Awareness by Breathing is a Unique Thing!

Friends:

Awareness by Breathing is a Unique Thing!

Once in Savatthi the Blessed Buddha said this:
"Bhikkhus, there is one unique thing, which when trained and cultivated,
is of great fruit and great advantage. What is that one unique thing?
It is Awareness by Breathing (Ānāpānasati)! And how, Bhikkhus, is
this Awareness by Breathing trained, developed, cultivated and refined
so that it is of really great fruit and of immense long-term advantage?
Bhikkhus, when a Bhikkhu, who have gone to the forest, or to the
root of a tree, or to an empty hut, then he sits down cross-legged,
having straightened his body and back, and set up awareness around
the nostrils, then just plain aware of only that itself, he breathes in, and
then just solely aware of only that breathing itself, he breathes out...
1: Breathing in long, he knows, notes and understands: I inhale long!
Breathing out long, he knows, notes and understands: I exhale long!
2: Breathing in short, he knows, notes and understands: I inhale short!
Breathing out short, he knows, notes and understands: I exhale short!
3: He trains thus: Experiencing the entire body, I will breathe in-&-out!
4: Calming all bodily activity, I will breathe in-&-out!
5: Experiencing enraptured joy, I will breathe in-&-out!
6: Experiencing a happy pleasure, I will breathe in-&-out!
7: Experiencing all mental activity, I will breathe in-&-out!
8: Calming all mental activity, I will breathe in-&-out!
9: Experiencing the present mood, I will breathe in-&-out!
10: Elating and satisfying the mind, I will breathe in-&-out!
11: Concentrating and focusing mind, I will breathe in-&-out!
12: Releasing, and liberating the mind, I will breathe in-&-out!
13: Contemplating impermanence, I will breathe in-&-out!
14: Contemplating disillusion, I will breathe in-&-out!
15: Contemplating ceasing, I will breathe in-&-out!
16: He trains thus: Contemplating relinquishment, I will breathe in-&-out!
It is, Bhikkhus, when Awareness by Breathing is trained, developed
and refined in exactly this way, that it is of great fruit and advantage!"

Comments:
These 16 steps should be memorized fully. Print out and bring to pillow!
Breath meditation produces both calm (Samatha) and insight (Vipassanā)
by stilling the bursts of distractions, which obstructs all plans of thinking.
It is capable of inducing all the four levels of mental absorption (Jhāna).
Continuous awareness can be established by this technique, which has no
adverse side-effects, is simple yet profound, and especially well suited
for those plagued by stress, agitation, restlessness, worries, speculation,
anxiety, fear, hesitation, doubts, uncertainty and confusion.  Nobody!, 
who have trained this technique, have ever regretted it! Most just smiles
silently... ;-), not without reason, like the Buddha image illustrated below!  

    

The Ānāpāna-sati meditation technique is used by all Buddhas at Awakening:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Awareness_by_Breathing.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Experiencing_the_Breath.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/anapana_sati.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/Manual/Meditation.Manual.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Magnificent_Meditation.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/pdfs/anapanasati.pdf
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/The_LAMP_IV.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/The_LAMP_II.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/The_LAMP_I.htm



Source (edited extract):
The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikāya. [V:311]
section 54: Ānāpānasamyutta. Thread 1: A Unique Thing!

Have a nice & noble day!
 
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Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net