How to practice Anapanasati (the 16 steps, original sutta version, taught by the historical Buddha )

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81

Seek nothing, just sit, mindfully breathe in and out.

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Ok but how do you interpret “fore”?many meditators started to focus on the nostrils because of that

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If you read the entire anapanasati sutta and keep in mind that the purpose of practicing anapanasati is to fulfill the four foundations of mindfulness, fulfill the seven factors of awakening and fulfill knowledge and freedom, anapanasati will make mare sense.

The way I see it, being in a secluded place, placing sati to the fore (the area to the front of the body) in the present and observing the breath as the body breathes, one can direct mindfulness to the breath as an aspect of the body, the first satipatthana. Then while still keeping the breath as an active object of meditation, one can move to the second step of anapanasati, directing sati to the body as a whole with the breath still part of the body. It expands the mindfulness to full foundation of mindfulness of the body.

with metta

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84

Indeed I read anapanasati sutta several times all along.
As for breathing being an aspect of the body, maybe that the reverse is also true, meaning one conditions the other, i.e. without breathing the body perishes so maybe that the body is also an aspect of breathing.

" (the area to the front of the body) " - interesting - because it takes us to the way of meditating in certain branches of Zen Buddhism.

“the purpose of practicing anapanasati is to fulfill the four foundations of mindfulness, fulfill the seven factors of awakening and fulfill knowledge and freedom” - by focusing on breathing we attain samatha and once there I contemplate (bhavana) the 4 frames, or tilakhanna, or the 7 factors…etc.

And of course all that facilitates the access to Jhana as meditative absorption states which are above discursive conceptualization; yet as far as I experienced, focusing on the passage of air through nostrils ( after having focused on breathing as a whole ) it’s the most effective way (together with other posture details) to get to Jhana.

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85

That is very clear, thank you. But my mentor, a longtime monastic with much meditation experience, tells me to just “relax” and focus on abdominal breathing. This still seems rather vague. My mind is still restless with discursive thoughts. I need to get this right. Is there a ‘manual’ that clearly descibes our Buddhist meditative practice?
With gratitude for all in advance.

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“Mindfulness of breathing” by Bhikkhu Anālyo, maybe? In my opinion, it’s pretty helpful.

Your restless mind indulging in discursive thinking might be the reaction to (a proper) awareness of the breath as the meditation object - because it is soooo boooooring. You get bored and seek more exciting sensations. Well, at least that seems to be the case in my practice :slight_smile:

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Yes Tkk, I believe you hit the nail on its head. Clearly,

And this is a defilement built upon years of compulsive, unregulated, undisciplined thought about the self…all of which are the result of a lifetime of causes and conditions. My mind seems untamed…untameable, like a wild horse that resist the yoke. Yet regarding the supreme importance of meditation, I will persevere in an effort to find equilibrium in meditation and life in general. :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: :hugs: :face_with_hand_over_mouth: :face_with_open_eyes_and_hand_over_mouth: :face_with_peeking_eye:

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88

I don’t find the breath to be boring in the context of the meditation. It’s dynamic. Is a candle flame or a word like Buddho less boring than the breath?

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89

I think that in the course of the anapanasati meditation trajectory, the body is experienced, investigated, stilled and pretty much left behind. Then the mental formations of the mind and its concomitant hedonic feeling tones are experienced, investigated, stilled and left behind as well. The hinderances should be (at least temporarily) noticed, restrained and abandoned. The wild horse can settle down!

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Ha! Well, thanks for the encouragement. But, I gotta tell ya, my horse seems inexhaustable! I ty to hold my horses, but they have not received proper training. My horses need blinders! :laughing: :pray: :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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91

Breath is an excellent meditation object. It is interesting enough to observe yet unexciting enough to let me calm down. The calmer I become, the blander gets the experience. It gets closer to neutrality. And as long as I don’t understand this neutral feeling, I will perceive it as boredom and pain.

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92

I agree. When the body, feelings and mind are stilled, the breath gets extremely subtle.

93

Have you tried element meditation? There is more thinking with that.

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Hi, and thanks for that reminder. As a lifelong asthmatic, I usually focus on breath meditation. But this was a great reminder. And I realized that as I become aware of my breath, I also become aware of some of those elements just naturally. My Butt in my chair…my blood as it sings through my veins…my feet where they contact the flor. But as I listened to Bhant Akaliko talk about our body as it returns to dust…wow.
As I am fond of saying, we don’t own our bodies, we just rent them! :princess: :lungs: :anatomical_heart: :tooth: :pray:

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