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Saį¹yutta NikÄya 54.1 Linked Discourses 54.1
1. Ekadhammavagga 1. One Thing
Ekadhammasutta One Thing
SÄvatthinidÄnaį¹. At SÄvatthÄ«.
Tatra kho ā¦peā¦ etadavoca:
āekadhammo, bhikkhave, bhÄvito bahulÄ«kato mahapphalo hoti mahÄnisaį¹so. āMendicants, when one thing is developed and cultivated itās very fruitful and beneficial.
Katamo ekadhammo? What one thing?
ÄnÄpÄnassati. Mindfulness of breathing.
Kathaį¹ bhÄvitÄ ca, bhikkhave, ÄnÄpÄnassati kathaį¹ bahulÄ«katÄ mahapphalÄ hoti mahÄnisaį¹sÄ? And how is mindfulness of breathing developed and cultivated to be very fruitful and beneficial?
Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu araƱƱagato vÄ rukkhamÅ«lagato vÄ suƱƱÄgÄragato vÄ nisÄ«dati pallaį¹
kaį¹ ÄbhujitvÄ ujuį¹ kÄyaį¹ paį¹idhÄya parimukhaį¹ satiį¹ upaį¹į¹hapetvÄ. Itās when a mendicantāgone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hutāsits down cross-legged, sets their body straight, and brings mindfulness to the present. The situation hereāa mendicant gone to the forestāestablishes that this practice takes place in the wider context of the Gradual Training. Indeed, this whole sutta can be understood as an expansion of this phrase, mentioned briefly at DN 2:67.3. | For parimukhaį¹ (āpresentā) we find pratimukha in Sanskrit, which can mean āpresenceā or the reflection of the face. Late canonical Pali explains parimukhaį¹ as āthe tip of the nose or the reflection of the face (mukhanimitta)ā. Parimukha in Sanskrit is rare, but it appears in PÄį¹ini 4.4.29, which the commentary illustrates with the example of a servant āin the presenceā of their master (cp. SN 47.8). So it seems the sense is ābefore the faceā or more generally āin the presenceā. | To ābring mindfulnessā (satiį¹ upaį¹į¹hapetvÄ) is to ādo satipaį¹į¹hÄnaā. The root sense of upaį¹į¹hÄna is to āstand nearā or āattendā (like a nurse on a patient, SN 47.13:1.3), and the Sanskrit upasthÄna is commonly used in the sense āhomageā of the gods, based on the idea of āattendingā the sacred flame. A literal translation of the phrase might be, āhaving made memory attend to what is presentā.
So satova assasati, satova passasati. Just mindful, they breathe in. Mindful, they breathe out. The most fundamental meditation instruction. Notice how the Buddha phrases it: not āconcentrate on the breathā as an object, but rather ābreathingā as an activity to which one brings mindfulness. The stages of breath meditation are not meant to be done deliberately, but to be observed and understood as the natural process of deepening meditation.
DÄ«ghaį¹ vÄ assasanto ādÄ«ghaį¹ assasÄmÄ«āti pajÄnÄti, dÄ«ghaį¹ vÄ passasanto ādÄ«ghaį¹ passasÄmÄ«āti pajÄnÄti; Breathing in heavily they know: āIām breathing in heavily.ā Breathing out heavily they know: āIām breathing out heavily.ā In the beginning, the breath is somewhat rough and coarse. The Pali idiom is ālongā and āshortā breath, but in English we usually say one breathes āheavilyā or ālightlyā.
rassaį¹ vÄ assasanto ārassaį¹ assasÄmÄ«āti pajÄnÄti, rassaį¹ vÄ passasanto ārassaį¹ passasÄmÄ«āti pajÄnÄti; Breathing in lightly they know: āIām breathing in lightly.ā Breathing out lightly they know: āIām breathing out lightly.ā Over time, the breath becomes more subtle and soft.
āsabbakÄyappaį¹isaį¹vedÄ« assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati, āsabbakÄyappaį¹isaį¹vedÄ« passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati; They practice like this: āIāll breathe in experiencing the whole body.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out experiencing the whole body.ā The āwhole bodyā (sabbakÄya) here refers to the breath, marking the fuller and more continuous awareness that arises with tranquility. Some, however, interpret it as the āwhole physical bodyā, broadening awareness to encompass the movement and settling of energies throughout the body.
āpassambhayaį¹ kÄyasaį¹
khÄraį¹ assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati, āpassambhayaį¹ kÄyasaį¹
khÄraį¹ passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati. They practice like this: āIāll breathe in stilling the physical process.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out stilling the physical process.ā The āphysical processā (kÄyasaį¹
khÄra) is the breath itself (SN 41.6:1.8). This can become so soft as to be imperceptible.
āPÄ«tippaį¹isaį¹vedÄ« assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati, āpÄ«tippaį¹isaį¹vedÄ« passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati; They practice like this: āIāll breathe in experiencing rapture.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out experiencing rapture.ā āRaptureā (pÄ«ti) is a joyous emotional response to pleasure, usually a spiritual sense of elevation or uplift in meditation. Normally rapture is said to arise before tranquility as part of the process leading toward absorption (see below, MN 118:34.1). In mindfulness of breathing, however, the body typically becomes quite tranquil before rapture arises.
āsukhappaį¹isaį¹vedÄ« assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati, āsukhappaį¹isaį¹vedÄ« passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati; They practice like this: āIāll breathe in experiencing bliss.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out experiencing bliss.ā The uplifting quality of rapture becomes sublimated to a more subtle, pervasive pleasure or bliss. The meditator refines and stabilizes these positive emotions in their journey toward absorption, which occurs when all necessary factors are fully developed and perfectly balanced in a subtle union.
ācittasaį¹
khÄrappaį¹isaį¹vedÄ« assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati, ācittasaį¹
khÄrappaį¹isaį¹vedÄ« passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati; They practice like this: āIāll breathe in experiencing the mental process.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out experiencing the mental process.ā āMental processesā are said to be āperception and feelingā (MN 44:14.1, SN 41.6:1.7). The āfeelingsā include rapture and bliss. āPerceptionā in meditation includes the ālightā (MN 128:28.2) or āformsā (MN 77:23.14) often experienced by meditators at this point. Later texts call this a nimitta, a āsignā that the mind is becoming subtle and the hindrances quiet as the meditator nears absorption.
āpassambhayaį¹ cittasaį¹
khÄraį¹ assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati, āpassambhayaį¹ cittasaį¹
khÄraį¹ passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati. They practice like this: āIāll breathe in stilling the mental process.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out stilling the mental process.ā A paradox of meditation is that the stronger things are, the more subtle they become. In the initial stages of practice, it is common to have overwhelming experiences of rapture, with tears of joy, or dramatic and striking āvisionsā. Inexperienced meditators often take this to signify a profound realization. With patient mindfulness, however, the feelings and perceptions settle down and become unified, so they are no longer experienced as separate things. Just as the physical breath virtually disappeared, here too the feelings and perceptions can become so subtle as to feel like the simple, normal state of the mind.
āCittappaį¹isaį¹vedÄ« assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati, ācittappaį¹isaį¹vedÄ« passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati; They practice like this: āIāll breathe in experiencing the mind.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out experiencing the mind.ā With the stilling of āmental processesā, the mind itself becomes clear, the center of awareness that knows all of this. These four factors focus on the experience of absorption.
āabhippamodayaį¹ cittaį¹ assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati, āabhippamodayaį¹ cittaį¹ passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati; They practice like this: āIāll breathe in gladdening the mind.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out gladdening the mind.ā This applies especially to the first two absorptions.
āsamÄdahaį¹ cittaį¹ assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati, āsamÄdahaį¹ cittaį¹ passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati; They practice like this: āIāll breathe in immersing the mind in samÄdhi.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out immersing the mind in samÄdhi.ā āImmersionā (samÄdhi) is deep meditative stillness. The word conveys the sense of āgatheredā, ācollectedā, with a secondary sense of āignitedā, āilluminatedā. It emphasizes both the stability of the mind as well as the unification of all the mental factors present (see MN 44:12.2 and note there).
āvimocayaį¹ cittaį¹ assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati, āvimocayaį¹ cittaį¹ passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati; They practice like this: āIāll breathe in freeing the mind.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out freeing the mind.ā The mind is liberated from hindrances in absorption. This is a state so very refined it is called the ābliss of awakeningā (MN 139:9.18), albeit temporarily (AN 5.149).
āaniccÄnupassÄ« assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati. They practice like this: āIāll breathe in observing impermanence.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out observing impermanence.ā The first twelve steps focused on serenity (samatha), and now the final four steps shift focus to discernment (or āinsightā, vipassanÄ). This exemplifies the most common course of practice, where serenity precedes discernment (AN 4.170:3.2). Here, impermanence is contemplated in the context of mindfulness of breathing itself. The entire course of practice has seen the physical energies of the breath become subtle and fade, then the mental processes, then the mind itself is transformed. The meditator reflects on these changes and sees not simply that change happens, but how changes happen due to causes.
āAniccÄnupassÄ« passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati;
āvirÄgÄnupassÄ« assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati, āvirÄgÄnupassÄ« passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati; They practice like this: āIāll breathe in observing fading away.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out observing fading away.ā VirÄga means both ādispassionā in the sense of letting go desire, and āfading awayā in the sense of its gradual disappearance.
ānirodhÄnupassÄ« assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati, ānirodhÄnupassÄ« passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati; They practice like this: āIāll breathe in observing cessation.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out observing cessation.ā This refers to the permanent ending of the fetters or underlying tendencies.
āpaį¹inissaggÄnupassÄ« assasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati, āpaį¹inissaggÄnupassÄ« passasissÄmÄ«āti sikkhati. They practice like this: āIāll breathe in observing letting go.ā They practice like this: āIāll breathe out observing letting go.ā This is the full renunciation of all worldly desires that occurs with arahantship (āperfectionā). These final four stages illustrating the progress of insight can even be mapped on to the four stages of awakening: the stream-enterer sees that āwhatever has a beginning also has an endā; for the once-returner, greed and hate are fading away; for the non-returner, greed and hate have ceased; and for the arahant, all defilements are relinquished.
Evaį¹ bhÄvitÄ kho, bhikkhave, ÄnÄpÄnassati evaį¹ bahulÄ«katÄ mahapphalÄ hoti mahÄnisaį¹sÄāti. Mindfulness of breathing, when developed and cultivated in this way, is very fruitful and beneficial.ā
Paį¹hamaį¹.