Dutiyaphalasutta

“Ānāpānassati, bhikkhave, bhāvitā bahulīkatā mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā. Kathaṁ bhāvitā ca, bhikkhave, ānāpānassati kathaṁ bahulīkatā mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā nisīdati pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā. So satova assasati, satova passasati …pe… ‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati. Evaṁ bhāvitā kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassati evaṁ bahulīkatā mahapphalā hoti mahānisaṁsā.

“Mendicants, when mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated it’s very fruitful and beneficial. And how is mindfulness of breathing developed and cultivated to be very fruitful and beneficial? It’s when a mendicant—gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut—sits down cross-legged, sets their body straight, and brings mindfulness to the present. Just mindful, they breathe in. Mindful, they breathe out. … They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing letting go.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing letting go.’ Mindfulness of breathing, when developed and cultivated in this way, is very fruitful and beneficial.

Evaṁ bhāvitāya kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatiyā evaṁ bahulīkatāya satta phalā sattānisaṁsā pāṭikaṅkhā. Katame satta phalā sattānisaṁsā? Diṭṭheva dhamme paṭikacca aññaṁ ārādheti; no ce diṭṭheva dhamme paṭikacca aññaṁ ārādheti. Atha maraṇakāle aññaṁ ārādheti; no ce diṭṭheva dhamme paṭikacca aññaṁ ārādheti, no ce maraṇakāle aññaṁ ārādheti. Atha pañcannaṁ orambhāgiyānaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā antarāparinibbāyī hoti … upahaccaparinibbāyī hoti … asaṅkhāraparinibbāyī hoti … sasaṅkhāraparinibbāyī hoti … uddhaṁsoto hoti akaniṭṭhagāmī— evaṁ bhāvitāya kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatiyā evaṁ bahulīkatāya ime satta phalā sattānisaṁsā pāṭikaṅkhā”ti. Pañcamaṁ.

When mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated in this way you can expect seven fruits and benefits. What seven? You attain enlightenment early on in this very life. If not, you attain enlightenment at the time of death. If not, with the ending of the five lower fetters you’re extinguished in between one life and the next … you’re extinguished upon landing … you’re extinguished without extra effort … you’re extinguished with extra effort … you head upstream, going to the Akaniṭṭha realm … When mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated in this way you can expect these seven fruits and benefits.”