解脫道論 安般十六處與止觀

The unit first asks how mindfulness of breathing is cultivated when the in-and-out breath has ceased without remainder. It answers through well acquiring the initial sign and says that with the breath’s cessation the sign arises and becomes the sign of cultivation. The source does not explain how the sign takes the breath’s place; only the question, answer, and arising of the sign are retained.

Among the sixteen bases, this unit presents in order knowing rapture, pleasure, and mental activity; causing mental activity to cease; knowing, gladdening, training, and liberating the mind; and constantly seeing impermanence, dispassion, cessation, and emergence. The passage on liberating the mind separately lists five conditions and what the mind is liberated from, then adds “if the mind does not attach to and delight in the matter, cause it to attach and train.” No psychological diagnosis is added to these terms. The summary says only that the first twelve accomplish calm and insight, while the last four accomplish insight alone. This is a classification, not an added procedural sequence.

The source also groups items under cultivation, arousing, fulfillment of contemplation, and seeing at times, and separately lists sustaining ground and jhāna grounds. It finally divides cultivation and fulfillment into two: cultivation is like a seed; fulfillment is like flowers and fruit; what is called fulfillment has none of the sixteen practices diminished. It then says in order that mindfulness of breathing fulfills the four establishments, the four establishments fulfill the seven awakening factors, and the seven awakening factors fulfill knowledge-liberation. The source list and similes remain without an added transition theory or psychological exhortation.

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Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · The Sixteen Bases of Mindfulness of Breathing and Calm-and-Insight · Doorway · Summer 2026

How to Cultivate After the Breath Has Ceased

Question: If the in-and-out breath has ceased without remainder, how does one cultivate mindfulness of breathing?

Answer: Because the initial sign has been well acquired. With the cessation of in-and-out breathing, the sign arises and becomes the sign of cultivation.

Why? The source continues with 諸禪相知喜為事、知我入息. How “the signs of the jhānas,” “knowing rapture as the matter,” and “knowing, I breathe in” should be divided and attached to one another is unclear. The sequence is retained without turning it into a fixed definition of the signs of the jhānas.

Knowing Rapture and Knowing Pleasure

One who trains with “knowing, I breathe in” brings the in-breath and out-breath to mind and arouses rapture at the place of the second jhāna. That rapture becomes known in two ways: because of non-delusion and because of the matter.

The source next says: “Then the meditator enters concentration and knows rapture, not through delusion; because of contemplation, because of counteraction, and because of the matter, knowing pleasure, I breathe in.” Four witnesses read 以不 for 不以. How “not through / through non-delusion” attaches to the three clauses on contemplation, counteraction, and the matter is unclear. Both readings and the sequence are retained without turning them into three securely defined reasons.

One who trains with “knowing pleasure, I breathe in” brings the in-breath and out-breath to mind and arouses pleasure at the place of the third jhāna. That pleasure becomes known in two ways: because of non-delusion and because of the matter, as taught at the beginning.

Knowing Mental Activity and Causing Mental Activity to Cease

For one who trains with “knowing mental activity, I breathe in,” mental activity means perception and feeling. That mental activity arises at the place of the fourth jhāna and becomes known in two ways: because of non-delusion and because of the matter, as taught at the beginning.

For one who trains with “causing mental activity to cease, I breathe in,” mental activity again means perception and feeling. One causes coarse mental activity to cease and trains as taught at the beginning.

Knowing the Mind, Gladdening the Mind, and Training the Mind

One who trains with “knowing the mind, I breathe in” brings the in-breath and out-breath to mind. The matter of the mind’s entering and leaving becomes known in two ways: through non-delusion and because of the matter, as taught at the beginning.

One who trains with “gladdening the mind, I breathe in” understands gladdening as rapture: at the place of the second jhāna, rapture makes the mind leap up. One trains as taught at the beginning.

One who trains with “training the mind, I breathe in” brings the in-breath and out-breath to mind and, through mindfulness and attention, causes the mind to remain on and become concentrated upon the “matter.” The source then reads 一心教化以彼心住. How “one mind,” “training,” and “through that mind’s abiding” should be divided, and what governs what, remain unclear. The sentence is retained without construing it as a specific method of watching or controlling the mind.

Liberating the Mind

For one who trains with “liberating the mind, I breathe in and out,” the meditator brings the in-breath and out-breath to mind:

If the mind is sluggish, one liberates it from weariness. If the mind is swift, one liberates it from 調 and trains. If the mind is high, one liberates it from stain and trains. If the mind is low, one liberates it from ill will and trains. If the mind is defiled, one liberates it from the minor defilements and trains.

Furthermore, the source says: “If the mind does not attach to and delight in the matter, cause it to attach and train.” The condition is a mind that does not “attach and delight” in the matter, followed by “cause it to attach” and “train.” What attachment, delight, and causing attachment designate here, and whether they form one action, are not explained; the sentence is not recast as a prescription to make the mind cling.

Constantly Seeing Impermanence, Dispassion, Cessation, and Emergence

One who trains with “constantly seeing impermanence, I breathe in” brings the in-breath and out-breath to mind and sees the arising and cessation of the in-and-out breath and of the mind and mental qualities whose matter is that breathing.

One who trains with “constantly seeing dispassion, I breathe in” brings the in-breath and out-breath to mind. The source continues: 彼無常法彼法無欲，是泥洹入息學之. How “that impermanent quality,” “that quality is without desire,” “is nibbāna,” and “breathing in, train” should be divided and attached remains unclear. The terms impermanent quality, dispassion, nibbāna, in-breath, and training are preserved without imposing a sentence division.

One who trains with “constantly seeing cessation, I breathe in” reads the source’s next sentence: “That impermanent quality is seen as it really is with its danger; 彼我滅 is nibbāna; train through seeing quietness.” How 我 attaches in 彼我滅 and how the sentence should be divided remain unclear. Seeing danger as it really is, nibbāna, seeing quietness, and training are retained without turning the doubtful clause into a fixed proposition.

One who trains with “constantly seeing emergence, I breathe in” sees the danger in that impermanent quality as it really is, makes relinquishment present regarding the danger, abides in cessation and nibbāna, and causes the mind to be at ease.

Thus quiet, thus excellent: all activities quiet, emergence from all defilements, craving ceased, dispassion, cessation, nibbāna.

The Sixteen Bases and Calm-and-Insight

Of these sixteen bases, the first twelve accomplish calm and insight; the wording then has 見初無常. The last four accomplish insight alone. In this way they are to be understood by calm and insight. The syntax of 見初無常 is preserved rather than silently resolved.

Four Kinds, Cultivation, and Fulfillment

The source next says “all of these are four kinds,” followed by 一謂如是修令起觀具足，有時見現念入息、現念出息. The graph 一 is absent from four witnesses. The sentence boundaries among cultivation, arousing, fulfillment of contemplation, seeing at times, and bringing the in-breath and out-breath to mind are also unclear. Four subsequent conclusions beginning “this is called” are certain.

The first conclusion is “this is called cultivation.” Around it are listed knowing long and short, causing bodily activity to cease, causing mental activity to cease, gladdening the mind, training the mind, and liberating the mind. Whether every item is governed by “cultivation” or the sentence boundaries differ is not marked by the source.

The second conclusion is “this is called arousing,” followed by knowing the whole body, knowing pleasure, and knowing mental activity.

The third says, “knowing the mind: this is called fulfillment of contemplation.”

The fourth says, “the four practices beginning with constantly seeing impermanence: this is called seeing at times.” How 所初 attaches remains unclear. What is certain is the relation of the four practices beginning with impermanence to “seeing at times.”

The source next says that cultivation is the sustaining ground of mindfulness of breathing, then reads: “It is sustaining; it is with 覺; that is a ground with 覺 and with 觀, and a ground with 觀.” The terms related to sustaining, 覺, and 觀 are stated, but their divisions and relations remain unclear; four witnesses read 學 for 覺. The Taishō text then assigns knowing rapture to the ground of the second jhāna, knowing pleasure to the ground of the third, and knowing the mind to the ground of the fourth. The Palace witness instead reads first and second for the first two numbers. Both assignments remain without decision.

Again, the source divides all into two: cultivation and fulfillment. It then says, “Here is cultivation; what alone is called fulfillment, the sixteen practices are not diminished.” The relation of “alone that” and the division of the sentence are not further explained. What is certain is that “called fulfillment” is joined to the sixteen practices not being diminished.

The source explains with similes: cultivation is like a seed because it is the cause of virtues; what is called fulfillment is like flowers and fruit because it emerges from resemblance. The referent of “resemblance” is not explained, so the flowers-and-fruit simile is not supplemented with a process of concealment, maturation, or psychological development.

Conclusion

When mindfulness of breathing is cultivated in this way, it fulfills the four establishments of mindfulness. Cultivation of the four establishments fulfills the seven awakening factors. Cultivation of the seven awakening factors fulfills knowledge-liberation.

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Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · The Sixteen Bases of Mindfulness of Breathing and Calm-and-Insight · Vernacular · Summer 2026

The unit opens with a question: “If the in-and-out breath has ceased without remainder, how does one cultivate mindfulness of breathing?” The answer is: “Because the initial sign has been well acquired. With the cessation of in-and-out breathing, the sign arises and becomes the sign of cultivation” 〔T32 430c27–28〕. The question and answer begin at 〔T32 430c26–28〕. Three points can be read directly: the question presupposes that breathing has ceased without remainder; the answer gives well acquiring the initial sign as its reason; and it says that when breathing ceases the sign arises and becomes the sign of cultivation. The source does not explain how the sign replaces the breath or extend the sentence into a general rule about changing objects. The subsequent items repeatedly use “one who trains thus,” “brings the in-breath and out-breath to mind,” or “as taught at the beginning.” These repetitions form a visible literary frame without supplying an additional practice. Near the end, the source classifies “the first twelve bases” as accomplishing calm and insight and “the last four” as accomplishing insight alone 〔T32 431b06〕. The twelve-and-four distinction is explicit classification, not an inferred prescription of sequence.

The opening answer continues with “why?” and 諸禪相知喜為事 before proceeding into “knowing, I breathe in” and rapture at the place of the second jhāna 〔T32 430c28–431a02〕. This junction establishes that knowing rapture is the first item unfolded here. How “the signs of the jhānas” and “knowing rapture as the matter” divide is not settled; their order is preserved without supplying subject and object.

The sixteen items may first be listed in source order. The preceding unit already gave knowing long, knowing short, knowing the whole body, and causing bodily activity to cease. This unit continues with knowing rapture, knowing pleasure, knowing mental activity, causing mental activity to cease, knowing the mind, gladdening the mind, training the mind, liberating the mind, and finally constantly seeing impermanence, dispassion, cessation, and emergence. These total sixteen and agree with the source’s “these sixteen bases” 〔T32 431b05〕. This unit says only at the end that cultivating mindfulness of breathing fulfills the four establishments 〔T32 431b19〕; it does not assign each item one by one to the four establishments. No four-by-four correspondence is therefore added.

The latter half groups some of the terms a second time beneath four conclusions. Under “this is called cultivation” it lists knowing long and short, causing bodily activity and mental activity to cease, and gladdening, training, and liberating the mind. Under “this is called arousing” it lists knowing the whole body, pleasure, and mental activity. Knowing the mind alone concludes “this is called fulfillment of contemplation.” “The four practices beginning with constantly seeing impermanence” conclude “this is called seeing at times” 〔T32 431b12〕. These four conclusions are not a full item-by-item repetition of all sixteen, and the first combines knowing long and short as one phrase. They can be checked only according to the source grouping; they cannot be split or combined to manufacture four equal groups.

Knowing Rapture, Knowing Pleasure, Knowing Mental Activity

The text reads: “The signs of the jhānas, knowing rapture as the matter; knowing, I breathe in. One who trains thus brings the in-breath and out-breath to mind, and rapture arises at the place of the second jhāna. That rapture becomes known in two ways: because of non-delusion and because of the matter” 〔T32 430c29–431a02〕. Knowing rapture is explicitly assigned to the place of the second jhāna and to the two ways. It continues: “The meditator enters concentration and knows rapture, not through delusion; because of contemplation, counteraction, and the matter, knowing pleasure, I breathe in” 〔T32 431a02–04〕. Four witnesses read 以不 for 不以. How “not through / through non-delusion” attaches to the three clauses is unclear, so both readings and all three are retained rather than reordered as fixed reasons. The next passage assigns pleasure to the place of the third jhāna and again gives non-delusion and the matter as the two ways 〔T32 431a04–06〕. The assignments of rapture to the second and pleasure to the third remain without a supplied reason.

For “knowing mental activity, I breathe in,” the source explains mental activity as perception and feeling and says that such mental activity arises at the place of the fourth jhāna and becomes known in two ways, because of non-delusion and because of the matter 〔T32 431a06–09〕. “Causing mental activity to cease” again says that mental activity is perception and feeling, followed by causing coarse mental activity to cease 〔T32 431a10–11〕. What can be read directly is the sequence of knowing mental activity, its definition, the fourth-jhāna place, the two ways, and the cessation of coarse mental activity. No mechanism of first knowing and then releasing, or of bodily activity withdrawing so mental activity can take its place, is supplied.

The three passages use similar but not identical forms. Knowing rapture first assigns rapture to the second-jhāna place and then says it becomes known in two ways. Knowing pleasure first contains the uncertain wording about non-delusion and the three “because” clauses, then assigns pleasure to the third-jhāna place and gives two ways. Knowing mental activity first explains mental activity as perception and feeling, then says it arises at the fourth-jhāna place and becomes known in two ways. The source assigns different jhāna places but never says that the first causes the second or that the three are interchangeable instances of one formula.

Knowing, Gladdening, Training, and Liberating the Mind

“Knowing the mind, I breathe in” is followed by bringing the in-breath and out-breath to mind and by the statement that the matter of the mind’s entering and leaving becomes known in two ways 〔T32 431a11–13〕. The syntax of “the matter of the mind’s entering and leaving” is not explained and does not establish that the mind itself follows the breath in and out or provide a stage of watching oneself. “Gladdening the mind, I breathe in” is explained through rapture, and at the second-jhāna place rapture makes the mind leap up 〔T32 431a13–15〕. This establishes gladdening, rapture, the second-jhāna place, and leaping up; the unit does not redefine rapture as an instrument for lifting a sunken mind. “Training the mind” lists bringing the breaths to mind, mindfulness, attention, causing the mind to remain and concentrate upon the matter, and 一心教化以彼心住 〔T32 431a17–18〕. The final phrase is not clearly divided, so no paired operation of raising and suppressing the mind is supplied.

Read only by explicit statements, knowing the mind includes present mindfulness of both breaths and knowing the matter in two ways, still named non-delusion and the matter. Gladdening the mind explicitly says that gladdening means rapture, locates it at the second-jhāna place, and uses the verb “makes the mind leap up.” Training the mind explicitly names mindfulness and attention, remaining and concentration upon the matter, one mind, training, and abiding. Each has its own verbs and content; the source does not state one shared psychological mechanism.

Liberating the mind gives five pairs: sluggish / weariness, swift / 調, high / stain, low / ill will, defiled / minor defilements 〔T32 431a19–23〕. The source lists each condition and what the mind is liberated from. 調 is not explained here. A separate sentence follows: “If the mind does not attach to and delight in the matter, cause it to attach and train” 〔T32 431a23〕. It does not belong to the five pairs. The list remains limited to each condition, what is escaped, and its conclusion “train,” without a psychological diagnosis or more distant soteriological claim.

The five sentence forms are not fully regular. The first ends “liberate from weariness” and then moves to the next item; the other four explicitly include “train.” The following “furthermore” introduces a sixth statement, conditioned by the mind not attaching to and delighting in the matter, followed by “cause it to attach” and “train.” The missing “train” is not supplied backward into the first pair. Nor does the source say whether “delight” here is the same as knowing pleasure or gladdening. The ledger is therefore five conditional pairs plus one separate further statement.

Near-synonyms also cannot replace the source wording. The second pair uses 調, not a different graph elsewhere translated as agitation. The third simply says a high mind is liberated from stain; the fourth, a low mind from ill will; the fifth, a defiled mind from minor defilements. The pairings are explicit, but the source does not explain why high is paired with stain or low with ill will and gives no external test for diagnosing the five conditions. Each pair remains in its original words without personality analysis or a self-test.

The Last Four: Insight Alone

“Constantly seeing impermanence, I breathe in” says that one brings both breaths to mind and sees arising and cessation in the breaths and in the mind and mental qualities whose matter is the breath 〔T32 431a23–26〕. The next sentence reads 彼無常法彼法無欲，是泥洹入息學之 〔T32 431a27–28〕. The boundaries among “that quality is without desire,” “is nibbāna,” and “breathing in, train” remain unclear and are not repunctuated. The following sentence reads 彼無常法如實見其過患，彼我滅是泥洹，以寂寂見學之 〔T32 431a28–431b01〕. The attachment of 我 in 彼我滅 and the sentence division also cannot be decided by the present translation.

The emergence item more fully names seeing danger as it really is, making relinquishment present toward that danger, abiding in cessation and nibbāna, causing the mind to be at ease, and training 〔T32 431b01–03〕. It concludes: “Thus quiet, thus excellent: all activities quiet, emergence from all defilements, craving ceased, dispassion, cessation, nibbāna” 〔T32 431b03–05〕. The four item names and their conclusions are preserved. The unresolved dispassion and cessation sentences do not become one fixed psychological process.

All four items formally begin with “constantly seeing,” include “I breathe in” and “one who trains thus,” and conclude in training. The impermanence item names present mindfulness and seeing arising and cessation; the dispassion item preserves impermanent quality, dispassion, nibbāna, and breathing in; the cessation item preserves seeing danger as it really is, nibbāna, and seeing quietness; the emergence item preserves relinquishment, abiding in cessation and nibbāna, and causing ease. This side-by-side reading organizes only explicit language and supplies no subject, object, or cause for the two doubtful clauses.

The summary says: “Of these sixteen bases, the first twelve accomplish calm and insight, 見初無常; the last four accomplish insight alone. In this way they are to be understood by calm and insight” 〔T32 431b05–07〕. The certain fact is the classification: the first twelve are joined to calm and insight; the last four to insight alone. No procedural order is stated.

Four Kinds, Grounds, Cultivation, and Fulfillment

The source reads: “Furthermore, all of these are four kinds, 一: cultivation, arousing, fulfillment of contemplation, and seeing at times” 〔T32 431b07–08〕. Four conclusions then assign items to cultivation, arousing, fulfillment of contemplation, and seeing at times 〔T32 431b08–12〕. Four witnesses omit 一, changing the way the list begins; both readings remain. This is another classification within the unit. It does not establish a practice order or say that one category must be completed before another.

The four conclusions do not have identical grammar. Cultivation and arousing are each placed beside several items; fulfillment of contemplation has only knowing the mind; seeing at times uses the summary “the four practices beginning with constantly seeing impermanence” rather than repeating dispassion, cessation, and emergence. The heading says four kinds and four conclusions occur below, but 一 is absent from all four witnesses. These countable textual differences remain without being recast as levels or a timetable.

Their scopes are also uneven. “This is called cultivation” is associated with knowing long-and-short and five causative items. “This is called arousing” is associated with three knowing items. Knowing the mind alone belongs to fulfillment of contemplation. The four practices beginning with seeing impermanence belong to seeing at times. The source does not repeat all sixteen or say the categories are exclusive or sequential. This can therefore be read only as another grouping whose exact sentence attachments remain visible together with the 一 variant.

The grounds passage says: “Cultivation is the sustaining ground of mindfulness of breathing. It is sustaining; it is with 覺; that is a ground with 覺 and 觀, and a ground with 觀. Knowing rapture is the ground of the second jhāna, knowing pleasure the ground of the third, and knowing the mind the ground of the fourth” 〔T32 431b13–16〕. The first sequence is unclear, and four witnesses read 學 for 覺. The Taishō assigns knowing rapture, pleasure, and mind to second, third, and fourth jhāna grounds. The Palace witness reads first and second for the first two. The two numerical assignments remain visible without using internal resemblance to decide which is correct.

The ground passage must therefore keep base and variants separate. The base says that the sustaining ground of mindfulness of breathing is cultivation and continues through “sustaining,” “with 覺,” “with 覺 and 觀,” and “with 觀 ground”; the witnesses’ 學 does not combine with 覺 into one sense. The base then assigns knowing rapture to the second, pleasure to the third, and mind to the fourth jhāna ground; the Palace witness assigns the first two to first and second. What is certain is that the two versions contain different numbers. Neither becomes a practice diagnosis, nor does similarity within this unit determine the better reading.

The source also distinguishes the terms “jhāna place” and “jhāna ground.” Earlier it says that rapture is at the second-jhāna place, pleasure at the third, mental activity at the fourth, and gladdening at the second. Only later does it assign knowing rapture, pleasure, and mind to jhāna grounds. The words are not identical, and “mental activity” is not “knowing the mind.” The two sets may be compared but not merged into a hierarchy already explained by the treatise; the Palace readings make the first two numbers differ in any case.

One final question may remain: Why are cultivation and fulfillment given two separate names? The source says: “All these become two kinds, cultivation and fulfillment. Here is cultivation; what alone is called fulfillment, the sixteen practices are not diminished. Cultivation is like a seed, because it is the cause of virtues. Fulfillment is like flowers and fruit, because it emerges from resemblance” 〔T32 431b16–19〕. The source gives two similes and their explicit reasons. Cultivation is like a seed because it is a cause of virtues; fulfillment is like flowers and fruit because it emerges from resemblance. It also explicitly joins fulfillment with no diminution among the sixteen practices. These statements distinguish the two names without yielding an added theory of concealment or psychological maturation. The passage concludes in three successive fulfillments: cultivating mindfulness of breathing fulfills the four establishments; cultivating the four establishments fulfills the seven awakening factors; cultivating the seven awakening factors fulfills knowledge-liberation 〔T32 431b19–21〕. Only these three levels are stated.

The source’s cultivation-and-fulfillment statement has three layers: a heading that all become two, the names cultivation and fulfillment, and the limitation of fulfillment by “the sixteen practices are not diminished”; finally each receives a simile and stated reason. The seed is joined to being a cause of virtues, while flowers and fruit are joined to emerging from resemblance. The text does not map the similes item by item onto the sixteen practices. In each of the three final sentences, the former item is cultivated and the latter fulfilled. Reading only those subjects and objects preserves the succession without adding time to attainment, inner feeling, or self-certified signs.

Three things remain: this unit preserves the sixteen items in order and explicitly divides the first twelve, which accomplish calm and insight, from the last four, which accomplish insight alone; repeated formulas such as “one who trains thus” and “brings the in-breath and out-breath to mind” connect the items without an added meaning of attainment; and cultivation and fulfillment keep their own similes—seed as cause of virtues, flowers and fruit emerging from resemblance—with fulfillment also requiring none of the sixteen practices to be diminished. The next unit, beginning at 〔T32 431b21〕, explains the four establishments, seven awakening factors, and knowledge-liberation.

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Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · The Sixteen Bases of Mindfulness of Breathing and Calm-and-Insight · Exposition · Summer 2026