Understanding and Practicing the Ānāpānasati-sutta

Abstract

The Ānāpānasati-sutta of the Pāli canon, transmitted by the Theravāda tradition, describes the undertaking of mindfulness of breathing in 16 steps of practice. In what follows, I survey these instructions, based on a comparison of the Ānāpānasati-sutta with three parallel versions, preserved in Chinese translation. These three parallels stem from textual transmission lineages preserved by other Buddhist schools, in the present case, the Mahāsāṅghika, the Mūlasarvāstivāda, and the Sarvāstivāda traditions. The closely similar instructions in the parallel versions show how, based on the single object of the breath coming in and going out, the practice of meditation can unfold in such a way that the four establishments of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna) are cultivated, the seven factors of awakening (bojjhaṅga) are brought into being, and eventually liberation (vimutti) can be reached. In this way, the Ānāpānasati-sutta and its parallels present mindfulness of breathing as capable of becoming the vehicle for traversing the entire path to awakening.

Abbreviations

MN:

Majjhima-nikāya

T:

Taishō edition

Vism:

Visuddhimagga