I am trying to find the unique occurences of when earth element meditation is described in the suttas. I was wondering if folks knew of any occurences I had missed, or had general comments to make about this type of meditation.
Here is what I have found so far:
MN 62 (Thanissaro)
Rahula, any form whatsoever that is past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near: every form is to be seen as it actually is with right discernment as: ‘This is not mine. This is not my self. This is not what I am.’ There are these five properties, Rahula. Which five? The earth property, the water property, the fire property, the wind property, & the space property.
And what is the earth property? The earth property can be either internal or external. What is the internal earth property? Anything internal, within oneself, that’s hard, solid, & sustained (by craving): head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, membranes, spleen, lungs, large intestines, small intestines, contents of the stomach, feces, or anything else internal, within oneself, that’s hard, solid, and sustained: This is called the internal earth property. Now both the internal earth property & the external earth property are simply earth property. And that should be seen as it actually is present with right discernment: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is present with right discernment, one becomes disenchanted with the earth property and makes the earth property fade from the mind.
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Rahula, develop the meditation in tune with earth. For when you are developing the meditation in tune with earth, agreeable & disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not stay in charge of your mind. Just as when people throw what is clean or unclean on the earth — feces, urine, saliva, pus, or blood — the earth is not horrified, humiliated, or disgusted by it; in the same way, when you are developing the meditation in tune with earth, agreeable & disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not stay in charge of your mind.
MN 77 (Thanissaro)
Further, I have pointed out to my disciples the path of practice, practicing in line with which they develop the ten totality-dimensions: One perceives the earth-totality [kasiṇa] above, below, all-around: non-dual [advayaṁ], immeasurable. One perceives the water-totality… the fire-totality… the wind-totality… the blue-totality… the yellow-totality… the red-totality… the white-totality… the space-totality… the consciousness-totality above, below, all-around: non-dual, immeasurable.12 And there many of my disciples remain, having attained the perfection & culmination of direct knowledge.
“Bhikkhus, there are these ten kasiṇa bases. What ten? One person perceives the earth kasiṇa above, below, across, undivided, measureless. One person perceives the water kasiṇa … the fire kasiṇa … the air kasiṇa … the blue kasiṇa … the yellow kasiṇa … the red kasiṇa … the white kasiṇa … the space kasiṇa … the consciousness kasiṇa above, below, across, undivided, measureless. These are the ten kasiṇa bases. Of these ten kasiṇa bases, this is the foremost, namely, when one perceives the consciousness kasiṇaabove, below, across, undivided, measureless. There are beings who are percipient in such a way. But even for beings who are percipient in such a way there is alteration; there is change. Seeing this thus, bhikkhus, the instructed noble disciple becomes disenchanted with it; being disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate toward the foremost, not to speak of what is inferior.
MN 77 (Sujato)
Furthermore, I have explained to my disciples a practice that they use to develop the ten universal dimensions of meditation.
Someone perceives the meditation on universal earth above, below, across, undivided and limitless.
They perceive the meditation on universal water … the meditation on universal fire … the meditation on universal air … the meditation on universal blue … the meditation on universal yellow … the meditation on universal red … the meditation on universal white … the meditation on universal space … the meditation on universal consciousness above, below, across, undivided and limitless.
And many of my disciples meditate on that having attained perfection and consummation of insight.
SA 109 (Bhikkhu Analayo)
How does he see bodily form as the self? Having attained the earth kasiṇa and contemplated it, he thinks: ‘Earth is the self, the self is earth, the self and earth are just one, not two, they are not different, they are not separate.’
The Path of Discrimination (Bhikkhu Nanamoli)
66–71. The earth principle is to be directly known. The water principle … The fire principle … The air principle … The space principle … The consciousness principle …
72–81. The earth kasina is to be directly known. The water kasina … The fire kasina … The air kasina … The blue kasina … The yellow kasina … The red kasina … The white kasina … The space kasina … The consciousness kasina …
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Eight kinds of concentration: Concentration as mental unification and non-distraction through the earth kasina, concentration … through the water kasina … through the fire kasina … through the air kasina … through the blue kasina … through the yellow kasina … through the red kasina … concentration as mental unification and non-distraction through the white kasina.
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Non-distraction as unification of cognizance through the earth kasina … through the water kasina … through the fire kasina … through the air kasina … through the blue kasina … through the yellow kasina … through the red kasina … through the white kasina … through the space kasina … through the consciousness kasina …
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With his cognizance thus developed, purified and brightened, he directs, he inclines, his cognizance to the knowledge of success (supernormal power). He enjoys the various kinds of success (supernormal powers); having been one, he becomes many, having been many, he becomes one; he appears and vanishes; he goes unhindered through walls, through enclosures, through mountains, as though in open space; he dives in and out of the earth as though in water, he goes on unbroken water as though on earth; seated cross-legged he travels in space like a winged bird; with his hands he touches and strokes the moon and sun so mighty and powerful; he wields bodily mastery even as far as the Brahmā World.
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- (1) How does he see materiality as self? Here someone sees the earth kasina as self thus “What the earth kasina is, that I am; what I am, that the earth kasina is”, and he sees the earth kasina and self as identical. Just as one sees a lighted lamp’s flame and colour as identical, thus “What the flame is, that the colour is; what the colour is, that the flame is”, so too, here someone sees … identical.
MN 121 (Sujato)
Consider this stilt longhouse of Migāra’s mother. It’s empty of elephants, cows, horses, and mares; of gold and money; and of gatherings of men and women. There is only this that is not emptiness, namely, the oneness dependent on the mendicant Saṅgha. In the same way, a mendicant—ignoring the perception of the village and the perception of people—focuses on the oneness dependent on the perception of wilderness. Their mind becomes secure, confident, settled, and decided in that perception of wilderness. They understand: ‘Here there is no stress due to the perception of village or the perception of people. There is only this modicum of stress, namely the oneness dependent on the perception of wilderness.’ They understand: ‘This field of perception is empty of the perception of the village. It is empty of the perception of people. There is only this that is not emptiness, namely the oneness dependent on the perception of wilderness.’ And so they regard it as empty of what is not there, but as to what remains they understand that it is present. That’s how emptiness is born in them—genuine, undistorted, and pure.
Furthermore, a mendicant—ignoring the perception of people and the perception of wilderness—focuses on the oneness dependent on the perception of earth. Their mind becomes secure, confident, settled, and decided in that perception of earth. As a bull’s hide is rid of folds when fully stretched out by a hundred pegs, so too, ignoring the hilly terrain, inaccessible riverlands, stumps and thorns, and rugged mountains, they focus on the oneness dependent on the perception of earth. Their mind becomes secure, confident, settled, and decided in that perception of earth. They understand: ‘Here there is no stress due to the perception of people or the perception of wilderness. There is only this modicum of stress, namely the oneness dependent on the perception of earth.’ They understand: ‘This field of perception is empty of the perception of people. It is empty of the perception of wilderness. There is only this that is not emptiness, namely the oneness dependent on the perception of earth.’ And so they regard it as empty of what is not there, but as to what remains they understand that it is present. That’s how emptiness is born in them—genuine, undistorted, and pure.
Furthermore, a mendicant—ignoring the perception of wilderness and the perception of earth—focuses on the oneness dependent on the perception of the dimension of infinite space.
Does anybody know of other occurences? Searching for “earth” on suttacentral naturally turns up a lot of results, but most of these don’t have to do with meditation, or if they do they are very brief. Are there any folks here which try to meditate on the earth / the earth element? How do they do so?