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sparse, few, scattered. What is the reason? Have the bhikkhus gone to other directions? Then Venerable Ānanda, not discerning their meeting the end of life due to kamma-vipāka, but discerning it due to their application to the meditation on foulness, said, "Indeed, Bhante, Blessed One," and so on. Asking for another meditation subject for the bhikkhus to attain arahantship, he said, "It is good, Bhante, Blessed One," and so on. Its meaning is: "It is good, Bhante, Blessed One, that you declare another cause by which the Sangha of bhikkhus may be established in arahantship." For just as there are landing places for descending into the great ocean, so too there are many other meditation subjects for descending to Nibbāna, such as the ten recollections, the ten kasiṇas, the analysis of the four elements, the divine abidings, and mindfulness of breathing. Among these, may the Blessed One comfort the bhikkhus and declare some other meditation subject. This is the intention. Then the Blessed One, wishing to do so, sent forth the elder, saying, "Therefore, Ānanda," and so on. There, "to Vesālī" "Panissāya" means having approached Vesālī, around it, for a gāvuta, or even half a yojana, as many monks as dwell, all of them are to be assembled, this is the meaning. Having assembled all of them in the assembly hall, meaning, having gone themselves to a suitable place to go, and having sent junior monks elsewhere, in a moment, having gathered all the monks in the assembly hall. "Now, venerable sir, whatever time the Blessed One deems fit," here, this is the intention: The Blessed One, the community of monks is assembled, this is the time to give a Dhamma talk to the monks, to give instruction. Now, whatever you know to be the right time, that should be done. Discourse on Mindfulness of Breathing Concentration 165. Then the Blessed One… (as before) … addressed the monks: "This too, monks," having addressed them, and then, teaching another method for the attainment of arahantship different from the meditation on impurity taught previously, he said, "mindfulness of breathing concentration." Now, since this Pāli text was spoken by the Blessed One only for the purpose of showing a peaceful and refined meditation subject to the monks, therefore, without omitting anything, I will make an explanation here following the order of the meaning's construction. Among these, the construction of the phrase "This too, monks" is this: Monks, not only the meditation on impurity leads to the abandonment of defilements, but also this mindfulness of breathing concentration… (as before) … calms down. This is the explanation of the meaning here: "Ānāpānassati" means mindfulness that grasps the in-breaths and out-breaths. For it is said in the Paṭisambhidā: "Āna is in-breath, not out-breath. Apāna is out-breath, not in-breath. Mindfulness arises by way of in-breath, mindfulness arises by way of out-breath. To one who breathes in, it arises, to one who breathes out, it arises." (Paṭi. Ma. 1.160). "Samādhi" means one-pointedness of mind that has arisen together with that mindfulness that grasps in-breaths and out-breaths; and this teaching is primarily about concentration, not primarily about mindfulness. Therefore, concentration associated with mindfulness of breathing is mindfulness of breathing concentration, or concentration in mindfulness of breathing is mindfulness of breathing concentration. Thus, here the meaning should be understood. "Developed" means produced and increased. "Made much of" means done again and again. "Peaceful and sublime" means peaceful and sublime; in both cases, the particle "eva" (indeed) should be understood as a rule. What is said here? For just as the meditation on impurity is peaceful and sublime only in terms of penetration, but not peaceful nor sublime in terms of its object, because its object is gross and repulsive, so this (meditation) is not unpeaceful or unsublime in any way. Moreover, it is peaceful, calmed, and extinguished in terms of the peacefulness of its object, and in terms of the peacefulness of the factors of penetration. It is sublime and satisfying in terms of the sublimity of its object, and in terms of the sublimity of its factors. Therefore it is said: "Peaceful and sublime." Here, regarding "unmixed and pleasant abiding," "asecanako" means there is no mixing, it is unmixed, unscattered, unique, special. There is no peacefulness here by preliminary work or by access concentration; rather, from the very first moment of attention, it is peaceful and sublime by its own nature—this is the meaning. Some, however, say that "asecanako" means unmixed, potent, naturally sweet. Thus, this "unmixed" (abiding) is to be understood as "pleasant abiding" because it leads to the attainment of bodily and mental happiness at every moment of application. "As they arise, as they arise" means as they are not suppressed, as they are not suppressed. "Evil" means bad. "Unwholesome states" means states born of unskillfulness. "Makes them disappear on the spot" means makes them disappear, suppresses them instantly. "Calms them down" means calms them down well, or, being conducive to penetration, gradually eradicates them through the growth of the noble path, and causes them to subside—this is also the meaning. "Just as" is an illustrative example. "In the last month of summer" means in the month of Āsāḷha. "Raised dust and dirt" means dust and fine particles, raised up, stirred up into the sky from the earth, which has been broken up by the trampling of cattle and buffaloes, etc., and dried by wind and sun for half a month. "A great unseasonal cloud" means one that has risen, covering the entire sky, in the bright fortnight of Āsāḷha, completely... A half-month rain cloud. It is here meant as an unseasonal cloud, because it arose at a time when there was no rain. It makes it disappear from its place, it calms it down, it makes it vanish in an instant, it makes it settle on the earth. Just so, this is an illustration of the simile. What follows is in the same manner as stated. Now, "And how, monks, is the mindfulness of breathing concentration developed?" Here, "how" is a question desiring to elaborate on the development of mindfulness of breathing concentration in various ways. "And how, monks, is the mindfulness of breathing concentration developed?" is an indication of the doctrine questioned with the desire to elaborate in various ways. The same method applies to the second phrase. This is the brief meaning here: "Monks, in what way, in what manner, by what method is the mindfulness of breathing concentration developed? In what way, being cultivated, does it… …calm down?" Now, elaborating on that meaning, he says, "Here, monks," and so on. Therein, "Here, monks, a monk" means a monk in this Dispensation, monks. For here, the word "here" indicates the Dispensation as the support for the person who brings about all kinds of mindfulness of breathing concentration, and it refutes the existence of such in other dispensations. For it has been said: "Here, monks, is a recluse… …empty are the doctrines of others, of other recluses" (MN 1.139). Therefore it is said: "a monk in this Dispensation." "Gone to the forest… …or gone to a secluded dwelling" this indicates the adoption of a suitable dwelling for the development of mindfulness of breathing concentration. For the mind of this monk, which has long been diffused among objects such as forms, does not wish to ascend to the object of mindfulness of breathing concentration. Like a cart yoked with a stubborn ox, it runs off the path. Therefore, just as a cowherd, desiring to tame a stubborn calf that has grown by drinking all the milk from a stubborn cow, would remove it from the cow, and having dug a large post in a secluded spot, would tie it there with a rope. Then that calf, struggling here and there, being unable to escape, He would sit down or lie down by that very post. Even so, this bhikkhu, desiring to tame his wicked mind, which has grown by long drinking of the flavors of forms and so on, should remove it from the objects of forms and so on, and lead it into a forest or… …an empty house, and there bind it with the rope of mindfulness to the post of in-breaths and out-breaths. Thus, that mind of his, though it may struggle here and there, not finding its accustomed object, and unable to break the rope of mindfulness and flee, will sit down and lie down by that very object through access and absorption. Therefore, the ancients said: “As a man here would bind a wild calf to a post; So should one bind one’s own mind firmly to the object with mindfulness.” Thus, this dwelling place becomes suitable for his meditation. Therefore, it was said: “This is a declaration of his acquisition of a dwelling place suitable for the development of concentration through mindfulness of breathing.” Or, because this meditation object, which is supreme among the types of meditation objects, the foundation for the special attainments and the happy abiding in this very life of the All-Enlightened Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas, and Buddha’s disciples— the meditation on mindfulness of breathing— is not easy to accomplish without abandoning the vicinity of a village, which is noisy with the sounds of men, women, elephants, horses, and so on, because sound is a thorn to jhāna. But in a village-less forest, it is easy for a meditator to take up this meditation object, to generate the fourth jhāna of mindfulness of breathing, and making that the basis, to contemplate the formations and attain the highest fruit, Arahantship. Therefore, the Blessed One, showing a suitable dwelling place for him, said, “Having gone to the forest, or…” and so on. Indeed, the Blessed One is like a master of site planning. Just as a master of site planning, having seen and thoroughly examined a city site, advises, “Build a city here,” and when the city is completed auspiciously,