Kasiṇa Practice in Yogāvacara’s Manual

In the Yogāvacara’s Manual, based on Sri Lankan tradition, instructions are placed just after the meditation on mindfulness of breathing (ānāpānasati). There, it is stated that the practitioner, after ⁷³ having repeated the invocation — the adoration of and the taking of refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha and, having fulfilled other necessary observances, should aspire first for the meditation on the earth (paṭhavī-kasiṇa), as follows: ⁷⁴

In reverence for the teachings of the Fully-Enlightened One, the

Buddha Gotama, I strive to fulfill His teachings.

I ask for uggaha nimitta, paṭibhāga nimitta, the method of

concentration (upacāra), the method of appanā concentration, the ten kasiṇas, of the paṭhavī-kasiṇa, in my innermost being. Nine are the supramundane states... (Viz.: the four paths, the four

fruitions, and nibbāna.) I aspire for them to be revealed to me one by one, from stage to stage. May that state be manifest in me in the five aggregates (khandha),

in the doors (dvāra) of the eye, the mind, and the sense of touch. When I sit down to practice meditation, at that very moment, by the aid of this true utterance, may it shine forth, and may the success be mine. May the Buddha’s virtue be my refuge; may the virtue of the

dhamma and the sangha be my refuge; may my teacher’s virtue be my refuge; may a well-practiced kammaṭṭhāna be my refuge; may the virtue of all the kammaṭṭhānas be my refuge. Now I dedicate my life to the Triple Gem, to the Fivefold Gem. May I reach nibbāna; may this be an aid to [the attainment of] nibbāna.

• One then sits down cross-legged, with body erect, and

establishes mindfulness within. Next, one proceeds with meditation upon the mental image of the earth-kasiṇa, repeating the words “earth-kasiṇa”, “earth-kasiṇa” (“ paṭhavī-kasiṇa”), while realizing “all is earth” (sabbaṁ paṭhavī). • At this point, the meditator is instructed to consider the twenty

solid constituent parts of the body that belong to the element of earth and the twelve that belong to the element of water, these being the thirty-two kinds of bodily blemishes these, are transient, void of individuality, and doomed to dissolve and pass away at death. Meditating thus, the two signs mentioned above (uggaha nimitta and paṭibhāga nimitta) will appear in succession. The mental image (uggaha nimitta) of these will not be so vivid in that it possesses the quality, or shape, of the kasiṇa. But the counterpart sign (paṭibhāga nimitta), or after-image, will arise, breaking up the stream of the lifecontinuum (bhavaṅga-sota), piercing, as it was, the mental image, like a crystal mirror or jewel taken out from its covering, or the moon breaking through the clouds. Here,

the concept of the element of earth (paṭhavī-dhātu, or paṭhavī-mahābhūta) appears, wholly occupying the mind. • Thereafter, the meditator pursues the practice in order to

reach the second jhāna, forming the aspiration: “May I attain the second jhāna in the innermost reaches of my being ... in the earth-kasiṇa, by proceeding with meditation in due order.” • As a result, the element of heat (tejo-dhātu, or tejo-

mahābhūta) appears, and, observing its thought moments, one should place it about an inch above the (imaginary spot) of the first absorption (jhāna) in due order. • In the next stage, the same element is placed in reverse order,

where, previously, it was placed in due order. The rest is as described above. • In the meditation for the third jhāna, the element of cohesion

(āpo-dhātu, or āpo-mahābhūta) appears. Observing it well, one should place it in due order about an inch above the spot of the second jhāna. • After the attainment of the third jhāna, one should place it in

reverse order, where, previously, it was placed in due order. • One continues to meditate, aspiring for the fourth jhāna. The

element of mobility (vāyo-dhātu, or vāyo-mahābhūta) appears. Observing it well, one places it with the three thought moments in due order an inch above the spot of the third jhāna. • After the attainment of the fourth jhāna, one should place it in

reverse order, where, previously, it was placed in due order. • The aspiration for the fifth jhāna as follows. The element of

space (ākāsa) appears therein. Carefully observing the three thought moments, one places them about an inch above the spot of the fourth jhāna and between it and the heart. • After the attainment of the fifth jhāna, one should place it in

reverse order, where, previously, it was placed in due order. • Following that, the meditator is instructed to pursue all the

methods, beginning with the invocation and preliminaries,

which are necessary at each stage of practice, completing them both in due order and in reverse order. • The meditation of each jhāna contains four phases: (1) from

the beginning up to the appearance of the signs (nimitta); (2) from the appearance of the signs up to the appearance of the corresponding jhāna factor (jhānaṅga) of each jhāna and the placing of the three thought moments in proper order in the places described; (3) observation of righteous thought (dhamma-saññā) and aspiration for jhāna, followed by withdrawal of the thought moments from the tip of the nose and arrangement of them in the proper places; and (4) the attainment of jhāna and the arrangement of the thought moments in reverse order in the proper places. • After the attainment of all the five absorptions, meditators

should train themselves in the practice of each, both in direct and reverse orders, following either method, placing each above or around the navel, as they prefer.

The same method is followed in the practice of the other kasiṇas. Each one should be practiced in the four ways, as described above for the earth-kasiṇa.

Having attained the four jhānas with each of the ten kasiṇas, the practitioner can proceed to develop the four immaterial jhānas (arūpajhāna), with all the kasiṇas except the space kasiṇa (since space is not materiality, the space kasiṇa cannot be used to surmount the kasiṇa materiality to attain an immaterial jhāna). For this, he or she should first reflect upon the disadvantages of materiality. The human body, which is produced by the sperm and egg of parents, is called the produced body, which is open to assault with weapons, and to being hit, beaten, and tortured and open to many diseases. Because people have a produced body made of materiality, they are subject to various kinds of suffering. If people can be free of that materiality, they can also be free of the suffering. Even though a fourth fine-material jhāna surpasses gross physical materiality, it is still based on it. Thus practitioner needs to surmount the kasiṇa materiality. Having considered this, and with no desire now for the kasiṇa materiality, he/she should re-establish the fourth jhāna with one of the nine kasiṇas, emerge from it, and reflect on its disadvantages: it is based on materiality, which he/she no longer desire; it has joy of the third jhāna as its near enemy; and it is grosser than the four immaterial jhānas. But he/she do not need to reflect on the disadvantages of the mental formations (the two jhāna factors) in the fourth jhāna,

because they are the same as in the immaterial jhānas. With no desire now for the fourth fine-material jhāna, he/she should also reflect on the more peaceful nature of the arūpa jhānas. Then expand his/her nimitta, say, of the kasiṇa, so that it is boundless, or as much as he/she wish, and replace the kasiṇa materiality with the space it occupies, by concentrating on the space as “space”…, “space”…, “space”…, or “boundless space”…, “boundless space”…, “boundless space”… . What remains is the boundless space formerly occupied by the kasiṇa. If unable to do so, the practitioner should discern and concentrate on the space of one place in the kasiṇa nimitta, and then expand that up to the infinite universe. As a result, the entire kasiṇa nimitta is replaced by boundless space. The practitioner will continue to concentrate on the boundless space nimitta, until he/she reach jhāna, and then develop the five masteries. This is the first immaterial jhāna (the base of boundless space).

The second immaterial jhāna has as its object the base-ofboundless-space consciousness, which had boundless space as its object. To develop the base of boundless consciousness, the practitioner should reflect on the disadvantages of the base of boundless space: it has the fourth fine-material jhāna as it’s near enemy, and is not as peaceful as the base of boundless consciousness. With no desire now for the base of boundless space, he/she should also reflect on the more peaceful nature of the base of boundless consciousness. Then concentrate again and again on the consciousness that had boundless space as its object, and note it as “boundless consciousness - boundless consciousness” or just “ consciousness – consciousness”. Continue to concentrate on the boundless-consciousness nimitta, until you reach jhāna, and then develop the five masteries. This is then the second immaterial jhāna, also called the base of boundless consciousness.

The third immaterial jhāna has as its object the absence of the consciousness that had boundless space as its object, and which was itself the object of the base of boundless consciousness. To develop the base of nothingness, practitioner should reflect on the disadvantages of the base of boundless consciousness, it has the base of boundless space as its near enemy and is not as peaceful as the base of nothingness. With no desire now for the base of boundless consciousness, he/she should also reflect on the more peaceful nature of the base of nothingness. Then concentrate on the absence of the consciousness that had boundless space as its object. There were two jhāna consciousnesses: first the consciousness of base of boundless space and then that of the base of boundless consciousness. Two consciousnesses cannot arise in one consciousness moment. When the consciousness of the base of boundless space was present, the other consciousness could not be present too, and vice versa. So, he/she will take the absence of the consciousness of the

base of boundless-space as object, and note it as “nothingness”…, “ nothingness”…, “nothingness”… or “absence”… , “absence”… , “ absence”… . Continuing to concentrate on that nimitta, practitioner will reach jhāna, and develop the five masteries. This is then the third immaterial jhāna.

The fourth immaterial jhāna is also called the base of neither perception nor non-perception, because the perception in this jhāna is extremely subtle. All the mental formations in this jhāna are extremely subtle; there is also neither feeling nor non-feeling, neither consciousness nor non-consciousness, neither contact nor non-contact etc. But the jhāna is explained in terms of perception, and it has as object the consciousness of the base of nothingness. To develop the base of neither perception nor non-perception, practitioner must reflect on the disadvantages of the base of nothingness: it has the base of boundless consciousness as it’s near enemy, and is not as peaceful as the base of neither perception nor nonperception. Furthermore, perception is a disease, a boil and a dart. With no desire now for the base of nothingness, practitioner should also reflect on the more peaceful nature of the base of neither perception nor nonperception. Then concentrate again and again on the consciousness of the base of nothingness as “peaceful”… , “peaceful”… , “peaceful”… . Practitioner must continue in this way, until he/she reach jhāna, and develop the five masteries. This is then the fourth immaterial jhāna, also called the base of neither-perception-nor non-perception.

Notes

F. L. Woodward, Manual of a Mystic: The Yogāvacara’s Manual, (London: PTS, 1916), 73 pp. 46-52.
Paravahera Vajirañāṇa, Buddhist Meditation in Theory and Practice, pp. 123-126.