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Anapana Practice

Healing our reactivity through a guided mindfulness practice.

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The Sixteen Steps

As found in the following texts: SN54, MN62, MN118

1. When breathing in a deep breath one knows, "I'm breathing in a deep breath;"
when breathing out a deep breath one knows, "I'm breathing out a deep breath."

2. When breathing in a shallow breath one knows, "I'm breathing in a shallow breath;"
when breathing out a shallow breath one knows, "I'm breathing out a shallow breath."

3. One trains oneself, "Experiencing the whole body I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Experiencing the whole body I'll breathe out."

4. One trains oneself, "Stilling reactive movements of body I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Stilling reactive movements of body I'll breathe out."

5. One trains oneself, "Experiencing an enhanced body-sensitivity I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Experiencing an enhanced body-sensitivity I'll breathe out."

6. One trains oneself, "Experiencing well-being I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Experiencing well-being I'll breathe out."

7. One trains oneself, "Experiencing reactive movements of heart-and-mind I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Experiencing reactive movements of heart-and-mind I'll breathe out."

8. One trains oneself, "Stilling reactive movements of heart-and-mind I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Stilling reactive movements of heart-and-mind I'll breathe out."

9. One trains oneself, "Experiencing heart-and-mind I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Experiencing heart-and-mind I'll breathe out."

10. One trains oneself, "Gladdening heart-and-mind I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Gladdening heart-and-mind I'll breathe out."

11. One trains oneself, "Composing heart-and-mind I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Composing heart-and-mind I'll breathe out."

12. One trains oneself, "Liberating heart-and-mind I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Liberating heart-and-mind I'll breathe out."

13. One trains oneself, "Observing change I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "observing change I'll breathe out."

14. One trains oneself, "Observing dispassion I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Observing dispassion I'll breathe out."

15. One trains oneself, "Observing endings I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Observing endings I'll breathe out."

16. One trains oneself, "Observing letting-go I'll breathe in;"
one trains oneself, "Observing letting-go I'll breathe out."

Explore this topic further ...

This text in early Buddhist literature and meditation practices

This text is repeated in a number of compositions found among the Early Buddhist Texts. Where and when was it composed, and in which texts may it be found now?

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PDF icon

Download the Sixteen Steps as a PDF document suitable for viewing or printing out. Use this while exploring the steps and learning to practise them.

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Patterns in the language

Look at the way the language varies and unfolds in the Sixteen Steps. See the various patterns that emerge in it, which help us to understand it.

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A process with four phases

An overview of the whole meditative process as envisaged by this text, in its four phases.

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Learning the Anapana Practice

The Sixteen Steps tell us what we're training to do at each step of the process, but not how. Here's a series of exercises to help us undertake each of the steps in turn.

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