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Ānāpānasati Sutta

The Buddha (tradition)

Come back to the present with something you already do: breathe. The classic discourse on mindfulness of breathing, translated from the Pali: sixteen steps in four groups.

Reading: 4 chapters
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About the book

A work to return to, not to consume.

The Ānāpānasati Sutta is a short discourse from the Pali canon (Majjhima Nikāya 118). It is set on a full-moon night before a large assembly of monks, and it lays out sixteen steps of mindfulness of breathing in four groups: the body, feelings, the mind and phenomena. The starting point is surprisingly simple: breathing in long, one knows one breathes in long; breathing out short, one knows one breathes out short. The breath is not controlled or held, only known. The discourse then shows how this attention fulfills the four establishments of mindfulness, how it brings forth the seven factors of awakening and how it leads to liberation. It underlies much of today's mindfulness meditation. This edition is our own ChaTutor translation directly from the Pali, with notes.

**Safety notice.** The text describes a traditional practice: observing the natural breath, without forcing or holding it. Here it is read as content, not instructions. If dizziness, strong anxiety or difficult memories arise while reading or practicing, stop; with trauma or psychiatric conditions, seek professional support.

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Answers from this edition and says when it interprets beyond a quote.

Breathing in long, he knows: 'I breathe in long'; breathing out long, he knows: 'I breathe out long.'

The Buddha (tradition) · — Chapter 2

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Inside the book

Chapters

01
The Setting: the Full-Moon Assembly6 min read
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02
The Sixteen Steps in Four Tetrads5 min read
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03
Fulfilling the Four Establishments of Mindfulness4 min read
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04
The Factors of Awakening and Liberation4 min read
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The author

The Buddha (tradition)

Tradition attributes this discourse to Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, who taught in northern India around the 5th century BCE for about forty-five years. His discourses were passed down orally and set down in Pali centuries later, within the Theravāda canon. This edition follows the Pali Text Society text (1899) and translates it directly, without relying on modern translations, with notes on key terms.

Questions

Is it a guided meditation?

No. It is the classic text, translated and annotated. The tutor helps you understand it, but it does not replace a meditation teacher.

Am I really talking with The Buddha (tradition)?

No. The conversation is an AI recreation* inspired by the text: it is not The Buddha (tradition) and it can be wrong. Use it to think the book through, not as the author's own word.

How much does it cost?

The book costs US$4.99, or it comes included in ChaTutor Plus. You can read the opening of chapter 1 without signing up. A free account unlocks the whole chapter, the tutor and a full book free every week.

Is the book complete?

Yes: the complete text, chapter by chapter, in English and Spanish.

* AI recreation. Not the author; it may contain errors.