question concerning "mindfulness of the breath" meditation.

[gil-galad]

Hi

I have a question concerning later (more deeper) stages of a kind of Buddhist meditation (the mindfulness of breath meditation). Could anyone, who is practised in this form of meditation, give me some suggestions?

As I know, in the early stages of the practice (where the ancient Buddhist text on meditation, the Anapana Sutta says "Breathing in long breath, one knows: 'I breathe in a long breath'..."), one can do the following: while focusing on 'holding the mind constantly on the breath', the meditator should pay a (mild) attention to certain characteristics of the breath (the length of each in/out-breath, whether the breath is heavy or light, its beginning/end, or the pause between the breath). By observing these characteristics, the attention is established more easily on the breathing.

However, as I know it, later on (in deeper states), the observance of these characteristics should be better dropped, and only the simple act of ,,holding the mind constantly on the breath" remains. My question refers to this stage:

1,Is this the stage, when the Anapana Sutta says: ,, ...conscious of the whole (breath) body, I shall breathe in – the meditator trains himself-conscious of the whole (breath) body I breathe out..."?

2,When should I drop focusing on the above mentioned characteristics (the length of each in/out-breath, whether the breath is heavy or light, its beginning/end, or the pause between the breaths)? If this happens automatically, then its all fine. However, in case this does not happen by itself, when should I stop focusing on them?:
2/a,Should I drop them when I feel that my attention is well-established on the breath, and such 'tools' are no longer necessary?
2/b,Or should I stop focusing on them only when I feel that, since I has reached a more subtle mental state, the act of observing them has become too 'intrusive'(or too coarse), and it disrupts the stillness of my mind?

3,When reaching later (more deeper) stages, should I stop deliberately paying attention to all above mentioned characteristics of the breath? Or only the observance of the 'duration of the breath' should be dropped (and the observance of the others retained)?

Many Thanks for the help.

[CFTraveler]

I don't presume to know the answer to your question, but I have found this website to be very helpful regarding Vipassana-type meditation.
http://www.dharmaoverground.org/web/guest/dharma-wiki/-/wiki/Main/all_pages;jsessionid=BF73FC330CFCA43659F2A10D6EB33601