Any practitioner, after meditating for some time, inevitably wonders what meditation method the historical Buddha Shakyamuni himself used while beneath the Bodhi Tree. Many people understand that prior to his realization, Shakyamuni Buddha studied with many of the great yogis of his time, but most do not know what method he ultimately found leads most directly to nirvana. In Ajahn Buddhadasa Bhikkhu's book,
Mindfulness With Breathing, the Thai meditation master provides practitioners with penetrating insights into the
Anapanasati Sutta, the canonical text which many believe is the most direct transmission of Shakyamuni Buddha's breath meditation methods. Combined with a concise translation of the sutta itself,
Mindfulness with Breathing is one of the best guides to Buddhist meditation practice available in the English language.
An extensive explanation of anapanasati, mindfulness with in-breaths and out-breaths.
"In this book, Ajahn Buddhadasa will take you by the hand and lead you, as he did me, all the way from the first attempt to observe the in-breaths and out-breaths, to the kinds of insight that have the power to liberate. You will begin with merely a set of instructions, but then you must take these clear words of teaching and put them into practice. If you do, you will not be disappointed. You have in your hands a precious yogic manual."