"Monks, concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing, when developed & pursued, is of great fruit, great benefit. And how is concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, great benefit?
"There is the case where a monk, having gone to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty building, sits down folding his legs crosswise, holding his body erect, and setting mindfulness to the fore.1 Always mindful, he breathes in; mindful he breathes out.
"[1] Breathing in long, he discerns, 'I am breathing in long'; or breathing out long, he discerns, 'I am breathing out long.' [2] Or breathing in short, he discerns, 'I am breathing in short'; or breathing out short, he discerns, 'I am breathing out short.' [3] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body.'2 He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body.' [4] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.'3 He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming the bodily fabrication.'
"[5] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to rapture.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to rapture.' [6] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to pleasure.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to pleasure.' [7] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to mental fabrication.'4 He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to mental fabrication.' [8] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming mental fabrication.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming mental fabrication.'
"[9] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to the mind.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to the mind.' [10] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in satisfying the mind.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out satisfying the mind.' [11] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in steadying the mind.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out steadying the mind. [12] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in releasing the mind.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out releasing the mind.'5
"[13] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in focusing on inconstancy.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out focusing on inconstancy.' [14] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in focusing on dispassion.'6 He trains himself, 'I will breathe out focusing on dispassion.' [15] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in focusing on cessation.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out focusing on cessation.' [16] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in focusing on relinquishment.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out focusing on relinquishment.'
"This is how concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing is developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, great benefit.
"I myself, monks, before my Awakening, when I was still an unawakened bodhisatta, often dwelt in this [meditative] dwelling. While I was dwelling in this [meditative] dwelling, neither my body nor my eyes were fatigued, and the mind — through lack of clinging/sustenance — was released from mental fermentations.
"Thus, monks, if a monk should wish, 'May neither my body nor my eyes be fatigued, and may my mind — through lack of clinging/sustenance — be released from mental fermentations,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
"If a monk should wish, 'May memories & resolves connected to the household life be abandoned within me,' he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
"If a monk should wish, 'May I be percipient of loathsomeness in the presence of what is not loathsome,' he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
"If a monk should wish, 'May I be percipient of unloathsomeness in the presence of what is loathsome ... May I be percipient of loathesomeness in the presence of what is loathsome & what is not ... May I be percipient of unloathsomeness in the presence of what is loathsome & what is not ... May I — in the presence of what is loathsome & what is not — cutting myself off from both, remain equanimous, alert, & mindful,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
"If a monk should wish, 'May I — quite withdrawn from sensual pleasures, withdrawn from unskillful qualities — enter & remain in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, enter & remain in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation — internal assurance, then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the fading of rapture, remain in equanimity, mindful & alert, be physically sensitive to pleasure, and enter & remain in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, "Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding," then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the complete transcending of perceptions of [physical] form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not heeding perceptions of diversity, [perceiving,] 'Infinite space,' enter & remain in the dimension of the infinitude of space,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of space, [perceiving,] 'Infinite consciousness,' enter & remain in the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, [perceiving,] 'There is nothing,' enter & remain in the dimension of nothingness,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the complete transcending of the dimension of nothingness, enter & remain in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the complete transcending of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, enter & remain in the cessation of perception & feeling,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
"When concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing has been thus developed, thus pursued, one senses a feeling of pleasure. One discerns it as 'inconstant.' One discerns it as 'not grasped at.' One discerns it as 'not relished.' One senses a feeling of pain. One discerns it as 'inconstant.' One discerns it as 'not grasped at.' One discerns it as 'not relished.' One senses a feeling of neither pleasure nor pain. One discerns it as 'inconstant.' One discerns it as 'not grasped at.' One discerns it as 'not relished.'
"If one senses a feeling of pleasure, one senses it as if disjoined from it. If one senses a feeling of pain, one senses it as if disjoined from it. If one senses a feeling of neither pleasure nor pain, one senses it as if disjoined from it. When sensing a feeling limited to the body, one discerns, 'I am sensing a feeling limited to the body.' When sensing a feeling limited to life, one discerns, 'I am sensing a feeling limited to life.' One discerns, 'With the break-up of the body, after the termination of life, all that is experienced, not being relished, will grow cold right here.'
"Just as an oil lamp would burn in dependence on oil & wick and, from the termination of the oil & wick, it would go out unnourished; in the same way, when sensing a feeling limited to the body, one discerns that 'I am sensing a feeling limited to the body.' When sensing a feeling limited to life, one discerns that 'I am sensing a feeling limited to life.' One discerns, 'With the break-up of the body, after the termination of life, all that is sensed, not being relished, will grow cold right here.'"
Notes
1. To the fore (parimukham): The Abhidhamma takes an etymological approach to this term, defining it as around (pari-) the mouth (mukham). In the Vinaya, however, it is used in a context (Cv.V.27.4) where it undoubtedly means the front of the chest. There is also the possibility that the term could be used idiomatically as "to the front," which is how I have translated it here.
2. The commentaries insist that "body" here means the breath, but this is unlikely in this context, for the next step — without further explanation — refers to the breath as "bodily fabrication." If the Buddha were using two different terms to refer to the breath in such close proximity, he would have been careful to signal that he was redefining his terms (as he does below, when explaining that the first four steps in breath meditation correspond to the practice of focusing on the body in and of itself as a frame of reference). The step of breathing in and out sensitive to the entire body relates to the many similes in the suttas depicting jhana as a state of whole-body awareness (see MN 119).
3. "In-&-out breaths are bodily; these are things tied up with the body. That's why in-&-out breaths are bodily fabrications." — MN 44.
4. "Perceptions & feelings are mental; these are things tied up with the mind. That's why perceptions & feelings are mental fabrications." — MN 44.
5. AN 9.34 shows how the mind, step by step, is temporarily released from burdensome mental states of greater and greater refinement as it advances through the stages of jhana.
6. Lit., "fading."