[Suvuseh]

...one takes the sum total of sensory impacts arising in the body, some of which are to do with breathing and some of which are not. Thereafter, the sensory impact of breathing is a 'body' within the larger context of the other sensory impacts, to wit "body among bodies".

hi Dave

personally, i suggest the very contrary

Anapanasati is Mindfulness With Breathing

it concerns itself primarily with the breathing & what can be experienced in association with experiencing the breathing

the first two steps are establishing awareness of breathing

when the mind loses awareness of the breathing it must start again

step 3 is something more subtle, which occurs as mental sensitivity to the breathing grows

step 3 is the sensory impact of physical body (internally) as a 'body' within the context of awareness of breathing as a 'body'

Perhaps, if one's rump is feeling sore or a foot is falling asleep...

these kinds of "sensory impacts" are not really related to the practise of Step 3. they are merely extraneous issues

step 3 is something 'spiritual', i.e., connected to insight into ease & suffering (per MN 149, below)

step 3 begins with the words: "he trains himself", which means the fruition of higher morality, higher concentration & higher wisdom

where as steps 1 and 2 are just samadhi training; just preliminary steps

regards



For him — infatuated, attached, confused, not remaining focused on their drawbacks — the five clinging-aggregates head toward future accumulation. The craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now this & now that — grows within him. His bodily disturbances & mental disturbances grow. His bodily torments & mental torments grow. His bodily distresses & mental distresses grow. He is sensitive both to bodily stress & mental stress.

For him — uninfatuated, unattached, unconfused, remaining focused on their drawbacks — the five clinging-aggregates head toward future diminution. The craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now this & now that — is abandoned by him. His bodily disturbances & mental disturbances are abandoned. His bodily torments & mental torments are abandoned. His bodily distresses & mental distresses are abandoned. He is sensitive to both ease of body & ease of awareness.

MN 149