Thank you! I need to clarify a couple of more points with you. After that, I will answer any specific questions you may have relevant to the discussion.
- The two issues you raised are irrelevant. It is not the method of how one reaches conclusions that matters; what matters is whether one has understood the material in the Tipitaka.
- Regarding the current discussion, what matters is whether one has understood the material in the Anapanasati Sutta and the Mahasatipatthana Sutta. Furthermore, the explanations must be consistent with other suttas.
- That is why I stated in the beginning that you can choose any method you prefer. I have only one method. That is to grasp the deeper meanings summarized in the suttas. Consistency across the Tipitaka is required, i.e., one’s explanation must be self-consistent (within the sutta) and consistent with other suttas.
You wrote on April 26, 2026, at 4:35 am:
- Kāyānupassanā (First Tetrad): Using the physical breath (long/short) as a primary anchor to tranquilize the bodily formations (kāyasaṅkhāra).
What do you mean by Kāyānupassanā and “the bodily formations (kāya saṅkhāra)“? Specifically,
- What do you contemplate when doing Kāyānupassanā? What is involved in Kāyānupassanā?
- What are “the bodily formations (kāya saṅkhāra)“? Please give some examples.
I will be traveling the rest of the day. After I read your response to the above questions, I will reply tomorrow.