Buddhadasa's anapanasati

Domain XIII · Contemplative & religious disciplines · Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu · 1959 · Chaiya, Thailand

What it is

What it is: a Theravāda method of mindfulness with breathing based on the Ānāpānasati Sutta of the Majjhima Nikāya, taught by the Thai monk Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu (signing as Buddhadāsa Indapañño) and still taught in monthly ten-day silent retreats at the Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage in…

Format

• Format and timing as sources state them:
• Home practice: the 1996 text encourages practice even for two minutes when that is all the time available, and suggests a short period each session, as Santikaro suggests, on a stage before moving on.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Tradition format: ten-day silent residential retreats beginning on the first of each month at the Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage, with in-person registration on the last day of the previous month; no shorter stays.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• the client using this insight to control the breath tightly (contrary to the teaching). Working: a felt sense of the link, with less effort.
• a client minimising their history to be accepted; plans to go during an acute crisis. Working: a realistic, shared plan and a debrief booked.
• ERP framed as attacking the faith; the teacher unintentionally providing reassurance. Working: practice returns to curiosity; checking falls.
• numbness, blankness or depersonalisation mistaken for concentration (the teaching itself rejects a "semicomatose" state). Working: alert steadiness.
• flashbacks, numbing, spacing out, sudden fear during breath focus. Working: the client can stay within a tolerable range and recover quickly after a wobble.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.