At Sāvatthī. Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

Tatra kho …pe… etadavoca:

“Mendicants, when one thing is developed and cultivated it’s very fruitful and beneficial. “ekadhammo, bhikkhave, bhāvito bahulīkato mahapphalo hoti mahānisaṁso. What one thing? Katamo ekadhammo? Mindfulness of breathing. Ānāpānassati.

And how is mindfulness of breathing developed and cultivated to be very fruitful and beneficial? Kathaṁ bhāvitā ca, bhikkhave, ānāpānassati kathaṁ bahulīkatā mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā?

It’s when a mendicant—gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut—sits down cross-legged, sets their body straight, and establishes mindfulness in their presence. Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā nisīdati pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā.

Just mindful, they breathe in. Mindful, they breathe out. So satova assasati, satova passasati.

Breathing in heavily they know: ‘I’m breathing in heavily.’ Breathing out heavily they know: ‘I’m breathing out heavily.’ Dīghaṁ vā assasanto ‘dīghaṁ assasāmī’ti pajānāti, dīghaṁ vā passasanto ‘dīghaṁ passasāmī’ti pajānāti; When breathing in lightly they know: ‘I’m breathing in lightly.’ Breathing out lightly they know: ‘I’m breathing out lightly.’ rassaṁ vā assasanto ‘rassaṁ assasāmī’ti pajānāti, rassaṁ vā passasanto ‘rassaṁ passasāmī’ti pajānāti; They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in experiencing the whole body.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out experiencing the whole body.’ ‘sabbakāyappaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘sabbakāyappaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in stilling the physical process.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out stilling the physical process.’ ‘passambhayaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘passambhayaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati.

They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in experiencing rapture.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out experiencing rapture.’ ‘Pītippaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘pītippaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in experiencing bliss.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out experiencing bliss.’ ‘sukhappaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘sukhappaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in experiencing the mental process.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out experiencing the mental process.’ ‘cittasaṅkhārappaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘cittasaṅkhārappaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in stilling the mental process.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out stilling the mental process.’ ‘passambhayaṁ cittasaṅkhāraṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘passambhayaṁ cittasaṅkhāraṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati.

They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in experiencing the mind.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out experiencing the mind.’ ‘Cittappaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘cittappaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in gladdening the mind.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out gladdening the mind.’ ‘abhippamodayaṁ cittaṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘abhippamodayaṁ cittaṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in immersing the mind in samādhi.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out immersing the mind in samādhi.’ ‘samādahaṁ cittaṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘samādahaṁ cittaṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in freeing the mind.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out freeing the mind.’ ‘vimocayaṁ cittaṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘vimocayaṁ cittaṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing impermanence.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing impermanence.’ ‘aniccānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati.

‘Aniccānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing fading away.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing fading away.’ ‘virāgānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘virāgānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing cessation.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing cessation.’ ‘nirodhānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘nirodhānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing letting go.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing letting go.’ ‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati.

Mindfulness of breathing, when developed and cultivated in this way, is very fruitful and beneficial.” Evaṁ bhāvitā kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassati evaṁ bahulīkatā mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā”ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.