What is Kasina Meditation & How To Do It (10 Simple Ways)

Let me guess – You are on this page because of two reasons. One of them is you are either wondering “What is Kasina Meditation?” or probably you have come across this term “Kasina Mediation” and looking for more clarity in terms of how to practice it? Give me five minutes and you will have all the answers.

History of Kasina Meditation

It is believed that when Gautam Buddha died his disciples wanted to preserve his teachings. During those times (i.e. 400 BC) most of his teachings were preserved in Pali language. The Pali Canon is one such standard collection of scriptures during the Buddhist tradition. This Canon was later passed from one generation to another and during the reign of King Asoka it was transmitted to Sri Lanka.

This ancient Buddhist text mentioned 40 visual objects for meditation. Out of these, ten visual objects were know as the kasinas. These visual objects were taken from earth’s different elements or their primary colors. The purpose was to simply gaze upon an object without developing any emotion or thought unto them. This gave rise to Kasina Meditation.

What is Kasina Meditation?

Kasina Meditation is a form of concentration meditation. The objective is to sharpen the concentration skills and this is how novice meditators in the olden era used to master their concentration skills. All that was required was to simply gaze upon the object without creating or indulging in any thoughts. This was a very basic yet a profound practice which was fairly simple and did not require many skills. I shall now list the Ten Kasinas and thereafter we shall look into each of them in detail:

1. Pathavi Kasina – Gazing upon earth
2. Apo Kasina – Gazing upon water
3. Tejo Kasina – Gazing upon fire
4. Vayo Kasina – Gazing upon wind
5. Odata Kasina – Gazing upon white color
6. Pita Kasina – Gazing upon yellow color
7. Lohita Kasina – Gazing upon red color
8. Nila Kasina – Gazing upon green color
9. Akasa Kasina – Gazing upon space, a hole or sky
10. Aloka Kasina – Gazing upon bright light.

Kasina meditation was mainly taught to develop concentration and there is no one size fits all meditation hence practitioners were given to choose from range of ten kasinas so that they can adapt to their style. Now we shall individually look into each of these kasinas and see how to practice each one of them.

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Pathavi Kasina (Gazing upon Earth) – Soil or Clay Tray

How to prepare?

The first kasina is related to the element of earth. The idea here is to gaze on an earth element. Soil or clay is one of the purest form of an earth element. Here’s what you need to do – Take a clean tray (spherical in shape) and put some red colored soil or clay in it. Mold the soil or clay to the shape of the tray.

How to practice?

Place the soil or clay tray around two to three feet away from your gaze. Sit comfortably with your back straight and gaze directly upon the soil tray. As you gaze the soil tray, focus on the color, texture, shape of the soil. Do this for 3 minutes and then close your eyes. Now imagine the color, texture, shape of the soil in your mind for the next 2 minutes. Once done, you can open your eyes.

Apo Kasina (Gazing upon water) – Bowl of water

How to prepare?

The second kasina is water. Have you sat near a riverbed and watched the river flow. As you think of the river you tend to feel relaxed – Isn’t it? Here’s what you need to do. Pour water in a clean transparent bowl (like a fishbowl). The idea here is to focus on the awareness of water.

How to practice?

Place the water bowl on an elevated platform like a table around two to three feet away from your sitting position. Sit comfortably with your back straight on a chair and gaze directly at the water bowl. Pay attention to the water, see the stillness and how it has molded the shape of the bowl. Do the gazing for around 3 minutes and then close your eyes and imagine the water, its nature and characteristics. Do this for 2 minutes and then you can open your eyes.

Tejo Kasina (Gazing upon fire) – Candle

How to prepare?

The third kasina is fire. You do not need a campfire to focus on the fire, all you need to do is light the candle. Make sure you place a candle in a relatively dark place and is not windy. To better the experience you can use scented candles.

How to practice?

Light the candle and place it around two to three feet in front of you on a table or an elevated platform. Make sure your gaze is at the same level as that of the candle. Focus on the flame, its movement and the contours. Do this for 3 minutes and then close your eyes and imagine the flame, the movements of the flame, the color for about 2 minutes. Once done you can open your eyes.

Vayo Kasina (Gazing upon wind) – Take a walk in nature

How to prepare?

The fourth kasina is the element of wind. Unfortunately you can’t have a physical object for this, like for the above three kasinas. So the best way is to find a park or a garden. If you are unable to find a park or garden then find a lane in your vicinity which is quite (i.e. less traffic) and covered with trees.

How to practice?

As you take a walk in the park or garden find a bench or a place where you can sit for a while. Maintain a straight back and focus on the natural breeze around. Place your attention on the leaves, branches swaying back and forth. Do this for about three minutes, sometimes as you gaze at the branches you may feel as if they are talking amongst themselves. After three minutes close your eyes and imagine everything you saw in your mind, do this for two minutes, once done open your eyes.

Odata Kasina (Gazing upon white color) – White Lily or Orchids

How to prepare?

The fifth kasina is color white. Can you find a white flower a Lily or Orchid from your local plant nursery or even from your premises. The idea is to find a white object and the reason I suggest a white flower is because it truly invokes a serene feeling.

How to practice?

Position the flower in such a way, two to three feet away from your sitting position. Ensure that you can gaze at the flower directly. As you gaze at the flower, look at its petals, its shape, the purity and the beauty. Do this for three minutes, then close your eyes for two minutes and imagine the flower in the mind, focus on all the minute details like its delicate structure, shape etc. Once done you can open your eyes.

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Pita Kasina (Gazing upon yellow color) – Corn or Lemon

How to prepare?

The sixth kasina is color yellow. Yellow signifies liveliness, robustness and vitality. So if you are feeling a bit low or down this meditation is an apt choice for you. So in terms of preparedness, you need to first find some object which is naturally yellow in color. The object can be yellow flower like a sunflower or lemon or corn. If you are using corn then make sure there is a tray full of corn.

How to practice?

Position the yellow object at a distance of two to three feet from your sitting position. Ensure your gaze is at the same level as that of the position of the yellow object. For the first three minutes gaze at the object look at its natural yellow color, the brightness, the structure, different angles just about everything. Then for two minutes close your eyes and imagine everything that you saw. Once done open your eyes.

Lohita Kasina (Gazing upon red color) – Strawberries or Tomatoes

How to prepare?

The seventh kasina is red color. Red signifies passion, love, strength and leadership. So this meditation is apt, if you are looking to imbibe these traits in you. You can find a variety of red objects like apple, tomatoes or strawberries. Choose anyone that resonates with you.

How to practice?

Place the red object on an elevated platform or on a stand which is two to three feet away from your gaze. Sit comfortably with your back straight and simply gaze at the object. If it’s an apple then see its shape, texture and the red color. Then for two minutes close your eyes and imagine the apple, its color, shape etc. Once done open your eyes and have the apple if you wish 🙂

Nila Kasina (Gazing upon green color) – Pear or Leaves

How to prepare?

The eight kasina is green color. The color Green is associated with harmony, growth and freshness. This meditation can can help you revive especially when you feel dull or insipid. When it comes to green color look for the fruit Pear or a bunch of green leaves.

How to practice?

Place the Pear or bunch of leaves on an elevated platform or a table, approximately two to three feet away from your gaze. Sit comfortably on a chair and gaze at the object. If you are using leaves, then focus on the shape, structure, the fresh color for about three minutes. Then for two minutes close your eyes and imagine everything what you saw. Once done open your eyes.

Akasa Kasina (Gazing upon space) – Sky

How to prepare?

The ninth kasina is simply gazing at an open space. One of the best ways you can do this is by focusing on the sky (preferably in the morning as it is clear). This meditation helps you release the feelings of loneliness and makes you connected to infinite reality.

How to practice?

The idea here is to simply sit next to a window and gaze outside, focusing on the sky. As you sit for this meditation particularly focus on the vastness and the ever expanding, borderless sky. Your connection to infinite space only deepens as you realize there is something huge out there that is overlooking you and supporting you all the time. After three minutes, you can close your eyes for two minutes and imagine being engulfed by the space, fully protected and safe. Once done open your eyes and say thank you in your mind.

Aloka Kasina (Gazing upon bright light) – Sunlight

How to prepare?

The last kasina is gazing on light, more specifically on the rays of sunlight. Light has significant spiritual meanings, for instance the Bible says on the first day of creation God said “Let there be light and there was light”. Light is sometimes referred to as a symbol of life. As all living things on planet Earth needs sunlight to grow.

How to practice?

Find a place where you find natural sunlight coming in through windows. Sit on a chair two to three feet from the light and gaze on the rays of sunlight. Do this for three minutes, then close your eyes for two minutes to imagine the warmth of sunlight and how it illuminates you. Once done open your eyes.

So you just completed reading about the ten Kasinas, keep in mind you do not have to meditate on all objects, the idea is to experiment and choose the one which best helps you in improving / developing your concentration. So go ahead start your practice, share your experience below in the comments and let me know if you need any further help.

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