Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118) describes three stages leading to attaining Arahanthood: (i) Attain Sotapanna stage by seeing the dangers of remaining on the rebirth process, i.e., via seeing the dangers of “pañcupādānakkhandha kāya,” (ii) Cultivation of Satipaṭṭhāna (by comprehending the two stages of “pañcupādānakkhandha kāya“) to attain higher stages of magga phala, and (iii) fulfilling Satta Bojjhaṅga to attain Arahanthood.
July 12, 2025
Introduction
1. Ānāpānasati — as described in the “Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118)” — summarizes the sequential steps for a puthujjana to reach the Arahant stage of Nibbāna. We can simplify those steps as follows.
- One is bound to the rebirth process due to the inborn tendency (via “distorted saññā“) to attach to sensory pleasures. However, it is impossible to remove the built-in “distorted saññā” until one attains the Sotapanna stage.
- To reach the Sotapanna stage, one must “see with wisdom” the dangers of attachment to sensory pleasures. Our attachment to sensory pleasures can be understood by seeing how the “pañcupādānakkhandha kāya” initiates and grows upon receiving a (pleasing or displeasing) sensory input.
- We discussed the “pañcupādānakkhandha kāya” in “Kāya Can be Pañcupādānakkhandha or Physical Body.”
- It is only after “seeing with wisdom” the dangers of letting the “pañcupādānakkhandha kāya” grow (by reaching the Sotapanna stage) that one can start cultivating Satipaṭṭhāna to remove kāma rāga and paṭigha saṁyojana that arise due to “distorted saññā” and attain the Sakadāgāmi/Anāgāmi stages.
- In this introductory post, I will systematically analyze the “Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118)” to highlight only the above key ideas. Even though the sutta clearly states those steps, they have not been correctly identified up to now. The English translation in the link is a good example; it starts by completely distorting the title as “Mindfulness of Breathing.”
- In the following, I will not try to translate or interpret the Pāli verses. I will only point out the three steps mentioned in the abstract at the beginning of this post in the sutta (in Pāli). We will discuss those Pāli verses in upcoming posts. The English translation in the link may be used with caution to get the basic idea.
2. I will skip the introductory material in the “Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118)” and start the discussion where the above steps are stated @marker 15.1.
- There, it states: “Ānāpānassati, bhikkhave, bhāvitā bahulīkatā mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā.Ānāpānassati, bhikkhave, bhāvitā bahulīkatā cattāro satipaṭṭhāne paripūreti.Cattāro satipaṭṭhānā bhāvitā bahulīkatā satta bojjhaṅge paripūrenti. Satta bojjhaṅgā bhāvitā bahulīkatā vijjāvimuttiṁ paripūrenti”
- Translation (emphasizing the three stages mentioned in the summary above): “Bhikkhus, when Ānāpānassati is developed and cultivated, it brings the great benefits (mahānisaṁsā) of magga phala (mahapphalā). When Ānāpānassati is developed and cultivated further, it fulfills cattāro satipaṭṭhāna. When Satipaṭṭhāna is developed and cultivated, it fulfills Satta Bojjhaṅga (the seven awakening factors). And the seven awakening factors, when developed and cultivated, fulfill knowledge and freedom, i.e., Arahanthood is realized.
- The three stages can be re-stated as follows: (i) In the FIRST stage, a puthujjana contemplates the drawbacks of “pañcupādānakkhandha kāya” as a whole and attains the Sotapanna stage; it is the basic version of Ānāpāna Sati. (ii) In the SECOND stage, a Sotapanna examines the ajjhatta kaya and bahiddha kaya in the initial stage of “pañcupādānakkhandha kāya” (detailed in Satipaṭṭhāna) to understand how kāma rāga and paṭigha arise due to “distorted saññā” and attains the Sakadāgāmi/Anāgāmi stages. (iii) Completion of the cultivation of Satta Bojjhaṅga (and the removal of the remaining saṁyojana) happens in the THIRD stage, leading to Arahanthood.
First Stage of Ānāpānasati
3. The FIRST stage is described in the “Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118)” from marker @16.1 through 22.1. The Pāli text is as follows:
- Kathaṁ bhāvitā ca, bhikkhave, ānāpānassati kathaṁ bahulīkatā mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā? (How do you caultivate Ānāpānassati to attain the Sotapanna stage?)
Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā nisīdati pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā. So satova assasati satova passasati.
Dīghaṁ vā assasanto ‘dīghaṁ assasāmī’ti pajānāti, dīghaṁ vā passasanto ‘dīghaṁ passasāmī’ti pajānāti; rassaṁ vā assasanto ‘rassaṁ assasāmī’ti pajānāti, rassaṁ vā passasanto ‘rassaṁ passasāmī’ti pajānāti; ‘sabbakāyapaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘sabbakāyapaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘passambhayaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘passambhayaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati. (This is the basic version of Kāyānupassanā)
‘Pītipaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘pītipaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘sukhapaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘sukhapaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘cittasaṅkhārapaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘cittasaṅkhārapaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘passambhayaṁ cittasaṅkhāraṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘passambhayaṁ cittasaṅkhāraṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati. (This is the basic version of Vedanānupassanā)
‘Cittapaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘cittapaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘abhippamodayaṁ cittaṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘abhippamodayaṁ cittaṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘samādahaṁ cittaṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘samādahaṁ cittaṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘vimocayaṁ cittaṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘vimocayaṁ cittaṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati. (This is the BASIC version of Cittānupassanā)
‘Aniccānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘aniccānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘virāgānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘virāgānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘nirodhānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘nirodhānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati. (This is the basic version of Dhammānupassanā)
- Evaṁ bhāvitā kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassati evaṁ bahulīkatā mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā. (That is how to caultivate ānāpānassati to attain the Sotapanna stage)
Second Stage of Ānāpānasati
4. The SECOND stage is described in the “Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118)” from marker @23.1 through 28.1. The Pāli text is as follows:
- Kathaṁ bhāvitā ca, bhikkhave, ānāpānassati kathaṁ bahulīkatā cattāro satipaṭṭhāne paripūreti? (How do you cultivate Ānāpānassati to fulfil Satipaṭṭhāna to remove kāma rāga and paṭigha and reach the Anāgami stage?)
Yasmiṁ samaye, bhikkhave, bhikkhu dīghaṁ vā assasanto ‘dīghaṁ assasāmī’ti pajānāti, dīghaṁ vā passasanto ‘dīghaṁ passasāmī’ti pajānāti; rassaṁ vā assasanto ‘rassaṁ assasāmī’ti pajānāti, rassaṁ vā passasanto ‘rassaṁ passasāmī’ti pajānāti; ‘sabbakāyapaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘sabbakāyapaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘passambhayaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘passambhayaṁ kāyasaṅkhāraṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; kāye kāyānupassī, bhikkhave, tasmiṁ samaye bhikkhu viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Kāyesu kāyaññatarāhaṁ, bhikkhave, evaṁ vadāmi yadidaṁ—assāsapassāsā. Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, kāye kāyānupassī tasmiṁ samaye bhikkhu viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. (This is the ADVANCED version of Kāyānupassanā; note that the bold text indicates the addition to the basic version in #3 above).
Yasmiṁ samaye, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ‘pītipaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘pītipaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘sukhapaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘sukhapaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘cittasaṅkhārapaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘cittasaṅkhārapaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘passambhayaṁ cittasaṅkhāraṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘passambhayaṁ cittasaṅkhāraṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; vedanāsu vedanānupassī, bhikkhave, tasmiṁ samaye bhikkhu viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Vedanāsu vedanāññatarāhaṁ, bhikkhave, evaṁ vadāmi yadidaṁ—assāsapassāsānaṁ sādhukaṁ manasikāraṁ. Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, vedanāsu vedanānupassī tasmiṁ samaye bhikkhu viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. (This is the ADVANCED version of Vedanānupassanā; note that the bold text indicates the addition to the basic version in #3 above).
Yasmiṁ samaye, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ‘cittapaṭisaṁvedī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘cittapaṭisaṁvedī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘abhippamodayaṁ cittaṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘abhippamodayaṁ cittaṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘samādahaṁ cittaṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘samādahaṁ cittaṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘vimocayaṁ cittaṁ assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘vimocayaṁ cittaṁ passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; citte cittānupassī, bhikkhave, tasmiṁ samaye bhikkhu viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Nāhaṁ, bhikkhave, muṭṭhassatissa asampajānassa ānāpānassatiṁ vadāmi. Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, citte cittānupassī tasmiṁ samaye bhikkhu viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. (This is the ADVANCED version of Cittānupassanā; note that the bold text indicates the addition to the basic version in #3 above).
Yasmiṁ samaye, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ‘aniccānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘aniccānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘virāgānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘virāgānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘nirodhānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘nirodhānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; ‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; dhammesu dhammānupassī, bhikkhave, tasmiṁ samaye bhikkhu viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. So yaṁ taṁ abhijjhādomanassānaṁ pahānaṁ taṁ paññāya disvā sādhukaṁ ajjhupekkhitā hoti. Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, dhammesu dhammānupassī tasmiṁ samaye bhikkhu viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. (This is the ADVANCED version of Dhammānupassanā; note that the bold text indicates the addition to the basic version in #3 above )
- Evaṁ bhāvitā kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassati evaṁ bahulīkatā cattāro satipaṭṭhāne paripūreti. (That is how to cultivate Ānāpānassati to fulfil Satipaṭṭhāna and remove kāma rāga and paṭigha and reach the Anāgami stage).
- In the first verse on Kāyānupassanā, ‘kāye kāyānupassī’ refers to another ‘kāya’ within the ‘pañcupādānakkhandha kāya’ (‘kāye kāya’). This refers to the two-stage (‘purāna kamma‘ and ‘nava kamma‘) development of ‘pañcupādānakkhandha kāya’ (as indicated by the two “cones” in #6 of “Purāna and Nava Kamma – Sequence of Kamma Generation.”) Thus, ‘kāye kāya’ refers to the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage.
- In the same way, vedanāsu vedanānupassī, citte cittānupassī, and dhammesu dhammānupassī refer to the corresponding vedanā, cittā, and dhammā arising in the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage. This is where defilements (rāga, dosa, moha, or ‘san‘) arise automatically due to unbroken saṁyojana. See “Sandiṭṭhiko – What Does It Mean?“
Third Stage of Ānāpānasati and Summary
5. We will not discuss this stage for obvious reasons. There is no need to discuss it until one attains the Anāgami stage. If one can get to the Anāgami stage, one should be able to make progress on that section on one’s own.
- It is critically important to understand the basic layout of the “Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118)” to understand the following points.
- One must be a Sotapanna to practice/cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna to attain higher stages of magga phala. That is because one must be able to get to the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhumi (alternatively called sappabhāsa citta, Tadaṅga Nibbuta, or Paccupaṭṭhita Sati) to cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna. I have discussed this in previous posts. See, for example, “Kāma Saññā – How to Bypass to Cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna” and #6 there.
- A puthujjana‘s mind gets to the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhumi for the first time at the moment of attaining the Sotapanna stage. Even though the mind falls back from it after that, it is possible to get back to it. Since that Satipaṭṭhāna Bhumi is free of “distorted saññā,” it provides a platform to contemplate Dhamma concepts without the five hindrances (pañca nīvaraṇa) arising in the mind. It is impossible to overcome kāma rāga without getting to the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhumi.
- I know that many people reading the website may not have attained the Sotapanna stage. However, even for them, it is beneficial to understand the concept of “distorted saññā” because it clarifies how our minds are “designed to” automatically attach to sensory inputs. See “Sandiṭṭhiko – What Does It Mean?“
