Mindfulness of Breathing

MN 118

This is what I heard.

One time the Buddha was staying near Savatthi at Migara’s mother monastery. There were various elders there: Sariputta, Mahamoggallana, Mahakassapa, Mahakaccana, Mahakotthita, Mahakappina, Mahacunda, Anuruddha, Revata, Ananda, and others.

These elders were training some junior seekers, with groups of up to forty at a time. They were doing great. During a full moon retreat day, while surrounded by a group of seekers, the Buddha said,

“I am pleased with your practice. Keep energizing yourselves to attain the unattained and see the unseen! I will wait here in Savatthi for the full moon of water lilies, on the fourth month.”

Seekers from around the country heard this and came to see the Buddha. The training continued.

Then, during the full moon of water lilies, the Buddha said,

“Seekers, this gathering is free from empty talk, its pure like heartwood. This community is worthy of gifts and hospitality. It is worthy to be greeted with joined palms and is a supreme field of goodness for the world. Even a small gift would be fruitful and a bigger one even better. This is rare and worth traveling many miles to see, even backpacking on foot.

In this community there are Worthy Beings, who have eliminated the poisons and completed their spiritual journey. They have ended the corruptions and totally ended the chains of becoming. They have achieved the true goal of spirituality by laying down the burden, reaching true freedom.

There are also seekers who will attain nirvana after being reborn in a higher realm, without returning. This is because they’ve cut the five lower chains.
There are also once-returners, who’ve only cut three chains and have weakened greed, aversion, and delusion. There are also stream-enterers who have cut the three lower chains and will not be reborn in lower realms. They are headed for awakening.

And also, there are seekers who are devoted to developing the four ways of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven aids to awakening, and the noble eightfold path.

There are seekers devoted to developing the meditations on love, caring, gladness and equanimity as well as the meditations on ugliness and instability.

Mindfulness of breathing

There are also seekers who are devoted to mindfulness of breathing, which is very fruitful. When mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated, one achieves the four ways of mindfulness.

When the four ways are developed, one achieves the seven aids to awakening, and when these aids are cultivated, they lead to knowledge and freedom.
How is this done?

A seeker goes to the wilderness, to the root of a tree or an empty hut. They take a comfortable seat with a straight body and make mindfulness their priority. They breathe in mindfully and they breathe out mindfully.

1st set

1. When breathing a long or heavy breath, they are aware of it.
2. When breathing a small or fine breath, they are aware of it.
3. Breathing in and out, they train in fully experiencing the whole body.
4. Breathing in and out, they train in calming bodily activities.

2nd set

5. Breathing in and out, they train in fully experiencing bliss.
6. Breathing in and out, they train in fully experiencing happiness.
7. Breathing in and out, they train in fully experiencing heart-mind activities.
8. Breathing in and out, they train in calming heart-mind activities.

3rd set

9. Breathing in and out, they train in fully experiencing the heart-mind.
10. Breathing in and out, they train in making the heart-mind joyful.
11. Breathing in and out, they train the heart-mind in lucid unification.
12. Breathing in and out, they train in freeing the heart-mind.

4th set

13. Breathing in and out, they train in observing instability.
14. Breathing in and out, they train in observing dispassion.
15. Breathing in and out, they train in observing ending.
16. Breathing in and out, they train in observing letting go.

Four bases of mindfulness

How does this meditation complete the four bases of mindfulness?
Whenever a seeker practices the first set, they’re observing an aspect of the body. This is because breathing is a kind of body that a seeker observes intensely, mindfully and clearly knowing, without desire and aversion for the world.

When they practice the second set, they’re observing an aspect of feeling tones. This is because close attention to breathing is a kind of feeling tone that a seeker observes intensely, mindfully and clearly knowing, without desire and aversion for the world.

When they practice the third set, they’re observing an aspect of the heart-mind. There is no development of mindfulness of breathing for someone who is unmindful and lacks clear knowledge. That’s why a seeker meditates by observing an aspect of the heart-mind intensely, mindfully and clearly knowing, without desire and aversion for the world.

When they practice the fourth set, they’re observing the nature of principles. Having seen with wisdom the giving up of desire and aversion, they watch closely with equanimity. That’s why a seeker meditates by observing an aspect of dharmas intensely, mindfully and clearly knowing, rid of desire and aversion for the world.

Seven awakening factors

And how are the four ways of mindfulness developed and cultivated so that they complete the seven aids to awakening?

When a seeker meditates on an aspect of the body intensely, mindfully and clearly knowing, their mindfulness is established and lucid. When they have activated mindfulness as an aid to awakening, they develop it and then perfect it.
Living mindfully like this they investigate, examine and deeply explore that principle with wisdom. When they have activated analysis the principles as an aid to awakening, they develop it and then perfect it.

As they wisely and deeply analyze principles, they are energized. When they have activated energy as an aid to awakening, they develop it and then perfect it.
When they are energized, a spiritual bliss arises. When they have activated the bliss as an aid to awakening, they develop it and then perfect it.

When there is bliss, the body and the heart-mind are calmed. When they have activated calm as an aid to awakening, they develop it and then perfect it.
When the body is calm they feel happy and the mind is lucidly unified. When they have activated lucid unification as an aid to awakening, they develop it and then perfect it.

Then they closely watch the unified heart-mind with equanimity. When they have activated equanimity as an aid to awakening, they develop it and then perfect it.
Just like that, whenever a seeker meditates on an aspect of feeling tones, the heart-mind and principles, their mindfulness is established and lucid. And that time they have activated these aids to awakening: mindfulness, analysis of principles, energy, bliss, calm, lucid unification and equanimity.

And how are the seven aids to awakening developed and cultivated to attain knowledge and freedom? A seeker develops the seven aids supported by seclusion, dispassion and letting go.

This is what the Buddha said, and the seekers were happy.