清淨道論 入出息念 — 八階修法與四念處Visuddhimagga · Mindfulness of Breathing — The Eight Stages and Four Foundations

If you could learn only a single meditation subject, this would most likely be it.

Count the breaths—begin with the grain-measurer’s slow method; when the herd streams out of the pen, change to the cowherd’s quick method, counting only each arrival at the gate, as a pole holds a boat steady in a swift current. When counting is stable, put the count aside and follow—but do not chase the breath’s beginning and end: like the lame person who sits at the foot of the post after pushing the swing, let its two ends and middle come into view by themselves. The breath will grow subtle on its own, subtle enough to make you ask, “Is it still there?”—do not rise from your seat; it is at the point where it ordinarily touches you, just as the cattle return on their own to the watering place. The sign emerges on its own: like a star, a pearl, or the disk of the moon, differing with perception.

Your work throughout is a single thing: know the breath; do not manage it. It leads all the way to the fourth jhāna, so that even the final breath ceases only after being known—and then hands a gathered mind over to insight.

The vernacular of this unit is this edition’s own rendering-with-exposition from the Pāli original (tr. mine), made from the public-domain PTS text.

§3.1 Ānāpānasati: Mindfulness of Breathing—Introduction and Scriptural Testimony 〔Vism VIII·pp.266–267〕

Third: Mindfulness of Breathing

Now the Blessed One praised it in these words: “Bhikkhus, when this concentration through mindfulness of breathing (ānāpānasati-samādhi)¹ has been cultivated and repeatedly practiced, it is indeed peaceful and excellent, an unadulterated abiding in ease, and it makes evil unwholesome states vanish and become still on the spot whenever they arise.” He then asked: “Bhikkhus, how is concentration through mindfulness of breathing cultivated? How is it repeatedly practiced so that it is indeed peaceful and excellent, an unadulterated abiding in ease, and makes evil unwholesome states vanish and become still on the spot whenever they arise?” [And he taught as follows:] “Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu who has gone to the forest, to the root of a tree, or to an empty place sits down, folds the legs crosswise, sets the body erect, and establishes mindfulness to the fore. Mindfully the bhikkhu breathes out, and mindfully breathes in. Breathing out long, the bhikkhu understands, ‘I breathe out long’ . . . pe . . . breathing out short . . . pe . . . breathing in short, the bhikkhu understands, ‘I breathe in short.’ The bhikkhu trains: ‘Experiencing the whole body, I shall breathe out’; the bhikkhu trains: ‘Experiencing the whole body, I shall breathe in.’ The bhikkhu trains: ‘Tranquillising the bodily formation, I shall breathe out’; the bhikkhu trains: ‘Tranquillising the bodily formation, I shall breathe in.’ Experiencing rapture . . . pe . . . experiencing pleasure . . . experiencing the mental formation . . . tranquillising the mental formation, experiencing the mind . . . gladdening the mind . . . concentrating the mind . . . liberating the mind . . . contemplating impermanence . . . contemplating fading-away . . . contemplating cessation . . . the bhikkhu trains: ‘Contemplating relinquishment, I shall breathe out’; the bhikkhu trains: ‘Contemplating relinquishment, I shall breathe in.’”

Thus the meditation subject of mindfulness of breathing in sixteen items² has been taught.

[Now] the method of its cultivation is due to be explained. Since this [method of cultivation] becomes complete in every aspect only when explained in accordance with the interpretation of the canonical text, the exposition here is therefore led by an interpretation of the canonical text.

First, in the phrase “Bhikkhus, how is concentration through mindfulness of breathing cultivated?” this is a question asked out of a wish to explain in detail the various modes of cultivating concentration through mindfulness of breathing. “Bhikkhus, concentration through mindfulness of breathing, when cultivated” indicates in various ways the quality that was asked about. The method is the same for the phrase “How is it repeatedly practiced . . . so that it becomes still?”

§3.2 Bhāvito: Word-by-Word Explanation of “Cultivated,” “Repeatedly Practiced,” and the Rest 〔Vism VIII·pp.267–270〕

Here, “cultivated” (bhāvito) means produced or made to grow. “Concentration through mindfulness of breathing” means concentration associated with the mindfulness that apprehends the out-breath and in-breath, or concentration within mindfulness of breathing; thus it is concentration through mindfulness of breathing. “Repeatedly practiced” (bahulīkato) means done again and again.

“Indeed peaceful and excellent”: [the words should be read as] “only peaceful and also only excellent”—in both places the word ca should be understood as imposing a restriction. What does this mean? The meditation subject of foulness is peaceful and excellent only in respect of penetration; because its object is coarse and repulsive, however, in respect of the object it is neither peaceful nor excellent. This [concentration through mindfulness of breathing] is not like that: from no perspective is it unpeaceful or unexcellent. Because its object is peaceful, it is peaceful, stilled, and quenched; and it is likewise peaceful because the factors called penetration are peaceful. Because its object is excellent, it is excellent and never wearies the practitioner; and it is likewise excellent because its factors are excellent. Therefore it is called “indeed peaceful and excellent.”

“An unadulterated abiding in ease”: here “unadulterated” (asecanaka)³ means that nothing is to be admixed with it, so it is unadmixed, unmixed, distinct, and unique. Its peacefulness does not depend on preliminary work or access⁴; from the very first directing of attention, it is peaceful and excellent by its own nature—this is the meaning. Some also say: “‘Unadulterated’ means unadmixed, full of savor, and naturally sweet.” Thus this [concentration] is unadulterated and, because it brings bodily and mental ease at each moment of absorption,⁵ it should be understood as an “abiding in ease.”

“Whenever they arise” means whenever they have not been suppressed. “Evil” means base. “Unwholesome states” means states born of unskillfulness. “Makes them vanish on the spot” means that it makes them vanish and suppresses them in an instant.

“Makes them still” means that it thoroughly stills them; or, because [this concentration] belongs to the part of penetration, it gradually reaches the development of the noble path, cuts them off, and brings them to complete stilling—this is what is meant.

The meaning in brief is this: “Bhikkhus, in what manner, in what aspect, and by what method is concentration through mindfulness of breathing cultivated? In what manner is it repeatedly practiced so that it is indeed peaceful . . . pe . . . and makes them still?” Now, to explain this meaning in detail, [the Blessed One] said “Here, bhikkhus,” and so forth.

Here, “Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu” means: bhikkhus, a bhikkhu in this Dispensation. For the word “here” shows that the Dispensation is the support for a person who produces concentration through mindfulness of breathing in all its modes, and it denies that any other teaching has this character. As has been said: “Bhikkhus, only here is there an ascetic . . . pe . . . other outside teachings are empty of ascetics.” Therefore it is said, “a bhikkhu in this Dispensation.”

“Gone to the forest . . . pe . . . or to an empty place” shows the selection of a lodging place suited to cultivating concentration through mindfulness of breathing. For a long time this bhikkhu’s mind has wandered among visible forms and other objects; it refuses to mount the object of concentration through mindfulness of breathing and, like a cart yoked to a stubborn ox, runs only onto a wrong road. Suppose a cowherd wanted to tame a stubborn calf raised on the milk of a stubborn cow. The cowherd would lead it away from its mother, drive a great post into the ground off to the side, and tie it there with a rope. The calf would struggle this way and that but, unable to escape, would finally sit or lie beside that very post. In the same way, a bhikkhu who wishes to tame the unruly mind, raised for so long on the savor of visible forms and other objects, should lead it away from those objects and take it into “the forest . . . pe . . . or an empty place,” then bind it there with the rope of mindfulness to the post of the out-breath and in-breath. Though the mind struggles this way and that, it cannot obtain the objects to which it was formerly accustomed or cut the rope of mindfulness and escape; by access and absorption it therefore comes to sit and lie upon that very object. Thus the Ancients⁶ said:

Just as a person in this world would tie a calf to a post in order to tame it, so should the practitioner firmly bind their own mind to the object of mindfulness.

That lodging place is thus suited to the bhikkhu’s cultivation. Therefore it is said: “This shows the selection of a lodging place suited to cultivating concentration through mindfulness of breathing.”

It may also be put in this way. Among the various meditation subjects, this meditation subject of mindfulness of breathing is foremost: it is the proximate cause by which omniscient Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas, and disciples of Buddhas attain distinction and a pleasant abiding here and now. Since sound is a thorn to jhāna, it is not easy to cultivate without leaving the edge of a village filled with the sounds of women, men, elephants, horses, and so forth. In a forest without a village, by contrast, a meditator can readily apprehend this meditation subject, produce the jhānas of the breathing tetrad, and, making them the proximate cause, contemplate formations and attain the supreme fruit, arahantship. Therefore, in order to indicate a lodging place suitable for the bhikkhu, the Blessed One said, “gone to the forest,” and so forth.

For the Blessed One is like a master geomancer. Just as a master geomancer examines a site for a city, inspects it thoroughly, and directs, “Build the city here,” and after the city has been built safely receives great honor from the royal family, so the Blessed One, after examining a lodging place suitable for the meditator, directs, “The meditation subject should be pursued here.” Later, when the meditator who pursues the meditation subject there gradually attains arahantship, people say, “That Blessed One is indeed Fully Awakened”—and he receives great honor.

This bhikkhu, moreover, is said to be like a leopard. Just as a great leopard-king hides in a thicket of grass, forest, or mountain and catches wild buffalo, antlered deer, wild boar, and other beasts, so it should be understood that a bhikkhu who pursues the meditation subject in the forest and similar places gradually catches the paths of stream-entry, once-return, non-return, and arahantship, together with the noble fruits.⁷ Thus the Ancients said:

Just as the creature called a leopard hides and catches wild beasts, so too does this Buddha’s child, yoked to meditation and cultivating insight: entering the forest, the practitioner gains the supreme fruit.

§3.3 Araññagato vā: The Three Places—Forest, Root of a Tree, or Empty Place—and Sitting Cross-Legged 〔Vism VIII·pp.270–271〕

Therefore, to point out the forest lodging that is the ground for the bhikkhu’s energetic advance, the Blessed One said “gone to the forest,” and so forth. Here, “gone to the forest” means that the bhikkhu has gone to any forest offering the ease of seclusion among the forests characterized in such statements as: “What is called forest is everything outside the boundary post (indakhīla); all of it is forest,”⁸ and “A forest lodging is at least five hundred bow-lengths away.”

“Gone to the root of a tree” means arrived in the vicinity of a tree. “Gone to an empty place” means arrived at an empty, secluded place. Here, moreover, a person who has gone to any of the other seven kinds of lodging besides the forest and the root of a tree may also be said to have “gone to an empty place.”

Having thus indicated a lodging place suited to the three seasons, suited to the temperament of the elements, and appropriate for cultivating mindfulness of breathing, [the Blessed One] said “sits” to indicate a calm posture belonging neither to the side of sluggishness nor to the side of agitation. Then, to show the stability of the posture, the ease with which the out-breaths and in-breaths proceed, and the means of apprehending the object, he said “having folded the legs crosswise,” and so forth.

Here, “cross-legged” means the seated posture in which the legs are folded all around. “Having folded” means having bent them into position.

“Sets the body erect” means placing the upper body straight, with the eighteen vertebrae aligned end to end. When a person sits in this way, the skin, flesh, and sinews do not twist; consequently, the feelings that would otherwise arise moment after moment because of their twisting do not arise. When those [feelings] do not arise, the mind becomes one-pointed, the meditation subject does not fall away, and it reaches growth and fullness.

“Establishes mindfulness to the fore”: “The practitioner places mindfulness in the direction facing the meditation subject. Alternatively, parī means apprehension, mukha means deliverance, and sati means manifestation; therefore it is called ‘mindfulness to the fore.’” The meaning here should also be understood according to the method stated in the Paṭisambhidāmagga. Its meaning in brief is: “Having made mindfulness apprehend deliverance.”

“Mindfully the bhikkhu breathes out, and mindfully breathes in”: having sat down in this way and established mindfulness in this way, the bhikkhu does not abandon that mindfulness but breathes out only with mindfulness and breathes in only with mindfulness—what is meant is that “the bhikkhu acts mindfully.”

Now, to point out the aspects by which the bhikkhu acts mindfully, the text says “breathing out long,” and so forth. The Paṭisambhidāmagga says: “In the analysis of the phrase ‘Mindfully the bhikkhu breathes out, and mindfully breathes in,’ the bhikkhu acts mindfully in thirty-two aspects. Mindfulness becomes manifest in a person who, by means of a long out-breath, understands one-pointedness of mind and non-distraction; through that mindfulness and that knowledge, the person acts mindfully. By means of a long in-breath . . . pe . . . mindfulness becomes manifest in a person who, by means of the out-breath while contemplating relinquishment and the in-breath while contemplating relinquishment, understands one-pointedness of mind and non-distraction; through that mindfulness and that knowledge, the person acts mindfully.”

§3.4 Dīgham vā assasanto: Breathing Out Long and Breathing Out Short 〔Vism VIII·pp.271–274〕

Here, “breathing out long” means producing a long out-breath. “The out-breath (assāsa) is the wind that goes outward; the in-breath (passāsa) is the wind that enters inward”—this is stated in the Vinaya Commentary; in the Sutta Commentaries, however, the order is reversed. When any womb-born being emerges from the mother’s womb, first the wind within goes outward; afterward the wind outside, carrying fine dust, enters inward, strikes the palate, and becomes still. This is how the out-breath and in-breath should first be understood. Their longness or shortness should be understood by duration. Water or sand occupying a stretch of space is called long water or long sand, short water or short sand. In the same way, although the out-breaths and in-breaths are broken into particles as fine as powder, in the bodies of elephants and snakes they slowly fill the long duration called their own bodily existence and then slowly go out; therefore they are called long. In the bodies of dogs, rabbits, and the like, they quickly fill the short duration called their own bodily existence and then quickly go out; therefore they are called short. Among human beings, some breathe out and breathe in for a long span of time, like elephants, snakes, and the like; others do so briefly, like dogs, rabbits, and the like. It should therefore be understood that, in terms of time, their out-breaths and in-breaths are long when they go out and come in over a long duration, and short when they go out and come in over a brief duration. Here this bhikkhu breathes out and breathes in long in nine aspects and understands, “I breathe out long; I breathe in long.” It should be understood that when the bhikkhu understands in this way, the cultivation of the foundation of mindfulness as contemplation of the body in the body is fulfilled in a single aspect.

As the Paṭisambhidāmagga says: “How is it that, breathing out long, the bhikkhu understands ‘I breathe out long,’ and, breathing in long, understands ‘I breathe in long’? The bhikkhu breathes out a long out-breath over what is reckoned as a duration, breathes in a long in-breath over what is reckoned as a duration, and both breathes out and breathes in a long out-breath and in-breath over what is reckoned as a duration. While both breathing out and breathing in a long out-breath and in-breath over what is reckoned as a duration, desire arises. Because of that desire, the bhikkhu breathes out a long out-breath subtler than before over what is reckoned as a duration; because of that desire, [the bhikkhu breathes in] a long in-breath subtler than before . . . pe . . . both breathes out and breathes in a long out-breath and in-breath over what is reckoned as a duration. While, because of desire, both breathing out and breathing in a long out-breath and in-breath subtler than before over what is reckoned as a duration, gladness arises.

Because of gladness, the bhikkhu breathes out a long out-breath subtler than before over what is reckoned as a duration; because of gladness, [the bhikkhu breathes in] a long in-breath subtler than before . . . pe . . . both breathes out and breathes in a long out-breath and in-breath over what is reckoned as a duration. While, because of gladness, both breathing out and breathing in a long out-breath and in-breath subtler than before over what is reckoned as a duration, the mind turns away from the long out-breath and in-breath, and equanimity becomes established. In these nine aspects, the long out-breaths and in-breaths are the body; that is the manifestation. Mindfulness is contemplation and knowledge. The body is the manifestation, but not mindfulness; mindfulness is both the manifestation and mindfulness. With that mindfulness and that knowledge the bhikkhu contemplates that body. Therefore it is said: this is the cultivation of the foundation of mindfulness as contemplation of the body in the body.”

The method is the same in the passage on “short.” The only difference is that there it says, “breathes out a long out-breath over what is reckoned as a duration,” while here it says, “breathes out a short out-breath over what is reckoned as a brief duration.” The entire passage should therefore be adapted to “short,” down to “Therefore it is said: this is the cultivation of the foundation of mindfulness as contemplation of the body in the body.” The bhikkhu thus understands the out-breaths and in-breaths by duration and brevity, in these aspects, and should be understood as “breathing out long, the bhikkhu understands, ‘I breathe out long’ . . . pe . . . breathing in short, the bhikkhu understands, ‘I breathe in short.’” And when the bhikkhu understands in this way:

Long is the out-breath, and short; the in-breath is likewise; these four kinds proceed only at the tip of the bhikkhu’s nose.

“The bhikkhu trains: ‘Experiencing the whole body, I shall breathe out’ . . . ‘I shall breathe in’”: making the beginning, middle, and end of the whole out-breath body known and clear, the bhikkhu trains, “I shall breathe out”; making the beginning, middle, and end of the whole in-breath body known and clear, the bhikkhu trains, “I shall breathe in.” Because the bhikkhu breathes out and breathes in with a mind associated with knowledge while making them known and clear in this way, it is said: “The bhikkhu trains, ‘I shall breathe out; I shall breathe in.’” For a certain bhikkhu, among the out-breath body or in-breath body dispersed in particles as fine as powder, only the beginning is clear, while the middle and end are not; the bhikkhu can apprehend only the beginning and grows weary at the middle and end. For another bhikkhu, the middle is clear, but not the beginning and end. For another, the end is clear, but not the beginning and middle; the bhikkhu can apprehend only the end and grows weary at the beginning and middle. For another, everything is clear; that bhikkhu can apprehend everything and grows weary nowhere. To show that the practitioner should become such a person, [the Blessed One] said: “The bhikkhu trains, ‘Experiencing the whole body, I shall breathe out’ . . . pe . . . ‘I shall breathe in.’”

§3.5 Sikkhati: Training—The Three Trainings and the Word-by-Word Explanation of the First Tetrad 〔Vism VIII·pp.274–277〕

Here, “trains” (sikkhati) means that the bhikkhu strives and makes an effort in this way. Alternatively, the restraint belonging to such a person is here the training in higher virtue; the concentration belonging to such a person is the training in the higher mind; the wisdom belonging to such a person is the training in higher wisdom. The bhikkhu trains, practices, cultivates, and repeatedly practices these three trainings upon that object, with that mindfulness and that attention. The meaning here should be understood in this way.

In the earlier method the bhikkhu need only breathe out and breathe in, without doing anything else; from this point onward, however, effort must be made to produce knowledge and the rest. Therefore the canonical text in the former passage is stated only in the present tense: “The bhikkhu understands, ‘I breathe out’; the bhikkhu understands, ‘I breathe in.’” From this point onward, in order to point out such actions to be performed as the production of knowledge, the canonical text is established in the future tense in the form “The bhikkhu trains, ‘Experiencing the whole body, I shall breathe out,’” and so forth. This is how it should be understood.

“The bhikkhu trains: ‘Tranquillising the bodily formation, I shall breathe out’ . . . pe . . . ‘I shall breathe in’”: stilling, thoroughly tranquillising, causing to cease, and quieting the coarse bodily formation, the bhikkhu “trains, ‘I shall breathe out; I shall breathe in.’”

Here, coarseness and subtlety, together with tranquillity, should be understood as follows. Before this bhikkhu has apprehended [body and mind], both body and mind are agitated and coarse. While the coarseness of body and mind has not subsided, the out-breaths and in-breaths are also coarse and proceed more forcefully; the nose cannot contain them, and the bhikkhu remains breathing out and breathing in through the mouth. But when the body and mind have been apprehended, they become peaceful and still. Once they are still, the out-breaths and in-breaths proceed subtly, reaching a state in which they must be examined to determine whether they exist at all. Suppose a person stands after running, coming down from a mountain, or lowering a heavy burden from the head: the person’s out-breaths and in-breaths are coarse, the nose cannot contain them, and the person remains breathing out and breathing in through the mouth. But once the person has dispelled that fatigue, bathed, drunk, placed a wet cloth over the chest, and lain down in the cool shade of a tree, the out-breaths and in-breaths become subtle, reaching a state in which they must be examined to determine whether they exist at all. In the same way, before this bhikkhu has apprehended [body and mind], the body . . . pe . . . reaches a state in which it must be examined. Why is that? Before apprehension, the bhikkhu has no inclination, focusing, attention, or reviewing directed toward “I shall tranquillise successively coarser bodily formations,” but after apprehension these are present. Therefore the bodily formation is subtler after apprehension than before apprehension. Thus the Ancients said:

When body and mind are strained, [the bodily formation] proceeds excessively; when the body is not strained, [the bodily formation] proceeds subtly.

At the time of apprehension it is still coarse, while in access to the first jhāna it is subtle; there too it is coarse, while in the first jhāna it is subtle. In the first jhāna and in access to the second jhāna it is coarse, while in the second jhāna it is subtle; in the second jhāna and in access to the third jhāna it is coarse, while in the third jhāna it is subtle; in the third jhāna and in access to the fourth jhāna it is coarse, while in the fourth jhāna it is extremely subtle, even reaching non-occurrence. This, first, is the opinion of the Dīgha- and Saṃyutta-reciters.⁹ The Majjhima-reciters, however, maintain that it is coarse in the first jhāna and subtle in access to the second jhāna, and in this way subtler in access to each successively higher jhāna than in the jhāna immediately below. According to all [the reciters], however, the bodily formation that proceeds before apprehension becomes thoroughly tranquillised at apprehension; the bodily formation that proceeds at apprehension becomes thoroughly tranquillised in access to the first jhāna . . . pe . . . and the bodily formation that proceeds in access to the fourth jhāna becomes thoroughly tranquillised in the fourth jhāna.

This is the method with respect to serenity. With respect to insight, the bodily formation proceeding before apprehension is coarse, while it is subtle when the great elements are apprehended; that too is coarse, while it is subtle when derived materiality is apprehended; that too is coarse, while it is subtle when all materiality is apprehended; that too is coarse, while it is subtle when the immaterial is apprehended; that too is coarse, while it is subtle when materiality and the immaterial are apprehended; that too is coarse, while it is subtle when conditions are apprehended; that too is coarse, while it is subtle when mentality-materiality together with its conditions is seen; that too is coarse, while it is subtle in insight that takes the characteristics as its object; that too is coarse in weak insight, while it is subtle in strong insight. In each case the earlier should be understood to become thoroughly tranquillised by the later, according to the method already stated. This is how coarseness and subtlety, together with tranquillity, should be understood here.

The Paṭisambhidāmagga, together with a challenge and its resolution, explains the meaning as follows:

“How does the bhikkhu train: ‘Tranquillising the bodily formation, I shall breathe out’ . . . pe . . . ‘I shall breathe in’? What are the bodily formations? The long out-breath . . . [the long] in-breath: these states are bodily, bound up with the body, and [are] bodily formations. Tranquillising, causing to cease, and stilling those bodily formations, the bhikkhu trains . . . pe . . . The bhikkhu trains, ‘Tranquillising the bodily formation because of which there is bending, flexing, inclining, extending, trembling, quivering, moving, and shaking of the body, I shall breathe out’; the bhikkhu trains, ‘Tranquillising [that bodily formation], I shall breathe in.’ The bhikkhu trains, ‘Tranquillising the peaceful, subtle bodily formation because of which there is no bending, no flexing, no inclining, no extending, no trembling, no quivering, no moving, and no shaking of the body, I shall breathe out and breathe in.’—[Challenge:] It is said, ‘The bhikkhu trains: “Tranquillising the bodily formation, I shall breathe out”; the bhikkhu trains: “Tranquillising the bodily formation, I shall breathe in.”’ If so, there is no manifestation of the wind, no manifestation of the out-breaths and in-breaths, no manifestation of mindfulness of breathing, no manifestation of concentration through mindfulness of breathing, and the wise neither enter nor emerge from this attainment. [Resolution:] It is said, ‘The bhikkhu trains: “Tranquillising the bodily formation, I shall breathe out and breathe in.”’ If so, there is manifestation of the wind, manifestation of the out-breaths and in-breaths, manifestation of mindfulness of breathing, manifestation of concentration through mindfulness of breathing, and the wise both enter and emerge from this attainment.

What is this like? When a bronze cymbal is struck, a coarse sound occurs first. Because the sign of the coarse sound has been well apprehended, well attended to, and well retained, after the coarse sound has ceased a subtle sound still occurs. Because the sign of the subtle sound has been well apprehended, well attended to, and well retained, even after the subtle sound has ceased, the mind continues with the sign of the subtle sound as its object. In the same way, coarse out-breaths and in-breaths occur first. Because the sign of the coarse out-breaths and in-breaths has been well apprehended, well attended to, and well retained, after the coarse out-breaths and in-breaths have ceased, subtle out-breaths and in-breaths still occur. Because the sign of the subtle out-breaths and in-breaths has likewise been well apprehended, well attended to, and well retained, even after the subtle out-breaths and in-breaths have ceased, the mind takes the sign of the subtle out-breaths and in-breaths as its object and does not go to distraction. If so, there is manifestation of the wind, manifestation of the out-breaths and in-breaths, manifestation of mindfulness of breathing, manifestation of concentration through mindfulness of breathing, and the wise both enter and emerge from this attainment. The out-breaths and in-breaths that tranquillise the bodily formation are the body; that is the manifestation. Mindfulness is contemplation and knowledge. The body is the manifestation, but not mindfulness; mindfulness is both the manifestation and mindfulness. With that mindfulness and that knowledge the bhikkhu contemplates that body. Therefore it is said: this is the cultivation of the foundation of mindfulness as contemplation of the body in the body.”

This completes the word-by-word explanation of the first tetrad, spoken here by way of contemplation of the body.

Only this first tetrad is stated here as the meditation subject for a beginner; the remaining three tetrads are stated by way of contemplation of feeling, mind, and phenomena for a person who has already attained jhāna through this practice. Therefore a beginning clansman¹⁰ who wishes to cultivate this meditation subject and, through insight having the jhānas of the breathing tetrad as its proximate cause, attain arahantship together with the analytical knowledges, should perform all the tasks beginning with purification of virtue according to the method previously stated, and then receive the meditation subject’s five matters from a teacher of the kind described earlier. The five matters here are learning-grasp, inquiring, manifestation, absorption, and characterisation.

§3.6 Uggaho · Manasikāravidhi · Gaṇanā: The Five Matters Beginning with Learning-Grasp; the Eight Stages of Attention; Counting 〔Vism VIII·pp.277–280〕

Here, “learning-grasp” (uggaha) is the learning-grasp of the meditation subject; “inquiring” is inquiry into the meditation subject; “manifestation” is the manifestation of the meditation subject; “absorption” is the absorption of the meditation subject; “characterisation” is the characterisation of the meditation subject—what is meant is the retention of the meditation subject’s own nature in the form, “This meditation subject has such a character.”

A person who receives these five matters of the meditation subject neither tires themself nor troubles the teacher. The person should therefore ask [the teacher] to recite a little at a time, recite it personally for a long time, and receive the meditation subject’s five matters in this way. Then, while living near the teacher or elsewhere in a lodging place of the kind described earlier, having cut off minor obstacles,¹¹ completed the business of the meal, dispelled post-meal drowsiness, and seated themself at ease, the person should gladden the mind by recollecting the qualities of the Triple Gem and attend to this meditation subject of mindfulness of breathing without confusing even a single phrase received from the teacher.

The method of attention here is this: “counting, following, touching, settling, observing, turning-away, purification, and looking-back.” Here “counting” (gaṇanā) is counting itself; “following” (anubandhanā) is following; “touching” is the place touched; “settling” is absorption; “observing” is insight; “turning-away” is the path; “purification” is fruition; “looking-back” is reviewing them.

Here, the beginning clansman should first attend to this meditation subject by counting. When counting, the practitioner should not stop below five, go beyond ten, or show a break in the middle. For a person who stops below five, the arising of the mind struggles in a narrow space, like a herd of cattle confined in a cramped pen. For a person who goes beyond ten, the arising of the mind comes to depend only on the count. For a person who shows a break in the middle, the mind wavers: “Has my meditation subject reached its peak or not?” Therefore the practitioner should avoid these faults and count. At first, the practitioner should count slowly, in the manner of a grain measurer. A grain measurer fills a measure, says “one,” and empties it. While filling it again, on seeing some rubbish the measurer casts it aside while saying, “One, one.” The method is the same for “two, two,” and so forth. In the same way, taking whichever of the out-breath and in-breath becomes manifest, this [bhikkhu] should begin with “one, one” and count up to “ten, ten,” simply observing each successive occurrence. While counting in this way, the out-breaths and in-breaths going out and coming in become clear. The practitioner should then abandon slow counting in the manner of a grain measurer and count quickly, in the manner of a cowherd. A skillful cowherd gathers pebbles and the like in the fold of a garment, takes rope and staff in hand, goes to the cattle pen early in the morning, strikes the backs of the cattle, and sits atop the gatepost. Counting only each cow as it arrives at the gate, the cowherd drops the pebbles individually: “One, two.” Because the herd has suffered through the three watches of the night in a cramped place, on coming out the cattle jostle each other and emerge rapidly in groups. The cowherd counts them rapidly: “Three, four, five, up to ten.” In the same way, while this [bhikkhu] counts according to the former method, the out-breaths and in-breaths become clear and repeatedly travel back and forth in quick succession. Knowing “They repeatedly travel back and forth,” the bhikkhu does not take what is inside or outside, but counts only each [breath] that reaches the gate: “One, two, three, four, five; one, two, three, four, five, six; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven . . . pe . . . eight . . . nine . . . ten.” The bhikkhu should count rapidly in this way. For in a meditation subject tied to counting, it is through the power of counting itself that the mind becomes one-pointed, as a boat is held steady in a swift current by bracing it with a punt pole. As the bhikkhu counts rapidly, the meditation subject appears to proceed without interruption. Knowing “It proceeds without interruption,” the bhikkhu does not apprehend the wind inside or outside, but counts rapidly according to the former method. For a person who sends the mind inward together with the wind entering within feels as if the inside had been struck by wind and filled with fat; a person who sends the mind outward together with the wind going out has the mind scattered outside among various objects. Cultivation succeeds only for a person who places mindfulness at each point of contact and cultivates. Therefore it is said: without apprehending the wind inside or outside, the practitioner should count rapidly according to the former method.

“How long should the practitioner count in this way? Until mindfulness becomes established on the object of the out-breath and in-breath without relying on counting.” Counting is solely for cutting off thoughts scattered outward and establishing mindfulness on the out-breath and in-breath as its object. After attending by counting in this way, the practitioner should attend by following.

§3.7 Anubandhanā: Following—the Similes of the Cripple, the Gatekeeper, and the Saw 〔Vism VIII·pp.280–282〕

“Following” (anubandhanā) means putting aside counting and continuously following the out-breaths and in-breaths with mindfulness; but this is not done by following their beginning, middle, and end. For the wind going outward, the navel is the beginning, the heart is the middle, and the tip of the nose is the end;¹² for the wind entering inward, the tip of the nose is the beginning, the heart is the middle, and the navel is the end. A person’s mind becomes distracted when following this [beginning, middle, and end], causing strain and agitation. As it is said: “For a person who follows the beginning, middle, and end of an out-breath with mindfulness, the body and mind become strained, agitated, and trembling because the mind is distracted internally. For a person who follows the beginning, middle, and end of an in-breath with mindfulness, the body and mind become strained, agitated, and trembling because the mind is distracted externally.” Therefore a person attending by following should not attend by way of beginning, middle, and end, but by way of touching and settling. There is no separate mode of attention by touching or by settling, distinct from attention by counting and following. Rather, while counting at the repeated point of contact, the practitioner attends by counting and by touching; then, at the same place, after putting aside counting, continuously following the [breaths] with mindfulness, and settling the mind by absorption, the practitioner is said to attend by following, touching, and settling.

This meaning should be understood through the cripple simile (pangulopamā) and gatekeeper simile (dovārikūpamā) stated in the Commentaries,¹³ and the saw simile (kakacūpamā) stated in the Paṭisambhidāmagga. Here the cripple simile is as follows. Suppose a cripple sets a swing in motion for a mother and child playing on it, then sits at the foot of the swing-post. The cripple sees the swing-board’s two ends and middle as they come and go in sequence, but need not bustle about in order to see its two ends and middle. In the same way, a bhikkhu stands by means of mindfulness at the foot of the post of binding and sets the swing of the out-breaths and in-breaths in motion. Sitting with mindfulness upon that same sign, at the point touched the bhikkhu follows with mindfulness the beginning, middle, and end of the out-breaths and in-breaths as they come and go in sequence, settles the mind there, and sees them without bustling about in order to see them. This is the cripple simile.

Then there is the gatekeeper simile. Suppose a gatekeeper does not question people inside and outside the city—“Who are you? Where have you come from? Where are you going? What are you carrying in your hand?”—because those people are not the gatekeeper’s responsibility. The gatekeeper questions only each person who reaches the gate. In the same way, for this bhikkhu the winds that have entered inside and the winds that have gone outside are not the bhikkhu’s responsibility; only those that reach the gate are the bhikkhu’s responsibility. This is the gatekeeper simile.

The saw simile should be understood from the beginning as follows. It is said:

Sign, out-breath, and in-breath—these three are not the object of a single mind; cultivation cannot be found in a person who does not know these three states. Sign, out-breath, and in-breath—these three are not the object of a single mind; cultivation can be found only in a person who knows these three states.

“How are these three states not the object of a single mind, yet not unknown, while the mind does not go to distraction, effort becomes manifest, exertion is accomplished, and distinction is attained? Suppose a tree were laid on level ground and a person were to cut it with a saw. The person’s mindfulness is manifest through the teeth of the saw that touch the tree; the person does not attend to the teeth as they come or go, yet the teeth as they come or go are not unknown; effort becomes manifest, exertion is accomplished, and distinction is attained. As the tree laid on level ground, so is the sign of binding; as the saw’s teeth, so are the out-breaths and in-breaths. Just as the person’s mindfulness is manifest through the saw’s teeth that touch the tree, while the person does not attend to the teeth as they come or go, yet the teeth as they come or go are not unknown, effort becomes manifest, exertion is accomplished, and distinction is attained, so a bhikkhu sits after establishing mindfulness at the tip of the nose or at the sign of the mouth. The bhikkhu does not attend to the out-breaths and in-breaths as they come or go, yet the out-breaths and in-breaths as they come or go are not unknown; effort becomes manifest, exertion is accomplished, and distinction is attained.”

“What is called ‘effort’—what is effort? For a person who has aroused energy, body and mind become workable: this is effort. What is exertion? For a person who has aroused energy, the defilements are abandoned and thoughts are stilled: this is exertion. What is distinction? For a person who has aroused energy, the fetters are abandoned and the latent tendencies come to an end: this is distinction. Thus these three states are not the object of a single mind, yet are not unknown, while the mind does not go to distraction, effort becomes manifest, exertion is accomplished, and distinction is attained.”

A person whose mindfulness of breathing is complete and well cultivated, familiarized in due sequence, just as the Buddha taught, illuminates this world like the moon freed from cloud.

§3.8 Kakacūpamā: Completion of the Saw Simile; Essential Practice; the Breath Growing Subtle 〔Vism VIII·pp.282–286〕

This is the saw simile. Here it should be understood that its use for the practitioner lies only in not attending to the [breaths] by way of their repeated coming. For some people attending to this meditation subject, before long the sign arises and the settling called absorption, adorned with the remaining jhāna factors, is accomplished. But for some, beginning from the time of attention by counting and proceeding in sequence, the coarse out-breaths and in-breaths cease, bodily agitation subsides, body and mind become light, and the body seems capable of leaping into the air. When a person whose body is strained sits on a bed or chair, the bed or chair sinks and creaks, and the covering wrinkles; when a person whose body is not strained sits down, the bed or chair neither sinks nor creaks, and the covering does not wrinkle—the bed or chair seems filled with kapok. Why? Because a body that is not strained is light. In the same way, beginning from the time of attention by counting and proceeding in sequence, the coarse out-breaths and in-breaths cease, bodily agitation subsides, body and mind become light, and the body seems capable of leaping into the air. Once the coarse out-breaths and in-breaths have ceased, the mind proceeds with the sign of the subtle out-breaths and in-breaths as its object; when that too ceases, the mind proceeds again and again with a sign subtler and still subtler than the preceding sign as its object.

How so? Suppose a person strikes a bronze plate with a great iron bar. A loud sound arises with a single blow, and the person’s mind proceeds with the coarse sound as its object. When the coarse sound ceases, it proceeds afterward with the sign of the subtle sound as its object. When that too ceases, the mind proceeds again and again with the sign of a sound subtler and still subtler than the preceding sound as its object. This is how it should be understood.

It is also said: “Suppose a bronze vessel were struck”—the full passage is as cited above. Other meditation subjects become progressively clearer, but this meditation subject is not like that: for a person who cultivates it to higher and higher levels, it becomes progressively subtler and even ceases to become manifest. When it does not become manifest in this way, the bhikkhu should not rise from the seat, shake out the leather sitting-cloth,¹⁴ and leave. What should be done? The bhikkhu should not rise from the seat thinking, “I shall ask my teacher,” or “My meditation subject is now lost.” For a person who breaks posture and leaves, the meditation subject must be begun anew again and again. The bhikkhu should therefore remain seated just as before and recover it from that place.

The method of recovery is as follows. Knowing that the meditation subject has ceased to become manifest, the bhikkhu should reflect: “Where do these out-breaths and in-breaths exist, and where do they not? Who has them, and who does not?” On reflection the bhikkhu understands that these breaths do not occur inside the mother’s womb or in people submerged in water; likewise they do not occur in unconscious beings, the dead, those who have entered the fourth jhāna, beings possessing existence in the form or formless realm, or those who have entered the attainment of cessation.¹⁵ The bhikkhu should then admonish themself: “Wise person! You are not inside the mother’s womb, are not submerged in water, are not an unconscious being, are not dead, have not entered the fourth jhāna, do not possess existence in the form or formless realm, and have not entered the attainment of cessation. Your out-breaths and in-breaths certainly exist; you simply cannot apprehend them because your wisdom is dull.” The bhikkhu should then place the mind according to the usual point of contact and set attention in motion. For these breaths proceed touching the nose-wing of a long-nosed person and the upper lip of a short-nosed person. The bhikkhu should therefore establish the sign in this way: “They touch this place.” It was precisely because of this meaning that the Blessed One said: “Bhikkhus, I do not say that a person who has lost mindfulness and lacks clear comprehension cultivates mindfulness of breathing.”

Although every meditation subject succeeds only for a person with mindfulness and clear comprehension, other meditation subjects become evident to a person who attends to them. This meditation subject of mindfulness of breathing, however, is weighty¹⁶ and must be cultivated weightily; it is the field of attention only for the great persons who are Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas, and children of the Buddhas. It is neither slight nor cultivated by slight beings. The more it is attended to, the more peaceful and subtle it becomes; therefore strong mindfulness and wisdom are required here.

When fine cloth is mended, the needle must be fine, and the implement that passes through the eye of the needle must be finer still. Likewise, when cultivating this meditation subject, which is like fine cloth, both the mindfulness resembling the needle and the wisdom associated with it, resembling the implement that passes through the needle’s eye, must be strong. A bhikkhu endowed with such mindfulness and wisdom should not seek the out-breaths and in-breaths anywhere outside their usual point of contact.

Further, suppose a farmer finishes plowing, unyokes the oxen and lets them graze, then sits resting in the shade of a tree. The oxen swiftly enter the forest. If the farmer is skillful and wishes to catch and yoke them again, the farmer does not follow their tracks and wander through the forest searching everywhere. Instead the farmer takes a rope and goad, goes straight to the ford where the oxen descend to the water, and sits or lies there. After wandering for most of the day, the oxen descend to the ford, bathe and drink, then come back up and stand. As soon as the farmer sees them, the farmer binds them with the rope, drives them back with the goad, yokes them, and returns to work. In the same way, the bhikkhu should not seek the out-breaths and in-breaths anywhere outside their usual point of contact. Taking the rope of mindfulness and the goad of wisdom, the bhikkhu should place the mind at the usual point of contact and set attention in motion. When the bhikkhu attends in this way, before long the breaths become manifest, like the oxen [returning] to the ford. The bhikkhu should then bind them with the rope of mindfulness, yoke them at that very place, and, prodding with the goad of wisdom, pursue this meditation subject again and again. Pursuing it in this way, the sign appears before long.

But this [sign] is not the same for everyone. Some say that for certain people it produces a pleasant touch and appears like a tuft of kapok, like a tuft of cotton, or like a current of air.

The Commentaries, however, decide as follows. For some people this [sign] appears like a star, a gem, or a pearl; for some it becomes a coarse touch, like a cotton seed or a needle made of heartwood; for some it appears like a long necklace-cord, a garland, or a plume of smoke; for some like a spread-out cobweb, a bank of clouds, a lotus flower, a cartwheel, the disk of the moon, or the disk of the sun.¹⁷ This is like the case of many bhikkhus sitting after reciting a discourse, when a bhikkhu asks, “In what form does this discourse become manifest to you?” A bhikkhu says, “To me it becomes manifest like a great mountain river.” Another says, “To me, like a forest.” Yet another says, “To me, like a tree with cool shade, abundant branches and leaves, and a heavy load of fruit.” For them the same discourse becomes manifest in various forms because their perceptions differ. In the same way, the same meditation subject becomes manifest in various forms because perceptions differ. For this [sign] is born of perception, has perception as its condition, and has perception as its source. It should therefore be understood that it becomes manifest in various forms because perceptions differ.

Here, the mind with the out-breath as its object is distinct, the mind with the in-breath as its object is distinct, and the mind with the sign as its object is yet another. For a person who lacks these three states, the meditation subject reaches neither absorption nor access; only for a person who has these three states does the meditation subject reach access and absorption. Thus it is said:

Sign, out-breath, and in-breath—these three are not the object of a single mind; cultivation cannot be found in a person who does not know these three states. Sign, out-breath, and in-breath—these three are not the object of a single mind; cultivation can be found only in a person who knows these three states.

§3.9 Nimittam: Arising of the Sign; Reporting to the Teacher; Guarding It; Skill in Absorption 〔Vism VIII·pp.286–287〕

When the sign has appeared in this way, the bhikkhu should go to the teacher and report: “Venerable sir, [my sign] appears in such-and-such a form.” The teacher should not say, “This is the sign,” nor say, “This is not the sign.” The teacher should say, “Friend, it is just so,” and instruct the bhikkhu, “Attend to it again and again.” For if the teacher says, “This is the sign,” the bhikkhu may stop there; if the teacher says, “This is not the sign,” the bhikkhu may become discouraged and sink. The teacher therefore says neither, but directs the bhikkhu only to continue attending—this, first, is what the Dīgha-reciters say. The Majjhima-reciters, however, say that the teacher should tell the bhikkhu: “Friend, this is the sign. Good person, attend to this meditation subject again and again.” The bhikkhu should then place the mind only on the sign; from that point onward the cultivation is performed by way of settling. Thus the Ancients said:

Placing the mind upon the sign and making its various aspects clear, the steadfast practitioner binds their own mind to the out-breaths and in-breaths.

From the time the sign appears in this way, the hindrances are suppressed, the defilements subside, mindfulness becomes manifest, and the mind becomes concentrated by access concentration.

The bhikkhu should not attend to the sign by way of its color, nor examine it by way of its characteristic. Instead, as a chief queen of warrior caste [guards] the embryo of a Wheel-Turning Monarch, or as a farmer [guards] the germ of rice and barley, the bhikkhu should avoid the seven unsuitable conditions beginning with lodging and resort to the seven suitable conditions, guarding it well.

Having guarded it in this way, the bhikkhu should make it grow and expand by repeated attention, perfect the tenfold absorption-skill, and balance energy.¹⁸ As the bhikkhu strives in this way, the jhānas of the fourfold and fivefold systems¹⁹ arise on that sign in the same sequence described under the earth kasiṇa. Here, a bhikkhu who has thus produced the jhānas of the fourfold and fivefold systems and wishes to develop the meditation subject by observing and turning-away until reaching purification makes that jhāna mastered and proficient in five ways, then determines mentality-materiality and sets insight in motion.

How? Having emerged from the attainment, the bhikkhu sees that the origin of the out-breaths and in-breaths is the kamma-born body²⁰ together with the mind. When a smith’s bellows is blown, air moves dependent on the leather bag and the corresponding effort of a person; in the same way, the out-breaths and in-breaths occur dependent on body and mind. The bhikkhu then determines that the out-breaths, in-breaths, and body are materiality, while the mind and the states associated with it are immaterial.

This is only a brief account; the detailed determination of mentality-materiality will be made clear later.²¹ Having determined mentality-materiality in this way, the bhikkhu seeks its conditions; seeking and seeing them, the bhikkhu crosses beyond doubt about the occurrence of mentality-materiality in the three times.

Having crossed beyond doubt, the bhikkhu raises the three characteristics through comprehension by groups; abandons the ten corruptions of insight, beginning with illumination, that arise in the former part of contemplation of rise and fall;²² determines that knowledge of the course, freed from the corruptions,²³ is the path; abandons rise and reaches contemplation of dissolution. As all formations appear as dissolution through uninterrupted contemplation of dissolution, the bhikkhu becomes disenchanted, fades away from lust, and is liberated; in sequence the bhikkhu reaches the four noble paths, becomes established in the fruit of arahantship, reaches the limit of the nineteenfold reviewing knowledge,²⁴ and becomes the supreme recipient of gifts in the world with its deities.

§3.10 Itaresu tīsu catukkesu: The Remaining Three Tetrads—the Second and Third Tetrads, Contemplation of Feeling and Mind 〔Vism VIII·pp.287–290〕

At this point, the bhikkhu’s cultivation of concentration through mindfulness of breathing, beginning with counting and ending with looking-back, is complete. This is the explanation of the first tetrad in all its aspects.

As for the remaining three tetrads, since there is no separately established method for cultivating the meditation subject, their meaning should be understood by the method of word-by-word explanation as follows. “Experiencing rapture” means making rapture experienced and clear; the bhikkhu trains, “I shall breathe out; I shall breathe in.”

Here, rapture is experienced in two aspects: by the object and by non-delusion. How is rapture experienced by the object? The bhikkhu enters the two jhānas accompanied by rapture. At the moment of attainment, through gaining jhāna, rapture is experienced by the object, because the object has been experienced. How is it experienced by non-delusion? The bhikkhu enters the two jhānas accompanied by rapture and, after emerging, comprehends the rapture associated with jhāna as ceasing and passing away. At the moment of insight, through penetrating the characteristics, rapture is experienced by non-delusion. The Paṭisambhidāmagga says: “When a person understands one-pointedness of mind and non-distraction by means of a long out-breath, mindfulness becomes manifest; through that mindfulness and that knowledge, that rapture is experienced. By means of a long in-breath . . . by means of a short out-breath . . . by means of a short in-breath . . . when a person understands one-pointedness of mind and non-distraction by means of out-breaths and in-breaths that experience the whole body and out-breaths and in-breaths that tranquillise the bodily formation, mindfulness becomes manifest; through that mindfulness and that knowledge, that rapture is experienced. Through adverting that rapture is experienced; through knowing, seeing, observing, resolving the mind, resolving through faith, exerting energy, making mindfulness manifest, concentrating the mind, and understanding with wisdom; by [directly knowing] what should be directly known . . . [fully understanding] what should be fully understood . . . [abandoning] what should be abandoned . . . [cultivating] what should be cultivated, and realizing what should be realized, that rapture is experienced. In this way that rapture is experienced.”

The remaining clauses should be understood in meaning according to the same method. The only differences here are these: “experiencing pleasure” should be understood by way of the [first] three jhānas, while “experiencing the mental formation” should be understood by way of all four jhānas. “The mental formation” means the two aggregates beginning with feeling. In the clause “experiencing pleasure,” to show the ground of insight, the Paṭisambhidāmagga says: “There are two kinds of pleasure: bodily pleasure and mental pleasure.” “Tranquillising the mental formation” means tranquillising and causing the coarse mental formation to cease; the details should be understood according to the same method stated for the bodily formation. Further, here the rapture clause speaks of feeling under the heading of rapture; the pleasure clause speaks of feeling in its own form; and the two clauses on the mental formation speak of feeling associated with perception, in accordance with the statement, “Perception and feeling are mental factors; these states are bound up with the mind and are mental formations.” It should therefore be understood that this tetrad is spoken by way of contemplation of feeling.

In the third tetrad, “experiencing the mind” should likewise be understood by way of all four jhānas.

“Gladdening the mind” means gladdening the mind, making it rejoice, making it smile, and making it smile exceedingly; the bhikkhu trains, “I shall breathe out; I shall breathe in.” Here the mind is gladdened in two aspects: by concentration and by insight. How by concentration? The bhikkhu enters the two jhānas accompanied by rapture; at the moment of attainment, the bhikkhu gladdens and delights the mind with the associated rapture. How by insight? The bhikkhu enters the two jhānas accompanied by rapture and, after emerging, comprehends the rapture associated with jhāna as ceasing and passing away. Thus at the moment of insight the bhikkhu gladdens and delights the mind by taking that rapture associated with jhāna as the object. A practitioner who proceeds in this way is said to train, “Gladdening the mind, I shall breathe out; I shall breathe in.”

“Concentrating the mind” means evenly placing and establishing the mind upon the object by means of the first jhāna and the rest; alternatively, after entering and emerging from those jhānas, the bhikkhu contemplates the mind associated with jhāna as ceasing and passing away, and at the moment of insight momentary one-pointedness of mind arises through penetration of the characteristics. By means of the momentary one-pointedness of mind arisen in this way, the bhikkhu also evenly places and establishes the mind upon the object, and is therefore said to train, “Concentrating the mind, I shall breathe out; I shall breathe in.”

“Liberating the mind” means freeing and liberating the mind from the hindrances by means of the first jhāna, from applied and sustained thought by means of the second, from rapture by means of the third, and from pleasure and pain by means of the fourth. Alternatively, after entering and emerging from those jhānas, the bhikkhu comprehends the mind associated with jhāna as ceasing and passing away. At the moment of insight, the bhikkhu frees and liberates the mind from the perception of permanence through contemplation of impermanence, from the perception of pleasure through contemplation of suffering, from the perception of self through contemplation of not-self, from delight through contemplation of disenchantment, from greed through contemplation of fading-away, from origination through contemplation of cessation, and from grasping through contemplation of relinquishment, while breathing out and breathing in. Therefore the bhikkhu is said to train, “Liberating the mind, I shall breathe out; I shall breathe in.” It should be understood that this tetrad is spoken by way of contemplation of mind.

§3.11 Catutthacatukke: The Fourth Tetrad—Contemplation of Phenomena and the Concluding Verses 〔Vism VIII·pp.290–293〕

In the fourth tetrad, in the clause “contemplating impermanence,” impermanent (aniccam) should first be understood, impermanence (aniccatā) should be understood, contemplation of impermanence (aniccānupassanā) should be understood, and a contemplator of impermanence (aniccānupassī) should be understood. Here, the impermanent is the five aggregates. Why? Because they have the nature of arising, ceasing, and alteration. “Impermanence” is the arising, ceasing, and alteration of those [five aggregates], or the nonexistence of what has arisen. The meaning is that they do not remain in the same mode, but break apart through momentary dissolution. “Contemplation of impermanence” is contemplation of materiality and the other states as “impermanent” by way of that impermanence. “A contemplator of impermanence” is a person endowed with that contemplation. It should therefore be understood that such a person, while breathing out and breathing in, is the person spoken of here as training, “Contemplating impermanence, I shall breathe out; I shall breathe in.”

In the clause “contemplating fading-away,” fading-away is of two kinds: exhaustion-fading-away and ultimate fading-away. Here, “exhaustion-fading-away” is the exhaustion and dissolution of formations, while “ultimate fading-away” is Nibbāna. “Contemplation of fading-away” is insight and path that proceed through seeing these two. It should be understood that a person endowed with these two kinds of contemplation, while breathing out and breathing in, trains, “Contemplating fading-away, I shall breathe out; I shall breathe in.”

The method is the same in the clause “contemplating cessation.”

In the clause “contemplating relinquishment,” relinquishment is also of two kinds: relinquishment as giving up and relinquishment as entering into. Relinquishment itself is contemplation, and so it is called contemplation of relinquishment; this is a designation for insight and path. For insight gives up the defilements together with the aggregates and volitional formations by substitution, and, because it sees the danger in conditioned states, inclines toward and enters into their opposite, Nibbāna. Thus it is called both relinquishment as giving up and relinquishment as entering into. The path gives up the defilements together with the aggregates and volitional formations by full cutting off, and, by taking [Nibbāna] as its object, enters into Nibbāna. Thus it too is called both relinquishment as giving up and relinquishment as entering into. Both are called contemplation because they repeatedly contemplate in continuity with the preceding knowledges. It should be understood that a person endowed with these two kinds of contemplation of relinquishment, while breathing out and breathing in, trains, “Contemplating relinquishment, I shall breathe out; I shall breathe in.”

This fourth tetrad is stated solely by way of insight, whereas the preceding three [tetrads] are stated by way of serenity and insight. The cultivation of mindfulness of breathing in sixteen items should be understood in this way, according to the four tetrads.

When cultivated in this way according to the sixteen items, mindfulness of breathing has great fruit and great benefit. Its great benefit should be understood from its peacefulness and the rest, according to the statement, “Bhikkhus, when this concentration through mindfulness of breathing is cultivated and repeatedly practiced, it is indeed peaceful and excellent,” and so forth; it should also be understood from its ability to cut off applied thought. Because this concentration is peaceful, excellent, and an unadulterated abiding in ease, it cuts off the mind’s running here and there under the influence of obstructive thoughts and directs the mind solely toward the out-breath and in-breath as its object. Therefore it is said: “Mindfulness of breathing should be cultivated for the cutting off of applied thought.”

Its great benefit should also be understood from its being “the root of the fulfillment of true knowledge and liberation.” For the Blessed One said: “Bhikkhus, mindfulness of breathing, when cultivated and repeatedly practiced, fulfills the four foundations of mindfulness; the four foundations of mindfulness, when cultivated and repeatedly practiced, fulfill the seven factors of awakening; the seven factors of awakening, when cultivated and repeatedly practiced, fulfill true knowledge and liberation.”

Further, its great benefit should be understood from the fact that “it makes the final out-breaths and in-breaths known.” For the Blessed One said: “Rāhula, when mindfulness of breathing is cultivated and repeatedly practiced in this way, even those final out-breaths and in-breaths cease only when known, not when unknown.” Here there are three kinds of finality by cessation: final in an existence, final in jhāna, and final at death. Out-breaths and in-breaths occur in sensual existence but not in form or formless existence, so they are final in an existence. Among the jhānas, they occur in the first three jhānas but not in the fourth, so they are final in jhāna. Those that arise together with the sixteenth mind before death-consciousness and cease together with death-consciousness are called final at death. It is these final [breaths] that are intended here. It is said that, because a bhikkhu who pursues this meditation subject has thoroughly apprehended the out-breath and in-breath as the object, at the moment when the sixteenth mind before death-consciousness arises, their arising is clear if the bhikkhu adverts to arising; their presence is clear if the bhikkhu adverts to presence; and their dissolution is clear if the bhikkhu adverts to dissolution.

For a bhikkhu who attains arahantship after cultivating some other meditation subject, the span of life is sometimes delimited and sometimes not. For a bhikkhu who attains arahantship after cultivating mindfulness of breathing in sixteen items, however, the span of life is always delimited. Knowing “My life-formations will now proceed only this much, no further,” the bhikkhu, by the natural order of things, completes all duties such as attending to the body and putting on the lower and upper robes, then closes the eyes—like Tissa Thera resident at Koṭapabbata Monastery, Mahā-Tissa Thera resident at Mahākarañjiya Monastery, the alms-going Tissa Thera in the great realm of Devaputta, and the two brother elders resident at Cittalapabbata Monastery.

Here is a case-illustration. It is said that, on a full-moon uposatha day, one of the two brother elders completed the recitation of the Pātimokkha and, surrounded by the community of bhikkhus, returned to his own lodging. Standing on the walking path, he looked at the moonlight, examined his own life-formations, and asked the community of bhikkhus: “How have you seen bhikkhus attain parinibbāna?” Some said, “We have seen bhikkhus attain parinibbāna while sitting on their seats.” Others said, “We [have seen them] sitting cross-legged in the air [and attaining parinibbāna].” The elder said: “I will now show you parinibbāna while walking.” He drew a line on the walking path and said: “I shall walk from this end of the path to the other end, turn back, and attain parinibbāna the instant I reach this line.” Having spoken, he stepped onto the walking path, went to the far end, turned back, and attained parinibbāna at the very moment one foot stepped on the line.

Therefore the wise should indeed remain heedful, continually pursuing mindfulness of breathing with its many benefits.

This is the detailed exposition of mindfulness of breathing.²⁵

Notes

¹ Concentration (samādhi): the mind’s even maintenance upon a single object without distraction; “concentration through mindfulness of breathing” is concentration associated with the mindfulness that apprehends the out-breath and in-breath.

² Sixteen items (solasavatthuka): the sixteen steps of mindfulness of breathing, arranged as four tetrads of four steps each.

³ At the end of this passage, the base text prints a form without the initial a-, contradicting the passage’s own preceding explanation; other texts read asecanako. This edition follows the contextual a- form without altering the base text.

⁴ Access (upacāra-samādhi, access concentration): the level of concentration at which the hindrances have been suppressed but absorption has not yet been entered; “preliminary work” refers to the preparatory attention that precedes it.

⁵ Absorption (appanā-samādhi, absorption concentration): concentration in which the mind is fully immersed in its object and unmoving.

⁶ The Ancients (Porāṇā): teachers of earlier generations whose teachings the author inherits; their verses are not the author’s own compositions.

⁷ The four noble paths of stream-entry, once-return, non-return, and arahantship are explained in Chapter 22; this section only names them.

⁸ Boundary post (indakhīla): a marker erected at a village boundary; the term can also be read “Indra’s pillar” or “threshold,” but here it is rendered literally.

⁹ The Dīgha-, Saṃyutta-, and Majjhima-reciters: lineages devoted to preserving the recitation of the respective Nikāyas; the treatise records their positions without deciding among them.

¹⁰ Beginning clansman (ādikammika kulaputta): a person of good family just beginning the practice.

¹¹ Minor obstacle (khuddaka-palibodha): such small impediments as overgrown hair and nails or robes and bowl needing attention; the ten obstacles are listed in Chapter 3, “Receiving a Meditation Subject.”

¹² The two occurrences of “tip of the nose” in this sentence are both printed as “tip of the navel” in the base text, contrary to the wording of the same section and to the context; other texts likewise read “tip of the nose.” This edition follows “tip of the nose” without altering the base text.

¹³ Commentaries (Aṭṭhakathā): the ancient commentarial works inherited by the author; the account cited here is theirs, not the author’s own.

¹⁴ Leather sitting-cloth (cammakhaṇḍa): a leather seat used by monastics.

¹⁵ The fourth jhāna, form and formless existence, and the attainment of cessation are explained respectively in Chapters 4, 10, and 23, not in this chapter.

¹⁶ “Weighty” (garuka) and “slight” (ittara): the two terms are contrasted; the former describes the weightiness of the practice, the latter what is shallow and slight.

¹⁷ The treatise gives fourteen similes here for the sign’s various appearances.

¹⁸ The tenfold absorption-skill, the balancing of energy, and the sequence in which the jhānas of the fourfold and fivefold systems arise are all explained in Chapter 4, “The Earth Kasiṇa”; this section only refers back to them.

¹⁹ “The jhānas of the fourfold and fivefold systems”: the four jhānas of the fourfold system and the five jhānas of the fivefold system are named together.

²⁰ Kamma-born body (karaja-kāya): the material body produced by kamma.

²¹ The detailed analysis of mentality-materiality is given in Chapter 18; the treatise itself marks it as “to be explained later.”

²² Comprehension by groups and the ten corruptions of insight are explained in Chapter 20.

²³ Knowledge of the course (paṭipadāñāṇa): knowledge of the course of practice freed from the corruptions; the complete name used in a later chapter is not introduced here.

²⁴ The development from contemplation of dissolution through the nineteenfold reviewing knowledge is explained in Chapters 21 and 22.

²⁵ Detailed exposition (vitthārakathāmukha): the fixed closing formula at the end of a detailed section; “detailed,” “exposition,” and the close-formula respectively render vitthāra, kathā, and mukha.