Table of Contents

  • Synopsis
    • AN 10.25 kasiṇa
      • (10 kasinas)
      • 1995 bodhi footnote kasina
      • 1996 bodhi footnote "advaya" nondual
    • AN 10.25 THOX commentary

Synopsis

AN 10.25 kasiṇa

kasiṇa-suttaṃ n (AN 10.25)
 AN 10.25 Kasiṇa-discourse
♦ 25. VAR “dasay-imāni, bhikkhave, kasiṇ'-āyatanāni.
 "(there are) ten-(of)-these, ********* kasina-bases.
katamāni dasa?
 which ten? [- 1995 , 1996 -]

(10 kasinas)

(10 kasiṇas: 1. pathavī 2. āpo 3. tejo 4. vāyo 5. nīla 6. pīta 7. lohita 8. odāta 9. ākāsā 10. viññāṇa)
 (10 kasinas: 1. earth 2. water 3. fire 4. air 5. blue 6. yellow 7. red 8. white 9. space 10. consciousness)
1. pathavī-kasiṇam-eko sañjānāti
 1. earth-kasina; -- one [person] perceives (it)
uddhaṃ adho tiriyaṃ
 above, below, across,
a-dvayaṃ ap-pamāṇaṃ;
 non-dual, measure-less.
2. āpo-kasiṇam-eko sañjānāti
 2. water-kasina; -- one [person] perceives (it)
uddhaṃ adho tiriyaṃ
 above, below, across,
a-dvayaṃ ap-pamāṇaṃ;
 non-dual, measure-less.
3. tejo-kasiṇam-eko sañjānāti
 3. fire-kasina; -- one [person] perceives (it)
uddhaṃ adho tiriyaṃ
 above, below, across,
a-dvayaṃ ap-pamāṇaṃ;
 non-dual, measure-less.
4. vāyo-kasiṇam-eko sañjānāti
 4. air-kasina; -- one [person] perceives (it)
uddhaṃ adho tiriyaṃ
 above, below, across,
a-dvayaṃ ap-pamāṇaṃ;
 non-dual, measure-less.
5. nīla-kasiṇam-eko sañjānāti
 5. blue-kasina; -- one [person] perceives (it)
uddhaṃ adho tiriyaṃ
 above, below, across,
a-dvayaṃ ap-pamāṇaṃ;
 non-dual, measure-less.
6. pīta-kasiṇam-eko sañjānāti
 6. yellow-kasina; -- one [person] perceives (it)
uddhaṃ adho tiriyaṃ
 above, below, across,
a-dvayaṃ ap-pamāṇaṃ;
 non-dual, measure-less.
7. lohita-kasiṇam-eko sañjānāti
 7. red-kasina; -- one [person] perceives (it)
uddhaṃ adho tiriyaṃ
 above, below, across,
a-dvayaṃ ap-pamāṇaṃ;
 non-dual, measure-less.
8. odāta-kasiṇam-eko sañjānāti
 8. white-kasina; -- one [person] perceives (it)
uddhaṃ adho tiriyaṃ
 above, below, across,
a-dvayaṃ ap-pamāṇaṃ;
 non-dual, measure-less.
9. ākāsa-kasiṇam-eko sañjānāti
 9. space-kasina; -- one [person] perceives (it)
uddhaṃ adho tiriyaṃ
 above, below, across,
a-dvayaṃ ap-pamāṇaṃ;
 non-dual, measure-less.
10. viññāṇa-kasiṇam-eko sañjānāti
 10. consciousness-kasina; -- one [person] perceives (it)
uddhaṃ adho tiriyaṃ
 above, below, across,
a-dvayaṃ ap-pamāṇaṃ;
 non-dual, measure-less.
imāni kho, bhikkhave, dasa kasiṇ'-āyatanānī”ti.
 these ***, *********, (are the) ten kasiṇa-bases.”
pañcamaṃ.
 (end of sutta)

1995 bodhi footnote kasina

Kasiṇāyatanāni. The kasiṇas are disks representing elements or colors used as objects of samādhi meditation.
For example, the earth kasiṇa is a disk filled with reddish brown clay; the water kasiṇa is a bowl of water; the color kasiṇas are colored disks. Though the meditator begins with a physical disk, when he can see the kasiṇa clearly with his mind’s eye, he discards the physical disk and focuses solely on the mental image.
As concentration deepens, another image called the “counterpart mark” (paṭibhāganimitta) emerges as an anchor of attention.
Vism chaps. 4 and 5 offer a detailed explanation of the kasiṇas. In the Vism system, the space kasiṇa (which was originally the base of the infinity of space) is replaced by the limited-space kasiṇa, and the consciousness kasiṇa by the light kasiṇa.

1996 bodhi footnote "advaya" nondual

“Nondual” (advaya) here refers simply to the presentation of the object and not to an underlying ontological unity.
Mp explains: “This is said because one [kasiṇa] does not acquire the quality of another. For just as, when one enters the water, there is only water and nothing else in all directions, so too, the earth kasiṇa is only the earth kasiṇa. It is unmixed with any other kasiṇa. The same method applies to the others.”
On appamāṇa, “measureless,” Mp says: “This is stated by way of measureless pervasion of this or that [object]. For pervading it with the mind, one pervades the whole thing; one does not grasp boundaries, thinking: ‘This is its beginning, this is its middle.’”

AN 10.25 THOX commentary

5. kasiṇa-sutta-vaṇṇanā
 kasina discourse ….
♦ 25. pañcame sakalaṭṭhena kasiṇāni, tadārammaṇānaṃ dhammānaṃ khettaṭṭhena adhiṭṭhānaṭṭhena vā āyatanānīti kasiṇāyatanāni.
 five of these …
uddhanti
 above
upari gagaṇatalābhimukhaṃ.
 upper…
adhoti
 below
heṭṭhā bhūmitalābhimukhaṃ.
tiriyanti
 across
khettamaṇḍalaṃ viya samantā paricchinditvā. ekacco hi uddhameva kasiṇaṃ vaḍḍheti, ekacco adho, ekacco samantato. tena tena vā kāraṇena evaṃ pasāreti ālokamiva rūpadassanakāmo. tena vuttaṃ — “pathavīkasiṇam-eko sañjānāti uddhaṃ adho tiriyan”ti.
A-dvayanti
 non dual
idaṃ pana ekassa aññabhāvānupagamanatthaṃ vuttaṃ. yathā hi udakaṃ paviṭṭhassa sabbadisāsu udakameva hoti na aññaṃ, evameva pathavīkasiṇaṃ pathavīkasiṇameva hoti. natthi tassa aññakasiṇasambhedoti. eseva nayo sabbattha.
Ap-pamāṇanti
 measureless
idaṃ tassa tassa pharaṇāppamāṇavasena vuttaṃ. tañhi cetasā pharanto sakalameva pharati, “ayamassa ādi, idaṃ majjhan”ti pamāṇaṃ na gaṇhāti.
Viññāṇa-kasiṇanti
 consciousness kasina
cettha kasiṇugghāṭimākāse pavattaviññāṇaṃ. tattha kasiṇavasena kasiṇugghāṭimākāse, kasiṇugghāṭimākāsavasena tattha pavattaviññāṇe uddhaṃadhotiriyatā veditabbā. ayamettha saṅkhepo, kammaṭṭhānabhāvanānayena panetāni pathavīkasiṇādīni vitthārato visuddhimagge (visuddhi. 1.51 ādayo) vuttāneva.