Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum

Can anybody shed light on this :- Is there any definitive meaning for Anapanasati. Is it mindfulness OF breathing or is it mindfulness WITH breathing.

Thanks

I have always seen it as OF breathing.

anapanasati [aanaapaanasati]: Mindfulness of breathing. A meditation practice in which one maintains one's attention and mindfulness on the sensations of breathing.

David N. Snyder wrote:I have always seen it as OF breathing.

anapanasati [aanaapaanasati]: Mindfulness of breathing. A meditation practice in which one maintains one's attention and mindfulness on the sensations of breathing.

Is there a specific etymology of the word anapanasati, that would clarify if it is WITH or OF?

widfola wrote: Is there a specific etymology of the word anapanasati, that would clarify if it is WITH or OF?

This may not help much, but this is from: Maha Thera Nyanatiloka. Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines, Buddhist Publication Society, first edition 1952.

Ānāpāna-sati: Awareness or mindfulness on & by in-and-out-breathing, is one of the most important trainings for reaching mental concentration and the 4 absorptions jhāna. In the Satipatthāna Sutta M. 10, D. 22 and elsewhere, 4 methods of practice are given, which may also serve as basis for insight meditation. The speech on Awareness by Breathing' Ānāpānasati Sutta, M. 118 and other texts have 16 methods of practice, which divide into 4 groups of four. The first three apply to both calm samatha and insight-meditation, while the fourth refers to pure insight praxis only. With attentive mind he breathes in, with attentive mind he breathes out.

widfola wrote: Is there a specific etymology of the word anapanasati, that would clarify if it is WITH or OF?

Anapana = breathing
Sati = mindfulness

I think 'saha' would have to be in the compound for it to be 'with' but I'm still in the learning stage of Pali.

David N. Snyder wrote:

widfola wrote: Is there a specific etymology of the word anapanasati, that would clarify if it is WITH or OF?

This may not help much, but this is from: Maha Thera Nyanatiloka. Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines, Buddhist Publication Society, first edition 1952.

Ānāpāna-sati: Awareness or mindfulness on & by in-and-out-breathing, is one of the most important trainings for reaching mental concentration and the 4 absorptions jhāna. In the Satipatthāna Sutta M. 10, D. 22 and elsewhere, 4 methods of practice are given, which may also serve as basis for insight meditation. The speech on Awareness by Breathing' Ānāpānasati Sutta, M. 118 and other texts have 16 methods of practice, which divide into 4 groups of four. The first three apply to both calm samatha and insight-meditation, while the fourth refers to pure insight praxis only. With attentive mind he breathes in, with attentive mind he breathes out.

Thanks. The last line could be took either way.

I think thats its OF breathing Wildfola.
We awaken and hone mindfulness by focusing on the breath.
Mindfulness doesnt simply arise with the breath or prior to the breath.
It takes effort.

It is mindfulness of breathing in and out.

Breathing in and out is the sign of not being dead.

Hi Peter,

PeterB wrote:Breathing in and out is the sign of not being dead.

Hence the first precept:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... #precepts5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pāṇātipātā (veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi).
(I undertake the training rule to refrain from )taking life.

"Breathing-beings-killing (I undertake the training rule to refrain from ).

[My Pali is too rudimentary to attempt to unpack the "refrain from" phrase, but the thing to refrain from is always at the start of each phrase...]

I mention this, because I was at a discussion about the precepts led by a lay person a few months ago and I remarked that the first precept is literally about not killing breathing beings, and the meaning was related to Ānāpānasati. This seemed to startle her, for some reason that I couldn't quite work out...

Metta
Mike

PeterB wrote:Breathing in and out is the sign of not being dead.

In other words, if we are meditating, we are probably alive and therefore breathing is a given?

If that is the point, then it would also give credence to it being OF breathing.

That could be a very interesting thread!

mikenz66 wrote:Hi Peter,

PeterB wrote:Breathing in and out is the sign of not being dead.

Hence the first precept:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... #precepts5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pāṇātipātā (veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi).
(I undertake the training rule to refrain from )taking life.

"Breathing-beings-killing (I undertake the training rule to refrain from ).

[My Pali is too rudimentary to attempt to unpack the "refrain from" phrase, but the thing to refrain from is always at the start of each phrase...]

I mention this, because I was at a discussion about the precepts led by a lay person a few months ago and I remarked that the first precept is literally about not killing breathing beings, and the meaning was related to Ānāpānasati. This seemed to startle her, for some reason that I couldn't quite work out...

Metta
Mike

Ana - in breath
Pana - out breath
Sati - mindfulness

Mindfulness of breathing in and out.

Mindfulness is recollection or memory. It is possible to be aware of the breathing but it is not possible to remember or recollect the breathing because it is only possible to remember mental phenomena.

It might be helpful to remember that while sati in pali had the Pre-Buddhist meaning of "remembering", It very rarely appears in this context within the Tipitaka. Often the Buddha would take a word or concept within the language and society of the time and put a new spin on it (Gombrich ). I have a vague recollection of Ven. Nyanponika Thera saying something about this in 'The Heart of Buddhist meditation' with regards to sati, I'll have a hunt.

metta
Jack

sanskrit 'prana' means life. However in this case 'ana' 'pana' means 'in' 'out' as far as I am aware. So it literally means 'mindfulness of in and out breathing'. If you want to be mindful of other things there is the world to pick from in the satipatthana sutta. However if you look at the instructions in the anapanasati sutta it seems to suggest WITH as much as OF. (with mind, with joy, with etc etc)

rowyourboat wrote:sanskrit 'prana' means life. However in this case 'ana' 'pana' means 'in' 'out' as far as I am aware. So it literally means 'mindfulness of in and out breathing'. If you want to be mindful of other things there is the world to pick from in the satipatthana sutta. However if you look at the instructions in the anapanasati sutta it seems to suggest WITH as much as OF. (with mind, with joy, with etc etc)

Hi RYB
Would you mind to elaborate, particularly the underlined part you placed in brackets.