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**Weislenalkata** · 11-11-2011, 10:00 AM

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'

I think in step 3 these 'bodies' are to be experienced within the context of breathing in and breathing out (all Tetrads are within this context), but the 'breath body' is not given pride of place (your "within the context of breathing as a 'body'") in step 3: "Sensitive to all bodies" is how the Sutta has it, the combined percept of breath-body-and-physical-body being experienced within the simple context of breathing in and breathing out. I apologize if I did not make this simultaneity clear.

In other words, in step 3 any remaining physical impacts are integrated into what was awareness of only the breath in steps 1 & 2. This integrative step is what allows step 4 to be enacted.

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

MN 149 is describing the culmination of development:

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

I do not think there is any support for this. The demarcation between "he knows" and "he trains" appears to me simply to be an indicator of the difference between a relatively passive awareness of the breath (1 & 2) and a more active application of the mind (3+).

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

I think the whole of anapanasati (sammasati) is preparation for samma-samadhi (jhana). I can't imagine what you mean by saying these two steps in particular are "just" so.

11-11-2011, 10:00 AM	#10
Weislenalkata Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 429 Senior Member	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' I think in step 3 these 'bodies' are to be experienced within the context of breathing in and breathing out (all Tetrads are within this context), but the 'breath body' is not given pride of place (your "within the context of breathing as a 'body'") in step 3: "Sensitive to all bodies" is how the Sutta has it, the combined percept of breath-body-and-physical-body being experienced within the simple context of breathing in and breathing out. I apologize if I did not make this simultaneity clear. In other words, in step 3 any remaining physical impacts are integrated into what was awareness of only the breath in steps 1 & 2. This integrative step is what allows step 4 to be enacted. step 3 is something 'spiritual', i.e., connected to insight into ease & suffering (per MN 149, below) MN 149 is describing the culmination of development: step 3 begins with the words: "he trains himself", which means the fruition of higher morality, higher concentration & higher wisdom I do not think there is any support for this. The demarcation between "he knows" and "he trains" appears to me simply to be an indicator of the difference between a relatively passive awareness of the breath (1 & 2) and a more active application of the mind (3+). where as steps 1 and 2 are just samadhi training; just preliminary steps I think the whole of anapanasati (sammasati) is preparation for samma-samadhi (jhana). I can't imagine what you mean by saying these two steps in particular are "just" so.
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