What is bodily formation? Does it refer to the breath or the body?
Upvote:1
Kayasankara is the breath (MN 44).
Kayasankhara is properly translated as ‘body conditioner’, similar to the meaning of ‘body sustainer’ or ‘body nourisher’.
The 3rd step of Anapanasati is properly translated as 'experiencing all bodies'. There are three 'bodies' or 'kaya', namely, breath body, physical body (rupa-kaya) and mental body (nama-kaya). In the Anapanasati Sutta, the Buddha says: "the breath is a body among other bodies". In brief, the 3rd step is to experienced how the three bodies interrelate with or inter-condition each other. For example, when the mind is calm, the breath will be calm, then the body will be calm; if the mind is agitated, the breath will be agitated; then the body will be agitated.
The 4th step of Anapanasati is training how to use the mental body (mind) to tranquilize the breathing body; which in turn tranquilizes the physical body; which in turn tranquilizes the mind and eventually makes the mind feel happy (step 5 & 6, rapture & happiness).
In summary, tranquilizing the kayasankhara means tranquilizing the breathing, which will simultaneously tranquilize the physical body.
Refer to Bhikkhu Buddhadasa's book: Mindfulness With Breathing - Unveiling the Secrets of Life: a Manual for Serious Beginners.
Upvote:2
OP: What is bodily formation?
Kaya Sankhara - this what sustains keeps the body together hence the breath. If breathing stops the body falls apart.
OP: Does it mean tranquilizing the breath or the body?
To do this, you should decide to make the breath tranquil, and go on being continuously aware of the breath from beginning to end. You should do nothing else, otherwise your concentration will break and fall away.
The Visuddhi·Magga gives four factors for making the breath tranquil:
...
Concern (ābhoga): you pay initial attention to the breath, you apprehend the breath, you advert the mind towards the breath, to the effect: ‘I will try to make the breath tranquil.’
Reaction (samannāhāra): you continue to do so, i.e. you pay sustained attention to the breath that way, do it again and again, keep the breath in the mind, to the effect: ‘I will try to make the breath tranquil.’
Attention (manasikāra): literally ‘deciding to make the breath tranquil’. Attention is the mental factor that makes the mind advert towards the object. Attention makes the mind conscious of the breath and know the breath.
Reviewing (paccavekkhaBa): you review (vīmamsa) the breath, make it clear to the mind, to the effect: ‘I will try to make the breath tranquil.’
p35/36 Knowing and Seeing by Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw
More post
- 📝 What is the origin of Buddho meditation?
- 📝 Is Mahayana Buddhism a form of idealism?
- 📝 Is it important to have a traditional understanding of Buddhism?
- 📝 What are the differences between sex cults and the tantric tradition?
- 📝 Spacious versus Empty
- 📝 How does one keep oneself motivated to follow the path of dhamma?
- 📝 Other physical (samatha) meditation objects besides breath?
- 📝 Reducing "suffering" without Buddhist meditation?
- 📝 Why are Mahayana texts in Sanskrit?
- 📝 Latent tendencies, memories of this life and brain damage, dementia
- 📝 Can a person choose to reincarnate as a human instead of a god?
- 📝 what is the last orginal quote of buddha and what is the meaning of that quote?
- 📝 How to Study the Suttas?
- 📝 Dependent origination and the living arahat
- 📝 Changing of questions and the precept of not speaking what is not true
- 📝 What is the difference between non-self and emptiness?
- 📝 Are Aksobhya and Bhaisajyaguru the same buddha?
- 📝 What are other peoples minds according to the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra?
- 📝 Arising of Contact, Feeling, Perception, Thinking
- 📝 Are bhanga and sotapatti synonyms?
- 📝 Buddhism to change the world
- 📝 Did the Buddha ever say something proven wrong later?
- 📝 When practicing Mahasi-style meditation, should we label rising and falling, or just distractions? The instructions seem contradictory
- 📝 Was Gautama Buddha a believer of the religious beliefs prevalent in his time and in his cultural context?
- 📝 Sanghas of those who practice like monks but aren't officially monks?
- 📝 Meditation to simulate Near-death Experience
- 📝 Where can I get Buddha's teachings of the Dharma practice?
- 📝 Is mindfulness for quick enlightenment being exaggerated in the Sutta MN10?
- 📝 Era in which the past Buddhas appeared
- 📝 From Buddhas point of view, is what is common called preaching unskillful not benefical?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What is bodily formation? Does it refer to the breath or the body?
- 📝 What does the word 'nimitta' ('sign') refer to in SN 47.8?
- 📝 Does any Theravada Suttas / sources refer to Oozing orifices? What are the Suttas?
- 📝 What does "break-up of the body after death" mean in the suttas?
- 📝 What does it mean to 'advert' to the factors of jhana after emerging from jhana?
- 📝 What does breaking the fetter 'Clinging to rites and rituals' actually mean?
- 📝 "Guard the sense doors"- What does this mean, and what is it's application?
- 📝 During insight meditation, what does the meditator note in-between the rising and falling of the abdomen?
- 📝 On what basis does the 'right' in Buddhism come from?
- 📝 How does someone decide from what direction to approach the twelve-Nidānas?
- 📝 What does the term 'Sammasambuddha' mean?
- 📝 What does the phrase "to armor oneself with vows" mean?
- 📝 What does the Abhidhamma say about impermanence?
- 📝 What does the Buddha mean by this quote? "There is no punishment for anger. It is the anger which will punish you."
- 📝 Does not keeping a promise violate the precept on lying? What if I promised myself?
- 📝 Wheel turning king runs the country without stick or sword, what does it mean?
- 📝 What are Buddhist views about free will? Does the concept of free will vs determinism even apply? Is it a question with a wrong assumption?
- 📝 What does the Pali canon, and other respected work, teach about parenting?
- 📝 What is the Buddhist perspective on body language?
- 📝 What significance does the dragon hold within Buddhism?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about the consequences of good and bad behaviour?
- 📝 If i am the result of an aggregate, how does one refer to oneself?
- 📝 What does the word "world" mean in the Buddhist context?
- 📝 What does "joy" mean in the phrase "dharma gate of great ease and joy"
- 📝 What does 'awareness of the flow' mean
- 📝 What does the one taste of the dharmadhatu really mean?
- 📝 Why does Mahasi Method have the points on the Body to attend to?
- 📝 What does a normal person lose by following the path?
- 📝 What is the duality of body and external name-and-form?
- 📝 Does our conventional body belong to the external sense bases?