Great Fruit and Benefit of Breathing Mindfulness Meditation (Anāpānasati)

Monks, one thing, when developed and cultivated, is of great fruit and benefit.

What one thing?

Mindfulness of Breathing (Breathing Mindfulness Meditation).

And how, Monks, is Mindfulness of Breathing (Breathing Mindfulness Meditation) developed and cultivated so that it is of great fruit and benefit?

Here, Monks, a Monk, having gone to the forest, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty hut, sits down. Having folded his legs crosswise, straightened his body, and set up mindfulness in front of him, just mindful he breathes in, mindful he breathes out.

Breathing in long, he knows: I breathe in long; or breathing out long, he knows: I breathe out long. Breathing in short, he knows: I breathe in short; or breathing out short, he knows: I breathe out short. ...

He trains thus: Experiencing the whole body…. (Repeat as at Chapter 1)

He trains thus: Reflecting on letting go, I will breathe in;

he trains thus: Reflecting on letting go, I will breathe out.

It is, Monks, when Mindfulness of Breathing (Breathing Mindfulness Meditation) is developed and cultivated in this way that it is of great fruit and benefit.

(Reference: SN 54.1)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how Breathing Mindfulness Meditation “is of great fruit and benefit”. He is once again, emphasizing how important it is to practice Breathing Mindfulness Meditation.

It is important to understand that The Buddha delivered the same or similar Teachings to different groups of people at different times. What we have in The Pāli Canon is a recounting of his Teachings that span a forty-five (45) year Teaching career.

His Teachings to various groups may have varied slightly in wording from one group to another, but his Teachings never contradicted themselves throughout his forty-five (45) year Teaching career.

The Buddha only spoke the truth and that truth was based on his experience in training the mind to Enlightenment. He only ever spoke of that which he experienced and, thus, was able to share the truth not contradicting himself because he was drawing from his own life practice explaining what it took for him to achieve Enlightenment.

In this way, what he experienced can be experienced by others. He needed to articulate the methods and training he employed that led to his own Enlightenment. In doing so, those same methods and training could be employed by others, and The Buddha knew with 100% certainty that those same practices would work for others just as it worked for him.

A Buddha’s wisdom is deep and profound being able to guide countless people to Enlightenment during their lifetime and their Teachings will remain guiding countless others to Enlightenment after a Buddha’s death.