The Forty Meditation Subjects - List

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The forty Buddhist meditation subjects are divided between meditation subjects on natural objects, subjects on bodily parts and subjects on mind.

These various meditation subjects that the Buddha prescribed for the development of serenity or calmness (Samatha) have been collected in the commentaries into a set called the forty kammatthana. The forty meditation subjects are distributed into seven categories, enumerated in the Visuddhimagga.
The seven categories of the forty mediation subjects are the ten kasinas (dasa kasinani), the ten kinds of foulness (dasa asubha), the ten recollections (dasa anussatiyo), the four divine abidings (or four illimitables) (catasso appamannayo), the four immaterial states (cataro aruppa), the one perception (eka sanna), and the one defining (or one analysis) (ekam vavatthanam).

The Forty Meditation Subjects

01. Earth. Kasina (things that one can behold directly). (पठवी कसिण; paṭhavī kasiṇa, pṛthivī kṛtsna)

By practicing the earth-kasiṇa (paṭhavī-kasiṇa), meditators will acquire: (1) the power of multiplying themselves, being one to appear as many; (2) the ability to create the solidity of earth in the air or on the water, and to walk, stand, sit, or lie upon it; and (3) mastery over material objects (abhibhāyatana), both the limited and the unlimited.

02. Water. Kasina (things that one can behold directly). (आपो कसिण; āpo kasiṇa, ap kṛtsna).

By practicing the water-kasiṇa (āpo-kasiṇa), meditators become able: (1) to dive into the earth as though into water; (2) to create rain, rivers, and seas; (3) to shake the earth and rocks, or the dwellings thereon, separately; and (4) to cause water to issue from all parts of the body as they choose.

03. Fire. Kasina (things that one can behold directly). (तेजो कसिण; tejo kasiṇa, tejas kṛtsna)

By practicing the fire-kasiṇa (tejo-kasiṇa), meditators: (1) acquire the power to cause smoke to issue from all parts of the body, and fire to come down from the sky like a shower; (2) by means of the heat that issues from their body, they can overpower that which comes from another person; (3) can cause anything to burn at will; (4) can create a light to see forms as though with divine eyes (dibba-cakkhu); and (5), when at the point of death, can cremate their own body spontaneously by means of the fire element.

04. Air, wind. Kasina (things that one can behold directly). (वायो कसिण; vāyo kasiṇa, vāyu kṛtsna)

By practicing the air-kasiṇa (vāyo-kasiṇa), meditators: (1) acquire the power to move themselves as swiftly as the wind; (2) can cause the wind to blow and the rain to fall wherever they wish; and (3) can cause any substance to remove itself from one place to another (“telekinesis”).

05. Yellow. Kasina (things that one can behold directly). (पीत कसिण; pīta kasiṇa, pīta kṛtsna)

See also the three treasures where yellow represents the Buddha, or taking shelter and protection in oneness, the absolute, unconditioned nature of all things.
By practicing the yellow-kasiṇa (pīta-kasiṇa), meditators: (1) can radiate yellow color from their body and diffuse it over the world; (2) can create yellow forms; (3) can change any substance whatever into gold; (4) can acquire mastery over yellow-colored objects by the above method; and (5) can attain aesthetic release.

06. Blue. Kasina (things that one can behold directly). (नील कसिण; nīla kasiṇa, nīla kṛtsna)

See also the three treasures where blue represents the Dharma or Dhamma (teachings).
By practicing the blue-kasiṇa (nīla-kasiṇa), meditators: (1) can radiate the world, within the limit of their will, with the blue color; (2) can create blue forms; (3) can create darkness; (4) can acquire mastery over blue-colored objects, whether of a clean or an unclean appearance; and (5) can attain aesthetic release75 (subha-vimokkha).

07. Red. Kasina (things that one can behold directly). (लोहित कसिण; lohita kasiṇa, lohita kṛtsna).

See also the treasures jewels where red represents the Sangha (the supportive community).
By practicing the red-kasiṇa (lohita-kasiṇa), meditators: (1) can display red color in the same way as already described; (2) can attain mastery over red-colored objects; and (3) can attain aesthetic release.

08. White. Kasina (things that one can behold directly). (ओदात कसिण; odāta kasiṇa, avadāta kṛtsna).

By practicing the white-kasiṇa (odāta-kasiṇa), meditators: (1) can create white forms; (2) can overcome sleepiness and sloth and torpor; (3) can dispel darkness; (4) can produce light to see forms as though with divine eyes; (5) can attain mastery over white colored objects; and (6) can attain aesthetic release.

09. Enclosed space, holes or apertures. Kasina (things that one can behold directly). (आकास कसिण; ākāsa kasiṇa, ākāśa kṛtsna).

By practicing the space-kasiṇa (ākāsa-kasiṇa), meditators: (1) can discover objects that are concealed; (2) can cause things to appear that are lost or hidden; (3) can see into the middle of rocks and into the earth; (4) can penetrate into them and create space within them; and (5) can pass through walls and other solid masses.

10. Bright light or consciousness. Kasina (things that one can behold directly). (विञ्ञाण कसिण; viññāṇa kasiṇa, vijñāna kṛtsna).

By practicing the light-kasiṇa (āloka-kasiṇa), meditators: (1) can create illumination; (2) can make illuminated forms materialize; (3) can overcome sloth and torpor; and (4) can produce light to see forms as though with divine eyes.