This is how I train Anapanasati and Satipatthana. When I figure it out how to do it – it was a life changer. You won’t believe even RESULTS of such simple practice. I just can believe that modern Buddhist waste time for breath meditation, focusing or anything like that – it’s waste of time and just make you tired, frustrated and almost without results long term.
When I practice Anapanasati with Satipatthana I feel almost instantly bliss in the chest and in the body once my mind approach and do this practice but I know it must to be done right and figure it out. Pure Dhamma have a lot of materials but there need to be exact methods for people to follow and because of my experience, it’s easy for me to make out methods out of that information. Here is how it goes:
First, you need to see how your mind attention moves from one thought to another. Start to get into a habit of observing mind (this is just pre-practice).
Once you can see how your mind attention moves from one thought to another you apply a filter as you would investigate a person for weapon or ticket. If thought will stick to your mind or your mind attention move to exact thought which will find attractive then you investigate in context is it’s a good thought (moral), bad (immoral) or neutral. Once you realize nature of such thought your mind and body will transform instantly or with some time at beginning as your mind will realize you are not one to play with so it will discard bad thoughts on the automatic basis. Once you realize what nature of thought it is then you watch your reaction towards those thoughts in the same way. Whatever it’s good, bad or neutral reaction towards that. Once you get into the flow with it you will feel naturally blissful, happy or at first like cleansed from the inside and light like a feather which it will develop to a very happy state of mind which will permeate the body and you will end up in the first jhana. Once you will be just close to the jhana you contemplate meanings of Anicca nature and it will get you into deeper and permanent states.
I understand all those questions that you want to know and clarify everything but clarification cannot be substituted to the practice. Once you have a clear view on that then you need to go that clear way once explained. If you only keep pursuing concepts which you do not understand and clarify them constantly then what is the point of knowing to walk you need to use legs? Next step is to use them to walk and what you clarified you need to put into practice.