To ṅnanda (on Mindfulness of Breathing) ṅnanda Sutta (SN 54:13)
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('â', I am breathing in longâ; or breathing out long, he discerns, ),
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('â', I am breathing out long.â [2] Or breathing in short, he discerns, ),
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('â', I am breathing in shortâ; or breathing out short, he discerns, ),
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('â', I am breathing out short.â [3] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body.â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body.â [4] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.â "[5] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in sensitive to rapture.â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out sensitive to rapture.â [6] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in sensitive to pleasure.â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out sensitive to pleasure.â [7] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in sensitive to mental fabrication.â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out sensitive to mental fabrication.â [8] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in calming mental fabrication.â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out calming mental fabrication.â "[9] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in sensitive to the mind.â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out sensitive to the mind.â [10] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in gladdening the mind.â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out gladdening the mind.â [11] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in steadying the mind.â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out steadying the mind. [12] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in releasing the mind.â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out releasing the mind.â "[13] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in focusing on inconstancy.â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out focusing on inconstancy.â [14] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in focusing on dispassion [or: fading].â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out focusing on dispassion.â [15] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in focusing on cessation.â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out focusing on cessation.â [16] He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe in focusing on relinquishment.â He trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe out focusing on relinquishment.â "[1] On whatever occasion a monk breathing in long discerns, ),
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('â', I am breathing in longâ; or breathing out long, discerns, ),
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('â', I am breathing out longâ; or breathing in short, discerns, ),
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('â', I am breathing in shortâ; or breathing out short, discerns, ),
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('â', I am breathing out shortâ; trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&⦠out sensitive to the entire bodyâ; trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&â¦out calming bodily fabricationâ: On that occasion the monk remains focused on the body in & of itself—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. I tell you, ṅnanda, that this—the in-&-out breath—is classed as a body among bodies, which is why the monk on that occasion remains focused on the body in & of itself—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. "[2] On whatever occasion a monk trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&â¦out sensitive to raptureâ; trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&â¦out sensitive to pleasureâ; trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&â¦out sensitive to mental fabricationâ; trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&â¦out calming mental fabricationâ: On that occasion the monk remains focused on feelings in & of themselves—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. I tell you, ṅnanda, that this—careful attention to in-&-out breaths—is classed as a feeling among feelings,1 which is why the monk on that occasion remains focused on feelings in & of themselves—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. "[3] On whatever occasion a monk trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&â¦out sensitive to the mindâ; trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&â¦out gladdening the mindâ; trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&â¦out steadying the mindâ; trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&â¦out releasing the mindâ: On that occasion the monk remains focused on the mind in & of itself—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. I donât say that there is mindfulness of in-&-out breathing in one of lapsed mindfulness and no alertness, which is why the monk on that occasion remains focused on the mind in & of itself—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. "[4] On whatever occasion a monk trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&â¦out focusing on inconstancyâ; trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&â¦out focusing on dispassionâ; trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&â¦out focusing on cessationâ; trains himself, ),
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('â', I will breathe inâ¦&â¦out focusing on relinquishingâ: On that occasion the monk remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. He who sees with discernment the abandoning of greed & distress is one who watches carefully with equanimity, which is why the monk on that occasion remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. "This is how concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing, when developed & pursued, brings the four establishings of mindfulness to their culmination. "And how are the four establishings of mindfulness developed & pursued so that the seven factors for awakening come to completion? "[1] On whatever occasion the monk remains focused on the body in & of itself—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world, on that occasion his mindfulness is steady & without lapse. When his mindfulness is steady & without lapse, then mindfulness as a factor for awakening is aroused in him. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development. "[2] Remaining mindful in this way, he examines, analyzes, & comes to a comprehension of that quality with discernment. When he remains mindful in this way, examining, analyzing, & coming to a comprehension of that quality with discernment, then analysis of qualities as a factor for awakening is aroused in him. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development. "[3] In one who examines, analyzes, & comes to a comprehension of that quality with discernment, persistence is aroused unflaggingly. When persistence is aroused unflaggingly in one who examines, analyzes, & comes to a comprehension of that quality with discernment, then persistence as a factor for awakening is aroused in him. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development. "[4] In one whose persistence is aroused, a rapture not of the flesh arises. When a rapture not of the flesh arises in one whose persistence is aroused, then rapture as a factor for awakening is aroused in him. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development. "[5] For one enraptured at heart, the body grows calm and the mind grows calm. When the body & mind of a monk enraptured at heart grow calm, then calm as a factor for awakening is aroused in him. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development. "[6] For one who is at ease—his body calmed—the mind becomes concentrated. When the mind of one who is at ease—his body calmed—becomes concentrated, then concentration as a factor for awakening is aroused in him. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development. "[7] He carefully watches the mind thus concentrated with equanimity. When he carefully watches the mind thus concentrated with equanimity, equanimity as a factor for awakening is aroused in him. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development. [Similarly with the other three establishings of mindfulness: in feelings, mind, & mental qualities.] "This is how the four establishings of mindfulness, when developed & pursued, lead to the culmination of the seven factors for awakening. "And how are the seven factors for awakening developed & pursued so as to lead to the culmination of clear knowing & release? There is the case where a monk develops mindfulness as a factor for awakening dependent on seclusion⦠dispassion⦠cessation, resulting in relinquishment. He develops analysis of qualities as a factor for awakening⦠persistence as a factor for awakening⦠rapture as a factor for awakening⦠calm as a factor for awakening⦠concentration as a factor for awakening⦠equanimity as a factor for awakening dependent on seclusion⦠dispassion⦠cessation, resulting in relinquishment. "This is how the seven factors for awakening, when developed & pursued, lead to the culmination of clear knowing & release." That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Ven. ṅnanda delighted in the Blessed Oneâs words. Note 1. As this shows, a meditator focusing on feelings in themselves as a frame of reference should not abandon the breath as the basis for his/her concentration. - --> - - - -