Paṭhamaphala Sutta
“Cultivating awareness,
using the breath as a reminder,
and practicing it often, monks,
bears great fruits, and great benefit.”
And how is breathing meditation
is cultivated and practiced often, monks,
so to bear great fruits, and great 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.
Breathing in with presence,
Breathing out with presence.
[First Stage]
(1) One is aware of a long breath as a long breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
(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.
(4) One trains: To calm the tension in the body.
Breathing in and breathing out.
[Second Stage]
(5) One trains: To experience joy.
Breathing in and breathing out
(6) One trains: To experience happiness.
Breathing in and breathing out
(7) One trains: To experience the movements of the mind.[1]
Breathing in and breathing out.
(8) One trains: To calm the movements of the mind,[2]
Breathing in and breathing out.
[Third Stage]
(9) One trains: To experience the mind,
Breathing in and breathing out.
(10) One trains: To uplift the mind with joy.
Breathing in and breathing out.
(11) One trains: To gather the mind.
Breathing in and breathing out.
(12) One trains: To untangle the mind.
Breathing in and breathing out
[Fourth Stage]
(13) One trains: To see constant change.
Breathing in and breathing out
(14) One trains: To see calming down.
Breathing in and breathing out
(15) One trains: To see the end of awareness.
Breathing in and breathing out
(16) One trains: To see breaking free.
Breathing in and breathing out
Cultivated in this way monks,
And practice often, breathing meditation,
is highly fruitful and beneficial.
Cultivated in this way monks,
And practice often,
Either of these two results can be expected: [3]
Full awakening,
here and now,
and with some residues of tension;
non-return. [4]
[1] Cittasaṅkhārapaṭisaṃvedī
[2] Passambhayaṃ cittasaṅkhāraṃ
[3] dvinnaṃ phalānaṃ aññataraṃ phalaṃ pāṭikaṅkhaṃ—
[4] diṭṭheva dhamme aññā, sati vā upādisese anāgāmitā”ti.