The Sutra On the Full Awareness of Breathing
Section One
Thus have I heard: Once the Buddha stayed in the Eastern Park, with many well accomplished disciples, including Sariputta, Mahamoggallana, Mahakassapa, Mahakaccayana, Mahakotthita, Mahakappina, Mahacunda, Anuruddha, Revata, and Ananda. The senior bhikkhus (Theravada Buddhist monks) in the community were diligently instructing bhikkhus who were new to the practice, and in this way the bhikkhus new to the practice gradually made great progress.
That night the moon was full, and the Pavarana Ceremony was held to mark the end of the rainy season retreat. Lord Buddha, the Awakened One, was sitting in the open air, and his disciples were gathered around him. After looking over the assembly, he began to speak:
“O bhikkhus, I am pleased to observe the fruit you have attained in your practice. Yet I know you can make even more progress. What you have not yet attained, you can attain. What you have not yet realized, you can realize perfectly. To encourage your efforts, I will stay here until the next full moon day.”
When they heard that the Lord Buddha was going to stay for another month, bhikkhus throughout the country began traveling there to study with him. The senior bhikkhus continued teaching the bhikkhus new to the practice even more ardently. Some are instructing ten bhikkhus, some twenty, and some thirty. With this help, the newer bhikkhus were able, little by little, to continue their progress in understanding.
When the next full moon day arrived, the Buddha, seating under the open sky and looking over the assembly of bhikkhus, began to speak:
“O bhikkhus, our community is pure and good. At its heart, it is without useless and boastful talk, and therefore it deserves to receive offerings and be considered a field of merit. Such a community is rare, and many pilgrims who seek it, no matter how far they must travel, will find it worthy.
“O bhikkhus, there are bhikkhus in this assembly who have realized the fruit of Arhatship, destroyed every root of affliction, laid aside any burden, and attained right understanding and emancipation. There are also bhikkhus who have cut off the five internal formations and ended the cycle of birth and death.
And there are those who have cut off the roots of the first three internal formations – greed, hatred, and ignorance, and who will only need to return to the cycle of birth and death one more time. There are those who have attained the fruit of Stream-Enterer, coursing steadily to the Awakened State. There are those who practice the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. There are those who practice the Four Right Efforts and those who practice the Four Bases of Success. There are those who practice the Five Faculties, those who practice the Five Powers, those who practice the Seven Factors of Awakening, and those who practice the Noble Eightfold Path. There are those who practice loving kindness, those who practice compassion, those who practice joy, and those who practice equanimity. There are those who practice the Nine Contemplations and those who practice the Observation of Impermanence. There are also bhikkhus who are already practicing Full Awareness of Breathing.”
Section Two
“O bhikkhus, the method of being fully aware of breathing, if practiced and developed continuously, will have great rewards and bring great advantages. It will lead to success in practicing the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. If the method of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness is practiced and developed continuously, it will lead to success in the practice of the Seven Factors of Awakening. The Seven Factors of Awakening, if practiced and developed continuously, will give rise to realization and liberation of the mind.
“What is the way to cultivate and develop the method of Full Awareness of Breathing so that the practice will be rewarding and bringing about great benefit?
“It is like this: the practitioner finds somewhere quiet, at the foot of a tree or in any deserted place, sits stably in the lotus position, holding his or her body straight, and practices like this: ‘Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.’
1. ‘Breathing in a long breath, I know I am breathing in a long breath. Breathing out a long breath, I know I am breathing out a long breath.’
2. ‘Breathing in a short breath, I know I am breathing in a short breath. Breathing out a short breath, I know I am breathing out a short breath.’
3. ‘Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body. Breathing out, I am aware of my whole body.’
4. ‘Breathing in, I calm my whole body. Breathing out, I calm my whole body.’
5. ‘Breathing in, I feel joyful. Breathing out, I feel joyful.’
6. ‘Breathing in, I feel happy. Breathing out, I feel happy.’
7. ‘Breathing in, I am aware of my mental activities. Breathing out, I am aware of my mental activities.’
8. ‘Breathing in, I calm my mental activities. Breathing out, I calm my mental activities.’
9. ‘Breathing in, I am aware of my mind. Breathing out, I am aware of my mind.’
10. ‘Breathing in, I put my mind at ease. Breathing out, I put my mind at ease.’
11. ‘Breathing in, I concentrate my mind. Breathing out, I concentrate my mind.’
12. ‘Breathing in, I liberate my mind. Breathing out, I liberate my mind.’
13. ‘Breathing in, I observe the impermanent nature of all phenomena. Breathing out, I observe the impermanent nature of all phenomena.’
14. ‘Breathing in, I observe the disappearance of all desires. Breathing out, I observe the disappearance of all desires.
15. ‘Breathing in, I observe cessation. Breathing out, I observe cessation.
16. ‘Breathing in, I let go. Breathing out, I let go.’
“The Full Awareness of Breathing, if practiced continuously, will be rewarding and bringing about great benefit.”
Section Three
“What are the detailed instructions for practicing continuously the Full Awareness of Breathing, in order to achieve the Four Establishments of Mindfulness?
“When you breathe in or out, a long or a short breath, be aware of your breath, be aware that you are making the whole body calm and at ease. You abide peacefully in the body, mindfully observing and clearly understanding your state, letting go of all attachment or aversion to this life. This practice of breathing with Full Awareness belongs to the first Establishment of Mindfulness, the body.
“When you breathe in or out, be aware of joy, be aware of any feeling. To make the mental formations peaceful, you abide peacefully in the feelings, mindfully observing and clearly understanding your state, letting go of all attachment or aversion to this life. This practice of breathing with Full Awareness belongs to the second Establishment of Mindfulness, the feelings.
“When you breathe in or out, be fully aware of the mind. To make the mind relaxed and focused, to free and liberate the mind, you abide peacefully in the mind, mindfully observing and clearly understanding your state, letting go of all attachment or aversion to this life. This practice of breathing with Full Awareness belongs to the third Establishment of Mindfulness, the mind.
“Breathing in or out, contemplating the impermanence of all dharmas or the disappearance of all desires, letting go of all attachment or aversion to this life, you abide peacefully in the observations of the objects of mind. This practice of breathing with Full Awareness belongs to the fourth Establishment of Mindfulness, the objects of mind.
“The practice of Full Awareness of Breathing, if practiced and developed continuously, will lead to perfect accomplishment of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. Without practicing Full Awareness of Breathing, one cannot develop meditative stability.”
Section Four
“Moreover, if they are continuously practiced and developed, the Four Establishments of Mindfulness will lead to perfect abiding in the Seven Factors of Awakening. How is this so?
“If you can maintain, without distraction, the practice of observing the body in the body, observing the feelings in the feelings, observing the mind in the mind, and observing the objects of mind in the objects of mind, letting go of all attachment or aversion to this life – with such unwavering, steadfast, imperturbable meditative stability, you will attain the first Factor of Awakening, a.k.a. mindfulness. When this factor is continuously practiced and developed, it will come to perfection.
“When you can abide in meditative stability without being distracted, and when you can investigate every object of mind that arises, then the second Factor of Awakening, the factor of investigation, will be born and developed in you. When this factor is continuously practiced and developed, it will come to perfection.
“When you can observe and investigate every dharma in a sustained and steadfast way, without being distracted, the third Factor of Awakening, the factor of energy, will be born and developed in you. When this factor is continuously practiced and developed, it will come to perfection.
“Once you have reached a stable, imperturbable abiding in the stream of practice, the fourth Factor of Awakening, the factor of joy, will be born and developed in you. When this factor is continuously practiced and developed, it will come to perfection.
“When you can abide undistractedly in the state of joy, you will feel your body and mind light and at peace. At this point the fifth Factor of Awakening, the factor of ease, will be born and developed. When this factor is continuously practiced and developed, it will come to perfection.
“When both body and mind are at ease, you can easily enter into concentration. At this point the sixth Factor of Awakening, the factor of concentration, will be born and developed in you. When this factor is continuously practiced and developed, it will come to perfection.
“When you are abiding in the concentration with deep calm, you will cease discriminating and comparing. At this point the seventh Factor of Awakening, the factor of letting go, is born and developed in you. When this factor is continuously practiced and developed, it will come to perfection.
“This is how the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, if practiced and developed continuously, will lead to perfect abiding in the Seven Factors of Awakening.”
Section Five
“How will the Seven Factors of Awakening, if practiced and developed continuously, lead to the perfect accomplishment of total realization and complete liberation?
“If you live in quiet seclusion, follow the path, observe impermanence, and contemplate the emptiness of desires, you will eventually have the capacity of letting go. This will lead to the perfect accomplishment of total realization and complete liberation.”
Section Six
This supreme wisdom is imparted by Lord Buddha, the Awakened One. We feel delightful and grateful for having such great blessing to receive his teachings.
~ Majjhima Nikaya, Sutta No.118, originally in Pali ~
Buddha Mind 