Ariṭṭhasutta

Saṁyutta Nikāya 54.6

Linked Discourses 54.6

1. Ekadhammavagga

1. One Thing

Ariṭṭhasutta

With Ariṭṭha

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

At Sāvatthī.

Tatra kho bhagavā …pe… etadavoca:

There the Buddha … said:

“bhāvetha no tumhe bhikkhave, ānāpānassatin”ti?

“Mendicants, do you develop mindfulness of breathing?”

Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā ariṭṭho bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

When he said this, Venerable Ariṭṭha said to him:

“ahaṁ kho, bhante, bhāvemi ānāpānassatin”ti.

“Sir, I develop mindfulness of breathing.”

“Yathā kathaṁ pana tvaṁ, ariṭṭha, bhāvesi ānāpānassatin”ti?

“But mendicant, how do you develop it?”

“Atītesu me, bhante, kāmesu kāmacchando pahīno, anāgatesu me kāmesu kāmacchando vigato, ajjhattabahiddhā ca me dhammesu paṭighasaññā suppaṭivinītā.

“Sir, I’ve given up desire for sensual pleasures of the past. I’m rid of desire for sensual pleasures of the future. And I have eliminated perception of aversion regarding phenomena internally and externally.

So satova assasissāmi, satova passasissāmi.

Just mindful, I will breathe in. Mindful, I will breathe out.

Evaṁ khvāhaṁ, bhante, bhāvemi ānāpānassatin”ti.

That’s how I develop mindfulness of breathing.”

“‘Atthesā, ariṭṭha, ānāpānassati, nesā natthī’ti vadāmi.

“That is mindfulness of breathing, Ariṭṭha; I don’t deny it.

Api ca, ariṭṭha, yathā ānāpānassati vitthārena paripuṇṇā hoti

But as to how mindfulness of breathing is fulfilled in detail,

taṁ suṇāhi, sādhukaṁ manasi karohi; bhāsissāmī”ti.

listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.”

“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho āyasmā ariṭṭho bhagavato paccassosi.

“Yes, sir,” Ariṭṭha replied.

Bhagavā etadavoca:

The Buddha said this:

“Kathañca, ariṭṭha, ānāpānassati vitthārena paripuṇṇā hoti?

“And how is mindfulness of breathing fulfilled in detail?

Idha, ariṭṭha, bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā nisīdati pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā.

It’s when a mendicant—gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut—sits down cross-legged, sets their body straight, and brings mindfulness to the present.

So satova assasati, satova passasati.

Just mindful, they breathe in. Mindful, they breathe out.

Dīghaṁ vā assasanto ‘dīghaṁ assasāmī’ti pajānāti …pe…

Breathing in heavily they know: ‘I’m breathing in heavily.’ Breathing out heavily they know: ‘I’m breathing out heavily.’ …

‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati.

They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing letting go.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing letting go.’

Evaṁ kho, ariṭṭha, ānāpānassati vitthārena paripuṇṇā hotī”ti.

This is how mindfulness of breathing is fulfilled in detail.”

Chaṭṭhaṁ.