Professor Lin Chong'an: Essentials of Śamatha and Vipaśyanā from the *Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra*, Śrāvakabhūmi — 5. The Sixteen Superior Practices of Mindfulness of Breathing

(5) The Sixteen Superior Practices of Mindfulness of Breathing

◎ The practice of breath meditation encompasses the complete path of śamatha and vipaśyanā.

◎ To cultivate the sixteen superior practices is to cultivate the four foundations of mindfulness.

【The Sixteen Superior Practices】

What are the sixteen superior practices?

(1–2) "Breathing in mindfully, I shall train myself to breathe in mindfully; breathing out mindfully, I shall train myself to breathe out mindfully"—whether "long" or "short."

(3) "Aware of the whole body as I breathe in, I shall train myself to be aware of the whole body as I breathe in; aware of the whole body as I breathe out, I shall train myself to be aware of the whole body as I breathe out."

(4) "Calming the bodily formations as I breathe in, I shall train myself to calm the bodily formations as I breathe in; calming the bodily formations as I breathe out, I shall train myself to calm the bodily formations as I breathe out."

(5) "Aware of rapture as I breathe in, I shall train myself to be aware of rapture as I breathe in; aware of rapture as I breathe out, I shall train myself to be aware of rapture as I breathe out."

(6) "Aware of bliss as I breathe in, I shall train myself to be aware of bliss as I breathe in; aware of bliss as I breathe out, I shall train myself to be aware of bliss as I breathe out."

(7) "Aware of mental formations as I breathe in, I shall train myself to be aware of mental formations as I breathe in; aware of mental formations as I breathe out, I shall train myself to be aware of mental formations as I breathe out."

(8) "Calming the mental formations as I breathe in, I shall train myself to calm the mental formations as I breathe in; calming the mental formations as I breathe out, I shall train myself to calm the mental formations as I breathe out."

(9) "Aware of the mind as I breathe in, I shall train myself to be aware of the mind as I breathe in; aware of the mind as I breathe out, I shall train myself to be aware of the mind as I breathe out."

(10) "Gladdening the mind as I breathe in, I shall train myself to gladden the mind as I breathe in; gladdening the mind as I breathe out, I shall train myself to gladden the mind as I breathe out."

(11) "Steadying the mind as I breathe in, I shall train myself to steady the mind as I breathe in; steadying the mind as I breathe out, I shall train myself to steady the mind as I breathe out."

(12) "Liberating the mind as I breathe in, I shall train myself to liberate the mind as I breathe in; liberating the mind as I breathe out, I shall train myself to liberate the mind as I breathe out."

(13) "Contemplating impermanence as I breathe in, I shall train myself to contemplate impermanence as I breathe in; contemplating impermanence as I breathe out, I shall train myself to contemplate impermanence as I breathe out."

(14) "Contemplating cessation as I breathe in, I shall train myself to contemplate cessation as I breathe in; contemplating cessation as I breathe out, I shall train myself to contemplate cessation as I breathe out."

(15) "Contemplating dispassion as I breathe in, I shall train myself to contemplate dispassion as I breathe in; contemplating dispassion as I breathe out, I shall train myself to contemplate dispassion as I breathe out."

(16) "Contemplating relinquishment as I breathe in, I shall train myself to contemplate relinquishment as I breathe in; contemplating relinquishment as I breathe out, I shall train myself to contemplate relinquishment as I breathe out."

【Distinctions Among the Sixteen Superior Practices】

(1) Long Breath — directing attention to the in-breath and out-breath

〔Training:〕 When taking the in-breath and out-breath as one's object, one forms the thought: "I shall now train myself to breathe in long mindfully and breathe out long mindfully."

(2) Short Breath — directing attention to the intermediate in-breath and out-breath

〔Training:〕 When taking the intermediate in-breath and intermediate out-breath as one's object, one forms the thought: "I shall now train myself to breathe in short mindfully and breathe out short mindfully."

(3) Awareness of the Whole Body [directed to the subtle pores]

〔Training:〕 When one takes as one's object the subtle pores of the body, through which the in-breath and out-breath pervade and enter all the pores, and a clear understanding arises upon taking this as object, one forms the thought: "Regarding awareness of the whole body in the in-breath and out-breath, I shall now train myself to be aware of the whole body as I breathe in and breathe out."

(4) Calming the Bodily Formations [taking as object the empty gap and the state of quiescence]

At a certain point, when the in-breath has ceased in the interval between breaths and the out-breath has not yet arisen, one takes as object the empty gap—the state of quiescence—of the in-breath and out-breath. Or when the out-breath has ceased in its interval and the in-breath has not yet arisen, one takes as object the empty gap—the state of quiescence—of the out-breath and in-breath.

〔Training:〕 At that moment one forms the thought: "Regarding calming the bodily formations in the in-breath and out-breath, I shall now train myself to calm the bodily formations as I breathe in and breathe out."

(5) Awareness of Rapture [attainment of the first or second dhyāna]

〔Training:〕 For one who diligently cultivates mindfulness of breathing, upon attaining the first or second dhyāna, one forms the thought: "Regarding awareness of rapture in the in-breath and out-breath, I shall now train myself to be aware of rapture as I breathe in and breathe out."

(6) Awareness of Bliss [attainment of the third dhyāna]

〔Training:〕 Upon attaining the third dhyāna, which is free from rapture, one forms the thought: "Regarding awareness of bliss in the in-breath and out-breath, I shall now train myself to be aware of bliss as I breathe in and breathe out."

〔Defining the boundary:〕 Above the third dhyāna, there is no basis for further practice of ānāpānasmṛti as an additional training. Therefore, the additional training of breath mindfulness is taught only up through the third dhyāna.

(7) Awareness of Mental Formations [dispelling deluded perceptions and thoughts]

Now, even for one who is aware of rapture and bliss, moments of forgetfulness may still arise:

One may think in terms of "I" and "mine"; conceit may surface; one may think "I shall be" or "I shall not be"; "I shall have form" or "I shall be formless"; "I shall have perception" or "I shall be without perception"; "I shall be neither with perception nor without perception."

When such deluded perceptions and thoughts arise—accompanied by agitation, conceit, idle speculation, fabrications, craving, and attachment—one quickly sees through them with wisdom, does not become deeply entangled, and through skillful means cuts them off, eliminates them, and uproots them.

〔Training:〕 Through this practice, one forms the thought: "Regarding awareness of mental formations in the in-breath and out-breath, I shall now train myself to be aware of mental formations as I breathe in and breathe out."

(8) Calming the Mental Formations

"Regarding calming the mental formations in the in-breath and out-breath, I shall now train myself to calm the mental formations as I breathe in and breathe out."

(9) Awareness of Mind [having attained access concentration]

When one has attained the fundamental first, second, or third dhyāna, one has already attained the access concentration near the first dhyāna. Relying on this, one observes the mind that has arisen.

〔Training:〕 That is, one knows and sees clearly: whether the mind has greed or is free from greed; whether it has hatred or is free from hatred; whether it has delusion or is free from delusion; whether it is contracted or scattered; whether it is lowly or exalted; whether it is restless or calm; whether it is quiet or not quiet; whether it is in samādhi or not; whether it is well cultivated or poorly cultivated; whether it is well liberated or poorly liberated. Knowing and seeing all these states of mind as they truly are, one forms the thought: "Regarding awareness of mind in the in-breath and out-breath, I shall now train myself to be aware of the mind as I breathe in and breathe out."

(10) Gladdening the Mind [free from the hindrance of dullness and drowsiness]

At times one may notice that the hindrance of dullness and drowsiness has covered and obstructed the mind. Because one has settled too deeply into inward stillness, one then directs attention outward to some pure and excellent object—presenting it, pointing to it, encouraging and delighting in it—to rouse the mind.

〔Training:〕 Therefore one forms the thought: "Regarding gladdening the mind in the in-breath and out-breath, I shall now train myself to gladden the mind as I breathe in and breathe out."

(11) Steadying the Mind [free from the hindrance of restlessness and remorse]

At times one may notice that the hindrance of restlessness and remorse has covered and obstructed the mind. Because one has become too outwardly excited, one then settles into inner stillness and steadies the mind.

〔Training:〕 Therefore one forms the thought: "Regarding steadying the mind in the in-breath and out-breath, I shall now train myself to steady the mind as I breathe in and breathe out."

(12) Liberating the Mind [free from all hindrances]

When, through having well cultivated, practiced, and repeatedly cultivated the mind, the active hindrances fall away and the mind becomes pure and clear of all obscurations.

〔Training:〕 Therefore one forms the thought: "Regarding liberating the mind in the in-breath and out-breath, I shall now train myself to liberate the mind as I breathe in and breathe out."

(13) Contemplation of Impermanence [cutting off remaining latent tendencies]

Having thus freed the mind from the hindrances that obstruct the path, there remain latent tendencies that must still be cut off.

〔Training:〕 To sever them, the path is brought to the fore: one examines the impermanent nature of all conditioned phenomena with utmost sincerity and in accordance with the Dharma. Therefore one forms the thought: "Regarding contemplation of impermanence in the in-breath and out-breath, I shall now train myself to contemplate impermanence as I breathe in and breathe out."

Previously, relying on the lower three dhyānas or on access concentration, one had already been practicing the yoga of śamatha;

Now, through the contemplation of impermanence, one additionally practices the yoga of vipaśyanā.

(14–16) Contemplation of Cessation, Contemplation of Dispassion, Contemplation of Relinquishment [liberation from latent tendencies]

Thus, having refined the mind through śamatha and vipaśyanā, one seeks liberation from latent tendencies by way of the three realms.

What are these realms? They are three: the realm of cessation, the realm of dispassion, and the realm of relinquishment.

〔Training:〕 Contemplating these three realms as peaceful, secure, and free from danger, one cultivates śamatha and vipaśyanā.

Through such cultivation, practice, and repeated practice, the mind is liberated from the remaining afflictions to be abandoned on the path. Therefore one forms the thought: "Regarding contemplation of cessation, contemplation of dispassion, and contemplation of relinquishment in the in-breath and out-breath, I shall now train myself to contemplate cessation, dispassion, and relinquishment as I breathe in and breathe out."

〔Becoming a non-learner, an Arahant:〕 Thus, having permanently severed all afflictions to be abandoned through seeing and through cultivation, one becomes an Arahant. All defilements are exhausted; nothing further remains to be done. In all that was to be understood, one has arrived at finality.