At Sāvatthī. Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

There the Buddha … said: Tatra kho bhagavā …pe… etadavoca:

“Mendicants, do you develop mindfulness of breathing?” “bhāvetha no tumhe bhikkhave, ānāpānassatin”ti? When he said this, Venerable Ariṭṭha said to him: Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā ariṭṭho bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“Sir, I develop mindfulness of breathing.” “ahaṁ kho, bhante, bhāvemi ānāpānassatin”ti.

“But mendicant, how do you develop it?” “Yathā kathaṁ pana tvaṁ, ariṭṭha, bhāvesi ānāpānassatin”ti?

“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 repulsion regarding phenomena internally and externally. “Atītesu me, bhante, kāmesu kāmacchando pahīno, anāgatesu me kāmesu kāmacchando vigato, ajjhattabahiddhā ca me dhammesu paṭighasaññā suppaṭivinītā. Just mindful, I will breathe in. Mindful, I will breathe out. So satova assasissāmi, satova passasissāmi. That’s how I develop mindfulness of breathing.” Evaṁ khvāhaṁ, bhante, bhāvemi ānāpānassatin”ti.

“That is mindfulness of breathing, Ariṭṭha; I don’t deny it. “‘Atthesā, ariṭṭha, ānāpānassati, nesā natthī’ti vadāmi. But as to how mindfulness of breathing is fulfilled in detail, Api ca, ariṭṭha, yathā ānāpānassati vitthārena paripuṇṇā hoti listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” taṁ suṇāhi, sādhukaṁ manasi karohi; bhāsissāmī”ti.

“Yes, sir,” Ariṭṭha replied. “Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho āyasmā ariṭṭho bhagavato paccassosi. The Buddha said this: Bhagavā etadavoca:

“And how is mindfulness of breathing fulfilled in detail? “Kathañca, ariṭṭha, ānāpānassati vitthārena paripuṇṇā hoti? 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 establishes mindfulness in their presence. Idha, ariṭṭha, bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā nisīdati pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā. Just mindful, they breathe in. Mindful, they breathe out. So satova assasati, satova passasati. Breathing in heavily they know: ‘I’m breathing in heavily.’ Breathing out heavily they know: ‘I’m breathing out heavily.’ … Dīghaṁ vā assasanto ‘dīghaṁ assasāmī’ti pajānāti …pe… They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing letting go.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing letting go.’ ‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati. This is how mindfulness of breathing is fulfilled in detail.” Evaṁ kho, ariṭṭha, ānāpānassati vitthārena paripuṇṇā hotī”ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.