Grammatical Analysis
Ānāpānasati: [f.] mindfulness of breathing. Formed by āna (in-breath) + apāna (out-breath) + sati (mindfulness). Meaning: anchoring the presence of mind explicitly onto the sensation of the breath.
Orthodox Definition
Ānāpānasati is one of the most widely praised and structurally complete meditation objects (kammaṭṭhāna) in the Pāḷi Canon, serving as the vehicle through which the Buddha himself attained supreme enlightenment. It is uniquely capable of fulfilling both tranquility (samatha) down to the fourth jhāna and insight (vipassanā) culminating in Arahatship.
The canonical execution is structured strictly into four tetrads (sixteen total steps):
- The First Tetrad (Body): Experiencing long breaths, short breaths, the entire breath body, and calming the bodily formation.
- The Second Tetrad (Feeling): Experiencing rapture (pīti), pleasure (sukha), mental formations, and calming the mental formation.
- The Third Tetrad (Mind): Experiencing the mind, gladdening the mind, concentrating the mind, and liberating the mind.
- The Fourth Tetrad (Dhamma): Contemplating impermanence (anicca), fading away (virāga), cessation (nirodha), and relinquishment (paṭinissagga).
The Visuddhimagga details the exact technical stages of development at the physical touchpoint (nasikagga or oṭṭhabedha): counting (gaṇanā), following (anubandhanā), touching (phusanā), fixing (ṭhapana), and moving into the counterpart sign (paṭibhāganimitta).
Textual References
- Sutta: Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118) – The definitive structural discourse detailing the sixteen progressive steps of the meditation.
- Canonical: Samyutta Nikaya (Ānāpāna-saṃyutta) – Doctrinal framework for practicing breathing awareness.
- Commentary: Visuddhimagga (Chapter VIII) – The immense, highly specific manual managing the technical execution of breath focus.