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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

(2022 SP-FLUENT translation by frankk‍ )
Here, a monk
[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’.









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