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Anapanasati, Samatha or Vipassana Meditation

Anapanasati, respiration meditation is mentioned in the Visuddhimagga as Samatha Meditation. In the Visuddhimagga there are 40 subjects of Samatha Meditation. They are 10 Kasina, 10 Asubha, 10 Anussati, 4 Brahma Vihara, 4 Formless Spheres, Perception of the Loathsomeness of Food and Analysis of the Four Elements. Anapanasati is one of them.

Kasina means entirely or whole. In other words, when a Kasina is an object of meditation you have to focus the whole circle of Kasina in your mind; but with the eyes initially. One can use these Kasina as an object of Samatha Meditation; pavathi kasina, earth; apo kasina, water; tejo kasina, fire; vayo kasina, wind or air; aloka kasina, light; lohita kasina, red; nila kasina, blue; pita kasina, yellow; odata kasina, white; akasa kasina, space. There are also 10 Asubha: meditation on impurity; meditation on swollen corpse, discoloured corpse, dismembered corpse, skeleton and so on. Then there are 10 kinds of recollecting meditation. We call it Anussati. The objects are: Buddhanussati, recollection of the attributes of the Buddha; Dhammanussati, recollection of the attributes of the Dhamma; Sanghanussati, recollections of the attributes of the Sangha; Silanussati, recollection of the attributes of the precepts you are observing; Caganussati, recollection of the attributes and benefits of charity or offering you have done; Devatanussati, recollection of heavenly beings; Maranasati, mindfulness of death; Kayagatasati, mindfulness of the body; Anapanasati, mindfulness of breathing; and Upasamanussati, recollection of peace.

Hence Anapanasati, recollection or mindfulness of breathing is one of the 10 recollections meditations, Anussati. According to Visuddhimagga, we take Anapanasati, mindfulness of breathing to be a Samatha Meditation. But in the Maha Satipatthana Sutta, the Discourse on the Four Foundations of the Mindfulness, Anapanasati is mentioned as an object of Vipassana Meditation also. The Maha Satipatthana Sutta begins with Anapanasati as the object of Vipassana Meditation. So some scholars get puzzled about this meditation, whether it is Samatha or Vipassana Meditation because in Visuddhimagga it is mentioned as Samatha and Maha Satipatthana Sutta mentioned it as Vipassana. In Maha Satipatthana Sutta the Buddha teaches us how to practise Anapanasati, mindfulness of respiration. He mentioned how a meditator sees the appearance and disappearance of the respiration and realize impermanence of respiration. So it is mentioned in Maha Satipatthana Sutta as Vipassana.

What we should know is that the object of Samatha Meditation can either be pannatti or paramattha. Pannatti means concept, paramattha means absolute or ultimate reality. The object of Samatha Meditation may be concept or ultimate reality. When we take Kasina as the object of Samatha Meditation, the object is just concept, not absolute reality. How?

Say if we make a red kasina as the object of Kasina Meditation, then you have to draw a red circle about the size of a plate on a wall or tree, about two feet from the floor so that your eyes can look at it easily. That red must be pure red without mixing with any colour. When you focus your mind on the red circle, you have to focus on the whole red circle, not half or quarter of the circle. So it is called Kasina. Why? Because you want to concentrate your mind on the form of the circle. You need not know the red, the colour. You need not know the texture. What you should do is to concentrate on the form of the circle very well, very deeply. You have to look at the whole circle and focus your mind on it.

Then when your concentration is good enough, though you close your eyes you could see that red circle in your mind, that is the form of the circle. You concentrate on that red circle you see in your mind. That circle you see in your mind is called Patibhaga Nimitta. It means the nimitta which is similar to the circle on the wall. Some scholars translate it as counterpart sign. The meditation is Samatha Meditation, so you need not realize any physical or material processes of the circle. What you need is to concentrate your mind on the whole circle and absorb the mind in it. That is why you see the red circle in your mind when your concentration is good enough. The red circle is a form, it's just a concept. The form is just concept, not ultimate reality. The circle you see in your mind is not absolute reality. It's just the thing which is created by your mind; so it's just a concept. In this case the object of Samatha Meditation is just concept, not ultimate reality.

When you practise Buddhanussati, it is recollection of the chief attributes of the Buddha such as Araham, Sammasambuddho, Vijjacarana sampanno, Sugato, Lokavidu, Anuttaro purisa damma sarathi, Sattha deva manussanam, Buddho, Bhavaga. Here the object is reality, paramattha. Say you reflect on the attribute, 'Araham'. It means the Buddha is worthy of honour because he has totally destroyed all mental defilements. So to destroy these mental defilements he has the fourth stage of enlightenment, Arahatta Magga and Sabbannuta, that is Omniscience. Then you have to concentrate on those qualities of the Buddha which destroy all mental defilements. These qualities are enlightenment and omniscience; so they are absolute reality, not concept. If you repeatedly concentrate on these attributes, whenever the mind goes out you bring it back and reflect on these attributes. Then gradually you get concentrated. In this case, absolute reality, paramattha is the object of Samatha Meditation.

However in Vipassana Meditation every object of meditation must be absolute reality, ultimate reality, paramattha. In Vipassana Meditation no concept can be the object of meditation. Concept cannot be the object of Vipassana Meditation because Vipassana meditators need to realize the specific characteristics and general characteristics of mental and physical phenomena which is absolute reality. So the object must be either mental or physical processes which are ultimate reality. If concept is the object of Vipassana Meditation, Vipassana meditators can't realize any characteristics of mental and physical processes because you can't find any real characteristics in concepts. Concepts are made up by the mind.

Say your name is Pannananda. Though you have died, if I memorize your name in my mind as Pannananda, the name is there in my mind. (Actually Pannananda has gone.) Why? Because my mind memorizes it, creates it to exist. It means name is just a concept because it is created, memorized or made up by the mind. So every concept is not reality. They are things which are made up by the mind. So they don't have any characteristic to realize.

Then if the red circle is the object of meditation, we see the form of the circle in our mind and concentrate on it. Gradually our mind becomes more and more concentrated on the red circle we see in our mind. When the mind is totally absorbed in that circle, then we say we have attained Jhana. But you see that red circle is not reality but the mind makes the object; so it's just concept. It hasn't any characteristics to realize. Even though you concentrate your mind on it for say one hundred years continuously, you can't realize any characteristics; because it is not an absolute reality, it's a mind-made thing. Just concept.

Then as to respiration meditation (Anapanasati), in Visuddhimagga it is mentioned as Samatha Meditation, Concentration Meditation. In Maha Satipatthana Sutta it is mentioned as Vipassana Meditation. Then how can we distinguish it between the Vipassana aspect of respiration and the Samatha aspect of respiration? If we are mindful of the absolute reality of respiration, that will be Vipassana Meditation. If we are mindful of the concept regarding respiration, then it will be Samatha Meditation.

So in Visuddhimagga it mentions the method of concentration on the touching sensation whenever you breathe in and breathe out. When you concentrate your mind on the coming in and going out of the breath, then it is Samatha Meditation because you have to concentrate on the coming in and going out, not on the wind or air. When it is coming in your note 'in'; when it is going out you note, 'out'. 'In, out, in, out'. Your mind is not on the breathing air but on the 'coming-in' and the 'going-out'. 'Coming-in' and 'going-out' is not ultimate reality.

Say you come into the room through the door and go out of the room through the door. What is (this) coming in and going out, we may ask the question? It's neither you, not a person. It's just 'coming in' and 'going out'. It's just concept. In the same way when you concentrate your mind on the coming in and going out of the breath, it's just a concept. So the concept is the object of meditation in this case. So it's Samatha Meditation. You can't realize any specific characteristics or general characteristics of coming-in and going-out because it's not reality. It's just concept, so that's Samatha Meditation.

But when you focus your mind on the touching point at the nostril whenever your breath comes in or goes out, it touches the nostrils. When you observe this touching sensation and be mindful of it, then it's (ultimate) reality. That touching point is composed of the four primary material elements. Here Pathavi dhatu: hard and soft: here Apo dhatu: liquidity, cohesion; here Tejo dhatu: hot or cold; here Vayo dhatu: movement, motion. These four elements are there whenever you focus your mind on the touching sensation. So the object is absolute reality, what can we call it, Samatha or Vipassana Meditation? Vipassana Meditation.

That is what the Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw wrote about between the Samatha aspect and Vipassana aspect of respiration. I appreciate it very much. So then we can say respiration meditation is Vipassana Meditation in accordance with Maha Satipatthana Sutta. And we can say respiration is Samatha Meditation in accordance with Visuddhimagga. Too subtle and too deep to differentiate between the two aspects of respiration meditation. I think those who have practised meditation very well can differentiate between these two aspects.

Sometimes we have to concentrate on the coming in and going out of the breath as the object of meditation when the mind is too distracted; when we have a lot of thoughts. The Buddha said that when you have a lot of distractions and lots of thoughts, you should practise respiration meditation as the Samatha Meditation because respiration or breathing is, so to say, ever present so long as you are alive. So it's easy for you to concentrate on it. That's why the Buddha teaches us to practise the respiration meditation as Samatha Meditation when there are many thoughts.

But through my experience, Buddhanusati and Metta Meditations are the best ones for my meditators to concentrate on when they have a lot of thoughts. So I teach them either Buddhanusati or Metta Bhavana. Buddhanusati is somewhat difficult for those who have no knowledge of the Buddha's attributes. Metta Meditation is very easy; every meditator can do it. When they can concentrate by Metta, their mind becomes calm and tranquil. Then very easily they can switch to Vipassana Meditation.

That's how you can differentiate between the two aspects of respiration meditation. May all of you be able to differentiate between the two aspects of respiration meditation and practise your meditation accordingly and achieve the goal.

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