bhikkhave bhikkhu araÿÿagato và, rukkhamålagato và,
Here, Pñs: Idhà ti imissà Diññhiyà, imissà khantiyà, imissà ruciyà, imasmiü àdàye, imasmiü Dhamme, imasmiü Vinaye, imasmiü Dhammavinaye, imasmiü pàvacane, imasmiü brahmacariye, imasmiü Satthusàsane; Here means in this View, in this belief, in this opinion, in this persuasion, in this Teaching, in this Discipline, in this Teaching and Discipline, in this creed, in this spiritual life, in this Teacher's Dispensation.⁰² monks, a monk who has gone to the wilderness, or to the root of a tree,

suÿÿàgàragato và, nisãdati.
or to an empty place, sits down.

Pallaïkaü àbhujitvà, ujuü kàyaü paõidhàya,
After folding his legs crosswise, setting his body straight,

parimukhaü satiü upaññhapetvà,
and establishing mindfulness at the front,

so sato va assasati, sato ChS: sato va, another of ChS unwarranted standardisations.⁰³ passasati.
ever mindful he breathes in, mindful he breathes out. Pñs: bàttiüsàya àkàrehi sato kàrã hoti: dãghaü assàsavasena (...pe...) cittassa ekaggataü avikkhepaü pajànato, sati upaññhità hoti, tàya satiyà tena ÿàõena sato kàrã hoti; in thirty-two ways he is one pratising mindfulness: because of breathing in long (etc.) he knows his mind is one-pointed and unscattered, he is attending to mindfulness, he is practising mindfulness with this knowledge and this mindfulness (and the same with the other methods).⁰⁴

Mindfulness of the Body

Dãghaü và assasanto ßdãghaü assasàmãû ti pajànàti,
While breathing in long, he knows ßI am breathing in longû, There is a disagreement in the Commentaries as to the meaning of assasati and passasati and their cognates; the Vinaya says it means out-breathing and in-breathing; the Sutta Commentary says it is the other way around. Here we follow the Sutta Commentary.⁰⁵

dãghaü và passasanto ßdãghaü passasàmãû ti pajànàti,
while breathing out long, he knows ßI am breathing out longû, Pñs explains that as he is contemplating the long breath coming in and out wholesome desire (chando) and gladness (pàmojja) arise, and eventually equanimity is established. ⁰⁶

rassaü và assasanto ßrassaü assasàmãû ti pajànàti,
while breathing in short, he knows ßI am breathing in shortû,

rassaü và passasanto ßrassaü passasàmãû ti pajànàti,
while breathing out short, he knows ßI am breathing out shortû,

sabbakàyapañisaüvedã assasissàmã ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: experiencing the whole body I will breathe in, Pñs: Kàyo ti dve kàyà - nàmakàyo ca råpakàyo ca; body means the two bodies - the mind-body and the physical body. Pñs then explains mind as feelings, perceptions, contact, application of mind, and mental processes; and body as the four great elements, matter that is derived from them, breathing, the sign (nimitta), and whatever bodily processes there are. It would seem from this that Pñs. does not agree that kàya here should mean only the whole body of breath (sakala assàsakàya), which is how it is taken in Vism.⁰⁷

sabbakàyapañisaüvedã passasissàmã 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.⁰⁸

passambhayaü kàyasaïkhàraü assasissàmã ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: making the bodily process calm I will breathe in, Pñs: dãghaü assàsà (...pe...) kàyikà, ete dhammà kàyapañibaddhà kàyasaïkhàrà, te kàyasaïkhàre passambhento nirodhento våpasamento sikkhati; long in-breath (etc.) belong to the body, these things are bound up with the body, are bodily processes, he trains in calming, settling and pacifying these bodily processes.⁰⁹

passambhayaü kàyasaïkhàraü passasissàmã ti sikkhati.
he trains like this: making the bodily process calm I will breathe out.

Mindfulness of Feelings

Pãtipañisaüvedã assasissàmã ti sikkhati,
He trains like this: experiencing joy I will breathe in,

pãtipañisaüvedã PTS: -pañã-, printer's error.¹⁰ passasissàmã ti sikkhati,
he trains like this: experiencing joy I will breathe out, Pñs: dighaü (...pe...) assàsavasena cittassa ekaggataü avikkhepaü pajànato, uppajjati pãti pàmojjaü; because of the long breath (etc.) he knows his mind is one-pointed and unscattered, and joy and gladness arise.¹¹