Name: TRAN THI LAN - Roll.

no: 1MBHN(Vie)8

Assignment on Samatha
In many meditation centers nowadays Anāpānassati is used as parihāriya
kammaṭṭhāna. How should this meditation be undertaken to attain the fourfold
rūpāvacara jhāna?

Anāpānasati, mindfulness of the breath is popular meditation subject practicing in

both samatha and vipassanā. In samatha, there are two kinds of meditation subject such as
sabbatthaka- kammaṭṭhāna and pārihāriya-kammaṭṭhāna. Ānāpānasati, belonging to
pārihāriya-kammaṭṭhāna, is selected in accordance with one’s character, and
recommended for moha and vitakka characters. Nowadays, the use of Anāpānasati
becomes essential in refining mental concentration and purifying the mind. So many
meditation centers use it for those striving to attain the fourfold rūpāvacara jhāna.

For the beginning, the meditator should learn the meditation subject from a good
teacher. Then he should find a suitable place, sit down cross- legged with his upper body
erect, and keep his attention firmly fixed on the object of meditation. There are four steps
while practicing ānāpānassati to be undertaken to attain the fourfold rūpāvacara jhāna.

In the first stage, the attempt has to be made to keep the attention firmly fixed on the
out-breath and the in-breath by paying attention to the tip of the nose or on the middle of
the upper lip and trying to see the in-breath and out-breath clearly. When he catches his
breath, he should go on for at least one hour. In the case his mind is so scattered, he can use
the counting method with the count of breath not less than five and not more than ten.

In the second stage, the attempt has to be made to perceive the long and short out-
breath and in-breath, respectively, as long and short. When the meditator had focused on
the in and out breath for a long time, he could see the length of each breath was different.
While practicing, if he breathes slowly, he knows that the breath is long; by contrast, if he
breathes fast, it is a short breath.

In the third stage, the attempt has to be made to experience the entire out-breath and
in-breath at the beginning, middle, and end. He should not follow the breath by touching
the nostrils as the beginning, reaching the chest as the middle, and arriving at the navel as
the end when he breathes in or breathes out. He must focus his mind only on the breath at
one point, the ‘spot of touch,’ that is, the point of contact. Like as a Gate-keeper and
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Sawyer. Whenever the meditation sign (nimitta) may appear or not, he should proceed to the
next stage.

In the fourth stage, the attempt has to be made to allay and calm down the out-
breaths and in-breaths until they become extremely gentle. Now the meditator becomes
stable in his breath so he can practice as breath in and out gently, tranquilizing, completely.
But he should not purposely tranquilize his breath; it will automatically become calm and
peaceful by itself.

At this stage, very powerful mindfulness that fixes the mind on the meditation
subject and very powerful wisdom that clearly apprehends the subtle breath are very
essential. Sometimes, he can no longer find the breath, which seems to disappear. In this
case, he should fix his mind at the place where he has apprehended the breath, bearing in
mind that he is breathing.

In mindfulness of breathing, all three types of meditation images or signs as

parikamma nimita, uggha nimita, and paṭibhāga nimitta are attainable. He should not give
attention to the image for its colour nor reflect upon it for its characteristics. He should
make it grow and improve with repeated attention. He should also practice the tenfold skill
in absorption and bring about evenness of energy with concentration.

When the meditator can calmly and mindfully focus his mind on the breath for one
hour, two hours or more at every sitting, this means he has attained the first Jhāna. Then
after acquiring mastery in five ways with respect to the first jhāna, he can go on developing
the fourfold or fivefold higher jhāna by eliminating jhāna factors one after another and
attains the fourth jhāna with the remaining upekkha and ekaggata. So, it is the way to
attain the fourth jhāna.

In conclusion, the mindfulness of breathing is considered as a gateway to

enlightenment and is suitable for many meditators. It is of great fruit, of great benefit. The
great fruit is the attainment of the fourth rūpāvacara jhāna, as well as the importance of
the correct approach and understanding in this practice to make our lives fruitful by
regularly developing the meditation of anāpānasati and to reach the final goal of Nibbāna.

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 In many meditation centers nowadays Anāpānassati is used as parihāriya
kammaṭṭhāna. How should this meditation be undertaken to attain the fourfold
rūpāvacara jhāna?

Anāpānasati, mindfulness of the breath is popular meditation subject practicing in

both samatha and vipassanā. In samatha, there are two kinds of meditation subject such as
sabbatthaka- kammaṭṭhāna and pārihāriya-kammaṭṭhāna. Ānāpānasati, belonging to
pārihāriya-kammaṭṭhāna, is selected in accordance with one’s character, and
recommended for moha and vitakka characters. Nowadays, the use of Anāpānasati
becomes essential in refining mental concentration and purifying the mind. So many
meditation centers use it for those striving to attain the fourfold rūpāvacara jhāna.

For the beginning, the meditator should learn the meditation subject from a good
teacher. Then he should find a suitable place, sit down cross- legged with his upper body
erect, and keep his attention firmly fixed on the object of meditation. There are four steps
while practicing ānāpānassati to be undertaken to attain the fourfold rūpāvacara jhāna.

"(i) Breathing in long, he knows 'I breath in long'; or breathing out long, he knows 'I
breath out long'.

(ii) Breathing in short, he knows 'I breathe in short'; or breathing out short, he knows
'I breath out short'.

(iii) He strives on thus 'I shall breathe in to be aware of the beginning, the middle,
and the end of the whole breath clearly'; he strive on thus 'I shall breath out to be aware of
the beginning, the middle, and the end of the whole breath clearly'.

(iv) He strives on thus ' I shall breathe in tranquillizing the bodily formation of the
in-going breath'; he strives on thus 'I shall breathe out tranquillizing the bodily. formation
of the outgoing breath". (S.v, 321-2)

Only if the meditator practices anapanassati by establishing his mindfulness on the

breath at in-breath and the out-breath, will the anapanassati concentration and meditation
be fully accomplished in him. (Visuddhi. i,271)

At this stage, very powerful mindfulness that fixes the mind on the meditation
subject and very powerful wisdom that clearly apprehends the subtle breath are very
essential. Sometimes, he can no longer find the breath, which seems to disappear. In this

3
case, he should fix his mind at the place where he has apprehended the breath, bearing in
mind that he is breathing.

In mindfulness of breathing, all three types of meditation images or signs as

parikamma nimita, uggha nimita, and paṭibhāga nimitta are attainable. He should not give
attention to the image for its colour nor reflect upon it for its characteristics. He should
make it grow and improve with repeated attention. He should also practice the tenfold skill
in absorption and bring about evenness of energy with concentration.

When the meditator can calmly and mindfully focus his mind on the breath for one
hour, two hours or more at every sitting, this means he has attained the first Jhāna with
five jhana factors: vitakka, vicãra, piti, and ekaggata. Because the five hindrances are the
states especially obstructive to the first jhãna's factor of abandoning. The
Patisambhidamagga explains as "For one developing the first jhāna, the hindrances are
abandoned by way of suppression.” The perfection of the first jhãna involves two steps of
procedure: the extension of the sign and the achievement of the five masteries. The
meditator should try to acquire five kinds of mastery with respect to the first jhãna. These
five masteries are: mastery in adverting, mastery in attaining, mastery in resolving, mastery
in emerging, and mastery in reviewing when the meditator has achieved this fivefold
mastery, then he is ready to strive for the second jhãna.

For the attainment of the second jhana the meditator must first familiarly with the
first jhäna and perfect it through the five kinds of mastery. After mastery the first jhāna the
meditator comes to see that vitakka and vicãra are relatively gross. He must enter and
emerge from the first jhāna, and focus on the breath in and out to develop the three states
of meditation in a normal order of parikamma bhāvanā, upacāra bhāvanā, and appanā
bhāvanā. The culmination of this meditation is attainment of the second Jhāna. When his
mind remains fixed on the counter image for one hour, two hours or more, he attains the
second jhāna with only pīti, sukha, and ekaggata as its jhāna factors, and practices to
achieve mastery in five ways with respect to the second jhãna. He then can go on
development the higher jhānas on that same counter image in the same way as described
above to attain the third jhāna by eliminating pīti and the fourth jhāna by eliminating
sukha and dukkha, with only two jhāna factors: upekkha and ekaggata and acquire five
kinds of mastery with respect to the fourth jhãna. So, it is the way to attain the fourth
jhāna.

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 The benefits of ānapanassati is considered as peaceful and sublime, and as the root
condition for perfecting clear vision and deliverance. Therefore, nowadays many
meditation centers, samatha and vipassana used it as main subject of meditation. For
example, in pa-auk meditation center, the meditator practices samatha meditation
development mindfulness of the breath to attain the fourfold jhānas, in Mahasi meditation
center, the yogi practices vipassana meditation by taking note the in and out breath at the
abdomen to attain moment concentration (khanika samadhi) to develop insight knowledge.

In conclusion, the mindfulness of breathing is considered as a gateway to

enlightenment and is suitable for many meditators. It is of great fruit, of great benefit. The
great fruit is the attainment of the fourth rūpāvacara jhāna, as well as the importance of
the correct approach and understanding in this practice to make our lives fruitful by
regularly developing the meditation of anāpānasati and to reach the final goal of Nibbāna.