Overview
Mindfulness of Breathing (Ānāpānasati) is the meditation subject the Buddha himself used to attain enlightenment. It is the most comprehensive system of meditation, seamlessly blending tranquility (samatha) and insight (vipassanā). The Buddha laid it out in sixteen progressive steps, divided into four tetrads that perfectly align with the Four Foundations of Mindfulness.
The List
First Tetrad (Contemplation of the Body):
- Breathing in long, he discerns, ‘I am breathing in long’; breathing out long…
- Breathing in short, he discerns, ‘I am breathing in short’; breathing out short…
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in experiencing the whole body (of breath)’; he trains himself…
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in calming the bodily formation (the breath)’; he trains himself…
Second Tetrad (Contemplation of Feelings):
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in experiencing rapture (pīti)’…
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in experiencing pleasure (sukha)’…
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in experiencing mental formations’…
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in calming mental formations’…
Third Tetrad (Contemplation of the Mind):
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in experiencing the mind’…
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in gladdening the mind’…
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in concentrating the mind’…
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in liberating the mind’…
Fourth Tetrad (Contemplation of Phenomena/Insight):
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in contemplating impermanence (anicca)’…
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in contemplating fading away (virāga)’…
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in contemplating cessation (nirodha)’…
- He trains himself: ‘I will breathe in contemplating relinquishment (paṭinissagga)’…
Textual References
- Canonical: Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118) – The Buddha delivers this exact masterclass on how focusing on the breath fulfills all four foundations of mindfulness and all seven factors of awakening.