This chinese agama version of Anapanasati matches my experiences
Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 12:02 am
EA 17.1 aligns with my experience up to the portion of the jhanas but not after. I like how it connects to jhanas as I haven't seen a sutta connect any practice to jhanas yet in the nikayas. I will give my interpretation in red and source is at the bottom:
A bhikṣu intent on a quiet, secluded and really lonely place [goes there], sits down cross-
legged and straightens body and mind. Concentrating on the tip of his nose without letting
mental proliferation (nānātva) arise, he breathes out[6] a long [breath] and is fully aware of
it; breathing in a long [breath], he is fully aware of it; breathing out a short [breath], he is
fully aware of it; breathing in a short [breath], he is fully aware of it; breathing out a cool
[breath] ... breathing in a cool [breath] ..., breathing out a warm [breath] ... breathing in a
warm [breath], he is fully aware of it. He contemplates the whole bodily [process of]
inhaling and exhaling[7] and is fully aware of everything. When there is breathing he
is fully aware of its presence, and when there is no breathing, he is fully aware of its absence
Focusing on the breath until it disappears
In the event of breathing out conditioned by the mind, he is fully aware of it; and in the event
of breathing in conditioned by the mind, he is fully aware of it.
How breathing is conditioned by the mind, an anxious mind will affect breathing, and so will a calm mind will affect breathing as well, therefore the characteristics of the breath are a reflection of the mind. When the breath has stilled on its own, so has the mind.
In this way, Rāhula, one can practise [mindfulness of] breathing and thereby abandon all thoughts of aversion and
confusion (vikṣiptasaṁjñā), overcome all sorrow and thus obtain the taste of deathlessness as sublime result.
The five hindrances are suppressed and jhana follows
Then Rāhula wisely (manasi-kṛ) thus: A mind full of attachment subsequently set free from [all passions] is cleansed (nirmukta) of all that is karmically unwholesome (akuśala). He [entered and] remained in the first absorption (dhyāna) in which there is thinking, deliberation (savitarka, savicāra)[10] and mindfully experiencing joy (prīti) and happiness (sukha).
After the four jhanas he attains supernatural powers which leads to destruction of asavas as follows
Moreover, he directed his mind to effect the destruction (kṣaya) of the mind’s malign influences (āsrava). He realised and knew in accordance with fact: This is unsatisfactoriness (duḥkha); he realised and knew in accordance with fact the origin (samudaya)[16] of unsatisfactoriness, its final cessation (duḥkhanirodha) and what has necessarily to be done (avaśyakārya) in order to overcome unsatisfactoriness[17].
and thus true vipassana as follows
By dint of such penetrating insight (vipaśyanā), his mind was freed from the malign influences of desire (kāmāsrava), of becoming (bhava) and of ignorance (avidyā). Having realised [ultimate] freedom (vimukti), he gained the [insight-]knowledge of this freedom and knew in accordance with fact: Birth and death have come to an end, the holy life (brahmacarya) has been lived, what had to be done has been done, and there will be no more coming into existence.
At that time Venerable Rāhula became an Arhat[18] and, after his realisation of arhatship, he rose from his seat, adjusted his robes and went to the Exalted One’s whereabouts. [There] he bowed down his head at [the Exalted One’s] feet, stood to one side and said to the Exalted One: [My] aspirations have come true: the eradication of all malign influences.
source: https://sites.google.com/site/ekottara/eaxv
A bhikṣu intent on a quiet, secluded and really lonely place [goes there], sits down cross-
legged and straightens body and mind. Concentrating on the tip of his nose without letting
mental proliferation (nānātva) arise, he breathes out[6] a long [breath] and is fully aware of
it; breathing in a long [breath], he is fully aware of it; breathing out a short [breath], he is
fully aware of it; breathing in a short [breath], he is fully aware of it; breathing out a cool
[breath] ... breathing in a cool [breath] ..., breathing out a warm [breath] ... breathing in a
warm [breath], he is fully aware of it. He contemplates the whole bodily [process of]
inhaling and exhaling[7] and is fully aware of everything. When there is breathing he
is fully aware of its presence, and when there is no breathing, he is fully aware of its absence
Focusing on the breath until it disappears
In the event of breathing out conditioned by the mind, he is fully aware of it; and in the event
of breathing in conditioned by the mind, he is fully aware of it.
How breathing is conditioned by the mind, an anxious mind will affect breathing, and so will a calm mind will affect breathing as well, therefore the characteristics of the breath are a reflection of the mind. When the breath has stilled on its own, so has the mind.
In this way, Rāhula, one can practise [mindfulness of] breathing and thereby abandon all thoughts of aversion and
confusion (vikṣiptasaṁjñā), overcome all sorrow and thus obtain the taste of deathlessness as sublime result.
The five hindrances are suppressed and jhana follows
Then Rāhula wisely (manasi-kṛ) thus: A mind full of attachment subsequently set free from [all passions] is cleansed (nirmukta) of all that is karmically unwholesome (akuśala). He [entered and] remained in the first absorption (dhyāna) in which there is thinking, deliberation (savitarka, savicāra)[10] and mindfully experiencing joy (prīti) and happiness (sukha).
After the four jhanas he attains supernatural powers which leads to destruction of asavas as follows
Moreover, he directed his mind to effect the destruction (kṣaya) of the mind’s malign influences (āsrava). He realised and knew in accordance with fact: This is unsatisfactoriness (duḥkha); he realised and knew in accordance with fact the origin (samudaya)[16] of unsatisfactoriness, its final cessation (duḥkhanirodha) and what has necessarily to be done (avaśyakārya) in order to overcome unsatisfactoriness[17].
and thus true vipassana as follows
By dint of such penetrating insight (vipaśyanā), his mind was freed from the malign influences of desire (kāmāsrava), of becoming (bhava) and of ignorance (avidyā). Having realised [ultimate] freedom (vimukti), he gained the [insight-]knowledge of this freedom and knew in accordance with fact: Birth and death have come to an end, the holy life (brahmacarya) has been lived, what had to be done has been done, and there will be no more coming into existence.
At that time Venerable Rāhula became an Arhat[18] and, after his realisation of arhatship, he rose from his seat, adjusted his robes and went to the Exalted One’s whereabouts. [There] he bowed down his head at [the Exalted One’s] feet, stood to one side and said to the Exalted One: [My] aspirations have come true: the eradication of all malign influences.
source: https://sites.google.com/site/ekottara/eaxv