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Karen M. Andrews
April 15, 1992
Forty Meditations:
Who Should Use Which?
10 Kasinas (Devices): (pp. 139-165)1
The ten Kasinas are simple physical phenomena upon which one can
meditate. The first four are the traditional elements: earth, air,
fire, and water. These can be used by people of all dispositions. The
next four are on the four colors, blue, red, white, and yellow. These
should be used by people with hateful natures. The last two are space
and light. These can also be used by people of all dispositions.
10 Asubhas (Objects of Impurity):
The ten objects of impurity are various sorts of corpses. Meditating
on corpses is useful is reducing lust. This practice should only be
followed under the guidance of a master. Below is a list of the
asubhas and who will find them useful.
Swollen Corpse: Those who lust after beauty of form.
Discolored Corpse:
complexion.

Those who lust after beauty

of the skin and

Festering Corpse:
perfumes.

Those who lust after a sweet-smelling body, using

Fissured Corpse:
the body.

Those who lust after the firmness and solidity of

Mangled Corpse:
the breasts.

Those who lust after fulness of the flesh, such as

Dismembered Corpse:
body.

Those who lust after graceful movements of the

Cut & Dismembered Corpse:

joints of the body.
Blood-stained Corpse:
adornments.

Those who lust after perfection of the

Those who lust after

beauty produced by

Worm-infested Corpse: Those who are attached to the idea that the body
is "me" or "mine."
Skeleton: Those who lust after perfection of the teeth and nails.

10 Anussatis (Recollections): The first six anussatis (pp. 183-208)

are meditations upon the Buddha, the dharma, the sangha, the devas,
morality, and generosity. These meditations are most useful for those
with devotional natures. These practices will gladden the mind when it
is in distress and will increase faith and virtuous tendencies. The
first three are particularly useful in reducing fear and dread.
The next anussati is concentration on breathing (pp. 227-258). It
is a particularly useful meditation, being the only one the Buddha
described which can lead to both mindfulness and insight. This is the
only meditation which can lead a practitioner from begining practice
all the way to enlightenment. Concentration on breathing is especially
recommended for those who are deluded or excitable.
The eighth anussati is meditation on death (pp. 209-215). This is
useful for people who are intelligent. This meditation leads to a deep
realization of impermanence.
The ninth anussati is mindfulness of the body (pp. 216-226). This
is useful for those with lustful natures. (This is probably the only
meditation of these forty which will be useful to Westerners in
reducing lust, as the other meditations for reducing lust all require a
decaying human corpse, and these are difficult to come by.)
The last anussati is meditation on tranquility (pp. 259-262). Not
surprisingly, this leads to peace and tranquility. It is useful for
those who are intelligent.
4 Brahma-Viharas (Excellent Qualities): (pp. 263-313) The four
brahma-viharas are metta (friendliness or loving-kindness), compassion,
sympathetic joy, and even-mindedness. Meditation on these qualities
leads to an increase of them, causing excellent conduct in interactions
with the external world. They are "an essential preliminary to the
whole training of the religious aspirant" (p. 263). Meditation on
these qualities is especially useful for those with hateful natures.
Ahare patikkula sanna (Perception of the Loathsomeness of Food): (pp.
314-317) This meditation is designed to eliminate the greed and
sensual excitement which is often caused by food. This practice is
most suited to those who are intelligent.
Catudhatuvavat-thana (Analysis of the 4 Physical Elements): (pp.
318-331) "The main object of this meditation is to free the mind from
the conception of individuality in regard to the physical body and to
realize its elemental nature with no thought of personal distinction"
(p. 318). The meditation consists of noticing how the body is merely a
synthesis of physical elements, without entity. This practice is most
suited to those who are intelligent.
4 Arupas (Formless Spheres): (pp. 332-340) These are four formless
stages which are developed in turn after all psychological impediments
are removed. In order, they are the sphere of infinite space, the
sphere of infinite consciousness, the sphere of nothingness, and the
sphere of neither perception nor non-perception. The goal of these
stages is complete self-possession, free from all thoughts of the
world. This is not nirvana, but it is very close to nirvana. These
formless spheres are suitable for people of all dispositions, after
they have reached the fifth absorption level.

1 All page numbers refer to Paravahera Vajirana Mahathera, Buddhist

Meditation in Theory and Practice (Malasia: Buddhist Missionary
Society, 1962).

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