Breath

Mindfulness Intro
The Buddhist method of Anapanasati is one of the oldest and most widely used
methods for teaching Buddhist self-cultivation. It is a practice for the growth of
spiritual qualities which leads to a stable and transcendental happiness.

Anapanasati literally means “in-out breath mindfulness”. It uses breathing as a

foundation to bring mindfulness (sati) to bear on the four satipatthanas (applications
of mindfulness). This in turn leads to mental unification (samadhi) and to the "seven
aids to awakening" (bojjhangas), culminating in total letting go (nirvana). The Buddha
said:

Unification due to mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati-samadhi) is one thing that,

when developed and cultivated, fulfills the four satipatthanas. And the four
satipatthanas, when developed and cultivated, fulfill the seven aids to awakening. And
the seven aids, when developed and cultivated, fulfill knowledge and freedom. – SN
54.13

Anapanasati is also an excellent practice for letting go of unwholesome mental

states, especially the "five obstacles" (nivarana). The Buddha gives the following
simile for anapanasati:

“Just as, bhikkhus, in the last month of the hot season, when a mass of dust and dirt
has swirled up, a great rain cloud out of season disperses it and quells it on the spot,
so too concentration by mindfulness of breathing, when developed and cultivated, is
peaceful and sublime, an ambrosial pleasant dwelling, and it disperses and quells on
the spot evil unwholesome states whenever they arise…” – SN 54.9

This practice is based on a gradual and subtle broadening of awareness, from

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breathing, to the body, to sensations, to the mind and finally to the basic principles of
experience (dhammas). It includes both calming and insight elements. If done well,
anapanasati is a complete practice that leads all the way to awakening. It is not just a
preparatory practice. It is deceptively simple and yet gets profoundly deeper the
further one progresses.

The locus classicus of this meditation form is the famed Anapanasati Sutta. This
format of breath meditation in sixteen modes or aspects is also found in many other
Early Buddhist Texts (henceforth EBTs). It is found in multiple texts in both the
Chinese Agama and in the Pali Nikaya collections, as well as in different Vinayas
(such as the Mahasamghika Vinaya) and Abhidharma texts. This speaks to its
pedigree and importance as a basic meditation instruction that was widely taught by
the historical Buddha.

Other suttas also mention how this was the practice that the Buddha used before his
awakening. He called anapanasati a “noble” and “divine” dwelling. He also continued
to practice it after his awakening, during meditation retreats which sometimes lasted
three months (SN 54.11). If one wants to meditate like the Buddha himself did and
taught others to do, the basic sixteen mode formula is the guide to follow.

I have created these instructions for myself by using many different sources as a way
to better understand the various elements of anapanasati practice. The sixteen
aspects are quite terse and the details of this practice seem to require some further
explanation and analysis. The terminology and words used are often complex terms
with broad semantic fields.

The terseness of these instructions could have been meant as a condensation of

meditation teachings to aid in instruction. Indeed, the very idea of a “sutra” in ancient
Indian literature refers to short pithy texts, which are like threads and which require
further exposition (vibhanga) and explanation (vyakarana).

It could also be that one was meant to explore these elements for oneself and draw
out their inner meaning in personal and individual ways, hence their broad and
minimalist presentation.

In creating this meditation guide I have drawn from varied sources such as various
classical and modern Buddhist traditions and modern scholarly sources. However, my
focus remains the EBTs, particularly the Anapanasati Sutta, the Satipatthana Sutta,
the Kayagatasati Sutta, the Anapana and Satipatthana Samyuttas and others. I have
attempted to be non-sectarian while sticking to the original structure of the early
teachings.
This is a practice focused manual. I didn’t attempt to make this particularly beginner
friendly. I assume the reader is already committed to Buddhist practice and has some
knowledge of Buddhism. It also assumes that meditation is being done in the context
of the noble eight-fold path and this includes the five precepts and right view.

From a Buddhist and also classical Indian perspective, meditation cannot be

decoupled from ethical training and from a study of the Dharma (Teaching, Universal
Principle / Law). To be fully successful, Buddhist meditation must be done in the
context of other forms of self-development such as generosity, non-harming,
contentedness and simplicity.

It goes without saying that one must practice daily and continuously, not in starts and
fits, if one wants real results. The Chinese masters said that one should practice like
a stone dropping into a pool thousands of feet deep, continuously and persistently.
The Buddha said that one should practice as if one’s hair was on fire. Time and death
wait for no one, practice now, for one day you will be a corpse.

I also do not shy away from using Pali terms once they have been defined. Pali is the
closest canonical language to what the Buddha used. Buddhist meditation, like any
skill, has its own vocabulary used to outline the details of practice, so it is important
to understand these technical terms.

The focus of this text is on technical instructions and strategies I have found useful in
fleshing out the sixteen steps. It is not meant as totally comprehensive or as a fixed
linear set of techniques which must be followed in order, rather it is a collection of
ways of thinking about and practicing the sixteen anapanasati elements and it is
assumed that the reader will craft and adapt his own practice through personal
experience and discussion with spiritual friends.

Whatever knowledge I have of this practice I owe to the Buddha and to the writings of
Buddhist practitioners and scholars, dead and living, that I have consulted.

Breath Mindfulness

The Pali term ‘pana’ means breath, and it has the connotations of vitality and life.
Indeed in Pali the word for living being is just pana (breather). In the Vedas and the
Aryuvedic literature, the Sanskrit ‘prana‘ has connotations of “life-force” and “vital
energy”, i.e. that which animates the body (similar to the Greek psyche and Latin
anima) and hence it’s a kind of organic energy.

This broad view of pana doesn’t just include the breath but could also refer to the
circulatory and nervous system as well as other "airs" and energies in the body. What
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this means from a practice standpoint is that anapanasati may not restricted to just
respiration itself, though it begins that way.

As we shall see, anapana is connected with vital processes of the living body and our
sensations and perceptions of these and hence also connotes the sense of
“aliveness” or “energy” (in a subjective and experiential sense) present in the field of
experience, the central aspect of which is respiration. Anapanasati begins with the
sensing of respiration but then broadens to experiencing the whole body and the
various sensations, activities and energies at work in the body.

Since the breath is happening now in the present moment and it is obviously present,
it is an ideal object for developing mindfulness. And since the breath can have
energizing and calming effects on the body and mind, is also useful for developing
the qualities of intensity (tapas) and energy (viriya).

The more you experiment and learn to breathe comfortably and pleasurably, the more
energized and peaceful you become. This provides your mind with an inner nutriment,
so that it stays with the meditation process instead of searching for ideas or thoughts
elsewhere. Since the breath is such as important part of the living body, paying
attention to it helps us connect with the rest of the body processes which are also
part of Buddhist meditation.

The breath and the mind is like a horse and its rider, slow one down and the other also
slows. Ajahn Lee said the breath is like a mirror for your mind. The more you watch
the breath the more you will notice how the breath affects the mind and vice versa,
and how you can work with this process to calm and relax the body-mind. This
includes clearly seeing how we shape and construct our phenomenal experience in
unskillful ways.

This shaping is done bodily (such as with breathing), verbally (through inner talk and
labeling of phenomena), and mentally (which includes perception, feelings and
intentions). Understanding this process will help you develop a sense of well-being
and focus in the mind, and with this foundation, you can then turn the mind to the
observation of how suffering arises and how it can be brought to an end.

The Buddha taught that this is done through letting go of increasingly subtler states.
At first you let go of unhealthy mental nutriment and feed on jhana (the meditative
immersions) and spiritual states, which are still constructed states but are subtler
than other mental constructs. These meditations become more and more refined
until you are ready to let go of all constructed processes and attain the unconstructed
reality (asankhata dhamma), called nirvana. This, in a nutshell, is the core of
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anapanasati practice.

The Anapanasati Sutta shows how the practice of breath meditation can be used to
access all four satipatthanas by calming the mind and using the sensations of the
breath as a basis. It shows that breath meditation can cover both the samatha
(calming) and vipassana (insight) aspects of meditation.

Here is a diagram of the four tetrad scheme from the Anapanasati Sutta (and the
parallel Anapanasmrti Sutra which survives in Chinese translation) that shows how
anapanasati is consciously expanded to the whole of the four satipatthanas, by
relying on four central qualities: mindfulness (sati), clear awareness (sampajañña),
energy (viriya) and samadhi (focused calm).

Note: the last elements are not numbered in this diagram because there is some
disagreement among the source texts on their order.

The progression can be seen as a training in letting go. From the coarsest elements
of experience (such as our body) and its bodily processes (sankharas), we move to
sensations (vedanas) such as bliss (piti) and happiness (sukha), to the more subtle
heart-mind processes (citta-sankharas) and the heart-mind itself (citta). Finally we
come to the most subtle phenomena, which are the regular principles of experience
or reality, such as impermanence (anicca).
However I will argue that one does not have to start with the body and one can also
‘enter’ the meditation from other anapanasati elements depending on one’s practical
needs. Therefore the sixteen elements of anapanasati should not necessarily be seen
as rigid linear steps but as aspects or different facets of breath meditation one can
explore. Though beginning with the body is usually easier since it is the most obvious.
We will go through each element in detail.

The Foundation

According to the Buddha, training in ethics is an absolutely essential foundation to

meditation practice. Without a proper ethical foundation, meditation will be weak.
Without a well tilled ground, crops do not grow. In the Satipatthana Samyutta, the
Buddha says:

What is the starting point of skillful qualities? Well purified ethics and correct view.
When your ethics are well purified and your view is correct, you should develop the
four kinds of mindfulness meditation in three ways, depending on and grounded on
ethics. – SN 47.3, 47.16

What is the beginning of skillful qualities? Give up bad conduct by way of body,
speech, and mind and develop good conduct by way of body, speech, and mind. When
you’ve done this, you should develop the four kinds of mindfulness meditation,
depending on and grounded on ethics. – SN 47.47

So mindfulness meditation is said to depend on and be grounded in ethics (sila). Sila

is one of the major divisions of the eight-fold path. In the early Buddhist texts, this
often refers to the five trainings of not killing, not lying, not stealing, not harming
others through sexuality and not ingesting substances which lead to carelessness
(including alcohol). Needless to say, it is not easy to keep these perfectly. But the
meditator must strive to do so. The more one takes these trainings to heart and
makes them a part of one’s life, the better one’s meditation will go.

It must be remembered that the five trainings are not only negative. For example, not
killing has also been defined by the Buddha as: It’s when a certain person gives up
killing living creatures. They renounce the rod and the sword. They’re scrupulous and
kind, living full of compassion for all living beings. – Majjhima Nikaya – “MN” 41

Here we can see that there is a positive element to the first training: being
compassionate and kind to others. The same could be said for the other four
trainings, they all have their positive elements, such as generosity, telling the truth,
treating those of the opposite sex with respect and so on.
However, these five trainings are not the final say on ethics. The Buddha also outlined
another list of ethical virtues, called the ten wholesome paths (in suttas such as MN
41). The first part of this is identical to the five trainings, though it expands speech to
not just avoiding lying, but also includes:
Giving up divisive speech. Instead, they reconcile those who are divided with
harmonious speech.
Giving up harsh speech. Instead, they speak in pleasing and polite ways.
Giving up nonsense or pointless talk. Instead they say what is helpful, useful,
valuable and reasonable.

Furthermore, three more virtues of the mind are:

Non-greed. Not coveting what others have. Being content with what you have and
with few things.
Being kind-hearted and loving.
Having right view, an undistorted perspective. Particularly this refers to an
understanding that our actions have real and important consequences (i.e. karma).
Bad deeds have bad results and vice versa. This applies in this life and in the next
(this presupposes a view of rebirth).

Other important supporting factors for these include listening to and studying the
Dharma as well as associating with spiritual friends and those who are virtuous and
knowledgeable in the Dharma and not associating with harmful and unskillful
persons. All of these can be said to support right view and proper ethics.

It cannot be emphasized enough how important it is to practice sila and to have right
view for Buddhist meditation. It is like the foundation to your house, without it, it will
collapse. If your meditation is not going well, it is very likely that your sila or view is
not good enough.

Practicing this is not as easy as it sounds. It often entails giving up a lot of habits we
have ingrained in us. Constantly reviewing these elements and knowing that they lead
to wholesome states of mind is a good way to slowly improve in sila. Memorize these
10 skillful trainings and check yourself all the time on how you can improve in these.
This training can take a lifetime. But a peaceful and happy mind is what is at stake
here, so do not ignore these trainings. A meditator does so at their own peril.

It is common nowadays for people to take time our of their busy schedules to do long
meditation retreats, for a week, several weeks and so on. But unless these very
people do not live their lives with strong sila and correct view, this will not produce the
peop e do ot et e es t st o g s a a d co ect e , t s ot p oduce t e
fruit of awakening, no matter how long and hard they meditate. This is what the
Buddha taught.

But, if on the other hand, sila is strong, then the Buddha said meditation comes
effortlessly and naturally. This is because, as it says in Anguttara Nikaya – “AN” 11.2,
“a virtuous and moral person need not wish: ‘May I have no regrets.’ It’s only natural
for a virtuous person to have no regrets.” This naturally and effortlessly leads to a
series of qualities (joy, bliss, calm, happiness…) leading to samadhi, meditative
stillness and unity. This can then be used to “see things as they really are” and this
leads to liberation.

So if your meditation is not going well, instead of obsessing about meditation

techniques, how long you sit for or planning retreats, ask yourself, “how can I improve
my ethics and view?” “How can I improve my daily life so as to support meditation?” It
will be much more fruitful in the long run.

Practicing throughout daily activities

In the scheme of the eightfold path, the practice of mindfulness meditation comes
just after the “right effort” (samma vayamo) aspect. So clearly this is also an
important supporting element, to be practiced as a way of providing a strong
foundation for meditation. What is right effort? It is a vigorous and determined
attempt to develop wholesome qualities and abandon the unwholesome:

Right effort is when a seeker generates desire, eagerness and makes an effort to
prevent bad unwholesome qualities from arising. They make an effort to give up bad
unwholesome qualities. They also work hard to attain the wholesome qualities they
do not have. And they try to make sure wholesome qualities they do have are not lost,
but grow, mature and become perfected. – SN 45.8

Thus, right effort is closely connected to ethical trainings as well, since these are
things which often require effort. Indeed, right effort seems to act as a link between
sila, sati and samadhi. This effort is something which is much broader than formal
sitting practice and is applicable in our daily routine, when most of the negative
mental qualities and harmful actions sneak up on us and grow without our attention.

We must be always on guard for the arising of desires to break the precepts, harmful
and greedy thoughts and so on. Just simply noticing them and stopping to observe
them is often enough to dissolve them or at least to keep us from doing an
unwholesome action.

Another important element associated with right effort and sila is “sense restraint”. It
 ot e po ta t e e e t assoc ated t g t e o t a d s a s se se est a t . t
is defined by the Buddha thus:

And how does a mendicant guard the sense doors? When a noble disciple sees a
sight with their eyes, they don’t get caught up in the features and details. If the faculty
of sight were left unrestrained, bad unskillful qualities of desire and aversion would
become overwhelming. For this reason, they practice restraint, protecting the faculty
of sight, and achieving its restraint...[The same is applied to the other four senses
and to the mind/thoughts as a “sixth” sense]

When they have this noble sense restraint, they experience an unsullied bliss inside
themselves. That’s how a mendicant guards the sense doors. – Digha Nikaya – “DN”
2

Sense restraint is important because it through not being mindful of where our
senses are, which field they are wandering in and how our mind is responding to
them, that we generate unwholesome qualities. This can be observed throughout our
life often, such as when we end up overeating due to not paying attention, and then
end up drowsy or unhealthy or when we purchase something on an impulse and get
into debt.

To practice this, one needs to remind oneself, throughout the day, to pay attention to
our sense fields and not be carried away by them. This is especially powerful during
moments when we know that we get carried away, such as when eating, when going
to a place that is designed to entice our senses, such as a shopping center or any
situation that causes our senses to be carried away, such as consuming some form
of media.

Sense restraint training is closely tied to mindfulness, because being obsessed with
and driven by our initial sense impressions kills our mindfulness and self-reflection.
Because of this, the practice of mindfulness of postures and situational awareness
(sampajañña) of everyday activities is also another important support to sense
restraint and to formal mindfulness meditation itself. This was taught by the Buddha
in the SPS, where it says that one is to act with mindful clear knowing in all postures
and when moving about in the world, as well as when putting on clothing, eating or
drinking, going to the bathroom and speaking or being silent.

What this means is that we develop a mindful presence of where our body is and how
it is doing in all situations, as well as clear awareness of what it is doing and why. Our
natural tendency is to do things on autopilot without an embodied sense of attentive
presence. This practice trains us not to live like this and instead to develop a firm
grounding in our body’s way of being in the world. To do it, we take moments out of
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our day to feel and sense the body, know its posture and what it is doing. We connect
with your breathing and the quality of it.

This practice is perhaps the most difficult of all even though it is the most simple.
Since it means we should always be aware of what we are doing and why we are
doing it. But, life being what it is, it is much more likely we will forget this simple
practice. But this is a very basic form of ignorance. We need to keep trying to stay
awake in all situations, not sleepwalk through our life. However, one must remember
that this is a relaxed and calm practice, not one of obsessive and excessive effort.

One way that a beginner practice this is to train oneself at certain intervals by setting
reminders throughout the day, whether visuals such as sticky notes or electronic
ones. One can also pick certain times of the day, such as one’s lunch time, when you
wake up, when arriving home from work and so on, and tell oneself one will attempt to
heighten one’s awareness of the situation at those particular moments. Ideally, one
begins to broaden one’s practice of mindfulness of the body and situational
awareness to include moments throughout one’s entire day.

This is a very useful and flexible mindfulness practice, and some of the best
moments to do it are when one would otherwise look for distractions, such as using
your smartphone. Waiting in a line at a lunch counter or grocery store? Practice
mindfulness of the body. Stuck in traffic? Practice mindfulness of the body. Walking
through the parking lot? Going to the bathroom? Making breakfast? Going to sleep?
Practice mindfulness of the body.

Talking and dealing with others can be the most stressful moments of our day, so it is
also important to apply mindfulness during these situations.

This practice allows us to develop a continuity of mindfulness and thus supports our
formal sitting meditation practice by enhancing the power of our mindfulness.

The Buddha used certain similes to illustrate sense restraint and mindfulness of daily
activities. One says:

Suppose a person was to enter a thicket full of thorns. They’d have thorns in front and
behind, to the left and right, below and above. So they’d go forward mindfully and
come back mindfully, thinking, ‘May I not get any thorns!’ In the same way, whatever in
the world seems nice and pleasant is called a thorn in the training of the noble one.
When they understand what a thorn is, they should understand restraint and lack of
restraint. – SN 35.244

Another applicable simile used by the Buddha for sati was of a gatekeeper who
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carefully scrutinizes people before letting them inside the city or turning them away.

This defensive and guarding feature of sati closely ties it with sila, sense restraint and
with a sense of carefulness, prudence or diligence (appamada). The Buddha said:

Mendicants, you should be careful (appamada) in four situations. What four? Give up
bad conduct by way of body, speech, and mind; and develop good conduct by way of
body, speech, and mind. Don’t neglect these things. Give up wrong view; and develop
right view. Don’t neglect this. – AN 4.116

Mendicants, in your own way you should practice diligence, mindfulness, and
guarding of the mind in four situations. What four? “May my mind not be aroused by
things that arouse greed…May my mind not be angered by things that provoke hate…
May my mind not be deluded by things that promote delusion…May my mind not be
intoxicated by things that intoxicate.” – AN 4.117

This training then requires a constant state of careful responsibility or watchful

vigilance that does not allow oneself to do wrong or fail to do the right thing. It is
constantly on guard for unwholesome influences, such as our obsession with the
senses. Appamada is also always on the look out for ways to cultivate goodness.

The Buddha also compared mindfulness of the body to a strong post that one uses
for the practice of restraining the senses, which are like different kinds of wild
animals all tied together (SN 35.247). If they are set loose like this, chaos ensues. But
when tied to a post, they tire themselves out and then lay down to rest. In the same
way, our six senses (Buddhism lists the mind as a kind of sense organ which ‘senses’
thoughts) are like this, each running after pleasant experiences and running away
from unpleasant ones. The practice of mindfulness frees us from this compulsive
reactions that we are habituated to.

This practice shows how the Buddha’s teaching is at odds with a lot of what we
consider to be our everyday normal way of living. Most people go around with this
basic program: relish the pleasurable sensations, run away from the painful. But the
Buddha taught that we need to break through this to truly free the mind from
suffering. Because of this, he called himself one who “goes against the stream” or
more colloquially we could say he is “against the grain”.

We could say his teaching rebels against the way of life and ways of thinking of
normal people. What this means for the average practitioner is that they should not be
discouraged if it takes some time to change your habits. You have been practicing un-
mindfulness and sense gratification your whole life, so it will take time to turn
t d th Dh i f li i
towards the Dharmic way of living.

Whenever we notice that we have been distracted and inattentive, we just return to
mindfulness of the body and clear awareness without blaming ourselves.
Understanding that this process is a gradual training and that we not in full control of
our minds, we keep gently returning to sati, again and again. In this way, we see sati
as a lovely place to hang out, a refuge away from the troubles of life, not as a chore
we “need” to perform. It helps us anchor our mind in a safe place, so that it does not
get carried away by those wild animals, the senses.

In discussing the various preparations for mindfulness, we have gone through many
different elements which help support and ground our meditation. A common
mistake regarding these elements is that they are just “preparatory” and thus
secondary in importance to the formal meditation. Also, some think that you practice
this for a bit and then stop focusing on them, instead you focus on meditation. But
these are grave mistakes. Indeed, if they are the foundation for meditation, then they
are always necessary for successful practice.

There has recently been increased interest in “mindfulness meditation” in the West,
particularly in Western Psychology. This rise has seen an operationalization and
secularization of mindfulness meditation, and so a separation of it from the Buddhist
path. This emphasis on formal sitting meditation or on psychological techniques is
also seen in Buddhism, with the rise of the insight movement.

However, this “meditation first” approach is not how the Buddha taught meditation.
Instead he taught it as one part of a whole path, which was really a whole way of life,
with sati at the center. This centrality of sati was explained by the Buddha in the
following simile:

Seekers, anyone who contemplates the great ocean also sees all the streams that
flow into it. Just like this, anyone who has developed and cultivated mindfulness of
the body has all the wholesome qualities connected with true knowledge. – MN 119

Seen in this way, these foundational practices are really just as important as formal
meditation. Being a Buddhist meditator then, is really nothing more than structuring
your life according to the Buddhist path. It’s not just sitting in meditation once or
twice a day, it’s living meditatively. If these structural supports are neglected, then the
beautiful temple of meditation will not be able to be built at all.

Preparing for formal meditation

The Anapanasati Sutta (APSS) just says that a monk goes to a secluded place like a
f t t h t d it t i ht ith l d ith i df l t bli h d
forest or empty hut and sits straight with legs crossed with mindfulness established,
it doesn’t elaborate much on what to do in preparation for meditation. Another sutra
in the Chinese Samyukta Agama though gives us more to work with. It states that as
preparation, one adjusts one’s body and sits correctly, brings forth mindfulness and
cuts off craving and desires, severs ill-will, drowsiness, restlessness and doubt.

Posture is very important, I will not outline this in detail here, and it is easy to find
instructions online or in person. A straight back and crossed legs make for a solid
posture. Lotus posture is said to be best, if not half lotus posture, Burmese
(uncrossed legs) or even the Bodhisattva posture (a relaxed posture with one leg
raised). Also there are laying down postures like corpse (face up) and lion (sideways)
posture. Find one which is comfortable and does not make you feel pain or make you
sleepy. Also you can use a chair, couch, different cushions under the legs, lean
against the wall and so on. Do whatever makes you sit comfortably.

Stretching a bit before sitting can also help.

Regarding the list of mental qualities to be given up, these are the ‘five obstacles’
which will be outlined later. Reviewing these and making some effort to release their
most coarse influences seems to be solid advice before undertaking meditation.

The Samyukta Agama sutra “SA” 801 enumerates five beneficial conditions for the
cultivation of breath meditation, it points to a minimalist lifestyle:

1. Abide in purity following the five ethical trainings. 2. Have few desires, few things,
and few affairs to attend to. 3. Moderation in food and drink. 4. Don’t sleep too late or
too early. 5. Spend time in the forest, a quiet place away from troubles and conflicts.
Other discourses also say “an empty hut”.

Physical and mental seclusion is a quality widely praised throughout these texts as a
preliminary to anapanasati. It is definitely easier to focus the mind when there are
less people around to distract us. Noise and sounds are particularly disruptive to
meditation (in one sutta, noise is called a “thorn” to meditative states). Even if others
are being quiet, their mere presence affects our minds. Throughout the early texts,
meditators will almost always go off on their own into the forest after receiving
meditation instructions, and then return to report on how it went and receive feedback
from the Buddha or senior monastics.

The Pali commentary to the APSS says that seclusion is important because our mind
spends a lot of time pursuing sense objects and so it is a like a wild animal. Because
of this, a place that is secluded from these influences helps one tame this animal.
Since there is no way it could gain the objects it is accustomed to in a secluded
space, it does not attempt to break the rope of mindfulness. In other words, the less
distractions we have available, the less our mind will be distracted.

Moderation in diet and in sleep is a pretty obvious requirement. The body should be
balanced and energized for the practice.

You might also want to prime the mind with certain Buddhist contemplations, such as
the “five recollections” or taking refuge in the three jewels. You can also can read
Dharma passages or suttas. This will help set the mood and steer the mind away
from worldly things and towards spiritually joyful themes.
 Breath
Mindfulness 1
The first tetrad (group of four) says:

1. When breathing a long or heavy breath, they are aware of it.

2. When breathing a small or fine breath, they are aware of it.

3. Breathing in and out, they train in fully experiencing the whole body.

4. Breathing in and out, they train in calming bodily processes.

The first half puts forth a very basic mindfulness exercise, just be aware and attentive
of the quality of the breath while sitting still. The second half broadens the scope of
the practice to the whole body and adds a call to “train” oneself in some way.

To begin, sit relaxed and as still as you can. Check your posture and make sure it is
straight and comfortable. Set your eyes as you like, either open, closed or half-open.
This will depend on the person’s preferences and their state of mind. If you are tired
and sleepy, perhaps leave them open. If you are agitated, perhaps close them.
Whatever helps to calm the mind for you is what is best.

Now make an effort to be mindful, make mindfulness your single priority right now,
bring to the “front and center” of your mind. Tell yourself that this is the time to
arouse your attention and let everything else be for now. Think about your intention
and why you want to be mindful, why you want to meditate.

Make sure you breathe through the nose Just let the breath come and go naturally
Make sure you breathe through the nose. Just let the breath come and go naturally,
just notice where it is being felt, don’t try to control it or force it in any individual spot.
The forest master Ajahn Chah said: “Simply observe it without trying to control or
suppress it in any way. In other words, don’t attach to anything.”

Diaphragmatic breathing is considered the most natural, and relaxing way to breathe,
so breathe expanding the abdomen first. Where to place the attention? The text does
not specify, so for me this indicates that one is just aware of the general experience
of breathing. No need to place the mind on an actual spot of the body. Some teach to
focus on the rising of the belly, others focus on the nose or in the expansion of whole
torso. Ajahn Chah taught that one can focus on the nose at the beginning of a breath,
then move to chest for the middle of a breath and finally the abdomen at the end of a
breath – and then in reverse for the out breath. Find whatever works for you.

Ten or so deep breaths at the beginning may help to energize oneself for the
meditation and to bring the breath to the “forefront” of our awareness. So take some
long and deep breaths as you inhale, pay attention to how the abdomen, and
diaphragm expand and contract. You can count from 1 to 10 on the inhale and 10 to 1
on the exhale. A deep long in breath should take anywhere from 4 to 8 seconds,
likewise for a slow exhale. Experiment with the length and texture of the breath, see
what feels good and invigorating.

To start out, one can also use mental notes linked to the breath as a way to calm
mental chatter. This can simply be “rising – falling”, or “In – out”. One can also use a
mantra or meditation word like “Bud-dho”. Another technique is counting up to ten
repeatedly with each out breath, in breath, or both, until it becomes natural and you
don’t lose count. You can also include the pauses in the between the breaths instead
of just the in and out breaths – “in – pause – out – pause” or “Bud-dho … Bud-dho”,
“Om (in)-mani (pause)-padme (out)-hum (pause).”

The use of the counting method as a preliminary aid to mindfulness is taught in

various Abhidharma texts of the Northern and Southern traditions.

Try to find a balance between effort and relaxation. The Vimuttimagga says: He
should not try too strenuously nor too laxly. If he tries too laxly, he will fall into rigidity
and torpor. If he tries too strenuously, he will become restless.

After a while, when the mind has settled a bit, you can move from noting or counting
to following the in and out breath together without any inner verbalization, or you can
skip the noting altogether and start here if you feel that these are not helpful.

Try to notice the beginning, the middle and the end of the breath. Do not miss a
moment of it and attempt to be with the whole event. One can also focus one’s
attention on noticing the pauses in between. A Chinese parallel to the
Maharahulovada sutta states: At the time when there is breath, he is aware it is there;
at a time when there is no breath, he is aware it is not there (Ekottarika Agama “EA”
17.1). This means every element of the breath is to be noticed, even the moments
when one is not taking in or sending out.

In the beginning you might only notice just the in and out, later as mindfulness
improves, you’ll notice more and more gradients of the breath in detail, the pause
before, the initial moment when it starts, the drawing in, the pause in between, etc.

In a related method called “following” we notice the breathing sensations entering the
nose, moving down the throat, and into our lungs, expanding our torso and diaphragm,
pausing and then moving back out. We try to notice as closely as possible the
movements of the whole physical breathing process without gaps. Evaluate and
investigate the breathing processes, notice closely how mind and body respond to the
settling of awareness on the breath.

Knowing that the breath is long or short refers to noticing its length, texture and other
qualities, without judgement. Just sense it and watch how it changes. Become a
connoisseur of the breath. Is it slow or fast, cool or warm, calm or harsh, smooth or
coarse, pleasant or unpleasant? Where is it felt most vividly? What does it sound like,
listen to it.

Study the breath like a naturalist. While the Pali suttas only mentions length, a
Chinese parallel in the Ekottarika Agama mentions being mindful of the temperature
of the breath. This indicates that this step is more about a general evaluation of
various qualities of breath to arouse mindfulness.

This analytical element of the meditation is the quality known as “investigation of

principles” (dhammavicaya). It avoids distraction by arousing interest in the object of
meditation and also yields further insight into the meditation process. Keep in mind
that patisamvedi is not intellectualizing though, it is more of a sensing or intuiting, so
try not to get too discursive about the breath but to feel it out.

The Theravada Patisambhidamagga (henceforth: Patis.) notes another important

quality to attend to here, called chanda, a positive desire, aspiration, interest or zeal.
In this case it refers to an eagerness and wholesome desire to be with and investigate
the meditation theme.

It is through this interest or affinity for the breath that our meditation matures.
Chanda to be with the breath also leads to a sense of gladness once we’ve been with
Chanda to be with the breath also leads to a sense of gladness once we ve been with
it for some time. Investigation can arouse some energy or vigor for the practice, this
is the factor of viriya. You can also try to cultivate this by creating a sense of spiritual
urgency and reminding yourself of your intention and the goal of your practice.

Imagine for example, how little time we have in our life to truly practice, or imagine
yourself in the future as an accomplished meditator, and all of the joy and calm you’ll
feel from having practiced so diligently now. With time, one does not need to think
much to activate chanda.

Ideally the breath will become refined, shorter and calmer over time as you continue.
You may also begin to notice that the breath is connected to the mind – an agitated
mind means rapid breathing, and calming the breath also calms the mind. Observing
the breath allows one to see the conditional connection between the mind and the
body.

Distractions

If thoughts or sensations arise and distract you from the breath, simply come back
without making a big deal out of it. You might also make a mental note of them
(“thinking”, “intending”, “soreness”, “itching”, etc.) and go back to the breath. Don’t be
discouraged, the mind’s nature is to wander, so just take it with humor and with
patience.

When you bring the mind back you can also try to restate your intention for practicing
and rejoice that you have caught your mind wandering and have brought it back to its
proper place. Remind yourself that real happiness, a perfect freedom, is possible and
is something which is in a sense already accessible and that you are training the mind
to see this right now.

MN 20 also recommends meditating on the drawbacks or dangers (adinava) of letting

yourself stay distracted with these thoughts. Where would all this distraction lead?
Why is it unskillful? How do they lead to suffering?

You also want to cultivate a preventive attention that sees the mind wobbling before
getting “caught” in a train of thought. A common simile is that of a monkey swinging
from tree branch to tree branch. You want to keep the monkey on one branch and
watch closely. You notice when the monkey is looking away from the branch and is
starting to reach to grab another branch and you coax it to stay and look at its branch.
The distracted mind is like this.

A method of dealing with wandering thoughts is the following, inspired by a similar

method taught by Bhikkhu Vimalaramsi It consists of these steps (“five R’s”):
method taught by Bhikkhu Vimalaramsi. It consists of these steps ( five R s ):
Release, Relax, Rejoice, Remind, and Return. To do this, when you catch the mind
moving away, release the desire to go somewhere else, don’t follow it, and just let it
pass. Now relax the mind and the body and rejoice in this feeling of having recognized
and having released. Take a deep breath and smile even. Then remind yourself why
you are meditating, what your intention is. Then return home, the meditation theme.
Do this as needed. Over time, you should not need this method as a crutch and should
just naturally learn to release and return.

The suttas state that there are cases of serious distractions when a different
approach is needed:

When a seeker…remains thus focused on the body in & of itself, a fever based on the
body [or feelings, or mind, etc] arises within his body, or there is sluggishness in his
awareness, or his mind becomes scattered externally.

They should then direct their mind to any inspiring theme (nimitta). As their mind is
directed to any inspiring theme, delight arises. In one who feels delight, rapture arises.
In one whose mind is enraptured, the body grows calm. Their body being calm, they
feel pleasure. As they feels pleasure, their mind grows unified. They reflect, ‘I have
attained the aim to which my mind was directed. Let me withdraw [my mind from the
inspiring theme]’. They withdraw & engages neither in directed thought nor in
evaluation. They understand, ‘I am not thinking or evaluating. I am inwardly mindful &
at ease.’ – SN 47.10

As this sutta shows, it is a common issue in meditation that the mind is not settling
properly and instead experiences bodily excitation or tension, and mental tiredness or
anxiety. A common cause for this is inappropriate attention (ayoniso manasikara).

When these issues arise and become difficult, we can bring to the mind a theme to
contemplate that will gladden it and calm it, such as the good fruits of our practice,
Nirvana – the final end of suffering, our own good deeds, the example of the Buddha
or another teacher, etc. When the mind has settled, you can drop the theme. This is
called “development by directing the mind”. If the mind settles on its own, then one
can simply note that it has calmed down and been released from distractions, this is
called “development by not-directing the mind.”

Sabbakaya

The following sections shift from “one knows” to “one trains” or “practices” (sikkhati),
indicating that there is some increased effort involved in these steps. However, this
should not be a forceful effort but a gentle guiding.
Also the term “patisamvedi” is now used, which I translate as “fully experiencing”, but
could also mean “to know”, “to sense” or even “feel”. This kind of knowing is an
intimate ‘getting in touch with’ in a whole and complete way (hence the prefix -sam). It
is not intellectual analyzing, rather a more subtle form of ‘being-with’, a way of getting
to know closely, a tender and intuitive sense of familiarity.

These latter elements of the first tetrad are training oneself to expand our awareness
to ‘all bodies’ or the ‘whole body’ (sabbakaya), which include the totality of the breath
and physical bodily phenomena. The following step also implies keeping a stable,
relaxed bodily posture and calming any intentions to move from this posture. One
also remains aware of the breathing process, but now one expands this awareness to
the whole body and notices how the breathing processes affect all the body
processes.

There is some controversy over this term since some take it to mean strictly just the
“body of the breath” and not the whole physical body. This is because the APSS itself
says that the breath is a “body among bodies” (i.e. a collection of phenomena). Let us
look at some evidence which shows that this distinction is a pointless one from the
point of view of meditative experience.

The parallels in the Chinese Agamas use various phrases including:

Samyukta Agama “SA” 803 and SA 807 says “awareness of the entire body (覺知一
切身; 一切身覺 )”
SA 810 says “awareness of all bodily formations (一切身行覺知)”
Ekottara Agama “EA” 3.8 says that one completely observes the body (具觀身體),
fully observing and knowing it from the head down to the feet (從頭至足皆當觀知).

In and out breathing is closely related to the property of air. MN 62 says regarding the
air property:

And what is the air element? The air element may be interior or exterior. And what is
the interior air element? Anything that’s wind, windy, and organic that’s internal,
pertaining to an individual. This includes: winds that go up or down, winds in the belly
or the bowels, winds that flow through the limbs, in-breaths and out-breaths, or
anything else that’s air, airy, and organic that’s internal, pertaining to an individual.

This passage shows us that for ancient Buddhists, the air property was considered as
being active throughout the physical body, even in the limbs. This is also seen in the
Vedic sources. Therefore, even if sabbakaya is to be understood just as “body of the
breath”, this could still include a broadening of our awareness to the whole physical
body.

Furthermore the Sarvastivada and Sautrantika sources of the Northern Buddhist

tradition interpreted this passage as referring to the breath as it moves through the
whole physical body. The Mahavibhasasastra says that in this step one feels the
whole body breathing in and out, and compares it to how air moves through the entire
body of a lotus root. Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakosabhasya (4th-5th century) states:

The ascetic follows the air breathed in into the throat, the heart, the navel, the kidneys,
the thigh, and so on to the two feet; the ascetic follows the air breathed out to a
distance of a hand and a cubit. Likewise, the Dhyana Samadhi Sutra (Zuochan
sanmei jing, Taishō 614) translated by Kumarajiva (4th century CE), teach this
practice as one in which one:

Perceives the breath pervading the body and filling all pores, down to those on the
toes, just like water soaking into sand...Just like the air that fills bellows, whether it is
going out or coming in, the wind blowing in and out through the mouth and nose fills
the body. One observes the whole body that the wind fills, like holes of a lotus root
filled with water and a fishing net soaked in water…The mind sees the breath coming
in and going out through all pores and the nine apertures of the body.

With all this in mind, it seems to me then that this practice is referring to all physical
processes, including the breathing processes and all the physical processes of the
human body which are ultimately connected and supported by the act of breathing.
Hence one is to pay attention to “all-bodies” in a holistic sense. This makes sense if
one understands that the ancient Indian view of the “breath” (pana/prana) is broader
than the meaning of the English word “breath”, and includes activities and sensations
felt throughout the whole body.

To practice this third step, begin by expanding the experience of the breath to all
noticeable breathing sensations. Pay attention to as much of the breath as possible
in every place that it is being felt – from nose to neck to chest to navel. Follow its
trajectory fully and notice all the parts of the body that are engaged and affected by
the breathing process. This will slowly lead you to experience your whole body. Open
yourself up to sensing the entire body, just allow yourself to experience all the
sensations. How is your body responding to the breathing? What is happening as you
breathe? How does it move or change during the process?

I have found that it can be helpful to understand and look up images of the
anatomical process of breathing and how the chest cavity, diaphragm and rib cage
looks and works as it expands giving room for the lungs to be filled. Having a good
and anatomically accurate mental image of this process can add a whole new
dimension to mindfulness of breath and body.

One of the most common techniques used by meditation teachers is the “body scan”
or “body sweep” and this can be helpful in this step. Beginning at some spot, slowly
move your awareness through the body in sections, maintaining mindful awareness
of each section for a suitable length of time, attending to the arising and passing of
different sensations and then moving on.

This may be combined with noting practice by calmly naming each section in the
mind, or you can just be quietly aware of each bodily section and the breathing
sensations. When scanning, avoid getting stuck in one spot and losing your continuity
of practice by getting bored with it and drifting off. Try having a predetermined
number of breaths for each area of the body and make sure you keep your attention
moving.

Try to pay careful attention to all the different elements of the area you’re attending
to. You can also visualize the area in your mind.

To do this, begin by focusing your awareness on one spot and then let it grow from
there, slowly and gradually adding more and more sections of the body until you have
the whole body covered. Eventually your sensations of breathing and of your body will
become one. I have found that good places to start are center of the torso, the face or
the abdomen. You can also use the meditation phrase “whole body breathing” as you
breathe until the attention has settled across the whole body.

Try experimenting with these instructions, you might for example want to start with
whole body awareness first, or with focusing on one spot first, or you might want to
vary how you scan the body or how you visualize the breath entering and leaving the
body.

You might want to focus on only one aspect of these instructions during your
meditation until you’ve gotten good at it and after some time you might move through
the initial steps faster. See what works for you, there is no need to be strict following
these instructions because they are merely guidelines for getting one to the goal.

Relaxing

The next step is “passadhi” applied to “kayasankhara”. In the Pali tradition, passadhi
has connotations of relaxing and calming, in the Northern traditions, the Sanskrit
word prasrabhi was used to refer more to a sense of pliancy or flexibility and in
Chan/Zen, it is a certain lightness and ease. All of this points to a quality which is
both relaxed and light which also means malleability and flexibility.

As noted by K.L. Dhammajoti, various parallel sources of the sixteen mode

anapanasati use other terms as well. The Sariputrabhidharma and the
Satyasiddhisastra says that one trains “eliminating” (除 *pratiprasrambhayan) the
bodily activities. Meanwhile, the Mahasamghika Vinaya says that one breathes
“relinquishing” (捨) the bodily activities. The Dharmatrata-dhyana-sutra has “gradually
putting to rest (漸休息) the bodily activities.” All this points to a gradual calming,
settling, dissolving and letting go of physical activity.

What is being calmed? We can differentiate several different interconnected

elements:
The breathing.
Any bodily movement or activity.
Tightness and tension present in the body.
Our intention or volition to move/shift the body.
Our intention or volition to control the breath.
Mental processes (indirectly).

The Theravada Commentary says:

I shall breathe in and out, quieting, making smooth, making the activity of the
breathing body tranquil and peaceful…when the body and the mind are under control
then the body and the mind become placid, restful. When these are restful, the
breathings proceed so fine that the bhikkhu doubts whether or not the breathings are
going on…

What are the activities of the body? …Calming the body-activity by way of quieting the
bodily activities of bending forwards, sidewards, all over, and backwards, and (by way
of the quieting of) the moving, quivering, vibrating, and quaking of the body…

Kayasankharas refer to any bodily processes, especially those connected with

breathing, and also to any physical activities related to stress or tightness and any
subtle movements. Mental stress creates physical tension and vice versa, our breath
is hurried, our muscles and stomach tighten and our sympathetic nervous system
which regulates flight-or-flight activates. See if you can notice these processes going
on in your body.

This step is necessary because calming the breath leads to a relaxed body and mind
which are much more suitable and pliant for the work of meditation. Attending to and
relaxing the breathing process engages the parasympathetic nervous system which
calms the body and mind. The fact that this step is meant to calm both body and
mind is explicitly stated in the Satyasiddhisastra which says that the gross breathing
ceases because “there is peacefulness (安隱, ksema) in their citta [heart-mind].”

So initially in this practice, focus on calming, smoothing, lightening and softening your
whole breathing process, which is also said to be the “conditioner” or “fabricator” of
the body (hence kaya sankhara).

To be able to notice and study how the breath relates to and affects the body, we can
begin to train by gently adjusting our breathing and being sensitive to changes in our
body as we do. Try to guide the breath to become finer, calmer, smoother and lighter.
Try to find a rhythm and texture that feels nice and peaceful. Notice if there is any
straining or tightness the beginning, middle or end of the breathing process, then try
to relax this. Try to let the end of each out-breath seamlessly meld into the next in
breath.

You can repeat a word or phrase in your mind initially as you try this, such as “calming
the breath” and so on.

Breathing should be a smooth circular rhythm not shifty huffs and puffs. The Buddha
compared it to someone shaping pottery on a lathe. Think about that simile, the
potter is touching and shaping each side of the pot and smoothing it out, making it
even with each spin. Also he is becoming more and more focused at it as he goes,
and yet making less and less effort.

Thanissaro Bhikkhu advises one to just pose the question in your mind “what kind of
breathing would feel good?” and see how the body responds. Find the breath that feel
comfortable and appreciate it, let yourself be happy that you are breathing peacefully
right now. Just allow the sense of the breath to spread and expand on its own.

The Patis. says there are five faults of anapanasati: The mind that hunts the past, that
loves the future, that is slack, over-exerted, or enticed, or repelled, is unconcentrated.
Try to see if you are doing any of these activities and let them go or adjust your
meditation accordingly.

Try just being clearly aware in the present while just resting your awareness on the
breathing and body and keeping still. SN 54.7 states:

the samadhi of the mindfulness of breathing that is cultivated and increased with
neither moving nor fidgeting of the body, with neither moving nor fidgeting of the
mind.
Likewise, SA 806 depicts a monk, venerable Kapphina, as the exemplar anapanasati
meditator. His practiced is described as “making his body straight and unmoving (正
身不動)” and “not leaning and not moving (不傾不動).” He is praised by the Buddha for
his practice.

The Vimuttimaga and the Patis. both note that this step is related to maintaining a
stable posture and calming any intention to move. So this step also includes being
mindful of your posture and keeping totally motionless. The Vimuttimagga notes that
one is to notice any shifting of one’s posture such as: bending down; stooping,
bending all over, bending forward, moving, quivering, trembling and shaking. The
Patis. notes this includes stilling any bending backwards, sideways, in all directions,
and forwards, and no perturbation, excitement, moving, and shaking, of the body,
quiet and subtle.

Because of all this, I disagree with teachers who say that it is OK to move during your
meditation as long as you are doing it ‘mindfully’. Rather, you must make every effort
not to move and to notice the subtle vibrations and movements that your body makes
on its own and let those calm down. Don’t do this in a forceful manner. Don’t strain
your body to remain still, just become aware of the subtle physical movements and
slowly let them dissolve and quiet down. This helps to give rise to and stabilize
samadhi.

MN 125 illustrates this with a simile:

When the elephant is being trained to be unshakable, he does not move his forelegs
or his hindlegs; he does not move his forequarters or his hindquarters; he does not
move his head, ears, tusks, tail, or trunk. The king’s elephant is able to endure blows
from spears, blows from swords, blows from arrows, blows from other beings, and
the thundering sounds of drums, kettledrums, trumpets, and tomtoms.

As you continue to meditate, maintain mindfulness of whole body breathing and the
holistic knowing of the breath energies and activities. Sometimes the relaxation
process can happen all by itself and all you need to do is just be mindful of the body
and let everything naturally relax. If this happens, great. You didn’t need to do anything
but pay attention. This is the natural way. Some people, either because of experience
or other reasons, are better at this than others.

You can also try just being mindful of the body breathing and noticing the areas
where it is not relaxed. Then see if just watching them leads to the releasing of some
tension. Ideally, you want to get to the point where this is all you need to do, just be
mindful of the places where the body holds tension and have them relax and settle on
 p y
their own. Let the body breathe by itself and do not interfere in any way. Notice how
you are subtly trying to control the breath and let that sense of control go. Try to keep
a mind clear of complexities and concepts and see what happens. Just let things be.

Another method of calming the breath is focusing on the pauses between breaths.
This is taught in the Sravakabhumi section of the Yogacarabhumi:

He trains thus at the time when the in-breathing has ceased and the out-breathing
does not yet arise, or vice versa, and he takes as cognitive object this state which is
devoid of in- and out-breathing. Moreover, previously the breathing was coarse and
hard of sensation because the meditation had not been properly practized; now as a
result of the practice it becomes gentle and pleasant of sensation.

If however, just being mindful of the body is not enough to automatically calm down
bodily processes then there are more active methods one can try. As I explain at
length in “On Sati”, Buddhist meditation is often much more than just being calmly
attentive in the present. It tells us outright that it is important to learn how to actively
cultivate factors such as pasaddhi instead of just being passively aware.

The Buddha clearly differentiated from these two different kinds of anapanasati in SN
54.6. In this sutta, the ascetic Arittha says he practices anapanasati by giving up
desires for sensual pleasures in the past and in the future as well as by having
eliminated any aversion for internal and external phenomena.

The Buddha replies “That is mindfulness of breathing, Arittha; I don’t deny it.” But then
he goes on to explain that anapanasati is only “fulfilled in detail” through the practice
of the sixteen modes. So clearly, the Buddha believed that the practice of the sixteen
modes expounded in the APSS is the superior practice while at the same time
accepting that one could practice Arittha’s simpler version of anapanasati which
consists in just being mindful of the breath without desires or aversions.

The APSS asks one to set an intention to breathe and pay attention in skillful ways,
and this can be proactive, energetic (viriya) and analytical (dhammavicaya) not just
passive. Most importantly, you are moving the meditation forward progressively, you
have a direction (the sixteen steps) you’re not just being in the present with whatever
is happening. You are also consciously working to make meditative progress through
the sixteen steps which are ultimately subtler ways of letting go and developing
samadhi. The Buddha also said:

“one exerts a fabrication [sankhara] against the cause of suffering for which
dispassion comes from the fabrication of exertion, and develops equanimity with
d t th f ff i f hi h di i f th d l t f
regard to the cause of suffering for which dispassion comes from the development of
equanimity.” – MN 101

What is this fabrication one exerts? MN 44 says there are bodily fabrications of
breathing, verbal fabrications of directed thought and evaluation and mental
fabrications of perceptions and feelings. This is what one is “training”. So the Buddha
does not deny that being equanimous towards things can lead to samadhi and
dispassion, but he stresses that active methods of cultivation are also important.

This is also stressed by the list of the “bases of power” which includes elements of
persistent intention (chanda) and energetic effort based on persistence and exertion.
Even equanimity, just being with whatever arises without reacting, initially requires
some conscious effort to develop (you have to keep your mind from moving away
from or towards phenomena) and is ultimately is also a mental construct as well.

This process of skillful effort is deemed necessary by the Buddha because we – the
untrained and unenlightened – are never “just aware”. We are always fabricating and
imputing concepts, intentions and attachments into sense experience – in order to
get more pleasure and avoid pain. But we do so unskillfully.

To get to the point of just being aware without imputation, we have to fabricate away
unskillful fabrications. Once one has trained and developed one’s samadhi, then
equanimity will be more effortless and will arise from samadhi itself, and this higher
equanimity can then be let go by not fabricating anything. But to get to this refined
level, we start with fabricating a base of samadhi by working on the physical, the
coarsest element of experience, and move to more subtle elements.

This is like climbing a ladder. You gradually step off one rung to step to a higher one,
and so on until you have climbed to the top and no longer need any of the rungs
themselves or the entire ladder.

This training also includes elements of experimentation and of trial and error. This
aspect of Buddhist meditation is important because to be able to understand how
causality works on different mental phenomena we must, like scientists, make
experimental changes to our environment and our mind and see what works to calm
ourselves down and increase mindfulness.

To understand the complex causal relationships going on in our experiential life, we

watch carefully as we alter certain features. Over time, we get better at achieving the
result we desire, samadhi and wisdom. The Buddha compared this aspect of training
to a king’s cook (in SN 47:8).

Th kh t t diff t i df dt h t ill l hi t i
The cook has to try different recipes and food to see what will please his master in
the same way that a meditator has to adjust physical and mental phenomena and
learn through experience what works and what doesn’t. Since everyone is different in
some way, learning to self evaluate like this is crucial for our own self development
and cultivation.

So, to practice a more “active” form of calming, we notice how the breath conditions
the body, and the effects that calming the breath have on calming the body. Try to
breathe more subtly, more calmly and see how this conditions the body. You may
repeat a phrase or word (such “breathe calming the whole body”, or the words “calm”,
“relax”).

Thich Nhat Hanh recommends putting on a slight smile as a relaxation technique and
provides the verse following verse to silently repeat in the mind: “In, out – Deep, slow
– Calm, ease – Smile, release – Present moment, wonderful moment.”

The calming step is closely connected with the previous one and it can be useful to
practice them together using the body scan method to calm each body part step by
step. As you perform the body scan, think about the breath healing and calming each
area, you can even visualize the breath moving into them and soothing them or
imagine breathing in through the pores in each spot. One could also do two body
scans, one just experiencing and one for relaxing. Find what works for you.

As we gently place our attention on each part of the body, we soften and let go of any
tightness in the body, a lot of our discomfort in meditation comes from patterns of
psychosomatic tension in the body. We notice these places of contraction, the
muscular knots and so on, and we set our intention to release them and to release our
aversion to them as well.

Deliberately calm your body as you exhale, feeling the breath blowing away the
tension in your body. You can focus on the areas of your body that are most tense,
these will be different with each person. Try releasing the tightness in the shoulders
and back of the neck. Soften the muscles of the face, especially around the mouth,
forehead and eyes. Relax your hands and open them up. Calm the belly and let it
naturally expand outwards. These are common points of tension, if any of these are
more tight than others, then make a note of it.

Many times we do not like these feelings of tightness and want to force them to go
away, but the best way to relax them is not to push them away but to subtly let them
go and let them dissolve on their own and this includes releasing our aversion to
them. This process is subtle, it is a middle way between rejecting and not doing
anything with time you will learn to release without aversion You can use the
anything, with time you will learn to release without aversion. You can use the
following phrases for each body part or for the body as a whole if helpful:
Breathe sensing … (any body section, or whole body)
Breathe experiencing …
Breathe noticing tension in …
Breathe releasing tension in …
Breathe calming …
Breathe relaxing …

After some time, these phrases can and should be dropped and one can do this non-
conceptually, think of these props as training wheels. After the scanning you can
settle back to the feeling of the breath in one area and spread awareness from that
spot so it fills the entire body.

Another technique is to notice how the breath energy or sensation feels on a

particular part of the body. There are all sorts of sensations that are connected with
breathing and one should pay attention to all of them and let the body relax as you do
so. There’s nothing supernatural about these breath energy sensations, they are
simply the phenomenological counterparts to all of the muscular, organ and nerve
activity which your body uses to breathe.

Sense the breath and the body sensations at once and notice how they affect and
relax each other. One can also “work with the breath” by feeling the breath on the
different sections of the body as if one is breathing “out” of that part of the body, or
“breathe into” that part of the body, mentally “sending” breath energy to that part,
imagining your breath is moving towards that part and relaxing it. Do this in a calm
way not forcing. You can also visualize this as a calming wind using a cool color like
green or blue.

If there is discomfort or pain, stay still, don’t judge it, and stick to the meditation. If it’s
still a problem after some time, watch the pain, and notice if you can imagine breath
energies moving into it and relaxing it.

Try taking some long deep breaths and let this relax you. Learn to fill your lungs with
less effort and then slowly let the breathing naturally settle. Then just notice the
effects of the deep breaths.

It is important to balance the energizing factors of breath training and the calming
factors, too much emphasis on the calm factors might put you to sleep or in a stupor,
too much energizing factor will make you anxious or produce a “fever based on the
body” as the Buddha taught.

There must also be a middle way between too much activity and too little action.
Basically the way I see it is that there are passive and active aspects to meditation
practice, some teachers only teach the passive aspect of ‘just watching’, others focus
too much on the doing and making things happen. But ultimately you have to use your
own experience and discernment to find out what works for you.

Think of it like training a young elephant. You are being active and guiding the
elephant to proper action, but you also have to let it learn on its own without forcing it,
hurting it or micromanaging it otherwise it will probably lash out and cause all sorts
of harm. So you have to find a balance and gently lead it to the proper behavior with
positive reinforcement and other skillful tricks.

After you’ve been working at it for some time you’ll notice that you are following the
breathing body better, without being distracted. The breath should also become less
coarse, and more refined and the breathing process more relaxed. You may also
begin to feel pleasurable sensations, this can lead to greater mindfulness and calmer
breathing. This is confirmed by the Patis. which says that one breathes in increasingly
subtler breaths “through joy.”

The Visuddhimagga says: When the bodily disturbance has been stilled by the gradual
cessation of gross in-breaths and out-breaths, then both the body and the mind
become light: the physical body is as though it were ready to leap up into the air. –
Vism.282

A Theragatha verse says: Light, varily, feels my body filled with joy and bliss. Like a
cotton ball carried by the breeze, floating…

The Vimuttimagga states that when the breath and mind have been calmed one may
feel a pleasant sensation which it called the nimitta, this is said to be “similar to that
which is produced in the action of spinning cotton or silk cotton. Also, it is likened to
the pleasant feeling produced by a breeze.”

The Vimuttimagga also states that after practicing for some time the breath becomes
fainter and fainter until it disappears. When this happens, you can ask yourself “how
did the breath become calm?” and investigate, then just rest.

The Pali commentary and the Patis. compare the latter stages of this step to the
sound of the gong getting progressively fainter. This adds an extra challenge to the
practice because the breath becomes increasingly subtle and thus harder to sense.
The commentary states that increasingly stronger mindfulness is needed as the
breath becomes fainter and compares it to:

As in doing needlework on a piece of fine cloth, it is necessary that the needle should
be fine, too, and the instrument for boring the needle’s eye still finer; so, while
developing this subject of meditation, which is like fine cloth, it is necessary that both
mindfulness, which is like the needle, and understanding associated therewith, which
is like the instrument that bores the needle’s eye, should be strong.

The Buddha describes samadhi states as expanded whole body states. He tells us to
spread the sense of pleasure throughout our body as one would knead water into
flour to make dough or as a cool spring wells up into a lake, filling it with coolness.
These metaphors show that the Buddha’s view of samadhi was not one of contracted
laser like focus but one of expansive un-scattered awareness. It is a state of mind
that is integrated and has a sense of togetherness. One should feel as if the breath,
the body and the mind are getting more and more unified and broad.

Maintain the broad sense of the breath energies throughout your entire body, sensing
the breathing sensations and energies all throughout our body and continue lightly
adjusting them to become more pleasant and calming. This allows for pleasurable
sensations to continue to spread throughout the body. Noticing pleasure throughout
the body is indicated in the next tetrad so in this step we are already practicing with
the second tetrad in mind.

The Patis. also seems to say that this step includes aspects of mind as well. How can
this be if this is the section on mindfulness of the body? This is because ‘the body’
(kaya) is not ultimately separate from the heart-mind (citta). Body conditions mind
and vice versa. Any attempt to meditate on one of these will ultimately bring us into
contact with the other, even if only peripherally. Breathing mindfully and sitting still are
intentional actions, and there is will involved in them. Instead of ignoring this aspect
of experience, we should also extend our mindfulness to it.

So as we practice this tetrad, we are not oblivious to the mental processes, with a
single minded focus on the body. That would be a one sided practice. Instead, we
foreground the body, but also peripherally remain aware of the mind, especially how
the mind affects the body. We need not bring the mind to the center of attention
however, we just leave it in the “background”, so to speak.

To do this, we just have to notice the mental aspects related to body and breath, such
as our intentions to move or breathe in a certain way, as well as our intentions to
control the body and breathing processes and so on. We notice how our thoughts
about the body conditions the body. Then we can also work to relax and calm these
body directed intentions, letting them settle down. This includes all the active
elements of our meditation that we were using to attempt to calm the body. As we do
this, we also calm the body in subtler and deeper ways.

Since body and breath are ultimately one interconnected system, we should pay
attention to this. This way of attending naturally leads to subtler refinements of
mindfulness which extend to the sensations/feelings (vedanas) of the second
satipatthana as one feels pleasant and unpleasant sensations during the meditation
session.

Fulfilling the satipatthanas

The Buddha said that the practice of anapanasati fulfills or completes the four
satipatthanas. This could be understood to mean that the key ‘meditative territory’
covered by the four satipatthanas is also covered by anapanasati. Because of this, it
is useful to look at how the anapanasati practice is closely linked to the other
satipatthana exercises.

The ugly and unclean

One satipatthana exercise that anapanasati can be expanded into is the practice of
asubhasañña, the “recognition of non-beauty” or asucisañña, “the recognition of the
unclean”. The main reason why we might want to do this contemplation is that it
helps us relate to the body without clinging. The SPS outlines this exercise like this:

Now, a seeker examines their body from the hair tips down to the soles of the feet,
wrapped in skin and full of unclean things. They examine like this: ‘This body has
head hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys,
heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, intestines, stomach lining, undigested food,
feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, snot, fluid in the joints,
and urine.’

This list is not meant to be comprehensive, and some texts add “and whatever else…”
at the end, indicating that it is just an example of what to contemplate and so one
could easily do our own list to meditate on or just use whatever comes to mind.

A sutta in the Anapana Samyutta directly states that anapanasati and meditation on
the ugly or “repulsive” aspects of the body can be practiced together:

Now, a mendicant might wish: ‘May I meditate perceiving the repulsive in the
unrepulsive.’ So let them closely focus on this immersion due to mindfulness of
breathing. Now, a mendicant might wish: ‘May I meditate perceiving the unrepulsive in
the repulsive May I meditate perceiving the repulsive in the unrepulsive and the
the repulsive…May I meditate perceiving the repulsive in the unrepulsive and the
repulsive…perceiving the unrepulsive in the repulsive and the unrepulsive….May I
meditate staying equanimous, mindful and aware, rejecting both the repulsive and the
unrepulsive.’ So let them closely focus on this immersion due to mindfulness of
breathing. – SN 54.8

It is important to understand that this exercise is not meant to lead to a hatred or

dislike of the body. Rather, it is meant to provide a balanced outlook on our body and
those of others, since we are often clinging to bodies as being beautiful or sexually
attractive, clean or nice. Because of our deep habits of ignorance and craving, our
minds naturally turn away from the unclean aspects of the bodies we interact with
and focus on the attractive and clean.

To counteract this habit we practice asubhasañña, the contemplation of non-beauty

or ugliness. Instead of seeing bodies through the lens of beauty, cleanliness and thus
sensuality, we direct our attention to aspects of the body we don’t usually think about,
especially the insides, and this leads to a sense of dispassion and equanimity about
bodies in general and a weakening of desire. The fact that equanimity and balance is
the goal of the practice is clear in the progression outlined in the above sutta
quotation, which ends with a kind of equanimity that is beyond both the repulsive and
the unrepulsive (or attractive/beautiful).

To some persons this practice and its goal of weakening sense desire might seem
unnatural or repressive. However, this is actually a broadening of our perspective to
accept the ugly and unclean aspects of the body that we normally prefer to ignore and
repress. When this is done, one can experience a real sense of peace that is free from
the impossible notion that sense pleasures can ever be fulfilled by endlessly pursuing
them.

A Chinese parallel to the SPS also mentions that one can contemplate the function of
each body part. In this sense one can see the body for how it functions instead of
how it seems, and this can provide yet another alternative perspective to our usual
one fueled by sensuality.

It’s clear that this exercise includes a kind of evaluation of the body parts, not just an
observation of it. One is seeing them as ugly and unclean. However, how strong of an
emphasis one wants to place on this element of the practice will depend on one’s life
circumstances, situation, psychological disposition, and affect. The point is to arrive
at a balanced attitude towards the body. So if one senses that the practice is leading
one towards one of the extremes (hatred or craving regarding the body) then one
should adjust how one does this practice.
For example, while a celibate monk might want to strongly emphasize this since he
wants to fully quench his sense desire for bodies, a married layperson might not be
ready to take this practice to that level yet and might be content with just observing
the body parts in a more neutral way.

Likewise, someone who has a sense of hatred or depression towards their body for
whatever reason (such as not living up to social standards of beauty or a history of
abuse) might prefer to just meditate on the function of the various body parts with a
sense of equanimity. After all, the parts of the body one has now perform their
function no matter what society thinks is beautiful or ugly or what has happened to us
in the past.

The attitude we should use in practicing this exercise can be seen from the simile the
Buddha uses in the SPS: a man going through a bag of various types of grains and
seeds. As he does this, he has no sense that these are beautiful or attractive, they are
just grains. Because of this, he also does not have any strong dislike or hatred for
them. So this practice is done with a neutral sensibility towards the various body
parts.

From the point of view of anapanasati practice, one way to expand breath awareness
to this contemplation is to meditate on the body parts connected with breathing, such
as the lungs, the diaphragm, the nose, the ribcage and so on. This simplification of
the non-beauty contemplation is not outlined in any particular sutta.

However, the fact that this practice can be done in a simpler manner is taught by the
Buddha. DN 28 simplifies this practice by teaching that one can just meditate on the
skeleton, after having put aside contemplating the skin and flesh. This simpler way of
meditating on just the skin, flesh and bones is also recommended by Bhikkhu
Analayo.

This practice is easily combined with the body scan method. As you scan the body,
pay attention to the whole skin around your body, then to the muscles and fleshy
parts, then finally to hardest parts, the bony parts. Watch how all of these elements
take part in the act of breathing. Notice the touch points of the bodily posture, where
it is touching the ground and your clothing. You can also go through the more
extensive list in the SPS, focusing on each part individually.

Depending on your disposition, you can then move to contemplating the body as
unclean and as not beautiful. You can think about how the skin is filled with dead
matter, grease, dirt and dead cells, as well as bacteria feeding on this. The Chinese
parallel to SPS also has one meditate on the various unclean liquids which come out
p q
of the eyes, the ears, the nostrils, the mouth, the urethra, and the anus.

Practiced in the external mode, this meditation is very powerful at dissipating sexual
desire we have for others. Even laypersons can use it in situations where they would
not want to feel sexual desire for another person (such as a person who is not our
spouse).

This practice can also be done with more emphasis on vipassana by paying attention
to the impermanence of the various physical elements.

Four properties

The close link between anapanasati and the meditation on the “four properties” or
“elements” is supported by the Patis., which equates sabbakaya with this
contemplation. The Abhidharmakosabhasya also connects anapanasati practice with
the four elements. It states: Observe that “These breaths are not only air, but the four
primary elements…”

It is my opinion that what these texts have in mind here is that breathing is ultimately
connected with every other aspect of the body on multiple levels, which is absolutely
true. The breath is a “body among bodies” and we should attend to ‘all the bodies’
conditioned by the breath. The kaya in sabbakaya has the same broad meaning as
body in English. It does not just mean the physical body but also can just mean a
group or collection of things (as in, a body of water or a body of men). Therefore,
sabbakaya could just as easily mean “the whole collection” (of phenomena).

The bodily properties that the Buddha points out that we should be sensitive to are
usually divided into four – air, heat/temperature, solidity (literally “earth”), and liquidity
(“water”). Because all these properties are interconnected in one physical system and
all rely on each other, one could use anapanasati to contemplate the other three.

For example the water property is affected as our breathing infuses our blood with
oxygen. Also, air can be humid or dry, carrying water particles in it. The earth property
is affected when our ribcage and all solid bodily parts expand to take in air. The heat
property affects also how the breath is felt. One process which includes three of
these elements is sweating, the external air element makes contact with water
element on our skin and cools the temperature of the body down.

This practice can also be performed through body scans. You can sweep through the
body and notice the different properties as you move through the body.

Another way to do this practice is to seamlessly move from mindfulness of breathing

( ) f
(air) to the other properties. Instead of scanning the body, just sense where each
property is most obviously felt and be mindful of that aspect of the body. The breath
can lead us to all the other properties. It comes into our lungs by engaging the
diaphragm and torso (solidity element), it enters our bloodstream (liquid element) and
is pumped throughout our body by the heart. We can sense warmth and temperature
at the center of our body most easily.

This practice allows us to see this interplay between the body and breathing, as well
as sharpen our interoception – our internal sense of the body as a whole. So, to
meditate on this aspect of satipatthana, try to notice the different qualities of the
body. The qualities of hardness and solidity are especially noticeable in the bones and
in the touch points where the body is making contact with something. The air element
is obviously felt in the breath itself. Liquidity can be felt in our throat and mouth, as
well as when tuning into our pulse and temperature can be felt throughout the body
as well.

The Buddha compares this practice to a butcher who cuts up a cow and sells the
different parts. As he does this, the perception of “cow” as a single entity disappears,
and he now only sees the various parts.

This also shows that the goal of this practice is perceiving not-self (anatta), the fact
that there is nothing which is a substantial unchanging entity that is in control. By
seeing that the body is just a collection of elements, the grasping at a solid sense of
the body and also at a self as owner of the body is weakened. Since none of these
basic material properties are under our control, they cannot said to be truly “mine”
and thus, any temporary collection of these properties, like our body, is not really
“ours” in a very fundamental sense. It is merely like being in a guest house, or wearing
borrowed clothes. It must be given back. So there’s no reason to take it so personally.

Also, through this exercise, we can “butcher” any harmful idea that our body is
superior or inferior to someone else’s body because of certain physical features (skin
color, reproductive capacity, birth circumstances, genealogy, etc). All bodies are just
collections of various properties after all, destined to break apart.

Likewise, the separation we usually create between internal and external, self and
other, can be eliminated gradually with this contemplation by focusing on the internal
and then the external manifestations of the four properties. After all, there is no
ultimate difference between the material properties in our body and those outside of
our bodies (the hardness of the ground, the wind, the heat of the sun, etc). Indeed,
there is a constant interchange going on between inner and outer as we eat, drink,
breathe and so on. Also, if this interchange stopped, if we stopped eating or
 g pp pp g
breathing, the body would die. So this contemplation also shows us the insecurity of
our existential situation.

Ultimately there are just various natural processes going on, which we have decided
to crystallize into “my body” and “outside my body”. The more we do this
contemplation, the less we experience the body narrowly, as a closed off independent
phenomenon and the more we see it as a nexus in a vast interconnected system. We
are not in control of this system and yet we depend on it to live, thus we should not
think that we “own” our body and our life in some ultimate sense.

This meditation can also be helpful for observing pain, anxious bodily formations, and
the discomfort of sitting. It can provide a sense of equanimity to observe these in
terms of just four properties interacting, instead of as “pain” and so on.

Death

Anapanasati can also be easily shifted towards mindfulness of death (maranasati).

This is a very powerful practice for cultivating an understanding of instability and
impermanence as well as for increasing one’s motivation for further practice and for
weakening hatred and sense desire.

This meditation can add an unshakable sense of peace and letting go to our everyday
life. It can also lead us to appreciate our life more as well as to better appreciate other
people. As the Buddha said, those who realize they must die will end their fighting.
And of course, when death inevitably does come, we might be able to face it with a
calmer mind.

The Buddha understood that if one does not have a healthy relationship with death,
one can easily end up trying to escape it through harmful and unskillful ways. It
usually results in more clinging to views and the sense of self. A lot of this process of
“death denial” is now being studied in Psychology through what is called Terror
Management Theory.

The SPS teaches this practice through contemplating the various stages of
decomposition of a corpse. This seems to include some element of imagination, as
the meditator visualizes their body decaying, being eaten by animals and breaking
apart. One could certainly do this practice. However, there are other ways to
contemplate one’s death which is more suited to anapanasati. This pairs the
breathing process itself with the fact that one day it will end, and this means death.

This method is described in AN 6.19 and AN 8.73. In these suttas, various Buddhist
monastics take turns in explaining to the Buddha how they develop mindfulness of
 p g y p
death. The Buddha recommends that one should meditate on death as if one only had
enough time left over to eat one mouthful of food or just as long as it takes to breathe
in or breathe out. This contemplation counters our usual habit of pushing death off
into the far future and brings it into the present moment as a real possibility.

This method can easily be integrated into breath meditation, especially since the
breath is such a necessary condition for our life and its cyclic nature is reminiscent of
the cycles which mark time.

To practice this meditation, we imagine that this very in breath is our last. How would
we feel if that was the case? Are we really completely sure we will breathe in again?
There are many conditions on which our life depends, and sometimes, they go wrong
in surprising ways. This contemplation can also be linked with asubha by thinking
about all the organs that the breath depends on and how they are liable to injury and
disease.

Even if we will not die today, each breath is certainly bringing us closer to that time. If
we think about it, there is a certain number of breaths we will take in our lifetime.
Each breath is one less breath lived, one step closer to the last one.

As we continue this meditation, we simply keep the possibility of death in our mind as
we attend to the in and out breath. We can also notice the pauses in between the
breaths and the stillness that can be sensed. We contemplate how when we die, the
breathing processes will also be still like this. If we get distracted or bored, we may
even hold the breath on the out-breath a little bit and notice how it feels. One day, we
will not be able to end this feeling, it will go all the way.

This practice can be very powerful and produce some anxiety in certain persons. So it
is good to balance it with calming and relaxing the body. One can alternate between
periods of focusing on death and periods of calming the breathing. At the same time,
we want this practice to make us feel slightly unsettled, we want it to sting. If it is not,
then we are not really practicing it well and we are not really challenging our grasping
at body, life and self.

For obvious reasons, this contemplation can easily lead to insight into impermanence
as well as not self. Death is nothing but the impermanence of the body and not-self
can be felt when one realizes that we cannot control when and how the breathing
processes will end.
 Buddha's Grove

Breath
Mindfulness 2
Second Tetrad

5. Breathing in and out, they train in fully experiencing bliss (piti).

6. Breathing in and out, they train in fully experiencing happiness (sukha).

7. Breathing in and out, they train in fully experiencing heart-mind processes

(cittasankhara).

8. Breathing in and out, they train in calming heart-mind processes.

In the second tetrad, we have instructions that direct the meditator to experience and
be mindful of piti and sukha. Piti is an excited sense of bliss, rapture, thrill or zest.
Sukha is a subtler and calmer happiness and pleasant feeling tone (vedana). Piti is
stimulating and energizing, sukha is more soothing and refined. These factors are
related to samadhi, the unification of mind and to samatha, a quality of calmness and
peace.

Piti is sometimes felt as an electric feeling in the body. This can be compared to a
similar experience that some have reported feeling while listening to music and has
been termed “frisson”. It might therefore cause goosebumps, shiver like sensations
and feelings of tingling which might come in waves. It seems to share similarities
with the phenomenon some are now calling “ASMR”.

Piti can be very powerful, in the SPS commentary, Buddhaghosa says it is like being
massaged with an expensive soothing oil or like a person that has a burning fever that
Buddha's Grove
is cooled with a thousand pots of cold water.

In contrast, sukha, while being pleasant and pleasurable, is not as active. It is a

positive sense of agreeableness and enjoyment.

Piti comes from the joy and ease which grows from relaxing the body and letting go
of the hindrances and from realizing that this is peaceful and skillful.

The Vibhanga defines piti as: “gladness, joy, joyfulness, mirth, merriment, exultation,
exhilaration, and satisfaction of mind” and Sukha as “mental pleasure and happiness
born of mind-contact, the felt pleasure and happiness born of mind-contact,
pleasurable and happy feeling born of mind contact — this is called ‘sukha”
(Vbh.257).

Buddhaghosa’s Atthasalini defines piti as “delight in the attaining of the desired

object” and sukha as “the enjoyment of the taste of what is acquired“. He uses the
simile of a parched traveler who is wandering the desert and sees an oasis. The thrill
and excitement they feel when seeing this is piti, while the enjoyment and happiness
they experience after drinking the water and resting is sukha.

So, in this step of anapanasati, the meditator should be mindful of pleasurable

feelings that come from practicing and allow these sensations to arise on their own
and grow. These pleasant sensations can be very subtle or very powerful. If you are
not feeling anything, try to create a space in the mind that allows you to notice the
subtle pleasantness or well-being which might already be there but remain unnoticed.

The breath should also remain a central feature of meditation in this tetrad. If you
have gained some proficiency with the practice of the previous tetrad, you might have
reached a state where the breath is calm and peaceful. Attend to the pleasurable
aspect of the breathing sensations and allow them to come to the forefront of your
meditation. If the breath is heavy or harsh, try practicing the instructions from the first
tetrad for a bit longer.

Once piti and sukha begin to arise one can shift one’s attention to them and allow
them to grow without forcing (as any forcefulness tends to weaken them), but one
can also just let them be in the background and continue attending to the body.

Experiencing piti-sukha is necessary on the path because it strengthens the mind by

providing it with a pleasant place to dwell in that is not based on external sense
pleasures. The meditator’s mind is thus calmed and energized. Also the meditator
realizes that there is something better than sense pleasures and so they continue to
practice the path.
Buddha's Grove
Experiencing piti-sukha is related to the blissful meditative states called jhanas. The
Buddha compares the jhanas to the food and provisions for soldiers in a frontier
fortress which give them the strength to repel enemies. They are the proper
nourishment for the meditator’s mind. For more on the jhanas, see part 5.

Once you do notice some pleasant sensations, one is allowed to delight in them
because they are spiritual factors. These pleasant feelings are promoted by the
Buddha because they are free of unwholesome or unskillful elements. In MN 36 the
Buddha states that one should not be afraid of these pleasurable states because they
have “nothing to do with sensual pleasures or unskillful qualities.” Likewise, in MN 44,
the nun Dhammadina states that after one reaches the first meditation or jhana
(which has piti and sukha as major qualities) the subconscious habit of sense desire
or lust has subsided.

Therefore, one should seek out this meditative bliss and make this one’s goal without
reservation. Buddhist meditation should be about joyful states and feeling happy. If
one is not experiencing joy in one’s meditation after practicing for some time, this is a
good indication that some ingredient is missing from our practice (ethics? seclusion?
view?). The more joy and happiness one feels in meditation, the less we are interested
in sense pleasure. These feelings are therefore a good way to measure our progress
on the path.

Piti is related to the verb pivati (to drink) and thus carries connotations of refreshment
and the quenching of thirst. It is also related to the drink of the gods and thus is
associated with rejuvenation and heavenly renewal. The liquid aspect of this verb
means that piti is active and is characterized by movement and flow as shown by the
stock similes of the bathman and the spring. Piti then is a flowing energetic quality
that can be felt in the mind and in the body.

Sukha can also cover both mental and physical well-being and ease. It is thus defined
in the Patis. as including both bodily and mental elements of pleasant feeling. Try to
notice both of these aspects of sukha.

Piti-sukha can calm and energize the body (anapanasati step 4) as well as calm the
mental formation (step 8) and gladden the mind (step 10) which is related to the
second and third tetrads. All four tetrads are thus connected to piti and sukha in
some way.

Generally, one should try practicing the previous steps in part one for some time and
allow piti and sukha to arise on their own from the feelings of calm and relaxation Try
allow piti and sukha to arise on their own from the feelings of calm and relaxation. Try
to let them naturally
Buddha's arise from the meditation process. Do not worry or obsess too
Grove
much if they do not come right away. It takes time and practice to learn to let go in the
right way.

Various suttas like MN 7 and SN 12.23 depict piti as a quality which arises out joy
(pamojja). Joy is said to arise from confidence or trust (saddha) in the triple gem
(Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) and four noble truths. One way to cultivate and deepen
this is to reflect on the qualities of the triple gem and on the four noble truths before
beginning our formal practice. This gives our mind a sense of having a safe direction
and a refuge from suffering. Pamojja is also something that is cultivated in the next
tetrad dealing with the mind, and thus, this fact is another indication that the 16
modes of anapanasati are not strictly linear.

Other suttas also mention forms of happiness (sukha) which are not directly
connected to formal meditation but could be seen as ways to support our sitting
practice. MN 51 for instance, mentions two things which lead to a sense of happiness
in everyday life.

The first is cultivating the “full spectrum of noble ethics”. This refers to the practice of
the ten wholesome actions which was previously explained, as well as the practice of
being content with little. In this case, it is specifically referring to a monks’ robe and
bowl, but for a layperson, it could just mean being happy with little. MN 51 states that
after one has cultivated this, one experiences an inner happiness that is blameless.
The other practice is sense restraint, i.e. not letting the mind get carried away by
sense impressions and craving or grasping at them. This sense of inner self-control
leads to an “unrestrained” or “unsullied” sense of inner happiness.

All of this indicates that meditative bliss and happiness cannot be attained separately
from other aspects of one’s life. Indeed, as the Dhammapada (Dhp) states, there are
various sources of happiness. These are sources of happiness that we can develop,
reflect on and be grateful for. The following verses from the Dhp can be useful for
contemplation during formal meditation and for the cultivation of an inner happiness
in daily life.

Our actions are all led by the mind, mind is their master, mind is their maker. If one
acts or speaks with a pure state of mind then happiness follows like a shadow that
trails constantly behind. – Dhp 2

If a man does good, let him do it again and again and let him take delight in it; the
accumulation of good causes happiness. -Dhp 118
Happy is the arising of the Awakened Ones; happy is the teaching of the Good
Buddha's
Dharma; happy Grove
is the unity of the group and happy is the ascetic life of the united –
Dhp 194.

Friends bring happiness when a need has arisen; happiness is contentment with
whatever there might be; to have merit at the end of life is happiness; and happiness
is the destruction of all suffering. Happy it is, in the world, to be a mother, and happy it
is to be a father; happy, in the world, is the life of a recluse and happy is the state of
Brahman. Happy is age-long virtue and happy is confidence well-established; happy is
the gaining of wisdom and happy it is not to do evil. – Dhp 331-333

To live without anger among the angry is, indeed, happy. To live unafflicted among the
afflicted is happy. To live without ambition among the ambitious is happy. To live
without possession is a happy life like that of the radiant gods. To live without
competition among those who compete is happy, for he “who wins creates an enemy;
and unhappy does the defeated sleep. The one who is neither a victor nor the
defeated sleeps happily. – Dhp 201

Living with the wise is very comfortable and happy. “A wise man is pleasant to live
with as is the company of kinsmen. -Dhp 207

One way to ensure happiness in our formal meditation is to develop these various
elements and conditions in our life. If we have done this, we can then reflect and be
grateful for these before or during our formal sitting practice, which can lead to the
arising of joy, bliss and happiness. We will also just be more cheerful and peaceful in
general, and this is a strong basis for formal meditation. Therefore, we can say that if
we live the kind of life that helps us meditate joyfully, we will have meditations which
helps us live with greater joy. In this way, our meditative happiness is supported by
our everyday sense of happiness and vice versa.

Active cultivation

Ideally, piti-sukha arises on its own due to the practices cultivated during the first
tetrad as well as the foundation of our daily practice of the path. Sometimes the
simple act of reviewing the pleasantness of tranquility that comes from practicing
Dharma, meditation and seclusion is enough to give rise to piti-sukha.

As we saw in the previous tetrad, some suttas allow for a kind of cultivation in which
the mind is directed in a more active way. Likewise, Thanissaro Bhikkhu notes that the
injunction in the sutta to “train” (sikkhati) allows for the use of more active methods.
Some later Buddhist texts also state that the meditator can encourage the arising of
piti and sukha through various means Kumarajiva’s Sutra of Sitting Dhyana Samadhi
piti and sukha through various means. Kumarajiva s Sutra of Sitting Dhyana Samadhi
says: if the mind is not Grove
Buddha's pleased, encourage it to become more delighted.

If you choose to try any of the following ways for actively cultivating piti-sukha,
remember to use a very light touch. The Taoist idea of “effortless action” (wei wu wei)
comes to mind.

Methods to cultivate piti-sukha:

Tell yourself that you will be open to feeling happiness and bliss, just try to set a
light intention to sense these qualities or to allow them to come. Open your mind to
the possibility of feeling joy in meditation.
Try reviewing the pleasantness of tranquility that comes from meditation, stillness
and seclusion.
Take some extra deep and long breaths and focus on the pleasantness of
breathing.
If you’ve experienced a particularly special meditative state in the past you can
briefly bring this memory to the forefront of your awareness and see if it triggers
piti-sukha. The Buddha brought up his past childhood memory of being in the
meditative state of jhana on the night of his enlightenment. It is similar to how
remembering a sad or happy memory can triggers a related emotion. Be careful
though not to make this an exercise in dwelling on the past.
Thich Nhat Hanh says to smile and think about how wonderful it is to just breathe.
Look at a picture of the Buddha or visualize it in the mind, and let it bring you joy,
look at the slight smile and peaceful countenance or do this with a picture of your
favorite meditation teacher smiling.
Imagine flowing nectar or cool refreshing water pouring over you or gushing from
within and imagine it bringing you calm, happiness and joy. You can use the image
of the cool spring filling a lake, a simile taught by the Buddha.
Thanissaro following Ajahn Lee’s teaching, recommends ‘playing’ with the
perceptions of breath energy. This entails feeling and mentally guiding the breath
sensations all over your body in whatever ways you find pleasant and soothing.
Imagine you are breathing into or breathing from different areas. This seems to be
similar to Kumarajiva’s method of imagining you are breathing in from all your
pores.
Mentally create an image of a bright sphere or ball of light and let it change or grow
as needed for creating calm and joy. Buddhadasa recommends this method and it
is also used in Tibetan Buddhism. It could be related to what the suttas describe as
a contemplation called the “perception of light” (alokasañña). You might imagine it
 p p p g ( ) g g
above your head and moving down your body, or appearing in your chest and
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expanding out, or appearing in between your eyebrows, filling your head and then
moving down to your chest and filling your body, or just seeing it in the mind and
letting it grow.

Use whatever methods work, active or passive. The goal is to get piti-sukha growing
and spreading throughout your bodymind. Over time, one will become skilled at
allowing these factors to grow, and you will rely less on artificial or less subtle
methods to cultivate them (such as verbalizing instructions or visualization).

Meditators should experiment and see what works for them. Try to learn self-
sufficiency in your meditation. Happiness and pleasure are an inseparable part of
meditation. Find out how to make it joyful for yourself. If piti does not come during
your session despite your efforts, just go back to relaxing the body and come back to
it later.

When piti arises, enjoy it and review what you did to get it, so you’ll remember next
time. Do not grasp of cling to it, but let it grow naturally to fill your entire body. It tends
to be energizing and stimulating. If it goes away, that’s fine too. Notice if you did
anything that made it disappear or if it did so on its own.

Some teachers state that one should let piti-sukha stay in the background and that
one should continue to focus on the object of meditation, arguing that focusing too
much on piti-sukha early on can smother it. Others state that in this step, one puts the
object in the background and focuses on piti-sukha, enjoying it and letting it spread.

I think one experiences piti-sukha as one focuses on the breathing body but
eventually piti-sukha becomes the central focus as one has to train to let it spread
while the breath remains in the periphery. This is supported by the simile in the
Kayagatasati Sutta (henceforth KSS), which speaks of someone spreading piti-sukha
throughout the body as a bathman kneads a ball of bath powder. It seems that this
indicates some effort and focus on piti-sukha in the initial stages.

This happens naturally though as the now peaceful and joyful breath becomes lighter,
begins to fade and eventually disappears, leaving only the sense of joy and
happiness. Ajahn Brahm compares it to the Cheshire cat whose body slowly
disappears, leaving only its smile. Since every yogi is different, there are probably as
many different ways to balance one’s attention in this step between the meditation
object and piti-sukha as there are minds in the world. Once again, I’ll repeat my
mantra: try different “recipes” and see what works for you.

B ddh d d th t “ t d th fl ” f iti A th f li t
Buddhadasa recommends that we “study the flavor” of piti. Are the feeling tones
Buddha's
heavy or light, Grove coarse or subtle? How do they arise and pass? How do
weak or strong,
they influence your breath, body and mind? Remember how they are different, can you
tell them apart? Become friends with piti as it is a positive spiritual aid to awakening.
This quality is dhammavicaya (analysis of dhammas), an important supporting
element to meditation.

The Theravada school outlines five stages of piti which indicate further and further
progress.
1. Slight (khuddaka piti) – Raises the hairs of the body
2. Momentary (khanika piti) – Arises momentarily like repeated flashes of lightning
3. Showering (okkantika piti)- Washes over the body, like waves, again and again and
then subsides
4. Uplifting (ubbega piti) – Sensations of lifting of the body into the air
5. Suffusing (pharana piti) – Pervades the whole body touching every part like a lotus
fully submerged in water. This signals one is entering samadhi or is close to
samadhi. This is called “access” samadhi.

This “access” or “near” concentration signals that the meditator is getting close to
first jhana but has not totally attained it yet. Vasubandhu also speaks of a similar
proto jhanic “not quite there yet” state which is called ‘anagamya’ in the
Abhidharmakosha. This is usually when your attention is mostly focused on the
meditation theme, without wandering or barely any wandering. Thoughts are “in the
background” and do not take you away from the object. The quality of the meditation
theme might change too, the breath might become subtler for example. This idea of
there being an “access” or “near” samadhi is not from the earliest texts however, but
from later commentary literature. Still, it seems useful to analyze our mind state just
before one enters jhana to better learn how to reach jhana itself.

Piti gives rise to sukha, which is a calmer and more soothing feeling. The next step is
to shift one’s attention to this subtler phenomenon and enjoy this experience. First try
to differentiate between the two since often piti will obscure sukha due to its higher
energy level. Piti excites the mind while sukha is gentle, tranquil and soft. One can
also notice the transience of piti and let it go. Then rest in the peaceful happiness that
is sukha.

Study sukha like you did with piti, what is it like? How does it come and go? Let it
grow on its own. Notice how piti and sukha interact with each other and with the
whole field of awareness. How does the effect of piti on the mind and body differ
f th ff t f kh ?
from the effect of sukha?
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Vedana

This tetrad is associated with the second satipatthana, meditation on vedanas.

Vedana refers to physical and mental “feeling tones”. These are the hedonic
responses which experience phenomena as having pleasant, unpleasant or neutral
valence. It derives from the root -vid, and means something like “that which makes
known”. We can understand vedana as that quality that allows an experience to be
known or felt, it does this through a certain affective taste or subjective flavor, which
is positive, negative or neither/indifferent.

This term is often translated as just “feeling”, but one must keep in mind that it does
not refer to an emotion or a belief, as the English word feeling often does. Instead it is
merely the mind’s reaction in terms of pleasure/pain to sense contact. Also, vedana is
not the sensations felt by the body, rather, it is the affective response to both physical
and mental phenomena. It is the experiencing of any phenomena as pleasant or
unpleasant or neither.

Hence, the English term “feeling tone” might be a better way to capture this.
According to Merriam Webster, feeling tone can be defined as: “a particular quality of
one’s awareness measured in terms of pleasantness and unpleasantness.” This, I
think, better captures vedana.

Mindfulness of vedanas is a key practice because as the Buddha said “all things
converge on vedanas” (AN, 9, No. 14). What this means is that since vedana is the
meeting place between body (kaya) and mind (citta), all mental phenomena are tied
to vedana is some way. Since vedana is mid-way between the processes of the body
and the mind, it often stands behind much of our thoughts and behaviors. Indeed,
much of our life is led by the search for vedana and most of what sentient beings
concern themselves with on a day to day basis is founded on their relationship to
vedanas (and especially the cardinal rule of sentient life: seek the pleasant, avoid the
unpleasant).

While the focus of the APSS is on cultivating pleasant feeling tone, the text also says
that anapanasati fulfills or completes all of the four satipatthanas, and thus it must
include meditating on all vedanas too, not just pleasant ones like piti-sukha.

The importance of contemplating all three kinds of feeling is supported by SN 47.49,

which states: “The four kinds of mindfulness meditation should be developed to
completely understand these three feelings.”

Th SPS d ib th d ti tth th
The SPS describes the second satipatthana thus:
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How does a seeker meditate by observing sensations? When a seeker feels a
pleasant sensation they know it as pleasant. When they feel an unpleasant sensation,
they know it as unpleasant. When they feel a neutral sensation they know it as
neutral.

Meditators commonly struggle with unpleasant and even painful sensations which
disturb their meditation and learning to be aware and detached from them is
important for progress. Vedanas condition the mind, they are the “makers” or
“fabricators” of the mind (this is one way of reading the term cittasankhara). So to be
able to calm the mind and gain insight into it, we need to watch and study vedanas.

The first basic practice to be cultivated here is being mindful of pleasant, unpleasant
and neutral feeling tones. This can be done with the Burmese vipassana method of
mentally noting all vedanas that arise or just by watching closely without any mental
labeling. This allows one to be constantly aware of the initial stages of the arising of
likes and dislikes through sense contact, and thus to witness the very origin of all our
reactions and cravings.

So to start this practice one can begin by watching all vedanas, without applying any
value judgments or assessments. The sensations of breathing should always be our
anchor and home base in this practice, just like with every other practice in
anapanasati. Simply observe as vedanas come and go without getting involved in
them. We watch all the vedanas, the pain in our legs, the neutral feelings in our back,
the feeling of sukha which we cultivated in the last step. We notice what they are like
and study how they give rise to reactivity, to thoughts of ‘turning away’ or ‘turning
towards’.

There are different ways we can expand our practice to contemplate the different
types of Vedana. One is to just be mindful of whatever feeling tones are present and
note what type of vedana they are. Another method is to actively try to notice each
type of Vedana. Give yourself a few minutes with each category and see if you can
notice vedanas of each type in your current field of experience. Yet another method is
to use the body scan and be mindful for different vedanas as you move through the
body section by section.

The Madhyama Agama parallel to the SPS adds that one is to observe sensations and
understand whether they arise due to bodily or mental contact. While the Pali SPS
does not mention this, other suttas such as the Salla Sutta mention this distinction
between bodily and mental vedana.
Examples of unpleasant bodily sensations we can observe in meditation include
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physical soreness, tightness, pain, heat or cold, hunger and thirst. One must also keep
in mind that just as there are sensations arising from bodily contact there are also
sensations arising from mental contact. These include sensations felt due to strong
emotions or ideas or memories or wishes.

While sensations which arise from physical contact are the most obvious to observe,
we cannot ignore the more subtle sensations associated with mental contact. We
also need to understand that this distinction is not a strict one. Most experiences
have mental and physical elements mixed together and the causal relationship
between mind and body goes both ways. In this sense, vedana can be seen as taking
an intermediate role in the communication between mind and body. Bodily contact
leads to bodily sensation and is also felt in the mind by mental sensations, while
mental contact in turn also creates both physical and mental sensations.

All of this arises in a complex web of causes and conditions. However, for the
purpose of simplifying our meditation, we make use of these basic categories taught
by the Buddha. They are useful in helping us understand the patterns of reactivity and
evaluation that arise from different kinds of sensation.

This ability to separate the feeling tone from emotional evaluations and thus to avoid
clinging or aversion was illustrated by the Buddha the simile of “the second arrow” in
SN 36.6:

When an uneducated ordinary person experiences painful physical feelings they

sorrow and pine and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion. They
experience two feelings: physical and mental. It’s like a person who is struck with an
arrow, only to be struck with a second arrow. That person experiences the feeling of
two arrows...

When they’re touched by painful feeling, they resist it. The underlying tendency for
repulsion towards painful feeling underlies that. When touched by painful feeling they
look forward to enjoying sensual pleasures. Why is that? Because an uneducated
ordinary person doesn’t understand any escape from painful feeling apart from
sensual pleasures. Since they look forward to enjoying sensual pleasures, the
underlying tendency to greed for pleasant feeling underlies that. They don’t truly
understand feelings’ origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape. The
underlying tendency to ignorance about neutral feeling underlies that.

The sutta contrasts this experience with the way that a noble (i.e. awakened) person
handles sensations. Their reaction is the opposite to the one above, they do not react
to unpleasant sensations, they do not seek out sense pleasures and they truly
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understand the “arising, ending, gratification, drawback and escape” from sensations.
Therefore, they only experience one kind of sensation. This is like being hit with only
one arrow.

The core lesson is here is that painful vedana is inevitable but our reaction to it is not.
This is the second arrow avoided by the wise.

A passage from the suttas compares the nature of feeling tones to different weather
currents, constantly changing and of differing natures. It would be silly to fight
against the weather, and just so it is foolish to resist the coming and going of
vedanas:

Mendicants, various winds blow in the sky. Winds blow from the east, the west, the
north, and the south. There are winds that are dusty and dustless, cool and warm,
weak and strong. In the same way, various feelings arise in this body: pleasant,
painful, and neutral feelings. – SN 36.12

Yet another simile used by the Buddha is the following:

Mendicants, suppose there was a guest house. Lodgers come from the east, west,
north, and south. Aristocrats, brahmins, merchants, and workers all stay there. In the
same way, various feelings arise in this body: pleasant, painful, and neutral feelings. –
SN 36.14

We should therefore see vedanas in the same way that a hotel attendant sees various
types of guests showing up and leaving (nice guests, mean guests, etc). Guests come
and go and there is no need to get attached to any of them.

As feeling tones arise, change while they persist and then begin to fade away, one can
notice how their valence changes over the course of this process. This is illustrated in
the following teaching by the nun Dhammadina from MN 44:

“What is pleasant and what is painful in each of the three feelings?” “Pleasant feeling
is pleasant when it remains and painful when it perishes. Painful feeling is painful
when it remains and pleasant when it perishes. Neutral feeling is pleasant when there
is knowledge, and painful when there is ignorance.”

This passage shows how feeling tone is a more complex idea than it seems on the
surface. We could say that each type of feeling tone actually has within it the seeds of
the others or that they are closely interconnected. When a pleasant vedana fades
away, this very disappearance can be felt as another vedana by the mind, this one
being unpleasant since the mind would prefer to continue to feel pleasure When it
being unpleasant since the mind would prefer to continue to feel pleasure. When it
Buddha's
comes to pain, Grove is the inverse. When pain fades away, this is felt as a
the relationship
pleasurable mental vedana.

Neutral feeling tone is different in an interesting way and this gives us an insight into
the Buddha’s worldview. From the Buddha’s perspective, when you pay attention to it,
a neutral feeling tone is actually pleasant in a subtle way (since it is an absence of
pain). However, when we are not mindful of this subtle pleasure, when we are ignorant
of it (or actively ignore it), we tend to experience it as unpleasant (as boring or bland)
and thus we seek more sense stimulation.

Because of the unique nature of neutral vedana, it is very important not to forget to be
mindful of them. They can be hard to notice because they’re generally unremarkable
and so tend not to call attention to themselves. They also seem stable, but their
stability is an illusion based on our very act of ignoring. Buddhaghosa’s SPS
commentary states that neutral sensations are “dark and unclear” and that one
should attend to them thus:

At the disappearance of pleasure and pain, the neutral neither-pleasant-nor-painful

feeling occurs, which is contrary to the pleasant and the unpleasant.” To what is it
comparable? To a deer hunter following the hoof marks of a deer which midway
having gone up a flat rock is fleeing. The hunter after seeing the hoof marks on the
hither and thither side of the rock, without seeing any trace in the middle, knows by
inference: “Here the animal went up, and here, it went down; in the middle, on the flat
rock, possibly it went through this part.

Another reason why neutral feeling tones should not be neglected but instead should
be emphasized is because they are a constant source of joy, if only we payed
attention to them. Just being aware of neutral feeling tones and developing sustained
mindfulness based on these vedanas can be a source of inner joy and peace, which in
turn can lead to piti and sukha.

Focusing on the breath is then a perfect place to notice neutral vedanas, since the
breathing process is usually felt as a neutral feeling in the background of our
experience, not being particularly pleasant nor unpleasant. Indeed, this neutrality is
precisely why it takes training to keep the mind focused on the breath, since our usual
response to the breath is the habit to ignore it and seek something more interesting.

However, if we pay attention to breathing carefully and continuously, we can begin to

see how there is a subtle pleasure in the very act of being mindful of the breath. This
subtle pleasure can then be a launching pad for stronger forms of meditative
pleasures such as piti and sukha It can also be a refuge from strong painful vedanas
pleasures, such as piti and sukha. It can also be a refuge from strong painful vedanas
or emotions.Buddha's Grove

Sensuality and beyond

The second element of this exercise in the SPS focuses on further dividing feelings
into various categories: sensual and non-sensual (or more literally “carnal” and “un-
carnal”). The difference between them is the difference between peaceful meditative
bliss and the pleasure one gets from eating chocolate. More precisely, sensual feeling
tones arise from the contact (phassa) between the sense organs, consciousness and
sense phenomena. Feeling tones that are not sensual do not arise from this process
of sense impression.

Feeling tones are further explained by the Buddha in the following sutta passage:

‘What, monks is carnal piti? Piti which arises dependent on the five kinds of sensual
pleasures. What is spiritual Piti? Here, a monk enters and abides in the first jhana…
second jhana. What is even more spiritual piti? Piti which arises when a monk whose
poisons are evaporated reviews his mind released from lust, anger, and delusion.’ –
SN 36.31

Carnal sensations are related to sense pleasure, craving, irritation or anger and
delusion. Letting the mind dwell on these is regressive to the path, while non-sensual
spiritual feelings help one progress and are related to letting go. Carnal sensations
include both painful and pleasurable sensations. Both should be seen with
equanimity.

One should not relish and obsess over sense pleasure, and one should also not hate
painful sensations. As this is the usual default mode of worldly untrained persons it
takes effort to break out of this tendency. However, one should also watch out for the
other extreme: excessive asceticism which avoids and fears pleasant vedanas and
seeks out and relishes pain. According to the Buddha, both of these ways of being in
the world are deluded because they are confused about the real source of suffering –
our mind’s reaction to vedanas, not the vedanas themselves. This is one of the
reasons that his teaching is known as the “middle way”.

Pleasant spiritual feeling tones include piti-sukha, calm (pasaddhi), joy (pamojja), and
any state which is free from the three root poisons of greed, aversion and delusion,
such as the four meditative absorptions called jhanas. These are said to be
wholesome because they lead us away from carnal pleasures and from craving.

An example of an unpleasant and unworldly sensation is a strong wish for liberation

which comes from seeing the futility of worldly existence and from realizing that one
which comes from seeing the futility of worldly existence and from realizing that one
has still not Buddha's Grove This spiritual feeling is called “samvega” and can
achieved liberation.
spur us on to further practice. Also, a healthy sense of shame and regret at having
done harmful things or at having failed to do good could also be said to include
unpleasant spiritual sensations. These unpleasant sensations lead one to do better in
the future. Thus, even though these sensations are unpleasant, they are skillful.

Regarding neutral sensations, worldly neutrals could include the sense of satiety one
feels after experiencing sense pleasure, while the spiritual neutral category can
include the equanimity one experiences in the fourth jhana, which is beyond all
pleasure and pain.

The reason why the Buddha teaches this important distinction is because he himself
understood that spiritual sensations are useful and lead to good qualities, while
sensual sensations are worthless and lead to the unwholesome:

Haven’t you known me to teach the Dhamma like this: ‘When someone feels this kind
of pleasant feeling, unskillful qualities grow and skillful qualities decline. But when
someone feels that kind of pleasant feeling, unskillful qualities decline and skillful
qualities grow. When someone feels this kind of painful feeling, unskillful qualities
grow and skillful qualities decline. But when someone feels that kind of painful
feeling, unskillful qualities decline and skillful qualities grow. When someone feels
this kind of neutral feeling, unskillful qualities grow and skillful qualities decline. But
when someone feels that kind of neutral feeling, unskillful qualities decline and skillful
qualities grow’? – MN 70

Using our previous example, the peaceful bliss of Buddhist mediation leads to
equanimity, a calm mind and to letting go, while the pleasure of eating chocolate just
leads to more and more craving for sugary treats, a craving that is never fully
satisfied.

Therefore, an important part of this contemplative exercise is to understand and see

how the different categories of feeling tone lead to wholesome or unwholesome
qualities.

So to practice this aspect of satipatthana, we simply take the previous schema we

were working with of dividing sensations into three types (pleasant, unpleasant,
neutral) and we add a two more categories. As before, we can verbally note
sensations in the mind as they arise, or we can run through the various categories
and see if we can find each type of sensation. We can also employ the body scan
method.
At first, this practice might seem somewhat mechanical and unnatural. With practice
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however, it can become the default way we see the world of experience and it
becomes increasingly subtle and non-conceptual. Over time, we will get a “feel” for
how these different categories of feeling tone have a different energy and we may not
even need to label them in the mind to understand what is going on.

This contemplation can also provide us with a great opportunity to gain insight into
dependent arising (paticcasamuppada) of suffering. A sutra from the Samyukta
Agama and its Pali parallel explicit teaches the contemplation of dependent arising by
focusing on the link of vedana (SA 290 and SN 12.62). One is to observe how vedana
arises from sense contact, to know vedana “as it really is” (i.e. as a conditioned and
transient phenomenon) and to see how it disappears.

Vedana is a crucial link in the chain of dependent arising because it is situated just
before craving (tanha, lit. “thirst”) arises, which is the crucial cause of suffering in the
schema of the four noble truths. It is therefore in this very important place that
mindfulness meditation can have a decisive effect on our ignorant way of engaging
with our experience.

If you can stop and notice sensations by themselves without reactivity, you can break
the origination of craving or aversion. Instead of constantly dwelling on feeling tones
and building all sorts of stories about them, just watch them. As we do this we will
see our responses begin to bubble up in the mind. The more one practices this
meditation, the better one will get at paying attention to feeling tones as they arise
and the less one will be carried away by them because of carelessness.

As you meditate on vedanas, keep reminding yourself that it is here that craving and
aversion arises, as a reaction to different vedanas. So try to watch with a sense of
equanimity how the mind want to react the vedanas you are observing. Watching our
habitual reactivity to vedanas is just as crucial as watching the vedanas themselves.

As you meditate and improve your mindfulness vedana, you will notice that there are
different gradients, different magnitudes and intensities of the feeling tones. Vedana
is then better thought of as a spectrum of sensations. This continuum can be thought
of as follows:
1. The most pleasurable sensations possible
2. Very pleasant
3. Mildly pleasant sensations
4. Slightly pleasant
5 Neutral
5. Neutral
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6. Slightly unpleasant
7. Mildly unpleasant
8. Very unpleasant
9. The most unpleasant possible sensation

There’s also different kinds of unpleasant and pleasant sensations each one
associated with the six different types of sense organs (remember, the sixth is the
mind). For example there are different kinds of sensations associated with seeing or
with hearing or with touch and so on. One can bring our attention to all these different
types of sensations. MN 137 outlines how our reactions to these different senses
lead to two different categories of happy, painful or equanimous sensations: those
associated with attachment, sense pleasure and the lay life, and those associated
with renunciation arising from the contemplation of the transient and unsatisfactory
nature of sensations.

This allows for a different method of meditation on vedanas: go through the five
senses and then the mind and see if you can notice the vedanas that are active in all
of these sense fields.

One should also attempt to see how aversion and craving arise not just from present
sensations, but from the memories of past sensations and the expectation of future
sensations. One should be like a scientist and observe all these processes as
objectively and detached as possible. With practice, we learn not to identify and crave
vedanas in the past, present and future.

The Buddha also added another dimension to mindfulness of vedanas. He taught we

should seek to understand vedana in the following way: There are ascetics and
brahmins who do truly understand the gratification, drawback, and escape of the
three kinds of vedana. I see them as the true ascetics and brahmins. – SN 36.27

What this means is explained by the Buddha as follows:

The pleasure and happiness that arise from vedana: this is its gratification.

That vedana is impermanent, suffering, and perishable: this is its drawback.

Removing and giving up desire and greed for vedana: this is its escape.

– SN 36.15; SN 36.17

So by keeping this schema in mind, we have yet another tool with which to analyze
out mental patterns of reaction to vedanas Whenever a particularly powerful vedana
out mental patterns of reaction to vedanas. Whenever a particularly powerful vedana
arises that occupies
Buddha'syour mind, think to yourself: what is the gratification, drawback
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and escape from this vedana?

Another advantage of mindfulness of vedanas is that it can give insight into the
formation of our views and opinions (ditthis) which are often simple rationalizations
of conditioned desires and aversions. Much of our cognitive biases regarding our own
opinions and views have to do with feeling tone. When we think about and defend an
idea which we see to be “ours”, there’s a certain felt sense we experience. When
someone attacks our opinions, it feels painful, but if someone agrees with us and tells
us we are correct, we feel a pleasant vedana.

So turning this meditation to the realm of our ideas and emotions can give us insight
into why we believe certain things and why we cling to some ideas. It can help us
uncover blind spots in our thinking, let go of clinging to views and it can also help us
to avoid getting angry when talking to those we disagree with.

Since vedanas are very ephemeral, contemplating them is also a good way to gain
insight into instability and suffering:

When, bhikkhus, the concentration by anapanasati has been developed and cultivated
in this way, if he feels a [pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral] sensation, he understands:
‘It is impermanent’; he understands: ‘It is not held to’; he understands: ‘It is not
delighted in.’ If he feels a pleasant feeling, he feels it detached; if he feels a painful
feeling, he feels it detached; if he feels a neither-painful nor-pleasant feeling, he feels
it detached. – Anapana Samyutta

Bringing mindfulness to bear on pleasant and unpleasant vedanas also allows one to
grow more dispassionate and unattached to vedanas and this increases our
tranquility and insight. This practice can take us all the way to awakening, as depicted
in various suttas such as in SA 969 and it’s parallel MN 74, which depicts the
awakening of Sariputta, one of the Buddha’s major disciples. Sariputta is said to have
reached awakening after listening the following teaching on the contemplation of
vedana given by the Buddha:

There are three types of feeling, namely painful feeling, pleasant feeling, and neutral
feeling. Regarding these three types of feeling, what is their condition, from what do
they arise, from what are they born, from what do they evolve? These three types of
feeling are conditioned by contact, they arise from contact, are born from contact, and
evolve from contact. With the arising of this or that contact, feelings arise. With the
cessation of this or that contact, feelings cease, are appeased, become cool, and are
forever extinct
forever extinct.
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In regard to these three types of feeling – experienced as painful, experienced as
pleasant, and experienced as neutral – one knows as it really is the arising of this and
that feeling, their cessation, their advantage, their disadvantage, and the release from
them. Knowing this as it really is, one contemplates these feelings as impermanent,
contemplates their arising and disappearance, contemplates freedom from desire,
contemplates cessation, and contemplates letting go.

One knows as it really is that one is experiencing feelings that are limited to the body,
and one knows as it really is that one is experiencing feelings that are limited to life.
At the time when the body breaks up at death, all such feelings will forever become
extinct, be forever extinguished without remainder. One reflects: “A pleasant feeling
experienced at that time will be destroyed together with the body, a painful feeling
experienced at that time will be destroyed together with the body, a neutral feeling
experienced at that time will be destroyed together with the body. All this is on the
side of dukkha.

Experiencing what is pleasant, one is free from bondage and is unbound; experiencing
what is painful, one is free from bondage and is unbound; experiencing what is
neutral, one is free from bondage and is unbound. From what bondage is one free?
One is free from lustful sensual desire, from irritation, and from delusion; and I say
one is equally free from birth, old age, disease, death, worry, sadness, vexation, and
pain. This is reckoned freedom from dukkha.” … – SA 969

As we can see from this passage, mindfulness of vedanas can include various
aspects related to the vedana itself, including:
Vedana’s dependence on sense contact for existence.
Their advantage, disadvantage and release (i.e. gratification, drawback and
escape).
Their impermanence and disappearance at death.
How they are dukkha/suffering.
The freedom from sense desire (for pleasant vedana), from irritation (regarding the
unpleasant) and from delusion (regarding neutrals).

Another possible benefit of mindfulness of vedana is its power to help us through

painful moments of sickness, injury and even death. This is indicated in SN 52.10
where Anuruddha says that because of his practice of satipatthana, bodily sensations
do not overwhelm the mind and in SN 36.7 where the Buddha teaches satipatthana to
a group of monks in a sick ward. This effect of mindfulness meditation is now well
known as mindfulness based interventions have been adopted in clinical settings.
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Internally and Externally

As the SPS says, one is also to meditate on sensations “internally and externally”.
How does one meditate on sensations externally? When does this by observing other
beings and noticing the various cues which indicate that they are experiencing
different kinds of sensations. This practice can then lead us to see how their
reactions to the various types of sensations leads to suffering. We can then apply this
wisdom to our own way of dealing with sensations.

It is often difficult to look at ourselves critically and objectively and so this external
mode of observation can be another alternative way of meditating on sensations
which bypasses our own ego defenses since it is focused on other persons. By doing
this we see how others hurt themselves through their reactivity and this could lead to
the understanding that we ourselves often react like they do.

There are two ways to practice this external contemplation. One way is in our
everyday life as we interact with various persons throughout our day. Another way is
to bring the memory of past observations and interactions with these persons into the
formal meditation. In this way we are uniting daily life practice with our formal sitting
meditation. We compare both our observation of others and our inner experience of
vedanas. Thus we contemplate vedanas “internally” and “externally”.

Thought this contemplation we can also see how vedanas don’t just exist in us, for
also they exist for others as well. All the pain and pleasure we spend our life dealing
with is also experienced to some degree by other people. Our experiences aren’t the
only ones that matter in this sense. Because of this, our sense of being separate from
others, of being a totally different and unique self that is the center of sensation, can
also begin to fade.

Experiencing and calming cittasankharas

The next step is to fully experience the activities (sankharas) of the heart-mind (citta).
The final step in this tetrad is to calm or relax cittasankharas. According to Analayo,
other sources in the Vinaya say to “let go” of sankharas as well.

Sankharas are in a general sense both “compounded” things, “constructions” (literally

“things put together”, “that which has been constructed”) and also, the process of
“fabrication” which “puts together”, “constructs”, “concocts” or “conditions”
phenomena.

In this sense cittasankhara refers to the aspect of our mind which forms or fabricates
In this sense, cittasankhara refers to the aspect of our mind which forms or fabricates
our mental events out of
Buddha's sense impressions. It also refers to our volitions,
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dispositions, or intentional constructs. It is a term with a broad semantic field, and
has been translated as activity, composition, compound, construction, fabrication,
formation, process and preparation.

According to the Patis, cittasankhara in the context of anapanasati refers to feelings

(vedana) and perceptions (sañña). Meanwhile, the Sariputrabhidharma states that is
refers to ideations and volitions. So cittasankharas seems to refer to a broad category
of phenomena which includes our sensations and perceptions, as well as our
reactions to them in our thoughts, our ideas about them and how our faculty of
volition or will responds.

This is important to note, because this tetrad is the section on vedanas and yet it also
speaks of observing and calming our way of seeing, naming, thinking about and
reacting to vedana. This is because regular people cannot just let vedanas be, they
automatically perceive them in a particular way and generate sankharas out of
ignorance of the nature of vedanas. As the Buddha says:

With contact as a requisite condition, there is vedana. What one vedanas [senses],
one perceives [or recognizes, sañña]. What one perceives, one thinks about. What one
thinks about, one complicates. Based on what a person complicates, the perceptions
& categories of complication assail them with regard to past, present, & future forms
cognizable via the eye. -MN 18

Our typical and automatic response when dealing with pleasant vedana is to react
with clinging and craving for more. Meanwhile when presented with unpleasant
vedana we generally react with aversion and anger. We should observe the inner push
or pull of the sensations, which almost always accompanies the sensations
themselves. This observation of our reactivity to sensation is just as important as
mindfulness of sensations themselves. It gives us insights into how sensations
condition the mind and how we create suffering.

Regarding neutral vedanas (literally “neither pleasant nor unpleasant”), these are
usually ignored because they bore us. Our tendency with these sensations is to go in
search of something more interesting and exciting.

Developing mindfulness of sensations allows us to notice unhelpful reactions and

patterns of response that lead to suffering and stop them from getting worse. Much
mental suffering begins at this lower level. It can be shocking how quickly our mind
automatically reacts to affective tone without us even noticing it. But it really should
not surprise us that sentient beings would have evolved a highly attuned fight or flight
not surprise us that sentient beings would have evolved a highly attuned fight or flight
mechanism,Buddha's
as well as Grove
instincts for seeking food and sex . However useful these
patterns are for survival, they cause much suffering if we do not learn to manage and
relax them.

Since this ‘hedonic bias’ is the way we automatically and involuntarily react, any
attempt to be mindful of this and deviate from this automatic process will require
some kind of effort. We must practice continuously and cleverly in order to overturn
the automatic and subconscious habitual patterns of the mind’s relationship to
feeling tones.

So it is logical that in this step, being mindful of vedanas is paired with calming our
perceptions of the vedanas, our thoughts about and cognitions of vedana and all of
the mental fabrication and story-making which arises out of this. As Buddhadasa
notes, this also means calming vedanas themselves, since they are also reactive
formations to the contact between our senses and the world. This practice then is
attacking the problem of craving from various angles, the awareness of the vedana to
see its true nature and our unskillful responses to them.

So in these steps, we broaden our mindfulness from the domain of vedana alone, to
mind’s reactivity to vedana. Notice what’s going on within the domain of our mind, all
our thoughts about vedana, all our ways of perceiving, recognizing, and responding to
vedana. Just be mindful of these processes without doing anything. Try to minimize
sense stimulation so that one can more easily focus your attention on the mental
processes that do appear. If one is doing something which is exciting while practicing
mindfulness, like eating delicious food, try to slow down.

The contemplation of cittasankharas also includes being attentive our latent

tendencies or subconscious habits (anusaya) regarding vedanas. The Vedana
Samyutta states:

The underlying tendency to greed should be given up when it comes to pleasant

vedana. The underlying tendency to repulsion should be given up when it comes to
painful vedana. The underlying tendency to ignorance should be given up when it
comes to neutral vedana. – SN 36.3, MN 44

When you feel pleasure without understanding feeling, the underlying tendency to
greed is there, if you don’t see the escape. When you feel pain without understanding
feeling, the underlying tendency to repulsion is there, if you don’t see the escape. As
for that peaceful, neutral feeling: he of vast wisdom has taught that if you relish it,
you’re still not released from suffering. But when a mendicant is keen, not neglecting
situational awareness that astute person understands all feelings Completely
situational awareness, that astute person understands all feelings. Completely
understanding feelings,Grove
Buddha's they’re without defilements in this very life. – SN 36.3

These qualities are then a kind of latent predisposition that we all have towards
certain kinds of behavior that get triggered by various stimuli and causes different
kinds of behavior, such as pleasure seeking or avoidance. This means that craving
and aversion have calcified, and can be active when one anticipates an experience,
not just when the experience is happening in the present.

As MN 44 makes clear however, these underlying tendencies are only there when it
comes to worldly sensations, they generally do not stand behind spiritual sensations
like the jhanas or the sadness that comes from reflecting on the fact that one has not
yet reached liberation, since these are skillful sensations.

In the final step of this tetrad, we attempt to relax and calm these sankharas. We
observe how the mind moves and reacts to vedana. Sometimes just being mindful of
cittasankharas and noticing how they cause suffering is enough, other times a more
proactive approach might be needed. So we can try to investigate this process. We
can ask questions like “what is pushing or pulling the mind?”, “how is this
happening?”, “how long did the process take?”, “is it skillful?” Then as we begin to
understand what is happening, we can come back to the breath and try to relax and
calm ourselves.

It is important to remain still and non-reactive to bodily and sense impressions when
practicing this step. The Buddha said:

Rahula, develop the meditation in tune with earth. For when you are developing the
meditation in tune with earth, agreeable & disagreeable sensory impressions that
have arisen will not stay in charge of your mind. Just as when people throw what is
clean or unclean on the earth, feces, urine, saliva, pus, or blood, the earth is not
horrified, humiliated, or disgusted by it; in the same way, when you are developing the
meditation in tune with earth, agreeable & disagreeable sensory impressions that
have arisen will not stay in charge of your mind. – MN 62

This mere act of remaining still and calm without reacting can help relax
cittasankharas as they arise.

We can also start observing how sankharas are transient, dukkha and not “me” or
“mine,” by doing this they are weakened and the mind slowly lets them go.

Another way to practice this step is to attend to the attractive qualities (assada) of the
cittasankharas, those qualities which draws the mind to them, and see how these
enchanting features are also impermanent and dukkha Likewise notice the
enchanting features are also impermanent and dukkha. Likewise notice the
disadvantageous qualities
Buddha's Grove(adinava) of the sankharas and vedanas, such as the fact
that they are distracting and keeping you from true peace.

You can also identify and ask questions about a sankhara, to investigate it. Where is it
coming from? Why and how is it happening? Who is intending? How can it be
released?

Contemplating cittasankharas can also be done in a more general way by simply

transforming everyday irritations, cravings and emotions into a meditation whenever
and wherever they arise. Whenever one experiences negative emotions, instead of
reacting unskillfully, one can take a short break from what one is doing and practice
mindfulness right there. In this way, the “obstacle becomes the way”.

Shankaras often come and go unnoticed and sometimes, we can only realize what
has happened retroactively. This is also part of mindfulness of cittasankharas! In fact,
until our practice matures and we gain some experience with it, a lot of our
mindfulness of cittasankharas will be done through reflecting on past experiences
and understanding how certain mental reactions and thoughts led us to do certain
things.

Since sati’s dual meaning also includes remembering and recollecting, contemplating
on past mental states and intentions is a key part of the practice. After all, unless we
are a fully awakening being, there is no way we can perfectly be aware of everything
that happening with perfect mindfulness. However, we can still reflect on past events
and try to gain insight into them from a place of temporal distance.

It is an important element of this step that we have to be willing to calm and let go of
all mental sankharas, this includes even pleasant ones which we cultivated before like
piti and sukha. This does not mean we completely stop experiencing piti-sukha, but
that we let them get calmer and subtler.

As noted by the Satyasiddhisastra, this step also includes being mindful of and then
calming and stopping any forms of grasping and craving for pleasant sensations like
piti-sukha, as well as any associated thoughts related to such cravings. The
Sravakabhumi similarly says:

To the meditator experiencing piti sukha, there may at times, owing to temporary loss
of mindfulness, arise false ideation of the self and related conceptually proliferated
notions accompanied by craving. Thereupon, he is able to understand promptly and
become detached from them.

While sensations like piti-sukha are wholesome overall it is still possible to cling to
While sensations like piti sukha are wholesome overall, it is still possible to cling to
them. According to MNGrove
Buddha's 44, jhana states are beyond the underlying tendency to lust,
so how can this be possible? I understand this issue as referring to a sense of
clinging which arises after we have experienced the spiritual pleasant vedanas of
jhana, or to the experience of unworldly pleasant vedanas outside of jhana (perhaps
in proto-jhanic samadhis).

While clinging to these spiritual sensations is definitely better than clinging to worldly
sense pleasures, this subtle type of clinging still impedes our practice. So in this step
we need to be mindful of any desire for pleasant spiritual sensations and try to relax
and let this go.

We ultimately cannot control this process and these sensations tend to come and go
even if we are meditating correctly. Since spiritual sensations arise from letting go,
the less we grasp after piti-sukha the more of it that we will get. Paradoxically, the
more we let go, the more we will experience higher and subtly greater states of mind.
Even if you are blissing out, this step is necessary for progress and for entering the
highest states of freedom.

Tell yourself in this step that all things are transient and must be released, and that
holding on to even pleasant feelings will only destroy your happiness. Let go of
controlling and of being in charge. Let go of the fear of not being in control. The more
you let go the more unified and calm your mind will become.
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Breath
Mindfulness 3
Third Tetrad

9. Breathing in and out, they train in fully experiencing the heart-mind.

10. Breathing in and out, they train in making the heart-mind joyful.

11. Breathing in and out, they train by unifying the heart-mind.

12. Breathing in and out, they train in freeing the heart-mind.

What is citta?

The Dhammapada says:

Just as a fletcher straightens an arrow shaft, even so the discerning man straightens
his citta — so fickle and unsteady, so difficult to guard. As a fish when pulled out of
water and cast on land throbs and quivers, even so is this citta agitated. Hence
should one abandon the realm of Mara.

Wonderful, indeed, it is to subdue the citta, so difficult to subdue, ever swift, and
seizing whatever it desires. A tamed citta brings happiness. Let the discerning man
guard the citta, so difficult to detect and extremely subtle, seizing whatever it desires.
A guarded citta brings happiness.

The third tetrad of anapanasati broadens the meditation from just mental processes
related to vedana, to the entire field of the ‘heart-mind’ (citta). This includes various
functions of activities of the mind such as feeling tones (vedana), perceptions
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(sañña), intentions (sankharas, cetana), intellect (mano), attention (manasikara) and
consciousness or discrimination (viññana). While the last tetrad saw the training and
calming of both body and mind, this one seems to assume that the body has calmed
down enough to move towards the more refined job of calming the citta and any
unskillful elements present therein.

Since this tetrad deals with the citta, it is important to understand what this term
means for the early Buddhists and how it works. While the following discussion will
get technical and complex, I believe it is important to have a strong theoretical
grounding in the early Buddhist understanding of how mental processes operate. With
this background, satipatthana meditation can make a much more powerful effect on
our wisdom faculty.

Just like previous terms we have dealt with, citta has various meanings. The Pali Text
Society Dictionary definition is: the heart (psychologically), i.e. the centre & focus of
man’s emotional nature as well as that intellectual element which inheres in &
accompanies its manifestations; i.e. thought

Citta is derived from the Indic root cit which according to Monier Williams Sanskrit
Dictionary means: perceiving, seeing, noticing, observing, knowing, understanding,
remembering, thinking. The Sanskrit word seems to have a very broad semantic field
which according to Apte’s Sanskrit Dictionary also includes “spirit”, “soul”, “heart” and
so on.

This broad meaning seems to indicate citta is simply the whole field of thought, our
“mindset”, all of subjective experience and all thought and emotional processes. It is
thus our inner world or personality, the psychological self. So in a general sense, citta
can mean that which thinks, what motivates, what wills, what perceives and is aware.
Citta can also refer to just “a thought” or “thoughts” (see: SN 56.8).

In this way one can translate it as the “heart-mind” as it does not have the purely
intellectual connotations that the word “mind” has in English but also includes
emotive elements associated with the way we speak of the “heart”. Therefore, the
way citta is used is similar to the Chinese xin (心) which also includes both the
emotive and cognitive elements of the individual.

As noted in the PTS Dictionary, the activities of citta as described in the early suttas
are many. Citta can be self-controlled, calmed, receptive, mastered, unified in samadhi
(SPS, APSS), loving, caring and purified. But citta can also be impure, lustful, greedy,
fettered and defiled by craving. Emotions like envy, malevolence and conceit can arise
in a citta (see MN 7).
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Citta can become invaded by negative qualities (see MN 50). It is therefore important
to purify it: for a long time this citta has been defiled by attachment, hatred and
delusion. By defilement of citta, beings are defiled; by purity of citta, beings are
purified (MN 128). The citta can also “fly off to wherever it desires” (Dhp 36) or
“wanders as it wishes”, leading one to wander in samsara and even to hell
(Theragatha 1130, 1112, 1126) and so there is a need to “guard it” (Dhp 36).

Citta then seems to be the field of mental activity, the main arena of personality,
agency, subjectivity, thought and emotionality. Like any actual “field” though, it is
constantly changing, containing different plants, animals and so on. It is thus a
shifting vortex of subjectivity, the dynamic stream of personality. This whole process
is conditioned by various other things (see below).

The nature of citta is thus “fickle and flickering, it is difficult to control” (Dhp 33). One
could say that there are actually many cittas or fluctuating mental streams, doing
different things at different times.

MN 78 says: And where do these unskillful behaviors stem from? Where they stem
from has been stated. You should say that they stem from citta. What citta? The citta
takes many and diverse forms. But unskillful behaviors stem from a citta that has
greed, hate, and delusion.

Likewise Buddhaghosa sees citta as being ‘variegated according to circumstances’

(Atthasalini 63).

The citta can easily go astray when it contacts the senses unmindfully:

When you see a sight, mindfulness is lost as attention latches on a pleasant feature.
Experiencing it with a mind full of desire, you keep clinging to it. Many feelings grow
arising from sights. The mind is damaged by covetousness and cruelty. Heaping up
suffering like this, you’re said to be far from nirvana. SN 35.95

Depending on the person, there will be certain recurring character traits, and thus citta
can also be said to have certain consistency (one’s “personality”). However, the
various cittas or mind states are still subject to different forms of change (one can
“lose one’s mind” or become “a new person”).

A practitioner should thus master his citta and its qualities, not be mastered by it, this
is like a ruler who owns a large wardrobe and puts on whatever clothes he wants (MN
32). It is only by mastering the skill of samadhi that one is able to master the citta and
make it do whatever one wants (AN 7 4)
make it do whatever one wants (AN 7.4).
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The most important feature of citta, is the fact that it can be trained and cultivated
through spiritual practice. This is because citta is a process that is inconstant
(anicca) and always changing. For this reason, the Buddha often described it with
water or plant metaphors.

Due to its process character, citta can be transformed and new qualities can be
“brought into being” or “developed” in the citta (citta bhavana) through certain means
(MN 127). The citta can be improved and “cleansed” (DN 2) by removing that which
corrupts it (such as the three poisons of greed, hatred and delusion in MN 78). An
untrained and unguarded citta means that one’s bodily, speech and mental actions
will also be unguarded, like a house without a roof (AN 3.109).

Therefore, citta must be “made straight” like a bow (Dhp 33), and be made luminous
or radiant (pabhassaram). AN 47-50 says:

Just as, mendicants, the papra is said to be the best kind of tree in terms of its
pliability and workability, so too, I do not see a single thing that’s as pliable and
workable as the mind, when it is developed and cultivated. A mind that is developed
and cultivated is pliable and workable.

Mendicants, I do not see a single thing that’s as quick to change as the mind. So
much so that it’s not easy to give a simile for how quickly the mind changes.

This mind, mendicants, is radiant. But it’s corrupted by passing corruptions. This
mind, mendicants, is radiant. And it is freed from passing corruptions.

In MN 140 and its parallel at MA 162, citta is compared to gold ore that must be
refined and purified by a blacksmith and when all the dross has been removed, it is
radiant. However, a citta that gets corrupted by the five obstacles or hindrances “is
neither malleable nor wieldy nor radiant (pabhassaram) but brittle and not rightly
concentrated” (SN 46.33 & AN 5.23). Likewise, MN 128 (and the parallel MA 72) says
that a corrupted mind loses any inner light or luminesence, but a mind with samadhi
experiences limitless luminosity. Therefore, it is clear that citta must be purified and
developed in samadhi to attain these qualities of pliancy, workability and radiance.

When the Buddha speaks about the brightness citta, what he seems to be referring to
is the level of clarity of awareness, the strength of mind’s ability to reflect and present
the world. Returning to the metaphor of water, the Buddha explains that the mind is
like a pool of water, if it is clear then it has the ability to reflect things and one can see
through it. But if the pool is filled with dirt or any other kind of substance then you will
not be able to see clearly to the bottom of the pool (as in AN 1 45-46) This helps us
not be able to see clearly to the bottom of the pool (as in AN 1.45-46). This helps us
make senseBuddha's
of some ofGrove
the terms the Buddha uses for unwholesome mental
qualities, such as “asava” (literally “that which flows” into and out of the mind to
poison it) and “kilesa” (a stain, an impurity of the mind).

Therefore, the mind’s radiance can be enhanced and improved by practicing

meditation and getting rid of the corruptions. As this happens the mind’s potential for
radiance reveals itself as it’s ability to reflect phenomena increases, just like in a clear
and stainless pool of water. But again, this quality can get corrupted and even
disappear (as above in SN 46.33 etc.), like waste dumped into a lake can ruin the
lake’s purity.

A trained and freed citta is not overcome, troubled or affected by sense impressions
(AN 6.55). If a citta has been purified and developed wisdom, is can even be “brought
towards the deathless element” i.e. nirvana (AN 9.36).

Citta then, is a term which is used when referring to inner training, it is what we focus
on when cultivating ourselves spiritually. Bad qualities must be removed from citta
and good qualities developed or grown. This cultivation is also done through
repetitively using one’s attention in certain ways. As the Buddha says in MN 19:
whatever a contemplative frequently thinks and ponders upon, that will become the
inclination of their citta. In this sense, citta refers to what is happening in our inner
world which must be observed and developed through spiritual practice.

Processes related to citta

There are various terms used throughout the early suttas which are closely related to
citta. It is important to understand them so as to get a basic overview of how the
Buddha explained the mental world. These terms may be a part or a form of citta and
even overlap semantically with citta in various places. These are: vedana, viññana,
sañña, sankhara, mano, cetana and nama.

The first four of these are part of the “five heaps” schema, the five elements or
aggregates that make up a person (the fifth is rupa, “form” or “the physical”). Citta
then, can be said to include any and all subjective experience that is not the “form”
aspect of reality. It is thus sometimes synonymous with nama (name or naming),
which part of the widely used compound nama-rupa (“name and form” or “the mental
and physical”).

Citta is said to be conditioned by the arising of nama-rupa, when nama-rupa ceases,

the citta also ends (SN 47.42). Another sutta says the same of viññana (SN 22.56).
SN 12.2 defines nama-rupa thus:
And what are name andGrove
Buddha's form? Vedana, sañña, intention (cetana), contact (phassa),
and attention (manasikara). This is called name. The four primary elements, and form
derived from the four primary elements. This is called form.

“Name” therefore, is a broad term for mental activity associated with the physical
senses and that which senses mental objects (mano), and so, it is “sentiency”.
Buddhaghosa defines it as ‘it is “nama” because of bending (namanato) towards
objects’ (Vism 558).

We have already looked at vedana in the previous essay, but it is important to note
that vedana is seen as an activity of citta alongside cognition or perception (sañña):
Sañña and vedana are mental. They’re tied up with citta, that’s why they are citta-
processes (MN 44).

We have also looked at sankhara in the previous section and seen that it refers to
activities that “construct”, “produce”, or “prepare” (-kr) various elements together (-
sam). In this sense it can also be seen as a synthesizing, coordinating and organizing
function. Sankhara thus has an intentional quality, and it is closely related to will or
intention (cetana), almost to the point of being synonymous with it.

Sankhara is the volitional force or motivation for our actions, as shown by AN 3.15,
which says that ‘abhisankhara’ is like the momentum that keeps a single rolling
chariot wheel turning for a while after one has pushed it. As SN 22.56 shows, there
are six types of sankhara, each related to the six sense fields. Alternatively, one can
divide them into sankharas of body, speech and mind (SN 12.2). An example of bodily
shankara is breathing, forms of thinking are verbal and vedana and sañña are forms
of mental sankharas.

Cetana (intention) is related etymologically with citta, but cetana refers particularly to
our faculty of willing. The volitional or intentional aspect of citta is that which “sets
up” or “produces” other thoughts, ideas and concepts. SN 22.100 uses the simile of a
painting and says that just like a painter paints a picture, citta “produces and
reproduces” the five aggregates/heaps. Likewise, SN 22.79 says that sankharas
construct the five aggregates. The Pali commentary compares this to the process of
cooking, the bringing together of different phenomena or ingredients.

The intentional or willing faculty is closely tied with karma, in some cases the Buddha
seems to say it is equivalent to karma: “I say cetana is karma; having willed, one
performs an karma by body, speech or mind” (AN 6.63). In SN 12.51, the Buddha
states that there are three types of sankharas as they relate to the merit they produce:
good bad and imperturbable If one produces good sankharas one’s consciousness
good, bad and imperturbable. If one produces good sankharas, one s consciousness
enters a good realm, and
Buddha's so on. Furthermore, AN 3.34 states that our actions (karma)
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are like seeds which can ripen in this life or in following lives. This shows that
sankharas have the power to transform our conscious experience now and in future
births.

Now, regarding “sañña”, this is the mental faculty of perception or perhaps even
‘cognition’. Like vedana, it arises due to sense contact. In SN 22.79 it is defined as
that which apprehends various colors. Therefore, it is also a function of the mind that
is able to recognize, categorize, and label sense objects while perceiving them.

This labeling and classifying nature of sañña can be seen in AN 6.63: And what is the
result of saññas? Communication is the result of sañña, I say. You communicate
something in whatever manner you perceive it, saying ‘That’s what I perceived.’

Buddhaghosa in the Atthasalini (110) adds the following similes which show the
recognizing aspect of sañña: We may see this procedure when a carpenter again
recognizes a piece of wood by the special mark that he has (previously) made on it;
when we recognize a man by the sectarian mark on the forehead, which we have
noted and say ‘be is so and so’; or when a king’s treasurer, in charge of the royal
wardrobe, having had a label bound on each garment and, being asked to bring a
certain one. . . reads the label and brings the garment.

So sañña groups things together into basic categories so that they can be easily and
quickly recognized by the mind (“this is red”). The Sanskrit equivalent: samjña is
made up of “sam” (together) and jña (to know), so it is “knowing together.” This
indicates that it is a constructive quality that “puts together” basic sense experience.

There are six types of sañña, each one is differentiated according to their
corresponding sense objects such as sights, sounds, thoughts, etc (SN 22.56). Sañña
can also go astray and misperceive things, leading to “identification” (maññati) based
on the wrong view of “I am”, as in MN 1, and SN 35.248.

Turning to “viññana” (consciousness, discernment), this term refers to that which

performs the function of ‘vijanati‘ i.e. ‘discerns’, ‘discriminates’, ‘ascertains’ or
‘distinguishes’ phenomena such as different kinds of tastes (SN 22.79) and the three
types of feeling tones (MN 43). It can thus be more than just a “bare awareness” of
things since it is able to tell the difference between different kinds of phenomena,
though it can include a more basic level of intentional consciousness of sense data.

As MN 43 states, viññana is also associated with the faculty of wisdom or

understanding (pañña), because:
what one understands (pajanati), that one cognizes (vijanati), and what one cognizes,
Buddha's Grove
that one understands. Therefore these states are associated, not dissociated, and it is
impossible to separate these states in order to describe their difference. What is the
difference, between pañña and viññana? The difference is this: pañña is to be
cultivated (bhavetabbam), viññana is to be fully understood (pariññeyyam).

In comparison to sañña then, viññana can include a more complex, deeper and finer
kind of mental function. This is supported by the Visuddhimagga, which has a simile
about a child, an adult villager and an expert money-changer seeing a bunch of coins.
The child’s experience is like sañña, the villager’s experience to viññana, and the
money-changer’s experience to wisdom (pañña).

The early texts often give six groups or modes of viññana (viññanakaya), depending
on the type of sense base it depends on (i.e. the five senses and the mind basis or
mano, see MN 18, MN 38 etc.). In this way, when a sense base (such as the eye) and
a visual form are present, the corresponding viññana may arise dependent on them
(i..e visual awareness). When the three are joined, there is contact (phassa). However,
when such conditions are not present (which also includes an act of attention), the
corresponding type of viññana does not arise (MN 28). Therefore, as with vedana and
sañña, viññana is supported by contact and thus it is always directed at some
phenomenon. In modern philosophical language, it always has intentionality (i.e. it is
always consciousness of something).

Viññana also depends on the body. As DN 2 says, viññana is “bound up” and
supported by the body. Just like a necklace is made up of gems and strings, so is the
individual made up of viññanas and physical processes (DN 2).

The suttas thus seem to indicate that there are different levels of of viññana including
the more basic viññana which is aware of the five senses and manoviññana which is
aware of thoughts. This can be seen in MN 22, which lists the objects of viññana as:
whatever is seen, heard, sensed, discerned, reached, searched for, pondered over by
conception. This view is also supported by the later Abhidharma literature.

Mano is one of the sense bases (ayatana), analogous to the eye or the ear base. It
can know thoughts just like the eye sees sights. However, it is unique among the
sense bases, in that while all the other sense bases cannot “partake” of the “range” or
“scope” of the others, mano is able to partake of them (MN 43). Hence, mano is able
to conceive and think about all the impressions of the other sense bases. Mano is
thus the coordinating center for all the sense bases or organs, the synthesizing
mental process.
Mano also seems to beGrove
Buddha's what produces attention or at least it is related to the faculty
of attention. This can be seen a commonly used phrase: “listen, lend closely your
mano, and I will speak” (as in SN 12.19 etc). Mano can also produce good or bad
actions, as part of the “body, speech and mind” trio (DN 27). Thus, the Dhammapada
starts out with saying that “mano is supreme, it precedes all things (dharmas), they
are made by mano.” The verse goes on to say that sufferings follows from a corrupted
mind, while a purified mind leads to happiness. This indicates how central the sense
base of mano is to the subsequent process of cognition and intentional action.

So it makes sense to say that the concept of viññana in the EBTs is also quite broad
and includes various layers of awareness. The different kinds or forms of viññana
could be analyzed as follows:
An “existential” or basal viññana that undergoes rebirth and enlivens the body of
the fetus (DN 15).
The sensory viññanas which are directly aware of one of the five sense fields,
arising from contact.
The discriminative and discerning aspect of viññana, which is a higher cognitive
process and can be aware of the differences between phenomena (such as
different tastes).
Mano-viññana, which is aware of thoughts, including thoughts about the five
senses taking place in the faculty of conception (mano).

Of course, these different elements are all bound up together in complex processes
and cannot be easily separated. This is like how a body water might have different
currents, such as undercurrents and surface currents.

Like citta, the Buddha often places viññana at the center of personality. SN 35.245
contains a very illuminating simile: there is a citadel (the body) with six gates (six
internal sense bases), a gatekeeper (mindfulness) who skillfully keeps out enemies
and lets in friends, swift pairs of messengers (calm and insight) come from the four
directions and deliver a message (of nirvana) to the “lord of the city”, which is
viññana.

In this sutta, the entire personality then can be divided into viññana and the body (in
other suttas, the phrase “this body endowed with consciousness” – saviññanakaya is
sometimes used). Moreover, viññana seems to have oversight of the entire body and
be “centrally” located. Like any king or ruler however, viññana is dependent on
followers (such as contact, the body, and the sense bases) and his chief minister
(mano), to be aware of anything.
 Buddha's though
Even more interesting Grove is the fact that the “body” (kaya) here also includes the
six sense bases, which includes mano, the intellect or mentality, that which sees
mental objects. That the term “body” (kaya) as understood in early Buddhism,
includes a form of mentation, is supported by DN 23, which says that this body
“knows thoughts”. This is why then, it is said that someone can “see Dharma with his
body” (Dhp.259). In the EBTs then, the most important way of dividing up a person is
not mental and physical, but viññana and “body” (which includes physical and mental
“bodies” or “groupings”), with viññana as the “lord” at the center.

These processes though are intermixed and inseparable:

Feeling tone (vedana), perception (sañña) and consciousness (viññana)—these things

are mixed, not separate. And you can never completely dissect them so as to describe
the difference between them. For you perceive what you feel, and you are conscious
of what you perceive. That’s why these things are mixed not separate. – MN 43

Indeed, the Milinda Panha (64) says that one cannot ‘place a diversity’ between
contact, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness, since “their nature is to arise
together.” They are said to be like the various types of subtle flavors of a soup, it is
hard to distinguish between them. The Buddha however is able to do this.

Furthermore, viññana is also seen as that which inhabits and makes a home out of
the other aggregates/heaps: the form element is a shelter for viññana. One whose
viññana is shackled to greed for the form element is called a migrant going from
shelter to shelter…[and so on for vedana, sañña, and sankhara] (SN 22.3).

Likewise, DN 33 says that the other four aggregates are “stations” or “maintenances”
for viññana, they “support”, and “ground” viññana. This process of making the other
elements of personality into a “home” seems to be associated with appropriating
them as a self (atta), as in SN 22.90. Since the Buddha does not appropriate these
elements as a self, he termed the one who “abandons the home.” Viññana is also said
to be that which feels greed for the aggregates (SN 22.3), that which grasps (MN
106) and that which is prone to being grasped (SN 22.48).

As SN 12.61 states, citta and viññana are inconstant and constantly changing
phenomena: But that which is called ‘citta’ or ‘mano’ or ‘viññana’ arises as one thing
and ceases as another all day and all night. It’s like a monkey moving through the
forest. It grabs hold of one branch, lets it go, and grabs another; then it lets that go
and grabs yet another. In the same way, that which is called ‘citta’ or ‘mano’ or
‘viññana’ arises as one thing and ceases as another all day and all night.
Likewise, SN 25.3 says all six groups of viññana are impermanent, changing and
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perishing. In this sense, viññana, like citta, is best thought of as a process, not a fixed
thing. Hence, venerable Sariputta refers to a “stream of consciousness” (viññana-
sota) in DN 28. Because of its nature to constantly be in flux, SN 12.61 says that it
would be better for someone to take the body as being the self rather than the mind.
This seems to mean that someone who would take the mind to be a self would be
extremely ignorant of the mind’s inconstant nature.

This point is particularly important because it differentiates the Buddhist

understanding from Hinduism and other spiritual philosophies who hold that there is
an unchanging or constant form of consciousness.

In MN 38, the Buddha strongly condemns the misunderstanding of a monk called

Sati, who held that “it is this very same consciousness that roams and transmigrates,
not another.” The Buddha says that this is false because “consciousness is
dependently originated, since consciousness does not arise without a cause.” These
conditions include the six sense bases and the Buddha compares consciousness to a
fire that burns dependent on different forms of fuel. Furthermore, the Buddha states
that when the conditions cease, consciousness also ceases.

Since viññana is transient, it is also suffering and when desire is ended, viññana also
ceases. SN 22.53 says that if desire for the five aggregates is cut off, the support for
viññana is cut off. Without this foundation, viññana does not “become established nor
grow, with no power to regenerate” and thus it is “freed.” The cessation of viññana is
connected to liberation: “Those ascetics and brahmins who have directly known
viññana in this way—and its origin, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its
cessation; its gratification, drawback, and escape—and due to disillusionment,
dispassion, and cessation regarding viññana, are freed by not grasping: they are well
freed” (SN 22.57). In SN 22.57 and MN 9, the way to the cessation of viññana is said
to be the noble eightfold path: “viññana originates from sankharas. Viññana ceases
when sankharas cease. The practice that leads to the cessation of viññana is simply
this noble eightfold path” (MN 9).

The cessation of viññana is also described in DN 11, where it is asked where physical
properties “find no footing” and where name and form cease. The answer is: “Viññana
that’s invisible, infinite, totally given up [alternative manuscript reading: radiant all
around]. Here’s where water and earth, fire and air find no footing; here’s where long
and short, fine and coarse, beautiful and ugly; here’s where name and form cease with
nothing left over—with the cessation (nirodha) of viññana, that’s where this ceases.”

If liberation and nirvana are associated with the cessation of consciousness does this
If liberation and nirvana are associated with the cessation of consciousness does this
mean someBuddha's
kind of annihilation
Grove or nothingness? No, it only means that liberation
cannot be explained or fathomed from the perspective of any of the five aggregates,
including consciousness. Nirvana transcends all of these experiences and categories
and is “deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of
reason, subtle,” (MN 72). The Buddha clearly said in the famed Kaccanagotta Sutta
that he teaches via the middle way, which does not explain reality in terms of
existence and non-existence (SN 12.15).

In this sense then, to ask whether a fully liberated person’s consciousness exists or
does not exist is one of the “unanswered” questions (avyakata) that the Buddha said
must be set aside (MN 63), since they are connected with craving and grasping.
Asking this question is like asking if a fire that has gone out has “gone” to the north,
south, east or west. It is a mistaken question (MN 72).

As seen above and in other suttas (SN 12.62), some of these terms are used as
synonyms. Because there is some semantic overlap, there has been much debate on
what the exact differences between citta and these other terms are.

The way I see it, citta seems to have a broader meaning, encompassing various
functions such as feeling tones and emotions, while viññana seems to refer to the the
experiencing aspect of citta, that can also discerns and discriminates phenomena. In
a strict sense, viññana is generally used within the context of the five heaps and the
six sense fields (though it is also used in a more general sense in some suttas, which
overlaps with citta), while citta can include the other mental elements of the five
aggregates. This ‘stricter’ sense of viññana is how I will be using it in this essay.

Mano meanwhile seems to refers to the intellectual function, to the faculty of thinking,
imagining and conceiving – but note that it does not refer to that which is aware of
the conceiving faculty (which is manoviññana i.e. the consciousness that discerns
conception or thoughts). Like with viññana however, there is also some semantic
overlap between mano and citta, but in this essay, I will use the stricter sense as well.

In this sense, the semantic range of these various terms could be understood as
follows:

Dependent Arising

Dependent origination (DO) or “conditioned arising” is none other than the ultimate
Buddhist description of how suffering originates in the citta (through the interplay of
various elements) and having originated, creates and sustains the body in this life and
the next.
The basic idea here is that
Buddha's every human experience exists dependent on other
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phenomena as conditions:

When this exists, that comes to be. With the arising of this, that arises. When this
does not exist, that does not come to be. With the cessation of this, that ceases. – SN
12.61

This analysis is used to refer both to the birth and death of beings across lifetimes
and to the birth and death of mental qualities such as craving and suffering in this
very life, even in this very moment.

SN 56.42 says that ignorant people “construct” (abhisankharonti) sankharas, which

leads them to “fall down the precipice of birth.” Likewise, DN 15 speaks of DO as
related to the growth of a fetus. However, other suttas also show that DO can be used
to analyze processes in this lifetime and in our daily mental life. This makes sense
because the fruitions of karma (i.e. cetana) can also occur in our present existence.
DN 28 states one can understand “a person’s stream of consciousness, unbroken on
both sides, established in both this world and the next.” DN 15 also says that viññana
conditions “growth and maturity” in this life.

So from this one can see that viññana as a condition and a conditioned process
refers to events in the present existence and the next. This is important because it
seems like the Buddha taught his students to observe the whole of dependent
origination in their citta, and in their lived experience here and now (which he
explained as being the entire “world” as in SN 12.44 ). Thus as AN 4.45 says: But I
also say there’s no making an end of suffering without reaching the end of the world.
For it is in this fathom-long carcass with its perception and mind that I describe the
world, its origin, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation.

This indicates that the analysis of dependent arising applies on multiple levels (“as
above so below”), and these levels are mutually interacting in complex ways. There is
the large scale level of multiple rebirths and the small scale level of one’s mental
world. There is then, DO as it applies to the microcosmic level and DO in the
macrocosmic level. This fractal nature of dependent origination is a law like regularity
wherever sentient beings and suffering can be found.

There are various versions of how DO works in detail in the suttas, the most widely
used listing of conditions or phenomena which is also the most complete, goes as
follows:

Ignorance → [conditions] Sankharas → Viññana → Nama-rupa → Six sense fields →

Contact → Vedana → Craving → Grasping → Becoming → Birth → Ageing and Death
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Sankhara is said act as a support for viññana by giving it a certain direction,
intentional push or place to settle: Mendicants, what you intend or plan, and what you
have underlying tendencies for become a support for the continuation of viññana.
When this support exists, viññana becomes established. When viññana is established,
name and form are conceived…[and so on for the rest of dependent origination] (SN
12.39).

A sutta which illustrates this process with a powerful simile is SN 22.54. It speaks of
how five different types of plants are able to grow if their seeds are healthy, placed in
good soil and are well watered. Then it explains that:

The four grounds of consciousness should be seen as like the earth element.
Relishing and greed should be seen as like the water element. Consciousness with its
fuel should be seen as like the five kinds of plants propagated from seeds. As long as
consciousness remains, it would remain involved with form, supported by form,
grounded on form. And with a sprinkle of relishing, it would grow, increase, and
mature. Or consciousness would remain involved with feeling … Or consciousness
would remain involved with perception … Or as long as consciousness remains, it
would remain involved with choices, supported by choices, grounded on choices. And
with a sprinkle of relishing, it would grow, increase, and mature.

This passage shows how consciousness is naturally conditioned by the other

aggregates, how they act as its ground and support (as sankharas support viññana in
SN 12.39). The sutta then goes on to say:

Mendicants, suppose you say: ‘Apart from form, feeling, perception, and choices, I will
describe the coming and going of consciousness, its passing away and reappearing,
its growth, increase, and maturity.’ That is not possible. If a mendicant has given up
greed for the form element, the support is cut off, and there is no foundation for
consciousness. If a mendicant has given up greed for the feeling element …
perception element … choices element … consciousness element, the support is cut
off, and there is no foundation for consciousness. Since that consciousness does not
become established and does not grow, with no power to regenerate, it is freed.

Likewise, AN 3.76 compares viññana to a seed which is “watered” by craving and

nourished by the “field” of karma. Craving’s relation to consciousness is also
mentioned in an interesting simile from AN 6.61:

The sage has known both ends, and is not stuck in the middle.
He is a great man, I declare, he has escaped the seamstress here…
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Name, reverends, is one end. Form is the second end. Viññana is the middle. And
craving is the seamstress, for craving weaves one to birth in this or that state of
existence.

Similarly, SN 12.64 states that viññana is established and grows when there is desire,
relishing and craving for four “foods” (ahara): solid food, contact, intention and
viññana. Then when viññana becomes established, nama-rupa arises. But if there is
no such craving, consciousness does not become established.

Thus, while the standard account usually has viññana being conditioned by
sankharas, other suttas state that nama-rupa is also a condition for viññana:

‘Is there a specific condition for name and form?’…‘Consciousness is a condition for
name and form.’ … ‘Is there a specific condition for consciousness?’ … ‘Name and
form are conditions for consciousness.’ – DN 15

Since a person is basically comprised of viññana and nama-rupa (which includes all
the other mental and physical elements), the mutual conditionality and interplay
between these is said encompass the cycles of existence (samsara). As DN 15 says,
viññana conditions nama-rupa during the gestation process in the womb and nama-
rupa conditions viññana because viññana requires nama-rupa to become
“established.” From this interplay arises the other links or elements of the dependent
arising of suffering:

When consciousness exists there are name and form. Consciousness is a condition
for name and form.’… ‘When name and form exist there’s consciousness. Name and
form are a condition for consciousness.’ …‘This consciousness turns back from name
and form, and doesn’t go beyond that.’ It is to this extent that one may be reborn, grow
old, die, pass away, or reappear. That is: Name and form are conditions for
consciousness. Consciousness is a condition for name and form. Name and form are
conditions for the six sense fields…[and so on for the full sequence] – DN 14

So there seems to be a particularly unique conditional relationship between nama-

rupa and viññana, a sort of feedback loop that acts as a gyre for the rest of the DO
process. The relationship between viññana and nama-rupa is one of mutual support.
Viññana gives vitality, will and discernment to the sentient body or name and form,
and in turn, it receives a support or ‘home’ in the sense bases and processes of the
sentient body. Both our everyday life and the larger scale arc of our rebirths are fueled
by all this.
Of course, nama-rupa here refers to a person’s sentient body or psycho-physical
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continuum. However, it cannot only refer to this since viññana also sees things
external to one’s own body. That nama-rupa can also include “external” appearances
seems to be implied by the following passage from SN 12.44:

What, mendicants, is the origin of the world? Eye consciousness arises dependent on
the eye and sights. The meeting of the three is contact. Contact is a condition for
feeling. Feeling is a condition for craving. Craving is a condition for grasping.
Grasping is a condition for continued existence. Continued existence is a condition
for rebirth. Rebirth is a condition for old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain,
sadness, and distress to come to be. This is the origin of the world… [this is then
repeated for the other five sense-channels which includes mano – intellect].

This is yet another alternative formulation of the DO schema that begins with the six
sense fields or bases. However, it can also be seen as another description of how
nama-rupa conditions viññana. This is because the six sense bases are said to be
part of the kaya (body), as in the simile of the citadel. Also, in some suttas, such as
DN 15, name and form is said to directly condition contact.

Therefore, it seems that the six sense bases either overlap with nama-rupa or can be
subsumed into it. So according to this account, consciousness is conditioned by the
sense bases which are part of their psycho physical continuum as well as by the
sense impressions that they receive from the sense bases. Some of these are
internal, and others are external to the body. As SN 12.19 implies ‘external’ nama-rupa
is also conditioned by viññana: Mendicants, for a fool hindered by ignorance and
fettered by craving, this body has been produced. So there is the duality of this body
and external name and form. Contact depends on this duality.

As we will see, both types of impressions, inner and outer, must be contemplated in
cittanupassana meditation (observation of the citta).

Regarding how viññana turns back and conditions nama-rupa, this happens through
its making “contact” with the sense bases and sense impressions or objects. Vedana,
sañña and sankharas (all elements of nama) are said to rely on and be conditioned by
contact (see SN 22.56). This can also be seen in SN 35.93 which says: when
contacted, one feels, intends, and perceives. As DN 15 says, there are two types of
contact, impact contact which depends on the body (rupa) and linguistic contact,
which depends on name (nama). Viññana then, is what allows both ‘external’ sense
impressions (that which is named) and the internal naming or designation of them.

So in this way, the main elements of name or naming (in nama-rupa) depend on
contact and contact is the union of viññana, sense base and sense object. Of course,
Buddha's
the sense bases Grove
are part of nama-rupa so contact is also dependent on nama-rupa as
well, including the mental element of attention which picks out objects for viññana to
contact and discern. This leads to further nama elements as well as the enlivening of
rupa (the body) in a continous cycle.

SN 12.67 gives a simile for the interdependent nature of consciousness and the
sentient body. After clearly stating that viññana and nama-rupa do not arise
independently, the Buddha states: It is as if two sheaves of reeds were to stand
leaning against one another. In the same way, from name-form as a requisite
condition comes viññana, from viññana as a requisite condition comes name-form…If
you pull one away, the other one would fall…if name and form ends, viññana ends and
if viññana ends, name and form ends…

We have seen that viññana, the central field or lord of the sentient body, is clearly
conditioned by sankharas (constructing activities) and nama-rupa (which includes the
sense bases and physical processes).

Another element in this complex conditioning process is manasikara (attention)

which is an activity of nama (particularly, a function of mano or the sense base of
mind): All things are rooted in desire. Attention produces them. Contact is their origin.
Feeling is their meeting place. Immersion is their chief. Mindfulness is their ruler.
Wisdom is their overseer. Freedom is their core (AN 8.83). For contact or sense
stimulation to arise, there must be the appropriate mental act of attention. As MN 28
says: Reverends, though the eye is intact internally, so long as exterior sights don’t
come into range and there’s no corresponding engagement, there’s no manifestation
of the corresponding type of consciousness. While this passage uses the term
“engagement” (samannahara), the pali commentary explains this is a synonym of
manasikara (attention).

Experiencing citta

We have seen that citta is a complex activity or more accurately, a grouping of

constantly changing activities, and thus it can be seen from different perspectives.
The third satipatthana practice of cittanupassana (observing the heart-mind) offers
us a specific way of looking at our heart-mind.

So in this part of anapanasati, we turn our attention to the citta, which means all of
our thoughts, intentions, volitions, emotions, perceptions; to everything going on in
the field of the mind.

At first leave the mental space alone and watch everything come and go like fish
At first leave the mental space alone and watch everything come and go like fish
passing by in a clear river.
Buddha's Notice how they arise, remain for a while in a process of
Grove
flux, and pass away. How is the citta changing, what is arising in the citta, what are
the qualities and features of the citta? Try to notice the arising, middle and end of
thoughts, feelings and emotions. At this initial stage, there is no need to bring in any
concepts or Buddhist theory, just simply watch whatever is happening in the mind.

Be like a naturalist at a watering hole attentively waiting for animals to come. Study
them and see what they are like, and how they interact. After some time doing this
practice, one may see them as shifting patterns, bubbles and vibrations. Their sense
of solidity and compactness will begin to break down.

One way you can practice a simple form of mindfulness of the citta is taught in Udana
1.10:

In what is seen there must be only what is seen, in what is heard there must be only
what is heard, in what is sensed there must be only what is sensed, in what is
cognized there must be only what is cognized.

This seems to be teaching a minimalistic form of mindfulness of the mind where one
is just aware of whatever arises in the citta without any intervention or interpretation.
One just observes phenomena coming and going without adding anything. This is
sometimes called “bare awareness,” since it does not attempt to use concepts or
thinking during the meditative process to analyze things. It is also similar to some
forms of Zen meditation. Of course, for most folks, this awareness is never really
“bare” since it includes the corruptions and thoughts that naturally arise. However,
during this practice, these are just to be observed with the same calm and receptive
attitude.

After some time just watching the mind, we may want to expand our mindfulness to
cover all the major activities and functions described by the Buddha. It may be
difficult to keep in mind all of the different activities and faculties of citta as
described above, so I have come up with a simple way to remember the basic four
elements of citta (the four mentality aggregates) plus mano, the acronym C.I.T.T.A:
C: Observe the cognitive process of sañña, that which initially re-cognizes
perceptions and labels them accordingly.
I: Notice the intentions (cetana, sankharas) in the mind and how they push us to
act, as well as how they construct and produce our experiences.
T: Tune in to the feeling tone (vedana), which is either pleasant, unpleasant or
neutral.
T Ob th thi ki f lt d th th ht it t ( )
 T: Observe the thinking faculty and the thoughts it generates (mano).
Buddha's
A: Observe Grove
the quality and activity of discriminating awareness (viññana). It is
intentional consciousness of the six sense bases and as well as the aspect of
consciousness which is able to tell phenomena apart from each other in a detailed
manner.

Memorize this acronym and bring it into your meditation. Sit calmly and still and
practice some breath meditation. Then you can turn your attention to the mind and
notice what is happening there. See if you can notice each different aspect of the
mind described by the acronym CITTA. Spend some time observing how each aspect
of citta works and then try to see how each one interacts with the others.

Here’s an example of how this can be put into practice. Imagine you are sitting and
watching your breath and you begin to sense pain in your legs. Just tune in to that
feeling tone (T) and observe it. After spending some time with it, expand your mind to
the cognition (C) that knows “this is pain” and then to the awareness of the feeling (A)
as well as how that awareness experiences the pain (is it sharp, dull, mild or strong?).
Then turn your mind to the intentions (I) associated with the pain, such as the
intention to move from your position. Then you can turn your awareness to the
thoughts that have arisen regarding the pain (the second T).

One can also focus on one particular element of citta such as viññana for an
extended period of time. To observe viññana, one can begin by focusing on any
phenomenal object (the breath, a thought, a sound etc) and then turning around your
attention to try to see ‘that which is aware’ or ‘that which knows’. This involves trying
to see what is illuminating or revealing the phenomena. Try to pay attention to the
subtle process of consciousness, what is it like? How does it function? Observe the
six types of consciousness (corresponding to the six sense bases). See if you can
notice how each one has it’s own quality. Notice how they change.

You can also try to observe two aspects of the citta simultaneously (such as viññana
and vedana for example) and notice how they interact and condition each other. If you
find this difficult, try switching back and forth between them.

Qualities of citta

The practice of cittanupassana is outlined in more detail in the SPS, which gives
numerous qualities of the citta to be observed:
With greed/lust and without greed/lust.
With aversion and without aversion.
With confusion and without confusion
 With confusion and without confusion.
Buddha's Grove
Restricted/constricted or scattered/distracted.
Expansive and not expansive.
Vast or not vast.
Inferior or supreme.
In samadhi, without samadhi.
Freed or not freed.

This exercise seems to indicate a process in which the meditator begins to shift their
meditation towards observing various key mental qualities in the citta.

This practice can be simplified by just asking the question “what’s happening in the
mind?”, “is it wholesome or not?” The focus is on understanding various mental
qualities, some of which are wholesome or skillful and some of which are not.

Unwholesome qualities

The first three of the qualities we need to be mindful are especially important. They
are called the unwholesome “roots” because all other harmful mental states arise
from them. Whenever there is a distraction in the mind, it is often either due to some
craving, some form of aversion or delusion/confusion. The more we observe these
states, the better we will understand how they arise and cease. Over time we will learn
how to deal with the unwholesome qualities and how to develop the wholesome
ones.

The arising of mental states is conditioned by several factors, a key one is covered in
the preceding satipatthana, vedanas. Seeing how the mind is conditioned and
becomes involved in vedana is a key element of the practice. Much of our thinking
and thus our suffering comes from rumination and planning on how to get pleasant
sensations (i.e. greed/lust) and avoid painful ones (aversion). As the Honey Cake
Sutta explains, vedanas and the subsequent cognitions and thoughts that follow them
cause a snowball effect of complications in the citta:

Eye consciousness arises dependent on the eye and sights. Their coming together is
contact. Contact is a condition for sensation. Sensation is perceived, and what you
perceive you think about. Thinking leads to a multiplication of ideas. This
multiplication of perceptions and ideas gives rise to the notions of identity which
make people suffer. This arises with things seen in the past, present and future. This
same process happens with the ear, nose, tongue, body and mind consciousnesses. –
MN 18
This ‘conceptual Grove or ‘multiplication of ideas’ (papañca), arises from
proliferation’
Buddha's
vedanas and saññas, and from craving or aversion to them. This process can lead
directly to unwholesome views (ditthis) about the self, which lead to further suffering.
Most of them fall into one of the two extremes: annihilationism and eternalism. In a
broad sense, annihilationism refers to the idea that this reality is all there is and that
after death everything about oneself is totally destroyed. Eternalism postulates some
eternal substance, essence or soul that survives death. According to the Buddha both
of these views are confused and are based on not understanding the true nature of
things.

To stop this tangled mess, this ‘jungle of views’, we have to observe the arising of this
process closely through satipatthana meditation. In DN 29.40 the Buddha states that
he taught satipatthana “for the abandoning and surmounting of these dependencies
on views connected with former times and dependencies on views connected with
times to come.” So in this practice, we don’t just observe the desires and aversions,
but the ideas and worldviews we have created or adopted in our minds, especially
views related to the idea of a self. These views may not be obvious during sitting
meditation, but attachments to subtle forms of wrong view can still be observed
through careful mindful monitoring of our thoughts. When we do notice them, we
should reflect on how they are unwholesome.

During the initial practice of being aware of mental states one does not necessarily
attempt to actively eliminate unwholesome states of mind. Rather, one just observes
things with a sense of interest and curiosity. By maintaining a receptive attitude at
this stage, the meditator is able to see through their mental defense mechanisms and
self-deceptive tendencies. As you observe these states, ask yourself “how do they
arise?”, “which conditions preceded this unwholesome state?”

A technique that can be helpful when actually implementing these forms of

mindfulness is the use of mentally noting or labeling these phenomena. The sutta
instructions in the SPS includes the particle iti, which in Pali means that the previous
sentence is a quotation. This seems to indicate that use of language or concepts can
be included within the practice of mindfulness, and that Buddhist meditation is not
about totally eliminating all concepts from the start.

To do this, whenever we experience one of the mental states listed in the SPS, we can
lightly note it in the mind. There is no need to excessively note every instant and
moment of each mental quality however. Instead, just check in from time to time and
note what is happening with a simple label such as “anger” or “distraction” etc.
Analayo states that this is like checking a compass once in a while when we are out
 y g p
on a hike, just to make sure we are headed in the right way. As in the simile, there is
Buddha's Grove
no need to keep noting every second, its just enough to look at the mind and note
what is happening once in awhile.

The SPS and other suttas like MN 5 state that the three “unwholesome roots” must be
observed as well as their absence in the citta. Thus one could note when one is
experiencing anger and when there is the absence of anger (which could include its
opposite like loving kindness) or the absence of lust (or equanimity).

When experiencing the absence of unwholesome states, one should rejoice in this.
The Buddha gives this simile in MN 15:

Suppose there was a woman or man who was young, youthful, and fond of
adornments, and they check their own reflection in a clean bright mirror or a clear
bowl of water. If they see any dirt or blemish there, they’d try to remove it. But if they
don’t see any dirt or blemish there, they’re happy, thinking: ‘How fortunate that I’m
clean!’

In the same way, suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant sees that they haven’t
given up all these bad, unskillful qualities. Then they should make an effort to give
them all up. But suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant sees that they have given
up all these bad, unskillful qualities. Then they should meditate with rapture and joy,
training day and night in skillful qualities.”

Become familiar with how the mind feels when there are to obvious unwholesome
qualities and compare this with the times you have experienced negative mind states.
This will help us gain a deeper understanding of how the citta without these states is
clearly superior. This can also lead to a sense joy, which is an important part of the
path and of meditation practice. This joy and the subsequent happiness that follows
will not only encourage us to keep practicing but can also lead to further weakening
of the unwholesome states.

MN 5 lists four kinds of persons and their relationship to mental stains or impurities:
1. A person with a stain in their citta who doesn’t know they have a stain.
2. A person without a stain who doesn’t know they are free from this stain.
3. A person with a stain who knows they have it.
4. A person without a stain who knows their citta is stainless.

The sutta goes on to say that person 1 is clearly worse than person 3, since they don’t
even know they have a stained citta, they won’t even think that they need to make an
effort to remove it While a person who does know this might make such an effort
effort to remove it. While a person who does know this might make such an effort.
Buddha's
This is compared Grove dish which is dirty and left in the corner uncleaned.
to a bronze
Likewise, person 2 is compared to a clean bronze dish that is stashed away and never
cleaned. Even though it is clean now, it will collect dirt and dust over time.

Person 4 then is the ideal to shoot for. Their citta is like a clean dish that one
constantly uses and cleans and so it stays clean. This sutta also shows that
meditation is not just about watching the mental corruptions, but also making an
effort to clear them from the mind.

Therefore, a further step one can take once we have closely observed negative
qualities is to actively attempt to dispel them. This can usually be done through
cultivating certain qualities of mind which are their opposites.

Emotions such as fear, anger, annoyance, contempt, dread, hatred are related to
aversion and the desire to be away from something or push it away. Emotions such
as grief, depression, lust, envy, sadness, worry, loneliness, boredom, disappointment
are related to craving and not getting what one wants – namely sense pleasure
(which includes mental and intellectual pleasures).

When these states arise, one can cultivate mind states which oppose them such as
compassion, friendliness, joy, satisfaction/contentment, curiosity, and gratitude.

Confusion can manifest as apathy, angst, worry, sadness, and is best overcome by
feeling confidence and trust in knowing the proper actions on the path and also by
cultivating a sense of trust in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.

Also, one can actively cultivate a certain cognition or perception (sañña) which
counters the unwholesome state. Some suttas state that you have to use skillful
perceptions to cleanse unskillful perceptions from the mind. The Vimuttimagga gives
a very useful list of cognitions (many of them similes) from the suttas to be used
against sense desire. Here is a list of some of these:
Sense-desires are likened to a bone because of scanty yield of pleasure.
Sense-desires are likened to a piece of flesh because they are chased by many
[who will hurt you to get it and thus cause you suffering].
Sense-desires are likened to a (flaming) torch carried against the wind because
they burn.
Sense-desires are likened to a dream because they vanish quickly.
Sense-desires are likened to borrowed goods because they cannot be enjoyed long.
Sense-desires are likened to a mirage because they bewilder the fool.
 Sense-desires are likened (to thieves) because they rob the value of merit.
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Regarding ill-will and hatred, one can bring to mind the following passages:

“When what is incinerated do you sleep at ease? When what is incinerated is there no
sorrow? What’s the one thing, Gotama, whose killing you approve?” “When anger’s
incinerated you sleep at ease. When anger’s incinerated there is no sorrow. O deity,
anger has a poisoned root and a honey tip. The noble ones praise its killing, for when
it’s incinerated there is no sorrow.” – SN 1.71

He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me. Those who think like this
will not end their hatred. Hatred never ends through hatred, only through love. This
law is eternal. – Dhammapada

When anger arises, whoever keeps firm control as if with a racing chariot: him I call a
master charioteer. Anyone else, a rein-holder — that’s all. – Dhammapada

Suppose some bandits catch one of you and sever his body limb from limb with a
two-handed saw, and if he should feel angry even at that moment, he is no follower of
my teaching. – MN 21

By doing this [getting angry at others] you are like a man who wants to hit another and
picks up a burning ember or excrement in his hand and so first burns himself or
makes himself stink. – Visuddhimagga IX, 23.

Of course one is not restricted to canonical sources and should experiment with
various thoughts or cognitions and see what is helpful at countering greed and
aversion. One should always be on the lookout for new ways to combat the
corruptions, since they are constantly finding subtle ways of sneaking back in to the
mind.

Once one has entered a certain state of samadhi these perceptions are no longer
needed since they are too gross and based on thinking, which ceases in the second
jhana. Therefore, one should remember that these cognitions are just another skillful
means and most be let go of at some point. In this way one continues to refine one’s
samadhi by seeing how the solution to the previous disturbance is also a subtler
disturbance that must be released.

The following states to be noticed, “contraction” and “distraction” are less obvious.
One way to interpret this is that “contraction” refers to a mind that is overly tight and
constricted. It seems to refer to a narrow attention that is too forceful. It could also
refer to a kind of sluggishness of the mind according to Analayo. This is the
i t t ti f th P li t hi h t t th t th t t d i d f t
interpretation of the Pali commentary, which states that the contracted mind refers to
Buddha's
the hindrance Grove
of dullness and drowsiness (also known as sloth and torpor).
“Distracted” is the other extreme here, a mind that is flighty, anxious and not calm.
The goal in meditation is keep the mind balanced, not too tight but not too loose.

AN 6.55 contains a very useful simile for this element of meditation. In this sutta, the
Buddha speaks to Sona, who used to be skilled in a stringed instrument called a vina.
He reminds him that the strings in such an instrument cannot be too tight or too loose
and then says:

In the same way, Sona, when energy is too forceful it leads to restlessness. When
energy is too slack it leads to laziness. So, Sona, you should apply yourself to energy
and serenity, find a balance of the faculties, and learn the pattern of this situation.

Joy

The following higher states of mind outlined in the SPS are all about being able to
monitor one’s meditative development. These are very similar to the next three steps
in this anapanasati tetrad: cultivating joy, samadhi and liberating the citta.

When the SPS says to notice if the mind is “Great”, this refers to unworldly or spiritual
states of mind (such as spiritual joy and happiness) which are “greater” than worldly
or sensual joys. They are also associated with the divine abodes (compassion,
empathetic joy, friendliness and equanimity). This element of the meditation then is a
way to check in with the mind to see if spiritual states are growing through our
practice.

Joy should arise naturally from our practice. Our training of mindfulness of the breath
and the increasingly calmness and subtelty of the breath can lead to joy. Likewise,
being mindful of the citta, as well as freeing it from unwholesome states leads
naturally to a kind of gladness, or joy (pamojja). Joy can also arise due to the
experience of piti-sukha as cultivated in the previous tetrad. This joy leads to samadhi
which further frees the mind from hindrances. Alternatively, some sutta passages
indicate that joy is actually a cause for piti-sukha. DN 1.73 says that when one sees
the five hindrances have been abandoned “gladness arises within him; thus
gladdened, piti arises in him; and when he has piti his body becomes tranquil.”

One can also just remind oneself that this is the step for feeling joy and open yourself
up to it and allow it to come by itself without attempting to generate it. Remember
that any amount of forcing or effort is likely to be counterproductive so one’s effort
must be almost a non-effort, a doing by not-doing.

It i i t tt t th t j t h i t di iti b t th
It is important to note that joy seems to have an intermediary position between the
Buddha's
practice of morality andGrove
meditation. This is because various suttas give different
conditions for pamojja and many of these are of ethical character:
AN 10.1-5 and 11.1-5 states that skillful conduct and the clear conscience that
arises from this are prerequisites for pamojja.
SN 35.97 states that guarding the sense fields and the unsoiled mind that arises
from this are also prerequisites for pamojja.
MN 7 has “knowledge of the letter and spirit” of the teaching.
DN 34 has yoniso manasikara: an attentiveness to the root of things or “wise
attention”.
SN 55.40 has “striving for solitude” and “dwelling vigilantly”.

This is yet another reason why ethical training is a non-negotiable prerequisite to

success in Buddhist meditation.

The Pali commentaries also say that joy can arise from both samadhi and also
through insight into the nature of things (cf. yoniso manasikara). This makes sense,
because as we closely observe the mind, we gain wisdom into its workings and also
into how we create suffering. This might thus lead to a sense of joy as we begin to
understand how we can undue this process.

There are various suttas which speak about the quality of pamojja and how it arises.
One of the ways it arises is through abandoning the five hindrances and other
unskillful qualities (DN 18).

Another way to spark joy in the citta is through recollecting the triple gem and
cultivating trust or confidence (saddha) in them. Indeed, SN 12.23 states that “trust is
a vital condition for pamojja.” MN 7 gives the standard list of qualities of the triple
gem that can be contemplated so as to give rise to trust and thus to pamojja:

When one has partially given up, renounced, let go, abandoned and relinquished the
corruptions, one thinks: ‘I am endowed with unwavering confidence in the Buddha, the
Dharma and the Sangha. They reflect like this:

‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge

and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those who wish to train,
teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’

‘The Dharma is well explained by the Buddha—visible in this very life, immediately
effective, inviting inspection, relevant, so that sensible people can know it for
themselves.’
t e se es.

‘The SanghaBuddha's Grovedisciples is practicing the way that’s good,

of the Buddha’s
straightforward, methodical, and proper. It consists of the four pairs, the eight
individuals. This is the Sangha of the Buddha’s disciples that is worthy of offerings
dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of
greeting with joined palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.’

They find joy in the meaning and the Dharma, and find a joy connected with the
Dharma. When they’re joyful, bliss arises. When the citta is blissful, the body is
calmed. When the body is calm, they feel happiness. And when they’re happy, the
mind becomes immersed in samadhi.

By using these three reflections (anussati) during our meditation or in our daily
routine, one can develop a sense of joy in having a safe direction and a refuge from
worldly suffering. One can also use this at the beginning of our meditation to prime
our mind with a sense of joyful confidence.

SN 47.10 states that when there is “physical tension, or mental sluggishness, or the
mind is externally scattered” one should “direct the mind to an inspiring foundation,”
so as to give birth to joy. This teaching is echoed by the Sravakabhumi which states
that at this step of breath mindfulness, one “takes up whatever cognitive object
conducive to purity and inspires the citta.”

Thus, one can take up any theme or reflection which is useful. Besides the triple gem,
the Buddha also teaches various other reflections or contemplations (anussatis). One
of these is to reflect on one’s own virtuous actions (sila) such as keeping the moral
trainings or generosity (dana). One can also think about the goal of nirvana. One can
contemplate these for a bit to see if the mind becomes joyful, then return to
mindfulness of the breath with a reinvigorated sense of joyful purpose.

Joy can also arise through the practice of the divine dwellings (brahmaviharas): metta
(pure love), care (or compassion), gladness, and equanimity. Imagine all of the people
and sentient beings dwelling in all directions and radiate these emotions towards all
of them, wishing that they may feel joy and happiness.

There is no reason that one cannot combine any of these reflections or practices with
anapanasati to give rise to gladness. These can become a short detour from our
focus on the breath or the citta. When pamojja has arisen, when can return to
watching the whole of the citta, now imbued with pamojja.

Samadhi and liberation

Gladdening the mind naturally leads to increased samadhi. Through this joy, the mind
Buddha's
becomes more Grove
collected, peaceful and unified. Samadhi also refers to whether one is
in meditative absorption or not (jhana). The jhanas are deep, peaceful and joyful
states of mental oneness. Though jhana is not specifically mentioned in the the Pali
SPS or APSS, it is always in the background of mindfulness practice. The details of
jhana and samadhi will be discussed in a later part of this essay. For now, just watch
your mind for signs of focused stillness, calm, as well as bliss and happiness. One
way to gauge the strength of your samadhi is to note how often you are getting
distracted from your meditation theme.

Be aware of the features of samadhi, including stability, tranquility, steadiness, focus,

pliancy and readiness. See if you can sharpen and refine the samadhi, like increasing
the focus on a camera.

“Surpassable” and “unsurpassable” refers to whether one’s meditation can be

improved or taken further. This is closely connected to jhanic absorption and has to
do understanding what has been accomplished and what needs to be left behind to
reach the next level of jhana. One must also be seeking to improve and take one’s
meditation to the next level. To practice this aspect of the satipatthana, we ask
ourselves, is it possible to take our meditation further at this point in time? What what
be cultivated for this? What must be let go?

In this step then, one is always observing the mind and noticing what you are doing
well and what needs work. Step 10 through 12 are different more subtler ways of
skillfully training the mind, step 10 is about energizing, step 11 is about stilling and
focusing and step 12 has to do with different ways of releasing mental blockages.

Freeing the mind

“Liberating” or “freeing the citta” can refer to two kinds of freedom (vimutti): the
temporary freedom from suffering that comes from mental unification and practicing
the path, and also the final and full liberation of nirvana. In this sense, we can see the
peace and equanimity that comes from practice as a foretaste of nirvana, since
nirvana is nothing but the highest form of mental freedom.

This last element of the third tetrad is also associated with having reached jhana,
since this frees the mind from obstacles and corruptions. This mundane way of using
the term “liberation” (vimutti) can be seen in MN 43 where the fourth jhana is referred
to as “neither-painful-nor-pleasant liberation of citta” (adukkhamasukha cetovimutti).
This interpretation is also supported by the Visuddhimagga and the Vimuttimagga.

Of course, “freeing the mind” can also refer to complete and full liberation as well (see
O cou se, ee g t e d ca a so e e to co p ete a d u be at o as e (see
DN 6 & SN 16.10 where arhatship or the final stage of awakening is called
Buddha's Grove
“uncorrupted freedom of citta and freedom by wisdom in this very life”). However, for
most practitioners, they will be dealing with the more mundane “liberation” of the
citta: temporary freedom from the corruptions.

To practice this, try mentally reviewing the list of negative qualities listed above from
the Satipatthana Sutta (for experts, this will be intuitive, automatic and non-verbal)
and let go of them. This includes any grasping to positive qualities like piti and sukha
and any sense that “I” or “me” has achieved high spiritual qualities. Review the
dangers of clinging and of seeing things in terms of the ego. How does it feel to grasp
at objects of thought?

You can also do this by imagining that with each out breath, you are letting go of any
negative mental state or quality, particularly the five hindrances and self-
identification.

As the citta is gradually freed of poisons and obstructions, the meditator becomes
aware of this sense of freedom and release, resting his awareness on this sense of
mental liberty. What is this freedom like? How does it feel to have a mind that is
becoming liberated? Examine the advantages of this mental freedom.

Buddhadasa says one can also alternate between “both sides of the coin” and see
what it is like: “Contemplate the suffering of attachment and the value of non-
attachment as they continuously alternate in the mind”. With time, the mind will
automatically let go and thoughts will become automatically liberated.

It can be useful to memorize the different qualities we need to keep track of when
practicing mindfulness of the mind and check the mind against them time after time.
This is useful in everyday life as well as in formal sitting meditation.

A simpler version

One may also choose a more simplified form of mindfulness of the qualities of the
citta that is explained by the Buddha in MN 19 and its Chinese parallel MA 102. This
involves simply looking at the citta and dividing one’s thoughts into two kinds:
wholesome and unwholesome. MA 102 states that before his awakening, he did the
following:

I divided all my thoughts into two types: thoughts of sensual desire, thoughts of ill
will, and thoughts of harming on one side, and thoughts without sensual desire, ill will,
or harming on the other.
Practising like this, I went to stay in a remote and secluded place, practicing diligently
with a mind Buddha's Grove
free from negligence. When a thought of sensual desire arose or a
thought of ill will, or harming, I at once realized that it had arisen. I realized that this
thought is harmful to myself, harmful to others, harmful in both respects; this
destroys wisdom, causes much trouble, and does not lead to attaining Nirvana. On
realizing this…the thought rapidly ceased.

When a thought of sensual desire, ill will or harming arose, I did not accept it, I
abandoned it, discarded it, and vomited it out. Why was that? Because I saw that
innumerable evil unwholesome states would certainly arise because of these
thoughts.

Is is just as in the last month of spring when, because the fields have been sown, the
area where cows can graze is limited. A cowherd boy, having set the cows free in
uncultivated marshland, will wield a cane to prevent them from straying into others’
fields. Why is that? Because the cowherd boy knows that he would certainly be
scolded, beaten, and imprisoned for such trespassing. For this reason, the cowherd
boy wields a cane...

The sutta then adds that when one experiences mental states that are freed from
sense desire, ill will and harming, one can just observe these thoughts in a calm and
relaxed manner, without doing anything. This is like a cowherd when the fields have
been harvested. He no longer has to make an effort to stop his cows from wandering
into the fields. He can just sit under a tree and watch them from afar.

This simile shows that effort is needed in the early stages of mindfulness of the mind
to subdue particularly unwholesome qualities, but when the unwholesome states
have subsided, a more laid back approach can be taken.

Bridging the three satipatthanas

If we have been working on developing anapanasati “in order”, the connections and
relationships between the first three satipatthanas may have now become more
obvious. We may now begin to see more clearly how they are part of one body-mind
process (bodily processes > vedanas > citta processes). Mindfulness of the body
allows us to see how the body affects the mind and vice versa, we can see the effects
of an unwholesome mind state by being mindful of the body. Likewise, mindfulness of
vedanas allows us to catch unwholesome thoughts as they are arising due to their
response to painful, neutral or pleasant vedanas.

In this sense then, the previous two satipatthanas become foundations for
contemplation of the mind and vice versa. Since all three are closely connected and
co te p at o o t e d a d ce e sa. S ce a t ee a e c ose y co ected a d
we can see chamges in one leading to changes in the others. In this way, mindfulness
Buddha's Grove
lets us better understand the layers of communication between mind and body and
how suffering arises in these.

While we initially focus on one field of mindfulness, the flowering of satipatthana

practice really begins when we start practicing these three together and see them as
integrated processes. Our vista becomes broader and wider as opposed to narrower.
While we mostly live life with our attention being focused on particular areas of desire
or pain, satipatthana is about making our perspective on reality as vast as the sky,
ultimately including every experience.

Analayo uses the useful simile here, he says it is like looking into your rearview mirror
when driving. While we keep our eye on the road (our main object of meditation), we
can also maintain a peripheral awareness of and also constantly check up on our rear
view mirror or side mirrors (the peripheral objects). In this way we gain a better overall
perspective on our position on the road (i.e. the field of experience). Sometimes the
mind will be the main object, other times the body or vedana. This skill at being able
to pay attention to more than one satipatthana is something which will really increase
the power of our meditation.

This skill is useful in formal meditation and in everyday life. I can simply take the form
of asking ourselves from time to time, “how is the citta doing?” “Is there greed/lust,
hatred or delusion?” Is it distracted, mindful or unified? Can we improve it and make it
great? When can check in like this once in awhile and yet remain focused on a
particular daily task. This will strengthen our daily mindfulness as well as our formal
practice.

Bhikkhu Bodhi says that the sixteen anapanasati elements are actually sixteen
aspects of a practice and not necessarily a step by step instruction. He compares this
view with a multilayered image, each tetrad being a different layer of the same
practice. I believe that this is the deeper meaning of anapanasati and satipatthana.
One can begin to practice “in order” by going through the list of meditations, but
eventually there is a fusion of these practices. Over time, one begins to see that their
causal relationship is more complex than the linear list of meditations might lead one
to believe. More on this will be said at the final part of this essay.

Remember that the practice is very flexible, you should never feel confined to one
specific method or way of doing things. The focus should be on developing spiritual
factors.
 Breath
Mindfulness 4
Fourth Tetrad

13. Breathing in and out, they train in observing instability.

14. Breathing in and out, they train in observing dispassion.

15. Breathing in and out, they train in observing ending.

16. Breathing in and out, they train in observing letting go.

The final satipatthana focuses on dhammas. Dhammas is a catchall term for mental
qualities, principles of reality and categories of experience that the Buddha taught.
According to Analayo, they are:

“A set of frameworks or points of reference to be applied during contemplation.

During actual practice one is to look at whatever is experienced in terms of these
dhammas.”

Gombrich speaks of this exercise as a way “to see the world through Buddhist
spectacles”. The key to this practice is understanding the conditionality of dhammas
(inter-dependent arising).

This last tetrad is the most insight oriented, combining breath awareness with the
ability to clearly see certain elements of reality such as transiency. At this point, it is
assumed that the mind has reached a level of suppleness, focus and calmness which
allows it to see clearly (vipassana) the nature of things are they truly are – transient,
not-self/empty, and dukkha.

This section is the only tetrad that uses a different term for the practice, instead of
“experiencing” as the last three, it uses “observing” (anupassi), from the prefix anu (to
follow along) and pass- (to see) and has connotations of consistently viewing
something.

Anicca

In the 13th aspect of anapanasati, one contemplates the impermanent nature of

breathing and also all aspects of phenomenal experience including awareness itself.
For the purpose of meditative analysis, the Buddha instructed is disciples to divide
the individual into five aggregates or heaps (khandas): form, sensations, perceptions,
decisions and consciousness. This is a pragmatic way of observing the
phenomenological structure of experience for the purpose of gaining insight into the
nature of phenomena. These could also be described as “bases of clinging” or “bases
of identification” for it is with reference to these five ‘heaps’ of phenomena that we
cling and identify with, and thus create suffering.

The five heaps outline all aspects of experience, from the gross physical body to
subtler mental aspects. The first (rupa) refers to all the physical elements of
experience (ex. cold, head, hunger, thirst, mosquitoes). The following two, vedana and
sañña, refer to the hedonic sense and the perceptive elements of experience
respectively. The fourth aggregate is sankhara, or volitions and represents the
volitional aspect of mind (impulses, tendencies, inclinations as well as habits and
opinions) which responds and reacts to the other heaps.

The final heap is consciousness, that which reveals experience, that which is aware of
the other heaps. All these phenomena are co-dependent with each other and their
constant interaction and interrelation creates the entire field of experience, which the
Buddha called “the All”.

All five heaps are to be seen as inconstant, in flux, and this perception gives rise to
the knowledge of not-self, the fact that there is no unchanging aspect of our sense of
self to hang on to or ground ourselves in. Fully understanding the five heaps and
letting go of them is said to lead to complete awakening.

This kind of insight is also especially powerful at dispelling distracting thoughts and
removing any greed and distress with regards to the world. So this contemplation is
actually helpful throughout your meditation, even if you have not gone through all the
previous steps.

This 13th step is always available as a tool, even when just starting out watching the
breath we can notice that whatever is pulling the mind away from the breath is just an
impermanent event Let us look at some further sutta passages which shed light on
impermanent event. Let us look at some further sutta passages which shed light on
how one contemplates instability and not-self. These two are ultimately not separate,
since whatever appears in the field of experience is impermanent and also part of the
five heaps of self clinging.

“And what is the perception of inconstancy? … ‘Form is inconstant, feeling is

inconstant, perception is inconstant, fabrications are inconstant, consciousness is
inconstant.’ Thus he remains focused on inconstancy with regard to the five clinging-
aggregates.

“And what is the perception of not-self? … ‘The eye is not-self, forms are not-self; the
ear is not-self, sounds are not-self; the nose is not-self, aromas are not-self; the
tongue is not-self, flavors are not-self; the body is not-self, tactile sensations are not-
self; the intellect is not-self, ideas are not-self.’ Thus he remains focused on not-
selfness with regard to the six inner & outer sense media. – AN 10.60

‘Again, monks, a noble disciple considers thus: “Sensual pleasures… sensual

perceptions… physical forms… perceptions of physical forms both here & now and in
lives to come are alike impermanent. What is impermanent is not worth relishing, not
worth welcoming, not worth adhering to.” – MN 106

To practice the perception of instability/impermanence (anicca-sañña), one cna begin

by observing the impermanence of the breath and then move on to the body and the
other aggregates. Thoughts, body, breath, intentions, feelings, all are coming and
going like clouds. Experience itself it like field of sand dunes, constantly shifting, if we
attempt to grab sand it just slips through our fingers.

Even if it is not obvious that something is unstable right now, like our bones, so
seemingly solid, reflect on how eventually they will one day turn to dust. Nothing
lasts. Some phenomena can only be inferred as being impermanent, since one does
not literally observe bones arising and disappearing. But do not be fooled, they are
changing too! Contemplate this.

Since this contemplation includes everything in the field of phenomena, one can go
back to the first step of anapanasati, watching the breath and just notice its changing
nature. Try to attend to the most subtle and detailed elements of this process of
becoming and dissipating. Its length is transient, its effects on the body are transient,
etc. Do this with all elements of experience, pleasant and unpleasant feelings, and
thoughts and even awareness itself.

Awareness or consciousness (viññana) can know different things, and it can shift its
attention and level of focus. It expands and contracts. All this indicates that even this
element which seems constant and stable is actually a flowing process.

So just attend to the entire field of experience, and notice everything coming and
going. Just like the clouds, gusts of wind, and the sun which illuminates all of them
are all moving in different ways, so it is with the space of our phenomenal world.

The Japanese Zen master Dogen has a beautiful simile illustrating this:

When you ride in a boat and watch the shore, you might assume that the shore is
moving. But when you keep your eyes closely on the boat, you can see that the boat
moves. Similarly, if you examine myriad things with a confused body and mind you
might suppose that your mind and nature are permanent. When you practice
intimately and return to where you are, it will be clear that nothing at all has
unchanging self.

The more you train the more you will notice the nuances of impermanence. Perhaps
you will notice things moving more rapidly, or you will see more movement at once, or
things might become slower as if in slow motion and you will notice events coming
and going like clearly seeing each frame of a movie. Some Buddhist texts explain our
perception of reality as a spinning torch on a rope, which when spun rapidly, creates
the illusion of a solid circle.

The Buddha also taught observing impermanence with reference to the five senses
and the mind-awareness sense:

Monks, develop samadhi. A monk with samadhi under-stands in accordance with

reality. What does he understand in accordance with reality? He understands: “The
eye is impermanent. Visible forms are impermanent. Eye-consciousness is
impermanent. Eye contact is impermanent. Feeling arisen due to eye contact … is
impermanent. [And so on for the ear, nose, touch, tongue and mind.]’ – SN 35.99

In the Zen tradition, they teach a practice that might be helpful in this step. It is called
Silent Illumination or “Just Sitting” (Shikantaza). This is usually done after the mind
has had some samadhi developed and has attained some level of stillness. Basically
it is a very minimalistic kind of meditation, you just clearly and attentively watch body,
the senses, thoughts, feelings, anything within the field of attention, and you watch
phenomena come and go.

It is a strong, panoramic and non-judgmental form of attention. It is sometimes called

“choice-less awareness” because you do not try to control the mind and let it become
calm or silent by itself. You are intensely focused, but it is a broad focus, without
concentrating on any particular object or theme, and you also have to let go of all
expectation or desire for meditative achievement or results.

This kind of practice resonates with the instructions of the Bahiya sutta:

In what is seen there must be only what is seen, in what is heard there must be only
what is heard, in what is sensed there must be only what is sensed, in what is
cognized there must be only the cognized. This is the way, Bahiya, you should train
yourself.

“And since for you, Bahiya, in what is seen there will be only what is seen, in what is
heard there will be only what is heard, in what is sensed there will be only what is
sensed, in what is cognized there will be only what is cognized, therefore, Bahiya, you
will not be with that; and since, Bahiya, you will not be with that, therefore, Bahiya, you
will not be in that; and since, Bahiya, you will not be in that, therefore, Bahiya, you will
not be here or hereafter or in between the two—just this is the end of suffering.”

Perceiving impermanence also gives us insight into our selfless nature (as pointed
out in AN 7.46). Since things change, that means that there is nothing which exists
which is at the core of the identity of phenomena. The idea that there is something
which doesn’t change at the center of my individuality is an illusion. Any person’s
sense of self is also unstable and ungrounded and all phenomena that make up their
reality also do not have an essence to them, they are selfless too. They exist and give
rise to other phenomena because they part of a huge interconnected web of other
phenomena, not because they have some essence of their own. So their nature and
existence is borrowed from others, and it is not lasting or solid.

The Not-Self Characteristic Sutta outlines how the observation of instability leads to
the understanding of not-self and suffering. The Buddha guides the monks through
the following questions:

“Is [any of the five heaps] stable or unstable [anicca]?”

“Are unstable things suffering [dukkha] or happiness?”

“Would you say ‘these things which are unstable and suffering are my self, they are
me, they are mine?’”

“So, you should see any [of the five heaps] like this ‘this is not mine, not me, not my
self’.

Try asking yourself these very questions as you meditate on the five heaps. Try to
observe these qualities and their relationships.

Contemplating the nature of form and sensations to change and to hurt corrects our
Contemplating the nature of form and sensations to change and to hurt, corrects our
ideas of them being substantial and pleasurable. Seeing the delusional nature of
cognition reveals our tendency to project our values into external phenomena. Finally,
insight into the workings of volition and consciousness counterbalances the illusion
that this grouping of transient and conditioned phenomena is a substantial coherent
self.

By ‘self’ here, the Buddha means any “essence of a person” which is seen as the core
or basis of identity. Meditations related to the first satipatthana of body are also
powerful ways to cultivate not self and dispassion. This includes meditating on the
elements and the unattractiveness of the body. This is another way which the fourth
tetrad is connected to the first.

It must be remembered that Buddha’s view of no-self is really just a skillful way of
looking at the world which can lead to un-attachment and thus liberation. It is not a
nihilistic denial of all functional aspects of one’s personal existence nor is it a
philosophical exercise. Rather, it is a useful way of seeing, which allows for skillfully
letting go and developing dispassion.

Meditating on inconstancy and not-self can help develop dispassion for any
distracting thought and can thus be a useful perception to develop during any of the 4
tetrads, indeed, this is useful during any meditation. These contemplations can even
act as preliminary practices to breath meditation. They are seen as preliminaries in
Tibetan Buddhism and there are suttas that show monks contemplating these
themes before breath meditation. Observing dispassion is also a powerful perception
to be brought against unskillful and distracting thoughts that are ruining your
concentration.

Developing anicca and anatta also helps with preventing one from clinging to states
of samadhi and developing any pride around those states (sometimes this tendency
is called “spiritual materialism”, and the Buddha warned against it in various suttas).

One can begin by focusing on one particular element at a time, and then move on to
being aware of all the aggregates at once. One should also try to notice the
conditional nature of the aggregates. As Analayo states:

“Becoming aware how any bodily or mental experience depends on and is affected by
a set of conditions. Since these conditions are not amenable to full personal control,
one evidently does not have power over the very foundation of one’s own subjective
experience.”

The one factor that is under our control here is our identification with the aggregates.
Therefore, one can always try to be aware of the hidden notion of “I am” that underlies
all our experience by constantly asking oneself “who?” or “whose?” This practice will
bring to light all our clinging to ideas of self-importance and ego, social positions,
personal occupation and possessions, etc. that cause suffering.

The Buddha put much emphasis on this practice because this constant examination
and questioning undermines the conceit of “I”-making and “mine”-making, this form
of clinging leads to all kinds of suffering.

Over time this practice breaks our habitual reification of reality and the illusion of
stability, solidity and permanence. These insights lead us to experience ‘thusness’
(tathata), the true way that the phenomenal world exists, as a vast shifting
kaleidoscope of occurrences, which are all empty like bubbles, mist or froth. Seeing
all phenomena as flickering particle waveforms, insubstantial mist or like space.
Tibetans like the metaphor of the vast open sky, which is empty and bright. The
Vajraccedika Prajñaparamita Sutra says:

All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow,

Like dew or a flash of lightning; thus we shall perceive them.

Likewise the Phena Sutta says:

Form is like a glob of foam; feeling, a bubble; perception, a mirage; fabrications, a

banana tree; consciousness, a magic trick — this has been taught by the Kinsman of
the Sun. However you observe them, appropriately examine them, they’re empty, void
to whoever sees them appropriately.

One must be careful though that one is not over-intellectualizing, or merely

conceptualizing emptiness/anatta since it is ultimately a non-conceptual intuitive
experience. Nagarjuna says:

Do not conceptualize phenomena as empty or not empty. Refrain from affirming or

negating both. Describe only to designate. For to affirm is to hold eternal, to negate is
to view it as nothingness. Skillfull meditators should neither affirm nor negate.

The real meditation on the empty and not-self nature of phenomenal reality then is
not just based on sound theories or ideas, but it is a radically different way of
experiencing reality.

This level of meditation is difficult and subtle to achieve, but it is one which has no
conceptual proliferation (papañca) and sees directly the nature of phenomenal
existence, which is beyond extremes of eternalism, essentialism and nihilism, and is
inexpressible. Thus the Kaccayanagotta Sutta says

Kaccāna, this world mainly relies on two ideas: existence and non-existence. But
when you see the origin of the world with true insight, you won’t have the idea of non-
existence in the world. And when you see the ending of the world with true insight,
you won’t have the idea of existence in the world. Kaccāna, this world is enslaved by
attraction, grasping, and biases. But, when you don’t go along with attraction,
grasping, obsession, biases, hidden habits and have no notions of ‘my self’; you will
have no doubt that whatever arises is just suffering, and whatever ceases is also just
suffering.

One feature of advanced insight and samadhi is that they brings a sense of oneness
to experience, this has been noted by many thinkers throughout Buddhist history. The
Yogacara school placed particular emphasis on the fact that when one perfects one’s
samadhi and vipassana, one breaks through the duality of subject (“grasper”) and
phenomenal object (“the grasped”).

Likewise, Bhikkhu Ñāṇananda also notes that this feature of our consciousness to
bifurcate experience in this way is ultimately an illusion which samadhi and wisdom
allows one to see through.

The Buddha compared perception to a mirage and our consciousness to a magic

trick. When the meditator sees through this illusion, it is often called an experience of
non-duality (advaya), because there is a phenomenal unification of subject and object,
we stop perceiving reality by splitting it into self and world, outside and inside, me and
them, etc.

This eliminates the conceit of “I am” (asmi mana) and one just experiences reality
without imputing any separation. Sounds, sights, sensations etc are just experienced
as they are with no sense of an “I” behind the experience, no “experiencer” is there to
appropriate them. As Buddhagosa says in the Visuddhimagga:

Suffering exists, but no sufferer can be found. Actions exist, but no doer of actions is
there. Nirvana exists, but no one who enters it. The Path exists, but no traveler can be
seen.

In this practice we train our perception and consciousness to let go of the function of
crystallizing and reifying experience and this allows for things to just be. The moment
that sense contact happens, instead of letting our mind do its automatic separation
of experience, we just drop this and let experience reveal itself as it really is. This way
of seeing things is totally non-conceptual (nippapañca), without any imputations on
raw experience verbal or non-verbal things are seen as they are
raw experience, verbal or non-verbal, things are seen as they are.

Letting go

“Give up the aggregates, since none of them is truly your own!” – MI 140

That should be seen as it has come to be with right discernment: “This is not mine,
this is not me, this is not my self.” When one sees it thus, one becomes
disenchanted… – MN 62

“And what is the perception of dispassion? … And what is the perception of

cessation?… This is peace, this is exquisite — the stilling of all sankharas, the
relinquishment of all acquisitions, the ending of craving, dispassion, Nirvana.’ – AN
10.60

“And what are the things to be abandoned by direct knowledge? Ignorance and
craving for existence. These are the things to be abandoned by direct knowledge” –
SN 45.159

It is here that other early Buddhists texts disagree and complicate the matter,
disagreeing with the Pali Anapanasati sutta. The Chinese Samyukta-agama discourse
and the Sravakabhumi both agree that this tetrad actually proceeds from
impermanence to eradication, then dispassion and then cessation. This indicates that
the process might not be as linear as it seems at first glance, and that these facets of
abandoning, releasing and ceasing might arise and condition each other in different
ways.

Either way, these last three steps are all closely interrelated and arise on their own
after close observation of inconstancy so we will not dwell on which one conditions
which and which listing is “correct” but take all these three as a whole.

Clearly seeing impermanence leads one naturally on to viraga, which is “fading” or

“dispassion” as well as a sense of abandonment or letting go. Noticing anicca and
anatta also brings to light the fact that all phenomena have a sense of unease about
them, of un-satisfactoriness and suffering. This subtle sense of unease can be seen
about everything happening in the field of experience.

Our breath is a cycle which is driven by a subtle sense of unease as we draw in air to
fill our lungs and expel it back out. Our body in the sitting posture is filled with pains,
aches and subtler discomforts. Our mind has all sorts of layers of suffering. They are
all changing and affecting us in different ways.

Seeing the transient and painful nature of things arouses a sense of disenchantment
and disillusionment with phenomena the clinging to them fades and dissipates
and disillusionment with phenomena, the clinging to them fades and dissipates,
craving diminishes and disappears because one sees that clinging and craving to
transient things is nothing but dukkha and hence do not yield true satisfaction.

Seeing the way that consciousness creates the illusion of everyday reality has been
compared to a magic show by the Buddha. Like an actual magic trick, once we see
through it or peep behind the curtain, the trick no longer interests us, we see it is a
sham.

In this step, one slowly realizes that the only way that dukkha will cease completely is
through dispassion and letting go. Letting go of what? Of everything, stop going after
every single phenomena, even yourself. Give it all away. Give away everything in your
entire existence and experience true freedom. Suffering can be brought to an end by
bringing clinging to an end.

The Chinese sutras use a word that has a more active connotation of “cutting off”,
“severance” and “eradication”. Try this too, see your craving and clinging and slice
through it with the blade of wisdom you’ve been sharpening all this time. It is all
dukkha, so cut it off at the root so it never comes back. Use the pliant energy of your
awareness to burn up all the corruptions until nothing is left. Of course these are
metaphors, but this is the general idea of this task.

When one has let go of things one can rejoice in this, but at the same time, developing
relinquishment also means letting go of any pride, however subtle, which develops
from letting go of unskillful thoughts and distractions. One must always be on the
look-out for the ego’s games and the tricks it plays with our spiritual practices.

Another thing to watch out for is attachment to our ideas and concepts about the
Dharma, which is to be practiced, not clung to. The Buddha said:

In the same way, monks, I have taught the Dhamma compared to a raft, for the
purpose of crossing over, not for the purpose of holding onto. Understanding the
Dhamma as taught compared to a raft, you should let go even of Dhammas, to say
nothing of non-Dhammas. – MN 22

Some texts mention that deep knowledge into transciency and dukkha can also bring
out feelings of fear in some yogis. If this is happening, realize that this is just more of
the ego’s games and try to relax and perhaps take a break to internalize your
experiences and ground yourself. Then go back to your practice.

Contemplate this theme, notice how the more you gain insight into reality, the more
you let go of clinging, and thus the freer and more equanimous you become. Watch
shifting phenomena and let the feeling of holding on to them fade away
shifting phenomena and let the feeling of holding on to them fade away.

From here, one proceeds to cessation or ending (nirodha) which is the disappearing
aspect of whatever one is attending to, so for example, the process of a thought
ceasing or of the vanishing of the breath. This also includes contemplating the very
possibility of the end of something. This inferential way of seeing nirodha is
important to contemplate as well, because there are certain phenomena that we can
only know indirectly that they will cease. This increases one’s insight into
impermanence and dukkha, for it is the aspect of nirodha which often causes fear
and suffering for us, the fact that things cease.

So pay attention to nirodha, and notice that dukkha can cease as well if one just stops
clinging and craving as in the previous step. Nirodha also means the ending of
dukkha as it is outlined in the third noble truth. At this step one also watches dukkha
and how the qualities of letting go and dispassion affect dukkha. See how to the
cessation of clinging is connected to the cessation of dukkha. When the Buddha said
“when this ceases, that ceases” he was referring to just this fact of existence.

While nirvana is the ultimate cessation, one can still experience lesser moments of
the cessation of dukkha by contemplating like this. The more one calmly attends to
cessation and internalizes this truth, the easier it is to let go of attachment, including
any sense of appropriating things in terms of “mine” or “I”.

This letting go is continuous process which happens little by little, few can let go
altogether on their first few days of practicing. Be patient and persistent. It is a natural
evolution of thought which comes about through gradual cultivation moving through
more and more refined states of consciousness. Sometimes one may have flashes of
insight and leap ahead, but most of the time this process moves forward through a
careful tending of the garden of the mind.

The Buddha used the following similes for this gradual process of letting go:

Suppose a carpenter or their apprentice sees the marks of his fingers and thumb on
the handle of his adze. They don’t know how much of the handle was worn away
today, how much yesterday, and how much previously. They just know what has been
worn away. In the same way, when a mendicant is committed to development, they
don’t know how much of the defilements were worn away today, how much yesterday,
and how much previously. They just know what has been worn away.

Suppose there was a sea-faring ship bound together with ropes. For six months they
deteriorated in the water. Then in the cold season it was hauled up on dry land, where
the ropes were weathered by wind and sun. When the clouds soaked it with rain, the
ropes would readily collapse and rot away. In the same way, when a mendicant is
committed to development their fetters readily collapse and rot away. – SN 22.101
 Breath
Mindfulness 5
The Five Obstacles

As we practice meditation, we will be blocked and hindered by five main mental

qualities that the Buddha outlined in many suttas. These are called the “five
obstacles” or “hindrances”.

The Satipatthana Sutta and its parallels places these five obstacles under the fourth
Satipatthana (since they are technically dhammas, phenomena), and for this reason
we will discuss them in this section. But in reality, it will be necessary to work against
these five obstacles during the practice of all four tetrads.

The Satipatthana Sutta says:

A seeker who feels sense desire knows there is sense desire present. When they don’t
have sense desire, they know it’s not present. They know how sense desire arises,
how it can be given up, and how it can be prevented in the future.

A seeker also is aware and knows when the following obstacles are present and when
they are not present: hostility, dullness and drowsiness, agitation and remorse, and
hesitation. They know how these obstacles arise, how they can be given up, and how
they can be prevented in the future.

They observe dharmas like this, internally and externally. They observe how dharmas
arise, how they pass away, and how they both arise and pass. They remain mindful of
these dharmas until there is full knowledge and steady mindfulness. They are
independent, not grasping at anything in the world.

The five obstacles block our meditation progress and our entrance to samadhi (and
thus, to awakening), hence they are also called ‘obscurations’ or ‘hindrances’. The
Buddha said that the five obstacles “choke the mind, robbing understanding of its
strength.”

Ajahn Lee compared them to weeds which suck out all the nutrient away from crops
and which must be pulled up by the plow of directed thought and the harrow of
evaluation. The Buddha compared them to different disturbances or pollutants in a
pool of water, once they are removed, the clear water in the pool has the power to
reflect reality like a mirror.

So too, there are these five poisons of the mind, tainted by which the mind is not soft,
nor workable, nor radiant, but is brittle, and does not have right samadhi for the
evaporation of the poisons. What five? Sensual desire, ill will, sloth and torpor,
restlessness and remorse, and doubt…. But when the mind is released from these five
poisons, that mind is soft, workable, radiant, not brittle, it has right samadhi for the
evaporation of the poisons.’ – AN 5.13

The five obstacles also impede the establishment of the factors of awakening, thus
learning to deal with them is key to progressing to the next practice in the path. Like
pulling weeds in a garden, one must tend the mind for them. The suttas state that
when one enters into the first jhana, the five hindrances are abandoned and that this
is a necessary condition. This is interesting because it shows that that meditation is
never perfectly sequential, but a balancing of factors that we cultivate.

Being freed from the hindrances is related to seclusion, which includes being
secluded from anything detrimental to mental development.

If one is meditating without recognizing the hindrances as they arise, letting them run
rampant, then one will not progress much. Recognizing the hindrances meanwhile
can lead to mental purification. By simply being aware of the hindrances one can
dispel them of much of their power.

General techniques

A common method of working with the obstacles mentally noting or labelling them
with a neutral word and this can lead to their diffusion and to a greater understanding
of them. One can also just silently watch them and notice as they arise and pass.

As a obstacle arises in the mind, we are to watch it and notice the conditions and
factors that lead to it arising. If a obstacle is present, we are to remember the factors
that lead to its removal and after it has passed we think about how to prevent them in
the future. Once a obstacle has passed, we are also instructed to notice their absence
and how this leads to calm and even joy.

One schema used by IMS to practice with the hindrances is ‘RAIN’:

R: Recognize it.

A: Accept it, just be aware that it is there.

I: Investigate it, be curious. What is it like?

N: Non-identification. This is just a passing process, not “me” or “mine”.

Sometimes just being mindful is enough to dispel an obstacle, other times we must
actively work to dispel them. The suttas say that the common problem with obstacle
is inappropriate attention, so shifting our focus of attention to other objects and
thoughts can help to work with the obstacles.

A common way to reflect on a hindrance is to think about why it is unhelpful and

unskillful. This is called “examining the dangers” or “drawbacks” (adinava). Basically
you think about the negative consequences of continuing to feed the hindrance. This
reflection might lead to its natural dissolution.

The obstacle of sense desire

“When one dwells with a mind obsessed by sensual lust, overwhelmed by sensual
lust, and one does not understand as it really is the escape from arisen sensual lust,
on that occasion one neither knows nor sees as it really is for one’s own good, or the
good of others, or the good of both…Suppose there is a bowl of water mixed with lac,
turmeric, blue dye, or crimson dye. If a man with good sight were to examine his own
facial reflection in it, he would neither know nor see it as it really is.” – SN 46

Sense desire is any wanting, interest or involvement with the five senses. It includes
wanting to replace unpleasant sense contact with pleasant or neutral sense contact.
Any concern with experiencing pleasure, relief or comfort is sense desire.

The nature of sense desire is cyclical. Wanting and gratification lead to more wanting.
The more a desire is gratified the stronger it grows. It is based on the misconception
that happiness can be had from sense contact. Sense desire is a narrow pleasure,
compared to spiritual pleasure. It is evanescent and crude, always being interwoven
with suffering of some kind. It is also usually selfish, and often creates pains for
others.

Thinking about sense pleasure is also an element of this, and one must be aware of
our fantasies and understand they are based on ignorance. Remind yourself that the
pleasure born of spiritual practice is vastly superior to sense pleasure, which is
ignoble, fleeting and weak. Spiritual pleasures on the other hand are vast, pure and
peaceful, leading to real, lasting freedom.

Sensual desire commonly arises from contact with external objects, thus one must
always be watchful of the five senses and practice in restraining them. SN 35.120
says:

“How does one guard the sense doors? Herein, a monk, having seen a form, does not
seize upon its (delusive) appearance as a whole, nor on its details. If his sense of
sight were uncontrolled, covetousness, grief and other evil, unwholesome states
would flow into him. Therefore he practices for the sake of its control, he watches
over the sense of sight, he enters upon its control. Having heard a sound… smelt an
odor… tasted a taste… felt a touch… cognized a mental object, he does not seize upon
its (delusive) appearance as a whole… he enters upon its control.”

Sense desire, particularly lust, can also be countered by practicing mindfulness of the
“non-beautiful” or ugly parts of the body and also the meditation on the decay and
death of the body as outlined in the Satipatthana Sutta.

You can also reflect on the general impermanence of all things. If you are
experiencing desire for something which might have negative consequences, reflect
on those negative consequences (ex. reflect on the unhealthy impact of sugary
foods). Reflect thus: “Sense objects give little enjoyment, but much pain and much
despair; the danger in them prevails.” — MN 14

Aversion

Buddha’s simile from SN 46: “a bowl of water being heated over a fire, bubbling and
boiling.”

In dealing with aversion, hostility or ill-will, a similar approach is useful. One practices
bare attention of the various emotions which constitute aversion (irritation, fear,
anger, hate) and which give rise to it. The primary cause of aversion is said to be
careless attention to a repugnant object of the senses.

In sitting meditation practice one of the most common forms of aversion is aversion
to pain or physical discomfort. If you are experiencing physical discomfort, tell
yourself that pain is normal part of life and that this is a good opportunity to learn to
deal with it. The pain of dying will certainly be worse than this!

Also, remind yourself not to appropriate it as “yours”, don’t let your mind lay claim to it
as “yours” or “mine” Try to view the pain the perception of the pain and your mental
as yours or mine . Try to view the pain, the perception of the pain, and your mental
thoughts about the pain as objectively as possible and analyze the process. This
brings insight into how your mind experiences pain.

You can also try to breathe into the pain, imagine breath energy healing the spot
where the pain is. This mental perception can sometimes soothe painful sensations.
Another mental perception you can create in your mind is visualizing the painful
sections of your body – using the color red as a representation for pain and imagining
this dissolving and being replaced by a different color.

If this doesn’t work, watch the pain closely, ask questions about it. Is the pain really
yours, is it aimed your way, is it solid and singular? What if you label it just “sensing” in
your mind instead of calling it pain? Where is it located? Analyze the pain closely and
notice the subtle elements and changes of the pain.

Another form of ill-will is towards the meditation process itself, a subtle form of this is
boredom. In this case, one must remember one’s goal and remind oneself that only
through practice will one achieve true happiness. Also, try to arouse a sense of
interest in the meditation object, think about how precious the breath is for example
and how grateful you are for being able to breathe normally, without obstructions.

Fear is another kind of aversion, the Buddha compares it to being attacked by robbers
and brigands on the road. The emotion of anger is also another form of aversion. The
main remedy against anger towards others is directing one’s mind to the opposite
emotion, metta (friendliness, loving-kindness) which can also aid in calming the mind
and promoting empathy towards others.

Metta is often taught as a formal sitting meditation practice. A common formula is to

repeat a phrase like:

May I be filled with metta. May I be free of dukkha. May I be at ease and happy. May I
dwell in equanimity.

The meditator develops feelings of love and friendliness towards himself, perhaps he
pictures himself as a child, or as someone deserving peace, forgiveness and love.
Jack Kornfield recommends reflecting on our own good deeds: think about things you
have done that have helped yourself or others. This shift of attention from our
negative qualities to our positive qualities can help in dealing with self-loathing or low
self-esteem.

After working with this, the meditator then extends it outwards towards various
people – family, friends, neutral persons, difficult persons, all beings in all directions.
You can visualize these people think about their good qualities and how they also
You can visualize these people, think about their good qualities and how they also
desire happiness and yet suffer just like you.

Another way to diffuse anger is to focus on how anger and aversion can hurt both
yourself and others. Buddhaghosa says:

“By doing this you are like a man who wants to hit another and picks up a burning
ember or excrement in his hand and so burns himself or makes himself stink first.”

Dullness and drowsiness

Buddha’s simile from SN 46: “a bowl of water covered over with water plants and
algae.”

“What is sluggishness? It is heaviness of body and mind. It stupefies, making both the
body and mind unmanageable” – Abhidharmakoshabhasya

Dullness refers to a sluggishness of the mind and a sense of laziness. Drowsiness

can manifest as a heaviness of the body, a feeling of tiredness, sleepiness, blurriness
of attention and cloudiness. Both indicate a lack of energy. They can arise out of lack
of sleep, overeating, boredom, discontent or a depressed state of mind.

There are various ways to rouse energy to counter this obstacle, one is simply to be
aware of it, investigate it and attempt to marshal some mental energy by
remembering our goal in practice. Without a clear goal in mind we can quickly
become lazy.

One can also attempt to straighten up our posture or change our meditation position
altogether. Try taking a set of extra deep breaths. One can also go outside for a walk,
take a shower, stretch, bow before your shrine and read some inspirational passages
from the suttas. Remember to eat moderately and get enough sleep.

The Buddha had several recommendations for dullness and drowsiness in AN 7.58:

“Well then, Moggallana, whatever perception you have in mind when drowsiness
descends on you, don’t attend to that perception, don’t pursue it. It’s possible that by
doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then recall to your
awareness the Dhamma as you have heard & memorized it, re-examine it & ponder it
over in your mind. It’s possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then repeat aloud in detail
the Dhamma as you have heard & memorized it…
“… pull both your earlobes and rub your limbs with your hands…

“…get up from your seat and, after washing your eyes out with water, look around in all
directions and upward to the major stars & constellations…

“… attend to the perception of light, resolve on the perception of daytime, [dwelling] by

night as by day, and by day as by night. By means of an awareness thus open &
unhampered, develop a brightened mind….

“… percipient of what lies in front & behind — set a distance to meditate walking back
& forth, your senses inwardly immersed, your mind not straying outwards…

“… reclining on your right side — take up the lion’s posture, one foot placed on top of
the other, mindful, alert, with your mind set on getting up. As soon as you wake up, get
up quickly, with the thought, ‘I won’t stay indulging in the pleasure of lying down, the
pleasure of reclining, the pleasure of drowsiness.’ That is how you should train
yourself.

With regards to ‘the perception of light’, one way to do this practice is simply to
visualize a blue sky and the sun shining brightly in the middle of it. Various Buddhist
texts teach the practice of visualizing the sun in one’s mind. The Sravakabhumi
states:

“Grasp the image of light that originates from a butter lamp or a great blazing fire or
from the disc of the sun.”

The Tibetan Kagyu tradition teaches the following practice called the Mahabrahma
samadhi: imagine a small sphere of bright light in the center of the body and then
imagine this sphere moving up until it shoots through your head up into the vast
space above. Raise your gaze and straighten your posture as you do this.

Another similar meditation taught in Tibetan Buddhism is to imagine a ball of light

descending into your body and then expanding until your entire body is filled with a
bright white light. You can also play around with different visualizations and see
which one is helpful in dispelling these obstacles.

You can also think about inspiring teachers like the Buddha and how you want to
emulate their ways. Think about the qualities of the Buddha and how he was a human
just like you, and how you can achieve what he achieved.

One can also think about death and of the ways it can come unexpectedly (sickness,
accident, war etc). A powerful meditation on death taught by Buddha is visualizing
your corpse rotting and decomposing after having died. You can also imagine all the
your corpse rotting and decomposing after having died. You can also imagine all the
possible ways you could die. The point of this is to combat laziness and make you
motivated to practice now, appreciate that you have time to practice now.

Agitation and remorse

Buddha’s simile from SN 46: “a bowl of water stirred by the wind, rippling, swirling,
churned into wavelets.”

A restless and agitated mind is always excited and anxious, like a monkey jumping
from one thought to the next. This can be experienced as anxious mind wandering
and intrusive thoughts. This can also manifest itself physically, such as as wanting to
constantly shift posture. If you are assailed by many thoughts that are unrelated to
improving your attention on the breath, try any of the following:

1. Ignore them, or simply note them and bring the mind back to the current meditation
theme.

2. To to preemptively notice when your mind is weakly with the breath but is preparing
to move to another object of attention, or waiting for a new thought to come so it can
jump to it.

3. Focus on the process by which the mind creates and feeds thought worlds instead
of being drawn to identify with the thought worlds themselves. This is like focusing on
how a magician’s magic tricks actually work instead of being drawn in by the lights
and flashiness of the tricks themselves and thus being ‘fooled’ by them.

4. Focus on the drawbacks of the thoughts. If you let this thought train continue
would it lead you anywhere more skillful than if you continue meditating? Why are
they alluring? Can you notice why they are dukkha? Try to think of a theme that
counteracts that allure. Example: if it is about a great idea or project, think about how
the most skillful project is actually practicing Dharma.

5. See if relaxing your body and breath helps relax those thoughts, the breath and
body condition the mind so perhaps focus on calming the body and see if thoughts
follow. Breathe out with a sound, such as ‘AHHH’ and imagine letting go of the
restless activity this way.

6. Check and straighten your posture. Then place your attention on the points of the
body touching the ground and on the sensation of hardness and solidity in your body
and try to stay with that sensation for a bit and see if the perception of firmness helps
ground and calm the mind. Remain still. You might visualize a mountain to help.

Remorse refers to regret guilt and sorrow This hindrance can sometimes also arise
Remorse refers to regret, guilt and sorrow. This hindrance can sometimes also arise
because of excessive striving and wanting as well as incorrect ethical conduct. Try to
examine these thoughts and their usefulness or skillfulness, this helps with letting
them go.

Hesitation or doubt

Buddha’s simile: “a bowl of water that is turbid, unsettled, muddy, placed in the dark.”

Careless attention to unwholesome thoughts give rise to confusion and doubt of

one’s practices and path. “Why am I doing this?”, “Can I do this?”, “Am I doing this
right?” Having a clear understanding of the Dhamma (teachings), a clear set of
meditation instructions, and an understanding of what is wholesome and what is
unwholesome serves as an antidote to doubt. This comes about by a clear
comprehension of dhammas (mental qualities).

Good friends and a teacher whom you trust is also helpful in answer questions and
providing instruction. Remembering the example of the Buddha and other great
masters might also be helpful here. Remind yourself they were human just like you,
with hindrances just like yours. Also remember the times when you have had good
meditations or when Dhamma practice proved useful.

You might also have a lot of doubt surrounding the effectiveness of your current
meditation method, this is why it is important to decide on a method and stick to it
once you’ve experimented a bit. Tell yourself that after you’ve tried this method for
some time, then you will think about it (post-meditation) and decide if a change is
needed. But do not obsesses over methods during meditation itself!

With continuous training, it will become easier to recognize the arising of the
obstacles and the meditator will be able to dispel them as soon as they arise, as one
simile states as quickly as a drop of water evaporates when it falls on a hot frying
pan.

Experiment in finding your ways of dealing with the hindrances too, don’t be reliant on
one way only, if you do, unskillful parts of the ego will find ways around it.

Some texts add two extra faults to be carefully watched and removed, “non-exertion”
which is lack of effort to eliminate hindrances and “over-exertion” which is the
opposite excessive striving especially after hindrances have been pacified. The Indian
master Chandragomin says: “undue exertion causes restless thoughts to arise, over-
relaxation produces dullness, an even balance is hard to achieve.”

In the suttas, the Buddha compares excessive energy and lack of energy to a hand
holding a quail, if you grip too tight you kill it, but if you don’t hold on tight enough it
flies away.

So don’t be too forceful in applying the solutions to the hindrances, but don’t let them
run rampant without doing anything either. Find a balance. The Sona Sutta compares
meditation to tuning a stringed instrument, neither too tight nor taut and says:

“In the same way, Sona, over-aroused persistence leads to restlessness, overly slack
persistence leads to laziness. Thus you should determine the right pitch for your
persistence, attune the pitch of the faculties, and there pick up your theme.”

Abandoning the five obstacles is a pre-requisite for jhana, and creates a chain
reaction of causes leading to liberation itself:

‘Having thus abandoned these five obstacles, the poisons of the mind which rob
understanding of its strength … he enters and abides in the first jhana … second jhana
… third jhana … fourth jhana. Seeing a visible form with the eye, he does not lust for
pleasant seeming visible forms. He abides with mindfulness of the body established,
with an immeasurable heart, and he understands in accordance with reality the
release of heart, release by understanding where these evil unbeneficial phenomena
cease without remainder. – MN 38

Aids to Awakening

The Anapanasati Sutta and the Satipatthana Sutta both explain that a meditator
should also be mindful of and attempt to cultivate seven important features of the
meditative mind which need to be developed for awakening to occur. They are
considered the proper nutriment for the Buddhist practitioner and are key facets of
self-cultivation (bhavana). These seven factors as considered “dhammas” and thus
technically fall under the fourth satipatthana and fourth tetrad.

Sati – mindfulness is considered a global balancing and foundational factor for the
others. It is seen as always useful.

Dhammavicaya (investigation of dhammas), Viriya (energy, vigor), Piti (joy) which are
considered useful for combating sloth and torpor, and hence are seen as energizing.
If you find yourself feeling sluggish or tired, one can attempt to focus on these three
factors and it is compared to throwing dry grass on a small fire so as to make it blaze
and grow. In contrast, one should not focus on developing the factors of tranquility,
samadhi and equipoise if one is in a dull listless state of mind, and several suttas
compare this to throwing wet grass on to a small fire that one would like to grow.

Sati and dhammavicaya include recollecting and investigating the teachings as well
Sati and dhammavicaya include recollecting and investigating the teachings as well
as phenomenological contemplation and discrimination. Dhammavicaya is also
considered as an antidote to the hindrance of doubt. Viriya includes mental and
physical aspects of vigor and vitality.

Passaddhi (tranquility of body-mind), Samadhi, Upekkha (equipoise). The last three

meanwhile are considered useful for combating the restlessness and anxiety, while
the previous three are seen as not helpful when one is overly excited. It is compared
to wanting to decrease a great fire by throwing dry grass on to it, while developing
tranquility, samadhi and upekkha is compared to weakening a large fire by throwing
wet grass on it.

The meditator, using his mindfulness, is to balance and unify these factors until they
are part of a single system, working perfectly together.

The Anapanasati Sutta lists these factors in this order: mindfulness, analysis of
dharmas, energy, bliss, calm, unification and equanimity. It indicates that each one
leads to the next in a progressive fashion. Beginning with mindfulness, each factor
gives rise to and helps the growth of the other. Being attentive leads to closer
investigation, which leads to a sense of energy. This in turn brings joy, which then
brings a sense of calmness for the body and mind leading to concentration and
unification of the mind. This culminates in stillness, equipoise or equanimity, an
awareness without any craving or aversion to all phenomena.

In practice, this means an act of turning inward while practicing anapanasati. One
brings attention to the realm of the mind and notices if there are of these qualities
present, if so how can one help them grow best? If there are qualities missing, how
can one bring them about skillfully?

The key here is balance, not being too forceful nor too loose. You have to do things
for plants to grow, such as plant seeds, but at the same time you have to patiently
wait for them to grow on their own. This subtle monitoring of one’s mental world is
central to bringing about the perfection of the awakening factors.

The pattern of progression in the seven factors of awakening listed in the sutta
parallel the pattern of progression of the four tetrads, involving the observation and
knowledge of increasingly subtler processes so as to calm and relax them.

The Anapanasati Sutta further states that these factors, when supported by
seclusion, dispassion, cessation and culminating in letting go, lead to awakening. The
last three of these are insight factors that one develops during the fourth tetrad,
which is an indication that awakening is closely tied with the fourth tetrad.
Seclusion is a reference to the seclusion of the mind in jhana. At this point of the
practice, the meditator while in jhana is able to see that even the higher spiritual
qualities of jhana are impermanent, dukkha and subject to cessation, and this leads to
a deeper letting go, ultimately to full awakening.

Samadhi and Jhana

The factor of piti-sukha are also indicators calm meditative states called jhanas or
absorptions, and samadhi in general which is one of the initial goals of Buddhist
meditation. The fact that anapanasati is strongly associated with jhana is supported
by the early texts and also the Pali commentaries. The Sarvastivada parallel text to
the Satipatthana sutta as well as the Kayagatasati sutta includes the four jhanas
immediately after the exposition of anapanasati.

Samadhi is associated with mental and physical stillness and calm arising from
letting go, as well as a mental unification, collectedness and oneness (ekagatta).
Buddha called it “a happy abiding here and now”. It has the feature of being a un-
scattered and un-fragmented awareness. It is also a sense of wholeness and
integration (from the root sam-, together, as in “sum”).

All four Pali Nikayas see jhana as necessary for liberation. The Dhammapada says:

There is no jhana for one without discernment, No discernment for one without jhana.
But for one with both jhana and discernment, He is close to nibbana.

AN 8.30 says:

This Dhamma is for one with samadhi, not for one without samadhi.‘ So it was said.
For what reason was this said? Here a monk enters and abides in the first jhana …
second jhana … third jhana … fourth jhana.

MN 66.21:

The bliss of renunciation, the bliss of seclusion, the bliss of peace, the bliss of
enlightenment. I say of this kind of pleasure that it should be pursued, that it should
be developed, that it should be cultivated, that it should not be feared.

In the Pali texts, jhana (Sanskrit: dhyana) is mainly a powerful, blissful and calm
meditative state. The term has older meanings and was not invented by the Buddha.
In the Vedas, the Sanskrit term “dhih” is used to refer to the visionary experience and
spiritual thoughts of the seers (rsis) and the divine power of their mantric prayers
which lead to visions/revelations of the world of the gods. Their supranormal divine
sight is thus due to the power of their “dhiyah“ Also dhih is said to bring the gods to
sight is thus due to the power of their dhiyah . Also, dhih is said to bring the gods to
the sacrificial space and to provide the protection of the gods. The association of
jhana with the divine was also retained in the Buddhist literature, where it is said that
practicing jhana leads to rebirth in the realms of the gods.

Jhana is often said to be characterized by expansion of good feelings, a relaxed

‘collectedness’ which allows sati to do its work of investigation and insight. While
jhana is not necessary to experience piti and sukha and hence once could technically
go through this step and not be absorbed, this is a good point to describe the quality
of calm abiding or shamatha.

A key feature of jhana is the absence of the five hindrances of sense desire, ill-will,
sloth-torpor, restlessness-worry and doubt. A simile used by the Buddha is that of a
steed who is focused on the task before them, not on seeking and worrying:

And how does a thoroughbred meditate? A fine thoroughbred, tied up by the feeding
trough, doesn’t meditate: ‘Fodder, fodder!’ Why is that? Because it occurs to the fine
thoroughbred tied up by the feeding trough: ‘What task will the horse trainer have me
do today? How should I respond?’ Tied up by the feeding trough they don’t meditate:
‘Fodder, fodder!’ For that fine thoroughbred regards the use of the goad as a debt, a
bond, a loss, a misfortune.

In the same way, take a certain fine thoroughbred person who has gone to the forest,
the root of a tree, or an empty hut. Their heart is not overcome and mired in sensual
desire, and they truly understand the escape from sensual desire that has arisen.
Their heart is not overcome by ill will … dullness and drowsiness … restlessness and
remorse … doubt … They don’t meditate dependent on earth, water, fire, and air… – AN
11.10

The state of jhana in the suttas is described as being pleasurably and happily
absorbed and united with the object of meditation. The mind moves away from the
senses and gathers internally. The body, breath and mind become suffused with a
joyful bright awareness. The sensation of the body becomes light, airy or seemingly
disappears. There is a feeling of oneness or unification, the sense of subject and
object begin to fuse together. The mind is quiet and undisturbed by thoughts. The
suttas also state that jhana is an “expansive liberation of mind” and it is a vast, broad
awareness and a pervasive state of mind. It is described as measureless and exalted,
so it is not a state of narrowness of awareness.

When one is in jhana one’s mind is so unified and single that one does not attend to
any of the five senses or to thoughts. The mind is undisturbed and totally fused on
the object and thus does not detect sounds or smell smells etc This is one easy way
the object and thus does not detect sounds or smell smells etc. This is one easy way
to know if a state was jhana or not, and to gauge the strength and stability of one’s
jhana. AN 10.72 says:

To one in the first jhana, sounds are a thorn. To one in the second jhana, thinking and
examining are a thorn. To one in the third jhana, piti is a thorn. To one in the fourth
jhana, in breathing and out breathing is a thorn. To one attaining the cessation of
perceptions and feelings, perceptions and feelings are a thorn. Greed is a thorn. Hate
is a thorn and delusion is a thorn. Bhikkhus, live without thorns, free from thorns.
Bhikkhus, the worthy ones are without thorns, free from thorns.

In the Buddhist texts there is also mention of “signs” (nimitta) that are supposed to
indicate that one has entered jhana. They are often said to be like a silky smooth or
breezy feeling, as well as a sense of inner brightness. Some teachers affirm that the
‘sign’ that often (but not always) indicates absorption is some kind of sensation or
perception (an experience of brilliance, a soft sensation). These sometimes appear
after you have been undistracted with the breath for some time and the mind is calm
and silent. If you experience a mental brightness or a feeling like a breeze, you might
want to attend to it and let it grow and become unified. If the nimitta is dull, unstable
or weak, leave it alone.

These are all possible indications of the appearance of jhana and of the jhana factors.
However, don’t worry if you don’t get it, in many expositions of jhana nimitta is not
mentioned and may not appear for everyone, what really matters are the jhana
factors. A common metaphor used is that a jhana mind it is like the full moon (a clear
and calm mind) that finally comes out from behind the clouds (the hindrances).
Patisambhidamagga says:

Just like the full moon free from clouds: corruptions are like clouds, the noble ones’
knowledge is like the moon. The bhikkhu is like the deity’s son who possesses the full
moon. As the moon when freed from cloud, freed from mist, freed from smoke and
dust, delivered from the clutches of the eclipse-demon Rahu, gleams and glows and
shines, so too the bhikkhu who is delivered from all corruptions gleams and glows
and shines.

Piti-sukha and then jhana arise on their own after continuous practice of mindfulness
of breathing. The meditator should simply allow them to come and be aware of them.
The Pali suttas state:

“Suppose that a wild deer is living in a wilderness glen. Carefree it walks, carefree it
stands, carefree it sits, carefree it lies down. Why is that? Because it has gone beyond
the hunter’s range In the same way a monk—quite withdrawn from sensual
the hunter s range. In the same way, a monk quite withdrawn from sensual
pleasures, withdrawn from unskillful qualities—enters & remains in the first jhana: piti
& sukha born from withdrawal, accompanied by thinking and pondering. This monk is
said to have blinded Mara. Trackless, he has destroyed Mara’s vision and has become
invisible to the Evil One.

And:

He permeates and pervades, suffuses and fills this very body with the rapture and
pleasure born from withdrawal. There is nothing of his entire body un-pervaded by
rapture and pleasure born from withdrawal.

These four jhana factors are said to be the nimitta or sign that one has entered jhana.
Remember though, samadhi is not just jhana, there can be lesser forms of mental
unification as well. Just because you haven’t reached jhana does not mean you are
not progressing, so don’t get discouraged.

The Pali commentaries interpret this tetrad in as matching the four jhanas, step one is
first jhana, etc. However this has been questioned by modern scholars and teachers
like Analayo, who state that there is no textual indication from the suttas that this
tetrad necessitates jhana.

As stated in the formula, Jhana requires that one has withdrawn the mind from the
five strands of sensual pleasure (corresponding to the five senses). These are
external sense objects that are attractive, agreeable, tantalizing, etc. This is why
reflecting on the negatives of sensual pleasures and going to a secluded place is
helpful preparation for jhana. The Latukikopama Sutta states sensual pleasure is:

A filthy pleasure, a worldly pleasure, an ignoble pleasure. And I say that this pleasure
is not to be cultivated, not to be developed, not to be pursued, that it is to be feared.

The second key feature of the formula is to be “withdrawn from unskillful dhammas”,
this is considered any thought that is not related to the dharma, especially the five
hindrances and all wrong counterparts to the eightfold path (wrong view, wrong
effort…etc). For more on the five hindrances/obstacles see the fourth tetrad below.
This shows that a key element of cultivating jhana is letting go of things and releasing
burdensome mental factors such as craving.

In sitting down to meditate, one should always do so with the intention to abandon
everything and detach ourselves from all concerns. Lay down all burdens and let go of
all wants and thoughts of the past or the future. Meditation is not a time to explore
our past experiences, our psychological baggage, etc. The more you let go of the
easier it is to enter jhana
easier it is to enter jhana.

Another key element of jhana is one of vast suffusion of joy, spreading of pleasurable
sensations, images of soaking, drenching, steeping and filling up with pleasure
abound in the suttas. Clearly these are very enjoyable experiences. Ajahn Lee
compares reaching samadhi with a homeless person who obtains a home, it is a
sheltered place away from the hardship of the external elements – the hindrances. It
is a fortress built against the defilements which gives you the defensive position from
which to shoot back at them with discernment (pañña).

An important element of attaining jhana is that it is done in a subtle fashion, since

jhana is a refined letting go of things. So any sense of forcing jhana to happen is
going to make the process difficult. Paradoxically, you get jhana by not focusing too
much on getting it. Jhanas have to be cultivated but they must also be let alone so
they can grow on their own. Try to force a jhana is like trying to force open a flower
bud. Likewise any thoughts of “I” or “me” in relation to the jhana are also
unproductive. As Venerable Sariputta says:

“Here, friend, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, I
entered and dwelled in the first jhana, which is accompanied by thought and
examination, with rapture and happiness born of seclusion. Yet, friend, it did not occur
to me, ‘I am attaining the first jhana,’ or ‘I have attained the first jhana,’ or ‘I have
emerged from the first jhana.'” – SN 28:1-9

So, any grasping after jhana, or any clinging to those states once they have been
attained and development of conceit around them will block one’s progress and even
cause regression. Thus the Prajñaparamita-samchayagatha says:

Those of great might who dwell in the four dhyanas do not make them into a place to
settle down in, nor into a home. But these four dhyanas, with their limbs, will in their
turn become the basis for the attainment of the supreme and unsurpassed
awakening.

Throughout the four jhanas, the factor of cittakaggata or ekagatta citta (singleness,
one-pointedness of mind) continuously increases, becoming easily noticeable in the
second jhana. The Atthasalini says:

This concentration, known as one-pointedness of mind, has non-scattering (of itself)

or non-distraction (of associated states) as characteristic, the welding together of the
coexistent states as function, as water kneads bath-powder into a paste, and peace
of mind or knowledge as manifestation. For it has been said: ‘He who is concentrated
knows, sees according to the truth.’ It is distinguished by having ease (sukha)
(usually) as a proximate cause. Like the steadiness of a lamp in the absence of wind,
so should steadfastness of mind be understood.

According to the Sravakabhumi of the Sarvastivada this is:

A homogeneous cognitive object of repeated mindfulness and is conjoined with a

faultless pleasure which flows on continuously. That serial continuity of the mind is
called “equipoise” as well as “singleness of a wholesome mind”.

Ekagatta is singleness of attention or preoccupation, the quality of mind that means

that one thing remains predominant to attention and the object fills your awareness.
The perceptual image (nimitta) of the object colors your whole awareness. You do not
notice sounds while in jhana for example, because you are so single mindedly
absorbed on the meditation object.

In the Indo-Tibetan tradition, jhana is likewise explained as a state in which the mind
is clearly and vibrantly focused on an object without distraction. The meditator can
calmly remain in this state as long he wills and has complete control over the
direction of his mind (praśrabdhi – pliancy, flexibility). The Sravakabhumi also notes
that this is a state without coarse conceptuality.

The 9th Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje (1556-1603) explains meditative progress thus: the
first stage of meditation is like your thoughts are a waterfall, they just rush on and on.
It’s not that you are having more thoughts than normal it’s just that you’re now just
noticing how crazy your mind is. The next stage is like a placid, slow moving river,
there are still thoughts but it is not hard to see them and they are less numerous and
you rarely get distracted by them (but it can happen). Third stage is like a still ocean,
one is free of all thoughts. Tashi Namgyal says that even if a subtle thought arises it
is unable to function and dissolves. However there is a strong clarity and sharp
awareness, as opposed to dullness, spaced out mind or a mind in deep sleep. That’s
why Wangchuk Dorje describes it as “not a sea at nighttime, but a sea in the daytime”.

Once tranquil absorption is mastered, one will be able to enter it much more easily
and effortlessly and do it for extended length of time without tiring. Dakpo Tashi
Namgyal compares it to one who has mastered reading, the beginner needs to make
effort and strive to read, but he that has mastered this skill just needs to look at a
page and it almost reads itself.

Historically and also currently, there are different interpretations of jhana. The main
difference seems to be in the depth of concentration and focus – with some teachers
focusing on very deep states of mind which take a long time to cultivate and are
highly focused on a single meditation object to the exclusion of all other phenomena
highly focused on a single meditation object to the exclusion of all other phenomena
(i.e. no perception of sounds, sights, etc) and others teaching a simpler, broader and
more accessible form which allows for vipassana or analysis of phenomena while in
jhana (as described in MN 111). Since Jhana comes from the verb jhayati, to
meditate, it is also a fuzzy concept in the Pali discourses and hence it is really a
continuum of meditations from deeply absorbed concentration to a less narrow more
broad and flexible kind of unification.

Further expanding on the metaphor of water, being in jhana can be compared to

entering a lake full of clear refreshing water on a hot day, it is pleasurable – mentally
and physically, it is a fully embodied somatic experience of immersion and it is
refreshing and leads to wakefulness as well as happiness. One knows one is in jhana
then one one’s whole phenomenological experience shifts to being in a pleasurable
refreshing, unified and calm state.

Also, one can enter a lake in different ways, sometimes one jumps in and becomes
fully submerged and hence cannot hear sounds or see well outside the water. This is
the quality of the muffling of or seclusion from sense perception. Other times one
slowly walks into the lake, and in this sense it is possible to be halfway in, two thirds
of the way in, and so on and still experience perception. This accounts for the
differences in sutta, abhidharma and modern descriptions of jhanas.

Entering the jhanas then, is to be seen as a continuum and it is possible to be fully

“submerged” in jhana, as well as ‘partly’ in jhana (hence the descriptions of “access”
or “near” samadhi). The more one practices and becomes adept at meditation, the
more one will be able to master the act of diving into or gradually entering the lake of
the jhanas.

First jhana is a state in which the whole body is filled with these factors of non-carnal
bliss and happiness, there is no pain, no experiencing of any of the five hindrances
(desire, aversion, sloth-torpor, restlessness-worry, doubt), or any unwholesome states
(akusala dhammas) nor is there experiencing any sensual pleasure (kama). The joy in
this first jhana is said to be born of seclusion or withdrawal (ie from kama and
akusala dhammas). Once one realizes that one is free of these states, a sense of
pleasure arises and one is to let this pleasure suffuse one’s entire body-mind. There is
also some singleness of the mind focused on the object of meditation.

The Kayagatasati sutta gives the following definition and simile of first jhana:

Then the seeker detaches themselves from sensual pleasures and unwholesome
qualities. They enter into the first jhana, which has these qualities: joy and happiness
born of seclusion, thinking and evaluating.
 , g g

They steep, drench and fill their whole body with the bliss and happiness born of
seclusion. There’s no part of their body that’s not filled with this bliss and happiness.
It’s like if someone were to pour bath powder into a metal dish and slowly add water.
Then they would rub it until the ball of powder is soaked and saturated with water
inside and out and yet it does not leak. In that same way, a seeker permeates their
whole body with bliss and happiness born of seclusion.

In first jhana there is also the initial application of thought to place your mind on the
meditation object (vitakka) and there is a certain effort or sustained attention to
keeping your mind on it (vichara) and evaluating its qualities. These factors are the
skillful use of the cognitive faculty to a particular object of focus. The Petakopadesa
states:

Directed thought: There are three kinds of directed thought, namely the thought of
renunciation, the thought of non-aversion, and the thought of harmlessness.

Here, directed thought is the first instance while evaluation is the evaluation of what
is thereby received. Just as when a man sees someone approaching in the distance
he does not yet know whether it is a woman or a man, but when he has received [the
apperception] that “it is a woman” or “it is a man” or that “it is of such color” or that “it
is one of such shape,” then when he has thought this he further scrutinizes, “How
then, is he ethical or unethical, rich or poor?” This is examination. With directed
thought he fixes. With examination he moves about and turns over [what has been
thought].

And just as a winged bird first accumulates [speed] and then accumulates no more
[speed when gliding], so too, directed thought is like the accumulation, and evaluation
is like the outstretched wings which keeps preserving the directed thought and
evaluation.

Vitakka and vicara are like two qualities of an experienced and calm masseuse, there
is the placement of the hands on the body and the continuous relaxed effort of
massaging.

Vicara keeps the attention on the breath, and observes how the meditation is going,
while vicara is evaluating how it feels and what can be done to improve.

First jhana means that you can easily stay in a state of pleasurable meditation
without physical or mental discomfort or movement, as long as you like. However, it
can still be disturbed by subtle unhappiness as indicated in some suttas.

( )
Second jhana – This stage is achieved through the suppression or stilling (vupasama)
of vitakka and vicara. The Kayagatasati Sutta states:

When thinking and evaluating disappear, they enter and remain in the second
meditation. It has these qualities: joy and happiness born of unification, inner clarity,
confidence and oneness. They steep, drench and fill their whole body with the bliss
and happiness born of unification. There’s no part of their body that’s not filled with
this bliss and happiness. This is just like a lake that is fed only by spring water and
nothing else, not even rain. From time to time, a stream of cool water from the spring
fills and saturates the lake. There’s no part of the lake that’s not infused with
coolness. In that same way, a seeker permeates their whole body with bliss and
happiness born of unification.

Once the jhana factors of directed thought and evaluation drop away and there is only
piti, sukha, serene-clarity (sampasadana) and ekagatta citta, a focused mind or
singleness of mind and there is generally less thoughtful effort being made to stay
concentrated. The serene-clarity of this state is compared to a completely tranquil
and cool lake. All mental movement and intention ceases in blissful stillness, even
skillful resolve and intention. All unhappiness ceases while in this state, that is, there
is no mental discomfort at all. The happiness in this jhana is said to arise due to
increased samadhi and singleness of mind.

In the third Jhana piti is seen as a burden or unecessary and one allows it to fade
away, being left with the factors of singleness of mind and pleasurable feeling
(sukha). The Kayagatasati Sutta states:

When joy fades away, they enter and remain in the third meditation, where they are
equanimous, mindful and aware. The noble ones state that this is a peaceful and
happy state. They steep, drench and fill their whole body with a happiness that is free
of bliss. There’s no part of the body that’s not filled with a happiness that is free of
bliss. It’s like a pool with blue water lilies, or pink or white lotuses. Some of these
flowers grow and live in the water. They are saturated and soaked with cool water.
There’s no part of them not immersed in water. In that same way, a seeker permeates
their whole body with a happiness that is free of bliss.

Any physical pleasure, comfort, ease born of body contact ceases. What takes its
place is a calm bodily happiness (sukha) and equanimity (upekkha). Upekkha is a
certain kind of conative neutrality, affective detachment or equanimous awareness
which comes with sati-sampajanna (mindful clear awareness).

Fourth Jhana sees the meditator letting go of all kinds of happiness, which he sees
b d d l t it f d ll d th i d t t t ft t l
as burdensome, and lets it fade away as well and the mind enters a state of total
stillness and pure equanimity (upekkha) in body and mind. The Kayagatasati Sutta
states:

When one gives up all pleasure and pain, happiness and sadness, they enter and
remain in the fourth meditation. Here there is just pure mindful equanimity. They fill
their body with a pure bright mind. There’s no part of it not filled with a pure bright
mind. This is like someone who was wrapped from head to toe with a white cloth and
there was no part of the body not covered with it.

Fourth jhana is state of “neither pleasure nor pain” (adukkhamasukha) and neither
happiness nor sorrow (somanassa domanassa). It is more subtle and sublime than
the blissful stillness of 3rd jhana. The breath is said to no longer be noticeable in this
state as well. The suttas state that this stage has a purity of mindfulness and
equanimity. These factors are pure (parisuddhim) now in the sense that they no
longer rely on pleasure or happiness. The suttas explain the fourth jhana with the
following simile:

“There remains only equanimity: pure & bright, pliant, malleable, & luminous. Just as if
a dexterous goldsmith or goldsmith’s apprentice were to prepare a furnace, heat up a
crucible, and, taking gold with a pair of tongs, place it in the crucible: He would blow
on it time & again, sprinkle water on it time & again, examine it time & again, so that
the gold would become refined, well-refined, thoroughly refined, flawless, free from
dross, pliant, malleable, & luminous. Then whatever sort of ornament he had in mind—
whether a belt, an earring, a necklace, or a gold chain—it would serve his purpose.”

According to the Samaññaphala Sutta, obtaining the four jhanas leads to a mind that
is in unified, fully purified, cleansed, stainless, uncorrupted, sensitive, workable,
steady, and un-shakeable. It is a mind which becomes the basis for full awakening
since it has no obstacles.

Bhikkhus, just as the Ganges River slants, slopes and inclines towards the ocean, so
too a bhikkhu who develops and cultivates the four jhānas slants, slopes and inclines
towards Nibbāna. – SN 53.6

The Jhana factors:

1st Jhana: vitakka, vicara, piti, sukha, cittekaggata

2nd Jhana: piti, sukha, sampasadana, cittekaggata

3rd Jhana: sukha, upekkha, sati-sampajanna, cittekaggata

4th Jhana: upekkha, adukkhamasukha, sati-parisuddhi, cittekaggata

Jhanas are good motivation for continuing your meditation practice because they feel
so great. They create a mind which is much more receptive, focused and pliable for
the work of insight. It is the sweet carrot you dangle in front of the mind to keep it
away from worldly concerns and pleasures.

Some teachers warn that being attached to jhanic attainments and pleasurable
sensations can also be an impediment to practice, so always keep in mind that jhana
is about reaching a still and clear mind in order to then use that mind to examine
ourselves, our thoughts and our suffering, not just feeling good for its own sake.
Samatha is to be used as a launching pad and as a foundation for Vipassana.

SN 22.5 says:

Bhikkhus, develop samādhi. A bhikkhu who has developed samādhi understands

things as they truly are.

The cultivation of jhana is compared by the Buddha to the refinement of gold:

Suppose a skilled goldsmith or goldsmith’s apprentice were to prepare a furnace and

heat the crucible, take some gold in a pair of tongs and place it in the crucible. Then
from time to time he would blow air, from time to time he would sprinkle water, and
from time to time he would watch over with equanimity. The gold would become
refined, well refined, thoroughly refined, cleansed, rid of dross, soft, workable, and
radiant, and could be used for whatever kind of adornment be desired, whether
bracelets, earrings, necklaces, or golden garlands. So too, there remains only
equanimity, purified and bright, soft, workable, and radiant. – MN 140

Though we have spoken much of jhana, it is important to note that this step of
anapanasati does not require jhana, as one can experience piti and sukha in lesser
levels of samadhi. As long as one works to improve one’s mental and physical
stillness and reaches greater mental unification, one is progressing.

Jhana can be a difficult state to reach and master, but piti-sukha is common in
meditators who have not reached jhana. This pre-jhanic piti-sukha is still incredibly
important, because it helps to calm and relax the body-mind, to allow one to sit for
longer and to motivate the meditator to practice more diligently. There is no
requirement that this anapanasati element has to be taken all the way to all the
jhanas before moving on to the other ones, so if jhana does not come, do not worry
too much and continue to practice.

If attaining jhana or piti-sukha seem difficult, one can review the other factors of the
If attaining jhana or piti sukha seem difficult, one can review the other factors of the
eight-fold path and notice if one just needs to develop some of them more.
Sometimes jhana is difficult to obtain because our practice is unbalanced in some
way or our life is too busy and too focused on worldly concerns. Also, perhaps we
have not attained jhana because we are either trying too hard to get jhana or not
putting in enough effort.

Samatha and Vipassana

Samadhi is also said to allow the quality of wisdom to arise naturally:

For a person with right samādhi there is no need to arouse the wish, ‘May I see things
as they truly are.‘ It is a natural process, it is in accordance with nature, that someone
with right samādhi will see things as they truly are. – AN 10.3

‘Monks, these two principles share in realization. What two? Samatha and vipassana.
‘When samatha is developed, what purpose is achieved? The mind is developed.
When the mind is developed, what purpose is achieved? Lust is abandoned. ‘When
vipassana is developed, what purpose is achieved? Understanding is developed.
When understanding is developed, what purpose is achieved? Ignorance is
abandoned. – AN 2:3.10

Reaching jhana is said to remove the five hindrances (sloth-torpor, ill will, sense
desire, restlessness, doubt), to bring about happy feelings, to calm the mind (a
calming which is termed samatha) and to make the mind more effective at the skill of
vipassana (clear seeing, insight), a quality of mind which allows one to see the true
nature of things clearly. A mind with the quality of samatha is relaxed, pliant, still,
tranquil, happy and focused. It is often used synonymous with samadhi. A mind with
the quality of vipassana is discerning, clear, sharp, penetrative, able to investigate,
explore and analyze. It is compared to the clear water of a lake that allows one to
easily observe all the animals, plants and rocks on the floor of the lake. MN 149 says:

These two qualities of calm and clear seeing occur in him yoked evenly together. With
direct gnosis he fully understands those things which should be understood through
direct gnosis. With direct gnosis he abandons those things which should be
abandoned through direct gnosis. with direct gnosis he develops those things which
should be developed through direct gnosis. With direct gnosis he realizes those
things which should be realized through direct gnosis.

The importance of Shamatha and Vipassana as two complementary parts of

anapanasati meditation is a key teaching of Buddhism, they are said to be like two
wings of a bird or two swift messengers that bring the message of awakening. Since
f ‘
they are two qualities of mind, they exist ‘yoked together’ and cannot be completely
separated from each other. A candle flame that is blown about and flickers cannot
illuminate as well as a candle that is undisturbed. One cannot cut down a tree with a
razor blade or with a big hammer, but a sharp and heavy axe could cut it down
because of it has both strength and sharpness.

The middle Bhavanakrama of Kamalashila states:

Insight without tranquility renders a yogin’s mind susceptible to the distraction of

sensory objects. Because it is unstable, like a butter lamp exposed to the wind, it fails
to attain the illumination of awareness.

Both qualities of samatha and vipassana need to be developed within our meditation
in a balanced way. Samatha has the power to settle negative emotive qualities of the
mind like craving, while vipassana tackles and eliminates ignorance. A pool of dirty
water cannot reflect your face, but if the water is allowed to settle the dirt will float to
the bottom and the pool will become reflective. Samatha releases the affective
aspects of the defilements, vipassana brings proper discernment. Samatha and
vipassana are like the left and right legs, you need both, in balance, to walk. They are
like two sides of one stamp, the bottom part sticks, the upper part informs.

How, in brief, does one cultivate vipassana? One mainly pays close attention to
phenomena, in a detached manner and notices that all phenomena are transient. One
carefully investigaes their impermanent nature. In the context of anapanasati this is
primarily done by starting with seeing the impermanence of breathing, which is quite
easy to observe. Indeed, the impermanent nature of breathing could be said to be the
foundation of anapanasati when seen from the perspective of vipassana. The ever
changing rhythm and qualities of the breath serves as the background and home
base of anapanasati vipassana.

Doing vipassana, one also notices that all phenomena are dukkha, that is, they all
have some element of unease and dissatisfaction. Finally, one sees that all
phenomena are empty, how so? All phenomena are empty of any kind of self, of
anything that is permanent, unchanging. They have no center, no core, no basis, but
are like the open sky, like bubbles. They are like a mirage, a rainbow, when you look
into them closely to find their essence, they shift or vanish. This practice can be
helpful even for the beginning of anapanasati, when distracting thoughts and feelings
are constantly taking one away from the object of meditation, one can attempt to
bring more vipassana to the fore of attention and see this things for what they are. In
this way, distractions can be combated, and samatha grows, allow for even subtler
vipassana. This is how they work together, like the Thai forest masters say, it is like
 p y g y
picking up a log from both ends.

Sometimes in your practice one might want to give more emphasis to samatha by
unifying the sense of being with the breathing processes, sometimes more emphasis
is given to vipassana by noticing the changing aspects of breathing and other
processes connected to it (body and mind). It is a balancing act that a meditator has
to learn with experience. The flexibility of anapanasati for both elements of
meditation means that it is easy to shift from working on one quality to another.

The Patisambhidamagga, the Dhammasangani, the Mahavibhasa, and the

Abhidharmakosabhasya as well as Sautrantika and Yogacara texts all maintain that
vipassana can and should optimally be developed within jhana. MN 111 Anupada
sutta says:

Whatever phenomena there are in the first jhāna: directed thought, evaluation, joy,
pleasure, singleness of mind, contact, feeling, apperception, intention, mind, desire,
decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, and attention; he defined them one by one
as they occurred. Known to him they arose, known to him they remained, known to
him they subsided. He understood, ‘So this is how these phenomena, not having been,
come into play. Having been, they vanish.’Regarding those phenomena, he remained
unattracted, unrepelled, independent, detached, free, dissociated, with a mind rid of
barriers.

The Dhammasangani notes that jhana includes the mental factors of samatha and
vipassana and says:

What at that time is samatha? That which at that time is stability of mind,
steadfastness of mind, thorough steadfastness of mind, unshakableness, non-
distraction, imperturbability, calmness of mind, faculty of concentration, strength of
concentration, right concentration.

What at that time is vipassanā? That which at that time is discernment (paññā),
thorough understanding, investigation, comprehensive investigation, investigation of
phenomena, consideration, discrimination, direct discrimination, erudite intelligence,
proficiency, refined intelligence, discriminative examination.

The Sarvāstivāda Mahāvibhāṣā states:

In the four dhyānas, śamatha and vipaśyanā are equal in strength, and thus they are
named a pleasant dwelling.

The Abhidharmakośabhāṣya states:

Samādhi is in fact excellent: it is a dhyāna filled with “parts,” which goes by the means
of the yoke of śamatha and vipaśyanā [that is to say, in which śamatha and vipaśyanā
are in equilibrium], that is termed in the Sūtra “happiness in this world” and “the easy
path,” the path by which one knows better and easily.

Think about samatha and vipassana as if the meditator is on a swing. To get to a

higher state of samatha, you also need strong vipassana, and vice versa. The calmer
your mind, the better you can see phenomena unfold, the better you can see
phenomena’s nature, the easier it is to calm the mind. If you become unbalanced in
their development then it will be more difficult to achieve either.
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Breath
Mindfulness 6
Basic overview of the practice

At a secluded space, sit down and cross your legs, keep body erect, establish sati.

First Tetrad: Contemplation of the Body

1 – Know in and out breathing

Breathe naturally, don’t control, pay full attention to the process of the breath coming
in and going out and the pauses in between. Don’t fixate on any one spot, just notice
the breath as a whole and all sensations associated with breathing.

2 – Know long breaths or short breaths

Pay attention to the length of the breaths, notice the path that it takes to fully
complete a cycle. Notice if it gets calmer over time. Also evaluate the speed too, the
softness or harshness.

3 – Experiencing the whole body

Scan your body, attentive to each area, just watch, breathe with each spot. Then
spread awareness to the entire body, feel all of it breathing like if all your pores are
taking in and out breaths or feel it filling like a vase when breathing in, starting with
the belly, then diaphram, then chest. Notice there is no separation between your body,
breath and awareness.

4 – Calming bodily sankharas – As you watch the body, remain still and notice any
formations of tightness and discomfort, relax those areas, think “relax”, “calm”,
“release”, “soften”. Continue being mindful of the breath and think about calming and
relaxing the whole somatic field tied to the breathing process as well, wherever the
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breath is felt.

Second Tetrad: Contemplation of sensations (vedana)

5 – Experience pīti

Notice the vedanas or hedonic tones in the field of awareness. Pay special attention
to good qualities that are arising from this practice, such as any calm, pleasant and
joyful feelings and rejoice. Also notice the gladness in releasing negative qualities.
Also one can be proactive and try to cultivate joy. Smile. Move breath energy in the
body. Experiment. Be aware of joy and happiness in the mind.

6 – Experience sukha

Pay attention to the body sensations of pleasure and peaceful happy feelings. Notice
the whole body breathing and how it is comfortable, sastisfying and blissful. Let the
pleasure come by itself and spread by itself. Or try playing with the breath energies
and sending it down your body, use your imagination.

7 – Experience mental sankharas

Shift your focus slightly to mental processes and formations. Thoughts,

verbalizations, images, emotions and intentions or volitions. Watch, alertly and calmly,
let them come and go like a river. Notice their impermanence.

8 – Calm and let go of mental sankharas

Relax the mental processes, let them go, release them, notice their passing away.
Imagine breathing them out or turning down the volume on the mind. This includes
piti-sukha, even if they are pleasant, they are impermanent and need to be let go.

Third Tetrad: Contemplation of the Mind (citta)

9 – Experience the mind

Turn your attention to the citta, the heart-mind. Watch all emotions, perceptions,
thoughts and intentions without judgment. Let them come and go. Now watch ‘that
which knows’, awareness itself, consciousness. Now watch both, awareness and its
objects, together as a single system, like the sky and the weather phenomena. Like
the stage and actors which come and go on it. Notice that both change and that both
coexist.

10 – Gladden the mind

A subtle and peaceful gladness arises in that awareness. Try to notice a refined sense
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of peaceful happiness in the mind itself.

11 – Unify the mind

Due to the gladness, citta becomes more and more unified or collected in samadhi.
Lightly train yourself to sharpen and expand this samadhi.

12 – Free the mind

Notice that hindrances and mental obstructions are being left behind. If you still
notice some subtle elements left, let them go, release them. Let the mind rest is
absolute calm and stillness.

Fourth Tetrad: Contemplation of dhammās

13 – Attend to anicca

Pay attention to the fact that everything is moving, shifting, changing, and flowing.
The entire phenomenal field is a bubbling churning ocean of processes coming and
going. This includes ‘that which knows’, awareness itself, which is constantly shifting
its attention or field of focus. Phenomena also have the feature of being empty,
lacking any solidity, center or core like the sky, froth or mist.

14 – Attend to fading away/dispassion

Notice that awareness of anicca leads to a sense of dispassion and disenchantment

to phenomena, your clinging to them loosens because they are duhkha.

15 – Attend to cessation

Be aware specifically of the moment when phenomena disappear, pass away and
vanish. Pleasant phenomena vanish and cause dukkha because we cling, but dukkha
can also cease if we let go.

16 – Attend to letting go or cutting off

Let go of all sense of craving, holding on, clinging, attaching, grasping, let all
phenomena pass by without reaching out to grab them with the hand of thought. This
is also described as a stopping, a severance or eradication of the sense of clinging
and craving. Tell yourself that enough is enough.

The tetrads as an integral & holistic system

Someone looking at the sixteen steps for the first time might see a fairly simple
progressive, step by step practice. You practice the first tetrad, then you move on to
the next one,Buddha's
and so on.Grove
This is the way most presentations teach it and it is a fine
way to understand and practice anapanasati.

If you’ve read so far however, you’ll already know its not that simple and that there is a
more complex relationship between all the sixteen aspects. Indeed, after spending
some time practicing and studying the sixteen aspects of anapanasati, perhaps you
will begin to these elements are more like this:

Or perhaps this:
 Buddha's Grove

The main idea here is that their relationship is less linear than it seems.

In describing how anapanasati works, the Buddha used this simile:

Suppose, Ananda, there were a great pile of dirt at the junction of four highways. A
cart or chariot coming from the eastern direction would destroy that pile of dirt; a cart
or chariot coming from the western direction . . . the northern direction .. . the
southern direction would destroy that pile of dirt. Just so, Ananda, when a bhikkhu
with regard to the body dwells watching body he too destroys bad unskilful dhammas
.. . with regard to feelings . . . the mind … dhammas …

This passage shows that the four satipatthanas work together to destroy the
This passage shows that the four satipatthanas work together to destroy the
corruptions Buddha's Grove
from different directions. In this illustration, it doesn’t really matter, for the
destroying of the dirt pile, which cart comes first because they all do the same job
from a different angle. Indeed, the passage does not seem to depict a linear
relationship between the satipatthanas.

Because they can be shown to be mutually supportive and interrelated, these steps
also seem to have a synchronic dimension. For example, without weakening some of
the hindrances and cultivating some of the awakening factors, which are technically
“dhammas” assigned to the fourth satipatthana, one might never be able to properly
practice the first tetrad. Likewise, there is a strong connection and overlap between
aspects 5, 6 and 11 since the jhanas are one of the main definitions of samadhi.

In this way, it is clear that the various anapanasati elements all support each other
and in many cases it doesn’t make sense that you start at a certain step without
already having other elements present which are listed “later”.

A metaphor for the Buddha’s exposition of anapanasati could be how a prism can
divide white light into various colored lights (diffraction), but they are all contained
within white light. Likewise, a deltahedron (a polyhedron whose faces are all
equilateral triangles) with sixteen sides is another good way to illustrate what I am
getting at here.

One can apply “freeing the mind” for example, in combination with any tetrad,
because letting go of hindrances is always supportive. While ‘freeing the mind’ could
be interpreted narrowly as “attain first jhana”, I think that it makes sense to interpret it
as a broad sense of letting go of hindrances which would include lesser levels of
samadhi and all the jhanas, in a sliding scale of skill.

Likewise, just because one has passed through a step does not mean it is left behind
and no longer present. It seems rather, that factors which are cultivated at different
steps (such as relaxation, piti, etc) aggregate together creating a more complete and
unified meditation practice with more and more momentum.

Thanissaro Bhikku notes this feature of the sixteen steps as well, noting that the
ability to successfully focus on the breath requires developing some sensitivity to
feelings and mind states involved in the process. Seen in this way, the four tetrads are
just different aspects of one practice. While maintaining one’s awareness on
breathing, one can also extend one’s attention to the whole body, or to feelings or to
the mind to calm, gladden and relax them as the need arises.

Likewise, one also remains attentive to impermanence and to letting go of any greed
and distress with regards to the world, which are standard prescriptions when
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practicing all four satipatthanas. One also remains attentive to the development of
the seven enlightenment factors. This means in practice that one can do two tetrads
simultaneously, or that all four could be unified if one is experienced enough.

For example, one could work on noticing how the sensations of the whole body
breathing (1st tetrad) give rise to feelings of pleasure (2nd tetrad), or how insight into
impermanence and dispassion (4th tetrad) can help calm the mind (3rd tetrad) and
keep it from wandering off. Of course, the breath always remains the foundation or
anchor during this process, one is just shifting attention to different aspects of the
breathing process, such as how it feels or how it is impermanent.

In fact it is hard to see how one could not bring in aspects of the other tetrads when
practicing the first one, as in, when one is distracted and needs to develop dispassion
to abandon that distraction (4th tetrad) or when a painful feeling arises and one must
observe it with equanimity. (2nd tetrad). Even if one is dead set on just doing one
tetrad without thinking about the others, one will have to use elements related to the
others and this shows that they interpenetrate.

The first three tetrads all have to do with different aspects of maintaining the mind on
the breath, the first dealing with the object of meditation – the breathing body, the
second dealing with the feelings that are conditioned by the process of attending to
the breathing body, and the third dealing with aspects of the mind like mindfulness
and investigation that allow our attention to remain on the breath and also features of
the mind like samadhi that arise from this practice. The fourth tetrad is also an
important aspect here because these insights help us keep distractions at bay by
seeing them as inconstant and keeping us dispassionate from them, and once we
reach higher levels of meditation – jhanas – this fourth tetrad also maintains our
dispassion for them as well, leading to letting go of even these subtle heightened
states, and to total release.

Drawing more connections

Let’s explore the deep inter-connectedness of the sixteen aspects further. When we
investigate the relationships between these aspects, we will begin to see that they are
not so linear and that they are really a web of connections and feedback loops. In this
section, I will use the following diagram to make some connections between :
 Buddha's Grove

Observing the breath qualities (step 1 and 2) can lead to insight into
impermanence (step 13).
Calming the body processes can lead to calming the heart-mind processes and
vice versa.
Calming the body processes can lead to increasing samadhi (step 11) and
observation of impermanence (change in the body).
Experiencing piti and sukha (5 and 6) can lead to more samadhi (11).
Experiencing the heart-mind processes (7) can lead to observing impermanence
(13).
Experiencing citta (9) can lead to observing impermanence (11).
Making the citta joyful (10) can lead to piti and sukha (5 and 6) and also to calming
the citta processes (8).
Calming both the body processes (4) and the heart-mind processes (8) is a way to
train in letting go (step 16)

Do not make the mistake of thinking that the connections in this diagram is the final
say on the matter. There likely to be many more subtler connections which I have not
outlined above and which are less obvious but will become more visible with further
outlined above, and which are less obvious but will become more visible with further
Buddha's isGrove
practice. Anapanasati a practice which just keeps getting deeper and deeper the
more one does it.

How to practice

Looking at all these interconnections, the best conclusion to draw is that are dealing
with a practice that has both syncronic and diachronic aspects, with vipassana and
samatha qualities. In practice, it seems like there are two possible ways to do this:

1. One can initially proceed from the first tetrad, to the second in a linear way, for a
sense of structure. As the meditation continues more and more unification of the
steps happens as you progressively move through the tetrads and keep adding them
to the practice. You don’t leave each tetrad behind as you move to the next, you
simply add qualities to the meditation which help maintain and stabilize it. One can
also go through the tetrads several times, depending on how long one is sitting for.

2. You begin with focusing on your breath, then you pay attention to your feelings,
thoughts, and mind and see which elements are functioning well to keep your mind on
the breath and which elements need to be worked on. Then you draw on the relevant
tetrad to help you with it – if the mind is distracted, try gladdening the mind, if the
body is tight, try calming the bodily formations, etc. The meditation begins to develop
and we begin to draw on the other tetrads, aggregating them to our practice.
Mindfulness of body, relaxing the body and being mindful of hindrances and
awakening factors all come in eventually and are integrated in one continuous
cultivation system leading to jhana.

One ultimately has to experiment and learn through practicing the steps over and over
and see what works for oneself. This develops the skill of self sufficiency which
allows one to continue to progress. This is why the Buddha did not teach each and
every detail to be followed by everyone, because each person is different and they
have to learn by themselves how to best apply the factors of the path. What he taught
was a basic system of meditation with key elements to be applied. How one applies
them depends on the individual. Eventually though all these qualities will become
more unified and integrated with each other as practice matures.

Bhikkhu Analayo states that as one enters samadhi there is a fusion of body and
mind. In Zen one is also told be mindful and let go of body-mind. In Yogacara
Buddhism there is a sense of unity between subject and object. This all points to the
same meditative experience of ekagacitta, a unified mind. Unification of mind and
singleness of mind brings together the practice of all four satipatthanas, and the
observation all five skandhas One begins to experience everything as one system
observation all five skandhas. One begins to experience everything as one system,
this is what Buddha's
happens inGrove
the practice of the anapanasati steps.

The tetrads can be seen as a field of qualities that grow together, like a garden. Yes
you start with certain steps, but you never really leave these foundational elements
behind, like watering for example, until the goal is achieved – harvest. At the same
time, other elements grow on their own and the whole endeavor grows in complexity
but it is not harder to do because the plants are growing by themselves and you have
developed strong habits of doing things automatically.

As the plants begin to bear fruit you have a system of cultivation in place which you
continue to perfect, with different tools to prune weeds, seeds, manure to help it grow,
shading and daily tending tasks. The more you practice the more this becomes
automatic and the more you see how it works as a seamless whole, each element
being more connected to the other in some way. Finally, when the plants mature, you
can just harvest the fruits of your labor and let go of all the elements of cultivation,
because the goal is complete. This is final release.

Viewed in this way, progress is then about greater unification and integration of the
various satipatthanas and anapanasati elements not just a strict linear progression
from step one to step 16. The practice of anapanasati can then be seen as cyclical or
as aggregate, not just linear.

When one realizes that the four tetrads all interpenetrate and support each other, one
may wonder: “is it possible to combine the practice of one or more tetrads together?”

It is! Each tetrad can serve as a theme of meditation simultaneously with any of the
others. How does this work? As you focus on the quality of the breath (1st tetrad),
one can also remain peripherally aware of any of the other tetrads. Sometimes it is
useful to meditate on the quality of the breath or on the whole body breathing, and
also on how the breath leads to sensations of bliss and happiness (2nd tetrad).
Sometimes it is useful to focus on the breath and at the same time witness the state
of the mind and how calming the breath increases samadhi (3rd tetrad). Finally,
sometimes it can be helpful to notice the unstable nature of the breath, which leads to
letting go (4th tetrad).

A skeptical person may wonder: “Isn’t this shifting around from one practice to
another back and forth going to weaken one’s practice, since you keep changing the
theme of meditation?” But this misses the point. What we are seeing here is a shift in
focus from one aspect of the same practice to another aspect of the very same
process. All four tetrads are really elements of one unified whole.
In a sense, it is like mastering any complex skill, such as a musical instrument. First
Buddha's
you begin with Grove
the simplest elements, and once you’ve got that down, you add more
complex elements on top of what you’ve already learned. Depending on the
complexity of what you are seeking to master, one could end up performing various
complex tasks at the same time. But since one has practiced all of them countless
times, it is a natural process of aggregation.

Possible Variations

This is all well and good, but how exactly do we practice in this “integral” way? Well,
the point is that there is no “one way” to do it. Whichever road you take first with your
cart will lead to the dirt pile being flattened as long as you’re consistent. One can do
the four tetrads linearly, or you can do them “out of sequence” so to speak.

The “linear” way to do it has mostly already been outlined in most of this text though
it is not meant to be a strictly linear exposition. Now let’s look at some other possible
ways of tackling the tetrads. There are at least three possible ways to go here on the
first “forking” of the method:
1. Starting with the breath,
2. Starting with some other theme,
3. A formless method.

Starting with the breath

Since this is “anapanasati” it makes sense that this would be a major starting point.
One alternative way of doing this would be to begin with focusing on the breath until
we have some preliminary calm developed and then “jump” to another element, such
as “calming the mental formations”, “gladdening the mind” or even a more abstract
element such as “impermanence” (in this case, easily discernible through the
breathing process).

This might be a helpful variation (for example), when we are already relaxed
physically, but are anxious or restless mentally and want to focus on the mind during
this sit. Or if the perception of impermanence has already been aroused due to some
life event. Or it could just be because we want to experiment with variations.

Another variation here could be to start with the breath, and once one has some calm,
to expand our sense of awareness to body the whole body, as well as vedanas, and
the mind, all at the same time. Basically, this would entail a broadening of attention to
our entire phenomenal field.

This is probably not a method for beginners and can easily lead to distractions A
This is probably not a method for beginners and can easily lead to distractions. A
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good preliminary Grove
technique here is to do this expansion by first applying the Mahasi
technique of noting. After doing this for some time the mental labels can dropped. We
can also extend this variation to notice the impermanence of every phenomena, and
then maybe even to the rest of the fourth tetrad.

Starting with a different theme

The other possible form of variation would be to begin the exercise with a different
theme other than the breath. At first, this sounds weird, since this is anapanasati after
all so why start with something that is not the breath? However, interestingly enough,
there is a sutta in which the Buddha recommends just that, the Girimananda sutta
(AN 10.60):

“Ananda, if you go to the monk Girimananda and tell him ten perceptions, it’s possible
that when he hears the ten perceptions his disease may be allayed. Which ten? The
perception of inconstancy, the perception of not-self, the perception of
unattractiveness, the perception of drawbacks, the perception of abandoning, the
perception of dispassion, the perception of cessation, the perception of distaste for
every world, the perception of the undesirability of all fabrications, mindfulness of in-
&-out breathing.

Notice how in and out breathing is at the end. Now this sutta could probably be
interpreted in different ways and need not be strict practice instructions, however
what I think this sutta illustrates is that one can indeed first meditate on certain
themes to “prime” the mind, and then practice mindfulness of breathing after the
mind has been prepared with non-breath related perceptions.

Priming, in psychology, is when exposure to a particular stimulus influences one’s

reaction and experience of a later stimulus. So in these variations of anapanasati, we
would be reflecting and perceiving certain ideas or meditations which are meant to
prime our experience the mindfulness of the breath practiced afterwards.

In this way, one could for example, begin with reflections on impermanence, not-self,
or the sufferings of samsara, and then begin to focus on the breath.

Another helpful way to do this would be to begin by reviewing our mind for the five
hindrances and seeing what we can do to weaken them before beginning
anapanasati. This is actually supported by some texts which mention that one should
put the hindrances aside before practicing anapanasati. If some hindrances are
particularly strong on a given day, it can be helpful to do some preliminary ‘weeding’.

Formless or Freeform method

Formless or Freeform method
Buddha's Grove
In this variation, we start with whatever theme we want – which might be nothing, just
sitting there trying to be as awake and aware as possible or simple breathing
mindfulness. We don’t pick a particular set of themes beforehand either, we just see
what demands our attention and what arises in the field of awareness and watch it
with discriminating attention.

The breath might remain in the background or to be used as an anchor if we get lost
in wandering thoughts or distractions. If a particular theme becomes interesting or
helpful, we might make it the main theme of our meditation in this sit. If nothing does
this, we might just notice different satipatthanas throughout the sit without having a
particular preference to them.

This is similar to what is called “Shikantaza” in Zen and “choiceless awareness” in

some modern insight circles. However, since we are doing this with the context of the
four tetrads in mind and since the breath is a sort of “home base” which we will allow
ourselves to return to, it could still be said to be a loose form of anapanasati.

This practice is probably not for beginners as one can easily fool oneself that one is
practicing when actually one is just mind wandering. Just like free jazz or abstract
expressionism, one must first master some fundamentals before being able to
practice in a freeform way without making a complete mess.

Sources:
Analayo (2004). Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization.
Analayo (2013). Perspectives on Satipatthana.
Analayo (2018). Satipatthana: A Practice Guide.
K. Ñāṇananda (1999). Seeing Through: A Guide to Insight Meditation.
K. Ñāṇananda (2008). Towards Calm and Insight.
Buddhadasa. Mindfulness with Breathing.
Ñanaponika Thera, The Heart of Buddhist Meditation.
Ajahn Chah. A Still Forest Pool.
Ajahn Pasanno (2005). Anapanasati: Mindfulness of In-and-Out Breathing. 19 Talks
From Winter Retreat 2005.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Right Mindfulness.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu. With Each and Every Breath.
Thich Nhat Hanh (1990). Transformation and Healing. Sutra on the Four
f f
Foundations of Mindfulness.
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Prayudh Payutto (1988). Sammasati : An Exposition of Right Mindfulness
Sujato Bhikkhu (2012). A Swift Pair of Messengers.
Sujato Bhikkhu (2015). Mahasatipatthanasutta, Sydney meditation retreat, 8 talks.
Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo. Keeping the Breath in Mind & Lessons in Samadhi.
H. Gunaratana. Mindfulness in Plain English.
H. Gunaratana (2012). The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English.