Dhamma Principles › The Discourse on Breathing: What Disturbs Watching the Breath, and the Simile of the Saw
The Discourse on Breathing: What Disturbs Watching the Breath, and the Simile of the Saw
Training the mind

The Discourse on Breathing: What Disturbs Watching the Breath, and the Simile of the Saw

Ānāpānakathā

The Paṭisambhidāmagga explains that in developing mindfulness of breathing there are eighteen imperfections that keep the mind from settling, such as chasing the breath until distracted, drifting to past or future, sluggishness or over-exertion, together with their remedies and the simile of a man sawing wood who keeps mindfulness only where the saw's teeth touch the log.

8 points

In the Discourse on Breathing (Ānāpānakathā) of the Great Chapter of the Paṭisambhidāmagga, Khuddaka Nikāya, the development of concentration through the sixteen steps of mindfulness of breathing is explained in detail. The Paṭisambhidāmagga is a canonical text that organises the teachings systematically, in a style resembling later commentary; by tradition it is attributed to Venerable Sāriputta.

This page selects only the parts a practitioner can use directly: the states that obstruct and those that help concentration, the eighteen imperfections that arise while watching the breath, the ways of cleansing the mind (vodāna), and the simile of the saw, which explains that fixing mindfulness at one point does not make the breath vanish from awareness.

A verse is also quoted: one who has fully developed mindfulness of breathing, cultivated step by step as the Buddha taught, illuminates this world like the moon freed from a cloud.

  1. 1

    Knowing what obstructs and what helps concentration Kāmacchando samādhissa paripantho

    Eight pairs are given, for example: sensual desire obstructs concentration, renunciation helps; ill will obstructs, non-ill-will helps; sloth and torpor obstruct, perception of light helps; discontent (arati) obstructs, gladness helps.

    Applying it in daily life

    If you feel drowsy, recall a sense of brightness or open your eyes for a moment. If you feel bored, bring to mind something that gladdens you before you begin.

  2. 2

    Chasing the breath until distracted Assāsādimajjhapariyosānaṃ satiyā anugacchato

    When mindfulness follows the breath through its beginning, middle and end, the mind becomes distracted internally or externally, and body and mind become agitated and unsteady. This obstructs concentration.

    Applying it in daily life

    Don't chase the breath down into the belly and back out. Know it at the single point where it is clearest.

  3. 3

    Craving for the breath Assāsapaṭikaṅkhaṇā nikanti taṇhācariyā

    Longing for and delight in the breath, a movement of craving, also obstructs concentration, as does confusion when, oppressed by the out-breath, one grasps for the in-breath, or oppressed by the in-breath, grasps for the out-breath.

    Applying it in daily life

    If you notice you're forcing the breath to be long or comfortable the way you want, let it return to its natural rhythm.

  4. 4

    The mind wavering between sign and breath Nimittaṃ āvajjato assāse cittaṃ vikampati

    Attending to the sign, the mind wavers to the breath; attending to the breath, it wavers to the sign; or it wavers between in-breath and out-breath. These six kinds of wavering form another set of imperfections. One whose mind shakes with them does not know liberation for oneself and must rely on others.

    Applying it in daily life

    If you notice you're switching your focus back and forth, choose one point and let the mind rest there.

  5. 5

    Drifting to past and future Atītānudhāvanaṃ cittaṃ

    A mind running after the past falls into distraction; a mind longing for the future wavers. The cleansing is to avoid that mind and concentrate it on a single spot.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you catch yourself thinking about yesterday or tomorrow, don't blame yourself. Simply bring attention back to where the breath touches.

  6. 6

    Too slack or too strained Līnaṃ cittaṃ kosajjānupatitaṃ

    A sluggish mind falls into laziness; lift it up and abandon laziness. An over-exerted mind falls into restlessness; restrain it and abandon restlessness.

    Applying it in daily life

    If you feel dull while sitting, straighten up and notice the breath more clearly. If you feel tense and strained, ease your effort by half.

  7. 7

    Falling into lust or into aversion Cittaṃ rāgānupatitaṃ

    Two more kinds of mind fall into lust and into ill will. The Thai Royal edition renders them as a mind that knows too much and a mind that does not know; some Pāli editions read them as a mind leaning toward and a mind leaning away. The remedy is to know that mind clearly and abandon the lust or ill will. A mind purified in these six ways becomes bright and reaches unity.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you notice the mind getting attached to calm, or irritated that calm hasn't come, recognise it as subtle liking and disliking.

  8. 8

    The simile of the saw Yathā kakacadantā evaṃ assāsapassāsā

    A log lies on level ground and a man saws it. His mindfulness is fixed on the saw's teeth where they touch the wood; he doesn't attend to the teeth coming or going, yet they are not unknown to him. So too a monk sits with mindfulness established at the tip of the nose or the lip, not attending to the breaths coming or going, yet they are not unknown. For one who arouses energy, body and mind become workable, imperfections are abandoned, and thoughts subside.

    Applying it in daily life

    Apply the same principle to tasks that need focus, such as reading or writing. Keep the mind at the point of work without tracking everything that comes and goes.

Try it in daily life

People who begin watching the breath often think "I can't do this" because the mind is scattered. This explanation helps a great deal, because it shows that distraction comes in several kinds, each with its own remedy, and recognising which kind you are meeting is already part of the practice.

The lesson of the saw is that there's no need to run in with the breath and run out with it. Rest mindfulness where the breath touches, such as the tip of the nose. The in- and out-breaths are still known, and the mind doesn't tire.

If watching the breath makes you feel tight or panicky, there's no need to force it. Breathe naturally, switch to another practice, or consult an experienced teacher.

Sign in to keep track of what you have read

Sources in the Tipiṭaka

Tap to read the actual passage on the page cited.

Other principles worth reading

Log in to earn 40 merit points for reading this page