"Monks, concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing, when developed & pursued, is of great fruit, great benefit. And how is concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, great benefit?

"There is the case where a monk, having gone to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty building, sits down folding his legs crosswise, holding his body erect, and setting mindfulness to the fore.1 Always mindful, he breathes in; mindful he breathes out.

"[1] Breathing in long, he discerns, 'I am breathing in long'; or breathing out long, he discerns, 'I am breathing out long.' [2] Or breathing in short, he discerns, 'I am breathing in short'; or breathing out short, he discerns, 'I am breathing out short.' [3] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body.'2 He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body.' [4] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.'3 He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.'

"[5] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to rapture.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to rapture.' [6] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to pleasure.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to pleasure.' [7] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to mental fabrication.'4 He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to mental fabrication.' [8] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming mental fabrication.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming mental fabrication.'

"[9] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to the mind.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to the mind.' [10] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in satisfying the mind.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out satisfying the mind.' [11] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in steadying the mind.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out steadying the mind.' [12] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in releasing the mind.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out releasing the mind.'5

"[13] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in focusing on inconstancy.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out focusing on inconstancy.' [14] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in focusing on dispassion.'6 He trains himself, 'I will breathe out focusing on dispassion.' [15] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in focusing on cessation.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out focusing on cessation.' [16] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in focusing on relinquishment.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out focusing on relinquishment.'

"This is how concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing is developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, great benefit.

"I myself, monks, before my Awakening, when I was still an unawakened bodhisatta, often dwelt in this [meditative] dwelling. While I was dwelling in this [meditative] dwelling, neither my body nor my eyes were fatigued, and the mind — through lack of clinging/sustenance — was released from mental fermentations.

"Thus, monks, if a monk should wish, 'May neither my body nor my eyes be fatigued, and may my mind — through lack of clinging/sustenance — be released from mental fermentations,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.

"If a monk should wish, 'May memories & resolves connected to the household life be abandoned within me,' he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.

"If a monk should wish, 'May I be percipient of loathsomeness in the presence of what is not loathsome,' he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.

"If a monk should wish, 'May I be percipient of unloathsomeness in the presence of what is loathsome ... May I be percipient of loathesomeness in the presence of what is loathsome & what is not ... May I be percipient of unloathsomeness in the presence of what is loathsome & what is not ... May I — in the presence of what is loathsome & what is not — cutting myself off from both, remain equanimous, alert, & mindful,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.

"If a monk should wish, 'May I — quite withdrawn from sensual pleasures, withdrawn from unskillful qualities — enter & remain in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.

"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, enter & remain in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation — internal assurance, then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.

"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the fading of rapture, remain in equanimity, mindful & alert, be physically sensitive to pleasure, and enter & remain in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, "Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding," then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.

"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the complete transcending of perceptions of [physical] form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not heeding perceptions of diversity, [perceiving,] 'Infinite space,' enter & remain in the dimension of the infinitude of space,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.

"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of space, [perceiving,] 'Infinite consciousness,' enter & remain in the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.

"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, [perceiving,] 'There is nothing,' enter & remain in the dimension of nothingness,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.

"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the complete transcending of the dimension of nothingness, enter & remain in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.

"If a monk should wish, 'May I, with the complete transcending of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, enter & remain in the cessation of perception & feeling,' then he should attend closely to this very same concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.

"When concentration through mindfulness of in-&-out breathing has been thus developed, thus pursued, one senses a feeling of pleasure. One discerns it as 'inconstant.' One discerns it as 'not grasped at.' One discerns it as 'not relished.' One senses a feeling of pain. One discerns it as 'inconstant.' One discerns it as 'not grasped at.' One discerns it as 'not relished.' One senses a feeling of neither pleasure nor pain. One discerns it as 'inconstant.' One discerns it as 'not grasped at.' One discerns it as 'not relished.'

"If one senses a feeling of pleasure, one senses it as if disjoined from it. If one senses a feeling of pain, one senses it as if disjoined from it. If one senses a feeling of neither pleasure nor pain, one senses it as if disjoined from it. When sensing a feeling limited to the body, one discerns, 'I am sensing a feeling limited to the body.' When sensing a feeling limited to life, one discerns, 'I am sensing a feeling limited to life.' One discerns, 'With the break-up of the body, after the termination of life, all that is experienced, not being relished, will grow cold right here.'

"Just as an oil lamp would burn in dependence on oil & wick and, from the termination of the oil & wick, it would go out unnourished; in the same way, when sensing a feeling limited to the body, one discerns that 'I am sensing a feeling limited to the body.' When sensing a feeling limited to life, one discerns that 'I am sensing a feeling limited to life.' One discerns, 'With the break-up of the body, after the termination of life, all that is sensed, not being relished, will grow cold right here.'"