SP-FLUENT translation of 16 steps of breath meditation, with tricky terms like 'body', 'bodily/mental fabrication' spelled out
(updated 2022-10-11): I'm working on adding a little explanation for each of the 16 steps. Since step 3 is one you use all time whenever doing breath meditation, and is the key to entering the genuine 4 jhānas as defined by the Buddha in EBT, it's worth studying carefully.
16 – Ānā-pāna-s-sati: breath meditation
STED 16🌬️😤 instructions
[0.1] 🏞️ arañña-gato vā | [0.1] 🏞️ has gone to the wilderness, or |
🌲 rukkha-mūla-gato vā | 🌲 to a root of a tree, or |
🏕️ suññā-(a)gāra-gato vā | 🏕️ to an empty dwelling. |
[0.2] nisīdati | [0.2] They sit down, |
[0.3] 🧘 pallaṅkaṃ ābhujitvā | [0.3] 🧘 bending into a cross leg posture, |
[0.4] 🏃📐 ujuṃ kāyaṃ paṇidhāya | [0.4] 🏃📐 straightening the body. |
[0.5] 🌬️😤 pari-mukhaṃ satiṃ upaṭṭhapetvā. | [0.5] 🌬️😤 They establish remembrance [of ☸Dharma] in front [, making Dharma their main focus]. |
[0.6] 🐘 So sato-va assasati, | [0.6] 🐘 Always remembering [and applying ☸Dharma], he breathes in. |
Sato-va passasati | Always “mindful” of [and applying ☸Dharma], he breathes out. |
(4sp🐘 #1 🏃 kāyā-(a)nu-passī)
Dīghaṃ vā assasanto ‘dīghaṃ assasāmī’ti pajānāti, | (1a) When breathing in long, he discerns that: 'I am breathing in long.' |
dīghaṃ vā passasanto ‘dīghaṃ passasāmī’ti pajānāti; | (1b) When breathing out long, he discerns that: 'I am breathing out long.' |
rassaṃ vā assasanto ‘rassaṃ assasāmī’ti pajānāti, | (2a) When breathing in short, he discerns that: 'I am breathing in short.' |
rassaṃ vā passasanto ‘rassaṃ passasāmī’ti pajānāti; | (2b) When breathing out short, he discerns that: 'I am breathing out short.' |
🏃 ‘sabba-kāya-p-paṭisaṃvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (3a) 🏃 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in sensitive to the entire [physical] body.’ |
🏃 ‘sabba-kāya-p-paṭisaṃvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | (3b) 🏃 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out sensitive to the entire [physical] body.’ |
🌊🏃 ‘passambhayaṃ kāya-saṅkhāraṃ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (4a) 🌊🏃 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in pacifying bodily co-activities [which underlie what we experience as a physical body]. |
🌊🏃 ‘passambhayaṃ kāya-saṅkhāraṃ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati. | (4b) 🌊🏃 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out pacifying bodily co-activities [which underlie what we experience as a physical body]. |
(4sp🐘 #2 vedanā-(a)nu-passī )
😁 ‘Pīti-p-paṭisaṃvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (5a) 😁 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in sensitive to [mental] joy.’ |
😁 ‘pīti-p-paṭisaṃvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | (5b) 😁 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out sensitive to [mental] joy.’ |
🙂 ‘sukhap-paṭisaṃvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (6a) 🙂 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in sensitive to [physical] pleasure.’ |
🙂 ‘sukhap-paṭisaṃvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | (6b) 🙂 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out sensitive to [physical] pleasure.’ |
💭 ‘citta-saṅkhārap-paṭisaṃvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (7a) 💭 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in sensitive to mental co-activities [which underlie what we experience as the “mind”].’ |
💭 ‘citta-saṅkhārap-paṭisaṃvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | (7b) 💭 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out sensitive to mental co-activities [which underlie what we experience as the “mind”].’ |
🌊💭 ‘passambhayaṃ citta-saṅkhāraṃ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (8a) 🌊💭 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in pacifying mental co-activities [which underlie what we experience as the “mind”].’ |
🌊💭 ‘passambhayaṃ citta-saṅkhāraṃ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati. | (8b) 🌊💭 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out pacifying mental co-activities [which underlie what we experience as the “mind”].’ |
(4sp🐘 #3 cittā-(a)nu-passī)
‘Citta-p-paṭisaṃvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (9a) They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in sensitive to the mind.’ |
‘citta-p-paṭisaṃvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | (9b) They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out sensitive to the mind.’ |
😁 ‘abhip-pa-modayaṃ cittaṃ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (10a) 😁 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in producing joy in the mind.’ |
😁 ‘abhip-pa-modayaṃ cittaṃ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | (10b) 😁 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out producing joy in the mind.’ |
🌄 ‘samādahaṃ cittaṃ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (11a) 🌄 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in making the mind undistractible-and-lucid.’ |
🌄 ‘samādahaṃ cittaṃ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | (11b) 🌄 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out making the mind undistractible-and-lucid.’ |
‘vimocayaṃ cittaṃ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (12a) They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in liberating the mind.’ |
‘vimocayaṃ cittaṃ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | (12b) They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out liberating the mind.’ |
(4sp🐘 #4 ☸Dhammā-(a)nu-passī)
‘a-niccā-(a)nu-passī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati. | (13a) They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in continuously-seeing impermanence.’ |
‘A-niccā-(a)nu-passī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | (13b) They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out continuously-seeing impermanence.’ |
‘vi-rāgā-(a)nu-passī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (14a) They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in continuously-seeing dispassion.’ |
‘vi-rāgā-(a)nu-passī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | (14b) They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out continuously-seeing dispassion.’ |
‘nirodhā-(a)nu-passī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (15a) They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in continuously-seeing cessation.’ |
‘nirodhā-(a)nu-passī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | (15b) They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out continuously-seeing cessation.’ |
‘paṭinissaggā-(a)nu-passī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (16a) They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in continuously-seeing relinquishment [leading to nirvana].’ |
‘paṭinissaggā-(a)nu-passī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati. | (16b) They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out continuously-seeing relinquishment [leading to nirvana].’ |
clarification of some terms
un·der·lie = verb: underlie; 1. be a significant cause or basis of (something) even if not necessarily manifest or obvious.'thinking’: Quoted text in the EBT suttas marked by ending with ‘ti’, can be either vitakka and vicāra verbal thoughts that can occur in first jhāna , or subverbal mental processing that can occur in second jhāna and beyond.
In an oral tradition , you hear, memorize, recollect with sati (“mindfulness”), and then ‘think’ about that recollection.
The ‘thinking’ that occurs in the 16 steps, show the role of sati and vitakka, and how vitakka gradually fades into subverbal mental processing done with sampajāno and upekkha of third and fourth jhāna.
Clearly the oral tradition wouldn’t work if you had ‘vitakka’ redefined into ‘placing the mind’.
The ‘thinking’ in those 16 steps clearly can be verbal, linguistic mental talk, the ‘Dharma’ that sati remembers and thinks about.
The Buddha would not be giving coherent Dharma instructions on how those 16 steps lead to jhāna if vitakka suddenly meant ‘placing the mind’.
16.1 – 🔬step 1: breathing long
Dīghaṃ vā assasanto ‘dīghaṃ assasāmī’ti pajānāti, | (1a) When breathing in long, he discerns that: 'I am breathing in long.' |
dīghaṃ vā passasanto ‘dīghaṃ passasāmī’ti pajānāti; | (1b) When breathing out long, he discerns that: 'I am breathing out long.' |
16.2 – 🔬step 2: breathing short
rassaṃ vā assasanto ‘rassaṃ assasāmī’ti pajānāti, | (2a) When breathing in short, he discerns that: 'I am breathing in short.' |
rassaṃ vā passasanto ‘rassaṃ passasāmī’ti pajānāti; | (2b) When breathing out short, he discerns that: 'I am breathing out short.' |
16.3 – 🔬step 3: sensitive to entire body
🏃 ‘sabba-kāya-p-paṭisaṃvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, | (3a) 🏃 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe in sensitive to the entire [physical] body.’ |
🏃 ‘sabba-kāya-p-paṭisaṃvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | (3b) 🏃 They train themselves, [thinking]: 'I will breathe out sensitive to the entire [physical] body.’ |
16.3.3 – 409 CE Dhyāna Samādhi Sutra
Dhyāna Samādhi Sutra (corresponds with Ānāpānā step 3, sabba kāya patisamvedi) | Dhyāna Samādhi Sutra (chinese to english trans. By Dr. William Chu) |
T15n0614_p0275b25(08)║念諸息遍身。亦念息出入。 | “One is mindfully aware of various breaths suffusing the whole body, as one attends to the exhalation and inhalation of the breath. |
T15n0614_p0275b26(05)║悉觀身中諸出息入息。 | As one pervasively observes the various kinds of inhalation and exhalation inside the body, |
T15n0614_p0275b27(14)║覺知遍至身中乃至足指遍諸毛孔如水入沙。 | one becomes aware and comprehends what is happening throughout the body, up to and including one’s toes and pores—[awareness] pervades as if water seeps into sands. |
T15n0614_p0275b28(13)║息出覺知從足至髮遍諸毛孔亦如水入沙。譬如[夢-夕+棐]囊入出皆滿。 | In the same way, with [each] out-breath, awareness and understanding pervade—from the toes to the hairs, permeating all the pores—as if water seeps into sands. Just like a sack that is completely filled from its bottom to its opening, |
T15n0614_p0275b29(05)║口鼻風入出亦爾。觀身周遍見風行處。 | so too should one experience the body being saturated this way with [each] in-breath coming in from mouth [and/or] nose. |
T15n0614_p0275c01(07)║如藕根孔亦如魚網。復心非獨口鼻觀息入出。 | One should perceive that throughout the body, where ‘wind’ traverses, it is as if it traverses through the holes of a lotus root; it is as if it traverses through the eyes of a fish net. |
T15n0614_p0275c02(06)║一切毛孔及九孔中。亦見息入息出。 | Furthermore, one should not just perceive the breath as going in and out of one’s mouth [and/or] nose; one should also see that the breath comes in and out from all the pores and from the nine orifices of the body. |
T15n0614_p0275c03(09)║是故知息遍諸身 | For this reason, one should understand that the breath pervades throughout the body." |
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