Hi Frank,
frank k wrote:So my question is, if elsewhere in the suttas kāyasaṅkhāra is defined to be "in and out breathing", why doesn't everyone just translate it as "calming the breath"? Wouldn't that be much easier for a mediator who's trying to follow the 16 steps of anapana to understand?
Indeed, in Culavedalla sutta sister Dhammadinna says:
“Katamo panaayye, kaayasa"nkhaaro, katamo vaciisa"nkhaaro, katamo cittasa"nkhaaro”ti?
“Assaasapassaasaa kho, aavuso visaakha, kaayasa"nkhaaro, vitakkavicaaraa vaciisa"nkhaaro, sa~n~naa ca vedanaa ca cittasa"nkhaaro”ti.
“Kasmaa panaayye, assaasapassaasaa kaayasa"nkhaaro, kasmaa vitakkavicaaraa vaciisa"nkhaaro, kasmaa sa~n~naa ca vedanaa ca cittasa"nkhaaro”ti?
“Assaasapassaasaa kho, aavuso visaakha, kaayikaa ete dhammaa kaayappa.tibaddhaa, tasmaa assaasapassaasaa kaayasa"nkhaaro. pubbe kho, aavuso visaakha, vitakketvaa vicaaretvaa pacchaa vaaca.m bhindati, tasmaa vitakkavicaaraa vaciisa"nkhaaro. sa~n~naa ca vedanaa ca cetasikaa ete dhammaa cittappa.tibaddhaa, tasmaa sa~n~naa ca vedanaa ca cittasa"nkhaaro”ti.
"Now, lady, what are fabrications?"
"These three fabrications, friend Visakha: bodily fabrications, verbal fabrications, & mental fabrications."
"But what are bodily fabrications? What are verbal fabrications? What are mental fabrications?"
"In-&-out breaths are bodily fabrications. Directed thought & evaluation are verbal fabrications. Perceptions & feelings are mental fabrications."
"But why are in-&-out breaths bodily fabrications? Why are directed thought & evaluation verbal fabrications? Why are perceptions & feelings mental fabrications?"
"In-&-out breaths are bodily; these are things tied up with the body. That's why in-&-out breaths are bodily fabrications. Having first directed one's thoughts and made an evaluation, one then breaks out into speech. That's why directed thought & evaluation are verbal fabrications. Perceptions & feelings are mental; these are things tied up with the mind. That's why perceptions & feelings are mental fabrications."
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/su ... 4-tb0.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
However, this is just one of several meanings of the word "saṅkhāra". For more detailed review of the meanings, see the
relevant thread.
The earliest and most reliable explanation of sixteen kinds of Anapanasati is given in Patisambhidamagga, in the Anapanasati chapter:
http://bps.lk/olib/bp/bp502s.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
How is it that (7) he trains thus 'I shall breathe in calming the body fabrication;' (8 ) he trains thus 'I shall breathe out calming the body fabrication'?
[Analysis of the object]
What is the body fabrication? Long in-breaths are of the body; these things, being bound up with the body, are body fabrications; he trains in calming, stopping, stilling, those body fabrications. Long out-breaths belong to the body; ... short in-breaths belong to the body; short out-breaths belong to the body; ... in-breaths while acquainted with the whole body belong to the body; out-breaths while acquainted with the whole body belong to the body; these things, being bound up with the body, are body fabrications; he trains in calming, stopping, stilling, those body fabrications.
When there are such body fabrications whereby there is bending backwards, sideways, in all directions, and forwards, and perturbation, excitement, moving, and shaking, of the body, he trains thus 'I shall breathe in calming the body fabrication;' he trains thus' I shall breathe out calming the body fabrication.' When there are such body fabrications whereby there is no bending backwards, sideways, in all directions, and forwards, and no perturbation, excitement, moving, and shaking, of the body, quiet and subtle, he trains thus 'I shall breathe in calming the body fabrication;' he trains thus 'I shall breathe out calming the body fabrication.'
So then he trains thus 'I shall breathe in calming the body fabrication;' he trains thus 'I shall breathe out calming the body fabrication:' that being so, there is no production of the experience of wind, and there is no production of in-breaths and out-breaths, and there is no production of mindfulness of breathing, and there is no production of concentration by mindfulness of breathing, and consequently the wise neither enter into nor emerge from that attainment.
So then he trains thus 'I shall breathe in calming the body fabrication;' he trains thus 'I shall breathe out calming the body fabrication:' that being so, there is production of the experience of wind, and there is production of out-breaths and in-breaths, and there is production of mindfulness of breathing, and there is production of concentration by mindfulness of breathing, and consequently the wise enter into and emerge from that attainment. Like what? Just as when a gong is struck. At first gross sounds occur and [mind occurs] because the sign of the gross sounds is well apprehended, well attended to, well observed; and when the gross sounds have ceased, then afterwards faint sounds occur and [mind occurs] because the sign of the faint sounds is well apprehended, well attended to, well observed; and when the faint sounds have ceased, then afterwards mind occurs because it has the sign of the faint sounds as its object -- so too, at first gross in-breaths and out-breaths occur and [mind does not become distracted] because the sign of the gross inbreaths and out-breaths is well apprehended, well attended to, well observed; and when the gross in-breaths and out-breaths have ceased, then afterwards faint in-breaths and out-breaths occur and [mind does not become distracted] because the sign of the faint in-breaths and out-breaths is well apprehended, well attended to, well observed; and when the faint in-breaths and out-breaths [are so faint that perception of them] has ceased, then afterwards mind does not become distracted because it has the sign of the faint in-breaths and out-breaths as its object [i.e. the subtle awareness of the material body which remains when the faint breaths are too faint to be noticed -- this remaining 'sign' being either as small as the nostril area (or upper lip in one breathing through the mouth), or as large as the internal felt-sense of the whole body (indicated previously as being the sign for anchoring mindfulness, and at this level of subtlety represents its full development as the sign of calm abiding)]. That being so, there is production of the experience of wind, and there is production of in-breaths and out-breaths, and there is production of mindfulness of breathing, and there is production of concentration by mindfulness of breathing, and consequently the wise enter into and emerge from that attainment.
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This accords very well with the Commentary:
Passambhayam kayasamkharam assasissamiti... passasissamiti sikkhati = "Calming the activity of the body I shall breathe in... breathe out, thinking thus, he trains himself." He thinks: " I shall breathe in and I shall breathe out, quieting, making smooth, making tranquil and peaceful the activity of the in-and-out-breathing body. And in that way, he trains himself."
"In this connection coarseness, fineness and calm should be understood thus: Without contemplative effort, the body and the mind of this bhikkhu are distressed, coarse. When the body and the mind are coarse, the in-and-out-breathings too are coarse and proceed uncalmly; the nasal aperture becomes inadequate and he has to breathe through the mouth, too. But when the body and the mind are under control then the body and the mind become placid, restful. When these are restful, the breathings proceed so fine that the bhikkhu doubts whether or not the breathings are going on."
"The breathing of a man who runs down from a hill, puts down a heavy burden from his head, and stands still is coarse; his nasal aperture becomes inadequate and he breathes through the mouth, too. But when he rids himself of his fatigue, takes a bath and a drink of water, and puts a wet cloth over his heart and is sitting in the shade, his breathing becomes fine, and he is at a loss to know whether it exists or not. Comparable to that man is the bhikkhu whose breaths become so fine after the taking up of the practice of contemplation that he finds it difficult to say whether he is breathing or not. What is the reason for this? Without taking up the practice of meditation he does not perceive, concentrate on, reflect on, or think over, the question of calming the gross activity of the breathing body, the breaths, but with the practice of meditation he does. Therefore, the activity of the breath-body becomes finer in the time in which meditation is practiced than in the time in which there is no practice. So the men of old said:
"In the agitated mind and body the breath is of the coarsest kind.
In the unexcited body, fully subtle does it wind."
"How does he train himself with the thought: Calming the activity of the body, I shall breathe in... breathe out? What are the activities of the body? Those things of the body of breaths, those things bound up with that body, are the activities of the body. Causing the body-activities to become composed, to become smooth and calm, he trains himself... He trains himself thinking thus: Calming the body-activity by way of (quieting) the bodily activities of bending forwards, sidewards, all over, and backwards, and (by way of the quieting of) the moving, quivering, vibrating, and quaking of the body, I shall breathe in... I shall breathe out. I shall breathe in and I shall breathe out, calming the activity of the body, by way of whatsoever peaceful and fine body-activities of non-bending of the body forwards, sidewards, all over and backwards, of non-moving, non-quivering, non-vibrating, and non-quaking, of the body."[19]
Indeed, to that yogi training in respiration-mindfulness according to the method taught thus: "He, thinking 'I breathe in long,' understands when he is breathing in long... Calming the activity of the body... I breathe out, thinking thus, he trains himself" [digham va assasanto digham assasamiti pajanati... passambhayam kayasankharam passasissamiti sikkhati], the four absorptions [cattari jhanani] arise in the respiration sign [assasapassasanimitte uppajjanti].
In the respiration sign = In the reflex image [patibhaga nimitta].
Having emerged from the absorption, he lays hold of either the respiration body or the factors of absorption.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... #breathing" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;