Reading guide
A rare first-person recitation
Confirmed by direct reading, this is the only discourse in this saṃyutta where the Buddha recites the sixteen-step formula in the first person (“mindful, I breathe in…I know: ‘I'm breathing in heavily’”) rather than describing a generic mendicant's own practice — framed explicitly as his own answer to a hypothetical question from wanderers of another religion.
Three honorific titles, given twice
Confirmed by direct reading, the discourse states twice — opening and closing an identical formula — that whatever deserves to be called “a noble meditation” (ariyavihāra), “a divine meditation” (brahmavihāra), or “the Realized One's own meditation” (tathāgatavihāra) is mindfulness of breathing — a declaration this project has not seen made this explicitly for any other single practice.
One practice, two different effects
Confirmed by direct reading, the discourse distinguishes this practice's own effect by the practitioner's own stage: for trainees (sekha), who “haven't achieved their heart's desire,” it leads to the ending of defilements; for the already-perfected (arahants, described using the full arahant formula already met throughout this project's own SN 51 work), it leads instead to blissful abiding and mindfulness and awareness in this very life — the same practice, a different fruit depending on where one already stands.
Key terms
The text
§1At one time the Buddha was staying in a forest near Icchānaṅgala. There he addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants, I wish to go on retreat for three months. No-one should approach me, except for the one who brings my almsfood.” “Yes, sir,” replied those mendicants. And no-one approached him, except for the one who brought the almsfood.
§2Then after three months had passed, the Buddha came out of retreat and addressed the mendicants: “Mendicants, if wanderers who follow another religion were to ask you: ‘Reverends, what was the ascetic Gotama’s usual meditation during the rainy season residence?’ You should answer them like this. ‘Reverends, the ascetic Gotama’s usual meditation during the rainy season residence was immersion due to mindfulness of breathing.’ In this regard: mindful, I breathe in. Mindful, I breathe out. Breathing in heavily I know: ‘I’m breathing in heavily.’ Breathing out heavily I know: ‘I’m breathing out heavily.’ When breathing in lightly I know: ‘I’m breathing in lightly.’ Breathing out lightly I know: ‘I’m breathing out lightly.’ I know: ‘I’ll breathe in experiencing the whole body.’ … I know: ‘I’ll breathe in observing letting go.’ I know: ‘I’ll breathe out observing letting go.’
§3For if anything should be rightly called ‘a noble meditation’, or else ‘a divine meditation’, or else ‘a realized one’s meditation’, it’s immersion due to mindfulness of breathing. 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. 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.
§4For if anything should be rightly called ‘a noble meditation’, or else ‘a divine meditation’, or else ‘a realized one’s meditation’, it’s immersion due to mindfulness of breathing.”
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