Anapanasati Day

Buddhism is a nontheistic religion or philosophy (Sanskrit: धर्म dharma; Pali: धम्म dhamma) that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha, commonly known as the Buddha ("the awakened one"). According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha lived and taught in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. He is recognized by Buddhists as an awakened or enlightened teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings end their suffering through the elimination of ignorance and craving. Buddhists believe that this is accomplished through the direct understanding and perception of dependent origination and the Four Noble Truths.

Theravāda (Sanskrit: थेरवाद, Pali, literally "school of the elder monks") is a branch of Buddhism that uses the teaching of the Pāli Canon, a collection of the oldest recorded Buddhist texts, as its doctrinal core, but also includes a rich diversity of traditions and practices that have developed over its long history of interactions with cultures and communities. It is the dominant form of religion in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and is practised by minority groups in Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, Nepal, and Vietnam. In addition, the diaspora of all of these groups as well as converts around the world practise Theravāda Buddhism.

Anapanasati Day - Buddhist festival celebrated followers of Theravada. Celebrated of the full moon of the tenth month in the lunar calendar. It begins almost immediately after the final holiday celebrations Pavarana. According to legend, at the end of the rainy season, the Buddha was so pleased with the achievements of their students, which inspired them to extend privacy for another month. On the night of the full moon, when it ended the additional privacy, the Buddha gave his famous teaching about the regulation of breathing, used during meditation (anapanasati). During the festival the monks read excerpts from the works of the congregation, which tells about the life of Buddha. Many believers at this time move to the monastery, where they sleep and eat a meal. Reading the text is interrupted only by prayers and monastic meal. At the monastery festive atmosphere reigns. It drained a lot of traders who traditionally sell here sweets, fruit, food and toys.

Ānāpānasati (Pali; Sanskrit ānāpānasmṛti), meaning "mindfulness of breathing" ("sati" means mindfulness; "ānāpāna" refers to inhalation and exhalation), is a form of Buddhist meditation now common to Tibetan, Zen, Tiantai and Theravada Buddhism as well as Western-based mindfulness programs. Anapanasati means to feel the sensations caused by the movements of the breath in the body as is practiced in the context of mindfulness. Anapanasati is a core meditation practice in Theravada, Tiantai and Chan traditions of Buddhism as well as a part of many mindfulness programs. In both ancient and modern times, anapanasati by itself is likely the most widely used Buddhist method for contemplating bodily phenomena.

The Ānāpānasati Sutta specifically concerns mindfulness of inhalation and exhalation, as a part of paying attention to one's body in quietude, and recommends the practice of anapanasati meditation as a means of cultivating the Seven Factors of Enlightenment: sati (mindfulness), dhamma vicaya (analysis), viriya (persistence), which leads to pīti (rapture), then to passaddhi (serenity), which in turn leads to samadhi (concentration) and then to upekkhā (equanimity). Finally, the Buddha taught that, with these factors developed in this progression, the practice of anapanasati would lead to release (Pali: vimutti; Sanskrit mokṣs) from dukkha (suffering), in which one realizes nibbana.