At one time the Buddha was staying in a forest near Icchānaṅgala. Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā icchānaṅgale viharati icchānaṅgalavanasaṇḍe. There he addressed the mendicants, Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “Mendicants, I wish to go on retreat for three months. “icchāmahaṁ, bhikkhave, temāsaṁ paṭisallīyituṁ. No-one should approach me, except for the one who brings my almsfood.” Nāmhi kenaci upasaṅkamitabbo, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakenā”ti.

“Yes, sir,” replied those mendicants. And no-one approached him, except for the one who brought the almsfood. “Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paṭissutvā nāssudha koci bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamati, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakena.

Then after three months had passed, the Buddha came out of retreat and addressed the mendicants: Atha kho bhagavā tassa temāsassa accayena paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito bhikkhū āmantesi:

“Mendicants, if wanderers who follow another religion were to ask you: “sace kho, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā evaṁ puccheyyuṁ: ‘Reverends, what was the ascetic Gotama’s usual meditation during the rainy season residence?’ You should answer them like this. ‘katamenāvuso, vihārena samaṇo gotamo vassāvāsaṁ bahulaṁ vihāsī’ti, evaṁ puṭṭhā tumhe, bhikkhave, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ evaṁ byākareyyātha: ‘Reverends, the ascetic Gotama’s usual meditation during the rainy season residence was immersion due to mindfulness of breathing.’ ‘ānāpānassatisamādhinā kho, āvuso, bhagavā vassāvāsaṁ bahulaṁ vihāsī’ti.

In this regard: mindful, I breathe in. Mindful, I breathe out. Idhāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sato assasāmi, sato passasāmi.

Breathing in heavily I know: ‘I’m breathing in heavily.’ Breathing out heavily I know: ‘I’m breathing out heavily.’ Dīghaṁ assasanto ‘dīghaṁ assasāmī’ti pajānāmi, dīghaṁ passasanto ‘dīghaṁ passasāmī’ti pajānāmi; When breathing in lightly I know: ‘I’m breathing in lightly.’ Breathing out lightly I know: ‘I’m breathing out lightly.’ rassaṁ assasanto ‘rassaṁ assasāmī’ti pajānāmi, rassaṁ passasanto ‘rassaṁ passasāmī’ti pajānāmi; I know: ‘I’ll breathe in experiencing the whole body.’ … ‘sabbakāyappaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti pajānāmi …pe…

I know: ‘I’ll breathe in observing letting go.’ I know: ‘I’ll breathe out observing letting go.’ ‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti pajānāmi, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti pajānāmi.

For if anything should be rightly called Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘a noble meditation’, or else ‘a divine meditation’, or else ‘a realized one’s meditation’, ‘ariyavihāro’ itipi, ‘brahmavihāro’ itipi, ‘tathāgatavihāro’ itipi. it’s immersion due to mindfulness of breathing. Ānāpānassatisamādhiṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘ariyavihāro’ itipi, ‘brahmavihāro’ itipi, ‘tathāgatavihāro’ itipi.

For those mendicants who are trainees—who haven’t achieved their heart’s desire, but live aspiring to the supreme sanctuary from the yoke—the development and cultivation of immersion due to mindfulness of breathing leads to the ending of defilements. Ye te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā viharanti tesaṁ ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato āsavānaṁ khayāya saṁvattati.

For those mendicants who are perfected—who have ended the defilements, completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and are rightly freed through enlightenment—the development and cultivation of immersion due to mindfulness of breathing leads to blissful meditation in this life, and to mindfulness and awareness. Ye ca kho te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā, tesaṁ ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārāya ceva saṁvattati satisampajaññāya ca.

For if anything should be rightly called Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘a noble meditation’, or else ‘a divine meditation’, or else ‘a realized one’s meditation’, ‘ariyavihāro’ itipi, ‘brahmavihāro’ itipi, ‘tathāgatavihāro’ itipi. it’s immersion due to mindfulness of breathing.” Ānāpānassatisamādhiṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘ariyavihāro’ itipi, ‘brahmavihāro’ itipi, ‘tathāgatavihāro’ itipī”ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.