Ekadhamma Sutta
In Sāvatthi.
The Awakened One addressed the Monks:
“There is this one thing monks,
Which, cultivated and practiced often,
Bears great fruits, and is of great benefit.” [1]
What is this one thing?
“Cultivating awareness alongside the breath.” [2]
And how is it cultivated and practiced
so it bears great fruit and benefit?
Here monks,
Someone resorts
To the forest,
At the root of a tree,
In an empty cabin,
Sitting down with legs folded and body upright
Having reposed one’s awareness about oneself. [3]
Breathing in with presence,
Breathing out with presence. [4]
[First Stage]
(1) One is aware of a long breath as a long breath.
Breathing in and breathing out. [5]
(2) One is aware of a short breath as a short breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
(3) One trains: To experience the whole body.
Breathing in and breathing out. [6]
(4) One trains: To calm the tension in the body. [7]
Breathing in and breathing out.
[Second Stage]
(5) One trains: To experience joy. [8]
Breathing in and breathing out
(6) One trains: To experience happiness. [9]
Breathing in and breathing out
(7) One trains: To experience the movements of the mind. [10]
Breathing in and breathing out.
(8) One trains: To calm the movements of the mind, [11]
Breathing in and breathing out.
[Third Stage]
(9) One trains: To experience the mind, [12]
Breathing in and breathing out.
(10) One trains: To uplift the mind with joy. [13]
Breathing in and breathing out.
(11) One trains: To gather the mind. [14]
Breathing in and breathing out.
(12) One trains: To untangle the mind. [15]
Breathing in and breathing out
[Fourth Stage]
(13) One trains: To see constant change. [16]
Breathing in and breathing out
(14) One trains: To see calming down. [17]
Breathing in and breathing out
(15) One trains: To see the end of awareness. [18]
Breathing in and breathing out
(16) One trains: To see breaking free. [19]
Breathing in and breathing out
This is how to cultivate awareness,
using the breath as a reminder,
for it to be highly fruitful and beneficial.
[1] “ekadhammo, bhikkhave, bhāvito bahulīkato mahapphalo hoti mahānisaṃso.
[2] Ānāpānassati.
[3] Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā nisīdati pallaṅkaṃ ābhujitvā ujuṃ kāyaṃ paṇidhāya parimukhaṃ satiṃ upaṭṭhapetvā.
[4] So satova assasati, satova passasati.
[5] Dīghaṃ vā assasanto ‘dīghaṃ assasāmī’ti pajānāti, dīghaṃ vā passasanto ‘dīghaṃ passasāmī’ti pajānāti; The verb pajānāti denotes that one is only ‘aware of this, not ‘training’ to do this. The ‘training’ comes in the next steps as ‘sikkhati.’ This step here is a passive one.
[6] ‘sabba-kāya-paṭisaṃvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘sabba-kāya-paṭisaṃvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati;
[7] Passambhayaṃ kāyasaṅkhāraṃ
[8] Pītipaṭisaṃvedī
[9] Sukhapaṭisaṃvedī
[10] Cittasaṅkhārapaṭisaṃvedī
[11] Passambhayaṃ cittasaṅkhāraṃ
[12] Cittapaṭisaṃvedī
[13] Abhippamodayaṃ cittaṃ
[14] Samādahaṃ cittaṃ
[15] Vimocayaṃ cittaṃ
[16] Aniccānupassī
[17] Virāgānupassī: Disengaging
[18] Nirodhānupassī
[19] Paṭinissaggānupassī: Breaking Free.
