One of the most important kinds of meditation taught by the Buddha is the practise of “mindfulness of breathing”, Ānāpānasati. It is said that he was practicing mindfulness of breathing when he achieved enlightenment.
The Buddha’s Practice
The traditional texts of the Pāli canon contain detailed explanations of the particular style of mindfulness of breathing practised by the Buddha.
Bhikkhus, one thing when developed and cultivated is of great fruit and benefit. What one thing? Mindfulness of breathing.
And how, bhikkhus, is mindfulness of breathing developed and cultivated so that it is of great fruit and benefit?
Here bhikkhus, a bhikkhu having gone to the forest to the foot of a tree or to an empty hut, sits down. Having folded his legs crosswise, straightened his body and set up mindfulness in front of him.
Just mindful, he breathes in. Mindful, he breathes out.
Breathing in long he knows: “I breathe in long” or breathing out long he knows: “I breathe out long.” Breathing in short he knows: “I breathe in short” or breathing out short he knows: “I breathe out short.”
[The following passage is then repeated, replacing “Experiencing the whole body” with each of the subsequent phrases:]
He trains thus: Experiencing the whole body, I will breathe in. He trains thus: Experiencing the whole body, I will breathe out. … Tranquilising the bodily formation … Experiencing rapture … Experiencing happiness … Experiencing the mental formation … Tranquilising the mental formation … Experiencing the mind … Gladdening the mind … Concentrating the mind … Liberating the mind … Contemplating impermanence … Contemplating fading away … Contemplating cessation … Contemplating relinquishment …
It is, bhikkhus, when mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated in this way that it is of great fruit and benefit.
The Buddha, SN 54.1
Focused Approach
For some, the fourteen or more steps described by the Buddha may be quite a lot to have to remember, particularly for newcomers to meditation. We have to remember that the Buddha was delivering these instructions to “bhikkhus”, meaning “monks”, and anyone qualified to be called a bhikkhu would certainly have already been practising meditation for some time. For this reason, modern practitioners such as members of the Triratna Buddhist community have developed a focused approach that can generally be described as follows:
- Body scan: After establishing a comfortable meditation posture and, closing your eyes if you like, become aware of your body for a few moments. Relax and gradually become aware of the physical sensations of your breath.
- Stage one: Silently begin counting each time you reach the end of the out-breath. Count in this way from 1 to 10 and repeat for a few minutes. If you get distracted or forget where you were, just restart from 1. (This counting system gives our modern highly distracted minds something to focus on.)
- Stage two: Similarly to stage one, again this stage involves counting from 1 to 10 and repeating, only this time you count each number just before you begin the in-breath. Repeat this stage for about the same time as you spent in stage one.
- Stage three: Now you can drop the counting and simply experience the breath and your body as you breathe. Concentrate on how each breath flows into the next, and be mindful of the sensations that arise in your body.
- Stage four: Finally, move your awareness to the point in your body where the breath makes its first point of contact. For many this will be the rims of the nostrils, or it may be somewhere deeper in the nasal passage or the back of the throat. Wherever it is for you, gradually bring your awareness to that point and allow any sensations from the rest of your body to gradually fade away.
- Returning: When it comes time to finish, gradually broaden your awareness to the rest of your body and the whole breathing process, and allow thoughts and feelings to flow once more and allow awareness of your surroundings to become re-established. When you are ready, open your eyes if they were closed.
My Own Experience
My own experience with the mindfulness of breathing has been nothing short of remarkable. I first encountered the technique at a Triratna lunchtime drop-in session sometime in the summer of 2005. Having since become a regular attendee of the same Triratna community, I have been regularly practicing mindfulness of breathing and it has helped me to attain some deep meditative states.
It is extremely helpful in the way it aids mindfulness of one’s own inner experiences, revealing the flurry of mental and physical activity that we typically accept as “background noise” in our usual day-to-day existence.
In another article I will elaborate on the meditative states of absorption, or jhānas, that the Buddha described.
Guided Introduction
Below I have added a guided introduction to the mindfulness of breathing, led by Khemasiri. If you find this helpful, please take a moment to visit the YouTube channel, give it a thumbs-up and add a comment.