I have been practicing Anapanasati a lot recently. Can anybody explain what this is supposed to mean:
"[2] On whatever occasion an aspirant trains oneself to breathe in... and... out sensitive to bliss (piiti); trains oneself to breathe in... and... out sensitive to joy (sukha); trains oneself to breathe in... and... out sensitive to mental structures; trains oneself to breathe in... and... out calming mental structures: On that occasion the aspirant remains focused upon sensations -- ardent, alert, and mindful -- subduing greed and anxiety with reference to the world. I tell you, aspirants, that this -- close attention to in-and-out breaths -- is classed as a feeling among feelings, which is why the aspirant on that occasion remains focused on feelings in and of themselves -- ardent, alert, and mindful -- putting aside greed and anxiety with reference to the world.
"A feeling among feelings"?
The thing to understand is the period when Siddhartha Gautama lived had a different world-view than we have toady. Their world-view was based upon 5 elements and 5 aggregates, etc. The list of 5 aggregates is below. Sensation (vedana) is one of them. The "feeling among feelings" quote from a translation of the Anapanasati sutta above refers to Sensation (vedana). While the 5 aggregates were seen as the vehicle of clinging, there were nonetheless also the vehicle of meditation practice (sati) as described in the suttas.
1 Body, matter, physical form rupa
2 Sensation vedana
3 Perception sañña
4 Mental formations, structures, beliefs or projections sañkhara
5 Cognition, or volition viññana
The confusion for you, as I see it, is distinguishing between the charisms (jhana-nimitta) and normal physical sensation. The trick is to learn to pull one's attention away from the physical senses and bring ones attention to the charisms (jhana-nimitta). The problem is, if one does not know what the charisms are, then how does one bring one's attention to them?
My suggestion is, when practicing meditation, then just use the physical senses as a vehicle of self-awareness, while avoiding obsessions and compulsions regarding the sensory domain. Through this one works on stilling one's mind. After the mind is well established in stillness, then the mind is quiet enough for the awareness to detect the charisms (jhana-nimitta).
