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Saṁyutta Nikāya — The Linked Discourses

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SN12-21
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Great Book
SN45-56

54. Ānāpānasaṁyutta: On Breath Meditation

I. One Thing — SN54.9: At Vesālī

1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof. Now at that time the Buddha spoke in many ways to the mendicants about the meditation on ugliness. He praised the meditation on ugliness and its development.

2Then the Buddha said to the mendicants: “Mendicants, I wish to go on retreat for a fortnight. No-one should approach me, except for the one who brings my alms-food.”

“Yes, sir,” replied those mendicants. And no-one approached him, except for the one who brought the alms-food.


3Then those mendicants thought: “The Buddha spoke in many ways about the meditation on ugliness. He praised the meditation on ugliness and its development.” They committed themselves to developing the many different facets of the meditation on ugliness. Becoming horrified, repelled, and disgusted with this body, they looked for someone to slit their wrists. Each day ten, twenty, or thirty mendicants slit their wrists.


4Then after a fortnight had passed, the Buddha came out of retreat and addressed Ānanda: “Ānanda, why does the mendicant Saṅgha seem so diminished?”
Ānanda told the Buddha all that had happened, and said: “Sir, please explain another way for the mendicant Saṅgha to get enlightened.”


5“Well then, Ānanda, gather all the mendicants staying in the vicinity of Vesālī together in the assembly hall.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Ānanda. He did what the Buddha asked, went up to him, and said: “Sir, the mendicant Saṅgha has assembled. Please, sir, come at your convenience.”


6Then the Buddha went to the assembly hall, sat down on the seat spread out, and addressed the mendicants:

“Mendicants, when this immersion due to mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated it’s peaceful and sublime, a deliciously pleasant meditation. And it disperses and settles unskillful qualities on the spot whenever they arise.


7In the last month of summer, when the dust and dirt is stirred up, a large sudden storm disperses and settles it on the spot.

In the same way, when this immersion due to mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated it’s peaceful and sublime, a deliciously pleasant meditation. And it disperses and settles unskillful qualities on the spot whenever they arise. And how is it so developed and cultivated?


8It’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 focuses 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 this immersion due to mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated so that it’s peaceful and sublime, a deliciously pleasant meditation. And it disperses and settles unskillful qualities on the spot whenever they arise.”

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ — ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā vesāliyaṁ vihārati mahāvane kūṭāgārasālāyaṁ. Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā bhikkhūnaṁ anekapariyāyena asubhakathaṁ katheti, asubhāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati, asubhabhāvanāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati.

2Atha kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: "Icchāmahaṁ, bhikkhave, aḍḍhamāsaṁ paṭisallīyituṁ. Nāmhi kenaci upasaṅkamitabbo, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakenā"ti.

"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paṭissutvā nāssudha koci bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamati, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakena.


3Atha kho te bhikkhū: "Bhagavā anekapariyāyena asubhakathaṁ katheti, asubhāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati, asubhabhāvanāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsatī"ti anekākāravokāraṁ asubhabhāvanānuyogamanuyuttā vihāranti. Te iminā kāyena aṭṭīyamānā harāyamānā jigucchamānā satthahārakaṁ pariyesanti. Dasapi bhikkhū ekāhena satthaṁ āharanti, vīsampi … pe … tiṁsampi bhikkhū ekāhena satthaṁ āharanti.


4Atha kho bhagavā tassa aḍḍhamāsassa accayena paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito āyasmantaṁ Ānandaṁ āmantesi: "Kiṁ nu kho, Ānanda, tanubhūto viya bhikkhusaṅgho"ti?

"Tathā hi pana, bhante, ‘bhagavā bhikkhūnaṁ anekapariyāyena asubhakathaṁ katheti, asubhāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati, asubhabhāvanāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsatī’ti anekākāravokāraṁ asubhabhāvanānuyogamanuyuttā vihāranti. Te iminā kāyena aṭṭīyamānā harāyamānā jigucchamānā satthahārakaṁ pariyesanti. Dasapi bhikkhū ekāhena satthaṁ āharanti, vīsampi bhikkhū … tiṁsampi bhikkhū ekāhena satthaṁ āharanti. Sādhu, bhante, bhagavā aññaṁ pariyāyaṁ ācikkhatu yathāyaṁ bhikkhusaṅgho aññāya saṇṭhaheyyā"ti.


5"TenahĀnanda, yāvatikā bhikkhū vesāliṁ upanissāya vihāranti te sabbe upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ sannipātehī"ti.

"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho āyasmā ānando bhagavato paṭissutvā yāvatikā bhikkhū vesāliṁ upanissāya vihāranti te sabbe upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ sannipātetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "sannipatito, bhante, bhikkhusaṅgho. Yassadāni, bhante, bhagavā kālaṁ maññatī"ti.


6Atha kho bhagavā yena upaṭṭhānasālā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi. Nisajja kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:

"ayampi kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato santo ceva paṇīto ca asecanako ca sukho ca vihāro uppannuppanne ca pāpake akusale dhamme ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasameti.


7Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, gimhānaṁ pacchime māse ūhataṁ rajojallaṁ, tamenaṁ mahāakālamegho ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasameti;

evameva kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato santo ceva paṇīto ca asecanako ca sukho ca vihāro uppannuppanne ca pāpake akusale dhamme ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasameti. Kathaṁ bhāvito ca, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhi kathaṁ bahulīkato santo ceva paṇīto ca asecanako ca sukho ca vihāro uppannuppanne ca pāpake akusale dhamme ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasameti?


8Idha, 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 bhāvito kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhi evaṁ bahulīkato santo ceva paṇīto ca asecanako ca sukho ca vihāro uppannuppanne ca pāpake akusale dhamme ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasametī"ti.

Navamaṁ.