16 Breaths: Summary of Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing

A common method of meditation is to breath with mindfulness.  One way of doing this is to focus on ideas or concepts as you breath.

Here are 16 concepts to consider while meditation.  As summarized from the Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing. Set a timer, with 16 intervals, then breath and focus on these concepts for the duration of each interval.  

Below is a parable of how these breaths came about:

The student, goes to the forest, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty house, sits legs crossed, the body straight, and mindfulness established in front.

Mindfully he breathes in or breathes out.

Breathing in long knows, I breathe in long.
Breathing out long knows, I breathe out long.

Breathing in short knows, I breathe in short.
Breathing out short knows, I breathe out short.

Training myself to calm the bodily decisively I breathe in.
Training myself calming the bodily decisively I breathe out.

Training myself to experience joy I breathe in.
Training myself to experience joy I breathe out.

Training myself to experience pleasantness I breathe in.
Training myself to experience pleasantness I breathe out.

Training myself to experience mental clarity I breathe in.
Training myself to experience mental clarity I breathe out.

Training myself to calm the mental state I breathe in.
Trains myself to calm the mental state I breathe out,

Training myself to experience the mental state I breathing in.
Training myself to experience the mental state I breathe out.

Training myself with a rejoicing mind I breathe in.
Training myself with a rejoicing mind I breathe out.

Training myself with a concentrated mind I breathe in.
Training myself with a concentrated mind I breathe out.

Training myself with a released mind I breathe in.
Training myself with a released mind I breathe out.

Training myself reflecting on impermanence I breathe in.
Training myself reflecting on impermanence I breathe out.

Training myself to reflect on detachment I breathe in.
Training myself to reflect on detachment I breathe out.

Training myself to reflect on cessation I breathe in.
Training myself to reflect on cessation I breathe out.

Training myself to reflect on giving up I breathe in.
Training myself to reflect on giving up, I breathe out.

Developed and made much in this manner, in and out breathing brings much fruit and great benefits.