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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).

Quote

223. Anuvahanāti assāsapassāsānaṃ anugamanavasena satiyā nirantaraṃ anupavattanā.
‘Following’ (anuvahanā) means the continuous uninterrupted flow of mindfulness, following the in-breaths and out-breaths.

Phusanāti assāsapassāse gaṇentassa gaṇanaṃ paṭisaṃharitvā te satiyā anubandhantassa yathā appanā hoti, tathā cittaṃ ṭhapentassa ca nāsikaggādiṭṭhānassa nesaṃ phusanā.
‘Touching’ (phusanā) refers to the touching of the in-breaths and out-breaths at the tip of the nose and other locations, for the meditator who, having withdrawn from counting the in-breaths and out-breaths, follows them with mindfulness, and for one who establishes the mind in such a way that absorption (appanā) occurs.

Yasmā pana gaṇanādivasena viya phusanāvasena visuṃ manasikāro natthi, phuṭṭhaphuṭṭhaṭṭhāneyeva gaṇanādi kātabbanti dassetuṃ idha phusanāgahaṇanti dīpento ‘‘phusanāti phuṭṭhaṭṭhāna’’nti āha.
However, because there is no separate mental advertence (manasikāra) through touching (phusanā) as there is through counting, etc., to show that counting, etc., should be done only at the very place of touching, it is said here that the taking of phusanā clarifies this, and he said, “phusanā means the place of contact.”

Ṭhapanāti samādhānaṃ.
Ṭhapanā means settling (samādhāna).

Taṃ hi sammadeva ārammaṇe cittassa ādhānaṃ ṭhapanaṃ hoti.
For that firm placing of the mind correctly on the object is ṭhapanā.

Tathā hi samādhi ‘‘cittassa ṭhiti saṇṭhitī’’ti (dha. sa. 11.15) niddiṭṭho.
Thus, samādhi is described as “the mind’s steadfastness, its settled state.”

Samādhippadhānā pana appanāti āha ‘‘ṭhapanāti appanā’’ti.
But since appanā is prominent in samādhi, he said, “ṭhapanā means appanā.”

— Visuddhimaggamahāṭīkā (pa)

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.

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