54. Ānāpānasaṁyutta: On Breath Meditation
I. One Thing — SN54.7: About Mahākappina
- © Translated from the Pali by Bhante Sujato. (More copyright information)
1At Sāvatthī.
Now, at that time Venerable Mahākappina was sitting not far from the Buddha cross-legged, with his body straight, and mindfulness established right there. The Buddha saw him, and addressed the mendicants:
2“Mendicants, do you see any motion or trembling in that mendicant’s body?”
“Sir, whenever we see that mendicant meditating — whether in the middle of the Saṅgha or alone in private — we never see any motion or trembling in his body.”
3“Mendicants, when an immersion has been developed and cultivated there’s no motion or trembling of the body or mind. That mendicant gets such immersion when he wants, without trouble or difficulty. And what is that immersion?
4When immersion due to mindfulness of breathing has been developed and cultivated there’s no motion or trembling of the body or mind. And how is immersion due to mindfulness of breathing developed and cultivated in such a way?
5It’s when a mendicant — gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut — sits down cross-legged, with their body straight, and establishes their mindfulness right there. Just mindful, they breathe in. Mindful, they breathe out. … They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing letting go.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing letting go.’
That’s how immersion due to mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated so that there’s no motion or trembling of the body or mind.”
1Sāvatthinidānaṁ.
Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā mahākappino bhagavato avidūre nisinno hoti pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā. Addasā kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ mahākappinaṁ avidūre nisinnaṁ pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā. Disvāna bhikkhū āmantesi:
2"Passatha no tumhe, bhikkhave, etassa bhikkhuno kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā phanditattaṁ vā"ti?
"Yadāpi mayaṁ, bhante, taṁ āyasmantaṁ passāma saṅghamajjhe vā nisinnaṁ ekaṁ vā raho nisinnaṁ, tadāpi mayaṁ tassa āyasmato na passāma kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā phanditattaṁ vā"ti.
3"Yassa, bhikkhave, samādhissa bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā neva kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā, na cittassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā, tassa so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu samādhissa nikāmalābhī akicchalābhī akasiralābhī. Katamassa ca, bhikkhave, samādhissa bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā neva kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā, na cittassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā?
4Ānāpānassatisamādhissa, bhikkhave, bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā neva kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā, na cittassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā. Kathaṁ bhāvite ca, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhimhi kathaṁ bahulīkate neva kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā, na cittassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā?
5Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā nisīdati pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā. So satova assasati, satova passasati … pe … ‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati.
Evaṁ bhāvite ca kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhimhi evaṁ bahulīkate neva kāyassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā, na cittassa iñjitattaṁ vā hoti phanditattaṁ vā"ti.
Sattamaṁ.