Anapanasati Sutta: Mindfulness of Breathing

sukhita

The Anapanasati Sutta: Mindfulness of Breathing explains in detail the sitting posture and the sixteen stages of mindfulness of breathing; But the Sutta does not mention anything about the part of the body where one should focus to feel the in and out breaths.

Some of the meditation teachers, many of them bhikkus, simply state that the focus for feeling the breaths should be at the tip of the nose (rim of nostrils, upper lip close to nostrils, etc). And they provide no other alternatives - I don't know why this is so!

Other meditation teachers, like Gil Fronsdal, give a wider scope:

Some people can feel the movement of their belly going up and down, rising and falling, or their chest rising and falling, the rib cage expanding and contracting. Some people can feel the air coming in and out of the nostrils. If you have trouble finding your breath, or connecting to the experience of breathing, you can put your hand perhaps on your diaphragm or belly, and then perhaps feel the movement there. So wherever you feel your breathing most predominantly in your body, let that be your home base. You’re going to try to cultivate your ability to stay in the present moment for the experience of breathing in that place.

My questions are:
(1) Are there any suttas that explain this "home base" aspect?
(2) If the suttas are indeed silent on this, could it be that the Buddha expected each meditator to just breathe and then focus on the spot where they feel the breath; much like Gil Fronsdal puts it?

DhammaDhatu

Hi

Anapanasati actually means 'mindfulness with breathing'. Mindfulness or sati means 'recollection' or 'memory'. It is not possible to recollect or remember the breathing. That is impossible because one can only recollect or remember mental things.

The sixteen stages are merely sign posts of the fruition that comes from the establishment of mindfulness. Mindfulness recollects right view. The Maha-cattarisaka Sutta prepares one for the Anapanasati Sutta. Here, the Buddha states:

"One tries to abandon wrong view & to enter into right view: This is one's right effort. One is mindful to abandon wrong view & to enter & remain in right view: This is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three qualities — right view, right effort & right mindfulness — run & circle around right view.

When the mind is established in mindfulness, namely, non-attachment & abandonment of craving & liking & disliking via right view of the noble truths, the in & out breath naturally becomes the object of the mind.

In mindfulness with breathing, the mind observes the mind rather than the breathing. The breathing enters the mind as an object indirectly. This is why it is mindfulness with breathing.

Kind regards

DD

sukhita

Hi DD,

Thanx for your input.

But I think that I might have put my question all wrong. I am referring to the basic breath awareness meditation, perhaps closer to shamatha meditation. Let me have another go.....

Some meditation guides direct as follows: Allow the breathing to assume its own rhythm and rest your attention on -

(1) the air coming in and out of the nostrils; or
(2) the rise and fall of the abdomen; or
(3) the rise and fall of the lower part of the chest; or
(4) the expansion and contraction of the rib cage; ... etc.

and watch each breath as it goes in and out.

I was actually referring to these different options (1) ... (4). Are these options discussed in Buddhist texts and are there any disadvantages of following some options stated above.

With kind regards,
Sukhita

PS. Everyone welcome to make inputs.

Jeffrey

I would guess that any would work for a meditation support. You just need to bring the attention back to something. I think it is advantageous if the sensation is something that is ungraspable or easy to see that it is ungraspable. Since the breath is always moving it has that property. Thats just my guess.

My advice is to do the nostrils because that is the widely known one I have heard.

If you should find a teacher and join a sangha no doubt you will adopt their methods.

sukhita

Hi Jeffrey, Thanx for your input.

Jeffrey wrote: »

I would guess that any would work for a meditation support. You just need to bring the attention back to something. I think it is advantageous if the sensation is something that is ungraspable or easy to see that it is ungraspable. Since the breath is always moving it has that property. Thats just my guess.

Yes... that's what the manuals say. Moving objects, like the breath, are considered best for the object of concentration because movement needs constant attention for it to be followed. Objects, like a flower for example, are not good as it is easy to fall into thinking while staring at a static object. The flame of a candle is also a moving object in a sense, but some teachers advise against it because staring at the flame of a candle for prolonged periods can damage the eye.

My advice is to do the nostrils because that is the widely known one I have heard.

This is really the essence of my post. Most teachers recommend the "nostrils" approach - as you have also done . In my own practice, I find both the "nostrils" and the "abdomen" approaches effective. I started off with the "nostrils" approach but oftentimes when my nose is stuffy (am a sinus sufferer also feel tension in the face area) I resort to the "abdomen" approach.

I am now thinking of just sticking to one approach, viz "abdomen" because alternating between two approaches seems not to be a good idea. Herein lies my dilema, most people recommend the "nostrils" approach but don't quite say the disadvantage of the other approaches like the "abdomen". Is the one really better than the other? Why?

limbo

The only explanation I've seen as to why the nostrils are better is because it's harder to focus on so it requires more concentration. But I would think that if the experience of focusing on the nostrils is in any way negative (such as when you're stuffy) you should NOT focus on the nostrils since the last thing you want is a negative relationship with your meditation object.

Here's the instructions from Leigh Brasington about reaching jhana that include the above explanation: http://www.leighb.com/jhana3.htm

sukhita

Thank you, Limbo, for your input and the link to Leigh Brasington's web site. Now, at we have at least some idea as to why some meditation teachers say the "nostrils" are better.

Valtiel

But I would think that if the experience of focusing on the nostrils is in any way negative (such as when you're stuffy) you should NOT focus on the nostrils since the last thing you want is a negative relationship with your meditation object.

This sounds like encouraging clinging, desire, aversion. Creating relationships between things like this is precisely what one strives to let go. You have a booger hanging from your nose that tickles every time you breathe while meditating? Be mindful of the booger, the aversion you feel... let go. :om::eek2: But, no, really... I'm serious.

The Anapanasati Sutta: Mindfulness of Breathing explains in detail the sitting posture and the sixteen stages of mindfulness of breathing; But the Sutta does not mention anything about the part of the body where one should focus to feel the in and out breaths.

As Dhamma Dhatu said it is not Mindfulness OF Breathing but Mindfulness WITH Breathing. The breath is simply a sign post, a reminder. Don't limit your mindfulness to one aspect of your experience, or to one single aspect of of the breath. Be mindful of your entire experience.

Deshy

Why locate the breath anywhere? It is best not to locate it anywhere although it is done by people sometimes when their minds are too chaotic and difficult to calm (counting method is another such technique) It is best to just experience the breath through the whole body. Experience the sensation of the breath in and out and be content with that isolation with the breath

However I must say that it is difficult to "be with the breath" initially when you are just starting off and not an experienced meditator. The mind is not used to be with the breath. In that case meditators use different techniques like locating the breath to the nose, or count the breaths so that you can focus more easily. Eventually, as they train their minds to be with a single object for long periods they can eventually learn to "be with the breath" and be content with that. This is probably the reason why teachers start off by locating the breath to somewhere. Hope that answers your question
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sukhita

Deshy,

Nicely explained, thank you.

With kind regards,
Sukhita

---

THANK YOU :thumbsup:

To all the kind people who contributed to this thread - Dhamma Dhatu, Jeffrey, Limbo, Mundus, and Deshy - an big thank you. Your contributions have helped me to better understand anapanasati (mindfulness with breathing). Now, I can see the 'bigger picture'.

Namaste

Jeffrey

Sukhita I do the formless meditation. In that meditation the breath is not an object where the goal is to have concentration on that object. The purpose of my meditation (I think) is to use the breath to remind me to return to "awake" when I wander into day dreams. By returning to that point again and again I develope confidence in my mind. As it is. I am not sure exactly if there is a 'next step'. For me what is relevant in my meditation experience at the moment is how to stop struggling with my experience but rather to just gently rest in how it is. I have asked my teacher if there is anything to do other than to stop struggling recently today.

limbo

Here's a great article by Bhikkhu Sona comparing the 3 main commentaries on the Anapanasati Sutta and clearing up some of the information about nimittas and where to locate the breath. The bullet points at the end are a very good summary but my favorite part is the conclusion of several pages of comparison of ancient texts: "Whatever works."

http://www.arrowriver.ca/dhamma/nimitta.html

sukhita

Thanx Jeffrey for the additional information.
Thanx Limbo for the link - interesting article.

I'm glad to state that my meditation is going quite well now.

DhammaDhatu

sukhita wrote: »

Some meditation guides direct as follows: Allow the breathing to assume its own rhythm and rest your attention on -

(1) the air coming in and out of the nostrils; or
(2) the rise and fall of the abdomen; or
(3) the rise and fall of the lower part of the chest; or
(4) the expansion and contraction of the rib cage; ... etc.

and watch each breath as it goes in and out.

I was actually referring to these different options (1) ... (4). Are these options discussed in Buddhist texts and are there any disadvantages of following some options stated above.

Hi

These things are found in the Buddhist Commentaries but not in the suttas. The sutta states:

There is the case where a monk, having gone to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty building, sits down folding his legs crosswise, holding his body erect and setting mindfulness to the fore.

Kind regards

DD:)

sukhita

Hi DD,

I thank you sincerely for the clarification.

With kind regards,
Sukhita

shanyin

There is in the sutra something to the effect of he understands "i breathe in long" "I breathe in short" "I breath out long" or "I breathe out short", I suspect the quotes mean you should mentally recite that in your head accordingly or something. The difference I find with this is that you dont neccesarily bring the mind back anything cuz theres like no object.

good luck all.