清淨道論 水・火・風三遍Visuddhimagga · The Water, Fire, and Air Kasiṇas
地遍立了整套方法，本品開頭一句就把體例定死：「從此以下，只說差別。」九遍同法，異在所緣——這不是省筆，是方法論。
水遍取澄淨不濁之水，注滿到齊緣；火遍不取煙不取薪，取中間的密焰；風遍最巧——風不可見，就借梢之搖、身之觸而取。口訣一句：不觀色、不作意特相——所緣是「水」這個概念，不是那攤水。
二相之別看動靜：取相皆帶動（水像在動、焰屢屢斷落、如乳粥熱氣之旋），似相皆歸止（寶珠之扇、金柱、止靜不動）。動與止之間，就是雜質與純淨之界；似相現起的同時，近行禪已在手上。
有福之人渡海一望、入堂一觀，相便生起——宿世的加行不會白作。
The earth kasiṇa established the complete method, and the opening sentence of this chapter fixes its form: “From here onward, only the distinctions will be described.” The same method governs all nine, while their objects differ. This is not brevity for its own sake; it is method.
For the water kasiṇa, take clear, unclouded water and fill the vessel level to the rim. For the fire kasiṇa, take neither smoke nor fuel, but the dense flame at the center. The air kasiṇa is the most ingenious: since air cannot be seen, take it through the swaying of a tip or the touch on the body. The formula is one line: do not examine color and do not attend to the characteristic—the object is the concept “water,” not the pool of water.
The two signs can be distinguished by movement and stillness. The learning signs all move—water seems to move, flame repeatedly falls, and vapor swirls like steam from milk-rice—while the counterpart signs come to rest: a jeweled fan, a golden pillar, still and motionless. Between movement and stillness lies the boundary between impurity and purity; with the arising of the counterpart sign, access jhāna is already in hand.
For the meritorious, one look while crossing the ocean or entering a hall is enough for the sign to arise. Preliminary practice from a former life does not go to waste.
本單元白話為本編自巴利原典之譯疏（tr. mine）；底本事項詳本單元考據。
§1 餘遍之通則與水遍——取相・四名・二相 〔CSCD §91〕
五、餘遍釋
水遍之論
現在，在地遍之後，就是水遍的廣說¹。正如地遍那樣，想要修習水遍的人，也應當安坐而於水上取相；於已造作的或於未造作的——這一切都應當如〔地遍那樣〕廣說。而正如這裡〔所說的〕，一切處也都是這樣。因為從此以下，連這麼多也不再說了，只說其差別而已。
在這裡也一樣：對於宿世已作加行的有福之人，在未造作的水上——在蓮池、在池、在鹹水處、或在海——相就生起了，如小尸婆長老那樣。據說那位具壽心想「我要捨離利養恭敬而住於獨處」，在大津登船前往閻浮提，途中眺望大海的時候，與那〔水〕相似的遍相就生起了。
至於未作加行的人，應當避開四遍過²，不取青、黃、赤、白諸色之中任何一色的水，而取那還未及地、就在空中以淨布所承接的水，或別的那樣澄淨而不濁的水；以它把缽或水瓶注滿到齊緣，安放在寺邊上面所說那樣的隱蔽之處，安樂而坐。不應當觀察顏色，也不應當作意其特相³。應當把它與所依合為一色，以增盛之力把心安立在施設法⁴上，然後在 ambu、udaka、vāri、salila 等等水的諸名之中，就依其最顯明之名而修習「水、水」。
他這樣修習的時候，依上面所說的方式，二相就次第生起。不過在這裡，取相⁵現起時像是在動；若水中雜有泡沫與水泡，它現起時也就是那個樣子，遍過就顯出來了。至於似相，則不動搖，現起時如置於空中的寶珠之扇，又如寶所成的鏡輪。就在它現起的同時，他便得到近行禪⁶；並且依上面所說的方式，也得到四分法與五分法的諸禪⁷。以上是水遍。
§2 火遍——作法・四名・三喻之似相 〔CSCD §92〕
火遍之論
想要修習火遍的人，也應當於火上取相。這裡，對於已作加行的有福之人，在未造作〔的火〕上取相的時候——在燈焰、在竈、在燒缽之處、在野火，隨處觀看火焰的時候，相就生起了，如質多笈多長老那樣。據說那位具壽在聞法之日進入布薩堂，才觀看燈焰，相就生起了。
至於另一種人，就應當造作。這裡的作法是這樣：把潤澤的堅木劈開曬乾，截成一段一段，前往合適的樹下或亭中，依燒缽的樣式堆積起來點燃；在蓆、皮或布上，穿一個一張手四指大小的孔。把它放在前面，依上面所說的方式坐下，不作意下面的草木，也不作意上面的煙焰，而於中間的密焰上取相。不應當以「青」或「黃」等等的方式觀察顏色，也不應當依熱性而作意其特相。應當把它與所依合為一色，以增盛之力把心安立在施設法上，然後在 pāvaka、kaṇhavattanī、jātaveda、hutāsana 等等火的諸名之中，就依其最顯明之名而修習「火、火」。
他這樣修習的時候，依上面所說的方式，二相就次第生起。這裡，取相現起時如焰屢屢斷落。至於在未造作〔的火〕上取相的人，遍過就顯出來——燃木之片、炭團、灰、或煙會現起。似相則不動，現起時如置於空中的赤毛毯之片，如金之扇，又如金柱。就在它現起的同時，他便得到近行禪；並且依上面所說的方式，也得到四分法與五分法的諸禪。以上是火遍。
§3 風遍——見觸二門與三名 〔CSCD §93〕
風遍之論
想要修習風遍的人，也應當於風上取相。而那〔取相〕或是依所見，或是依所觸。因為在諸義注⁸中有這樣的說法：「取風遍的人，於風上取相：或者觀察甘蔗之梢被吹動、被遍動，或者〔觀察〕竹之梢……乃至（廣說如前）……或者觀察樹之梢、髮之梢被吹動、被遍動，或者觀察〔風〕觸於身。」所以，看見齊頂而立、葉密的甘蔗，或竹，或樹，或髮密而〔長〕四指的人的頭被風吹打的時候，就安立念⁹：「這風是打在這個地方。」或者，風從窗的間隙或壁的孔進來而打在他身體的某一處，就在那裡安立念，然後在 vāta、māluta、anila 等等風的諸名之中，就依其最顯明之名而修習「風、風」。在這裡，由於取相之增大，〔相〕便如才取下的乳粥所騰起的熱氣之旋，動而現起。似相則已止靜而不動。其餘的應當依上面所說的方式了知。以上是風遍。
註
¹ 廣說（vitthārakathā）：本論於一法門先立其通則而後別說，其別說之體即「廣說」。取相、作遍、二相、近行安止諸通則已立於本論〈地遍〉之品，故本品自陳「此後唯說其差別」，九遍之科遂各不過一節之幅。
² 四遍過（cattāro kasiṇadosā）：青、黃、赤、白四色之雜；作遍之材當避此四色，本論〈地遍〉之品既立其目。
³ 特相（lakkhaṇa）：一法自身之性相，如火之熱性；與作為修習所緣之「相」（nimitta）分讀。作遍者唯取所依之色，不觀其顏色，也不作意其自身之性相。
⁴ 施設法（paṇṇattidhamma）：非究竟法，而由名想所立之法；遍之所緣即在此，故不觀色、不作意特相，唯以增盛之力置心於其上。
⁵ 取相・似相（uggahanimitta・paṭibhāganimitta）：修遍所起之二相——取相猶帶所依之瑕疵，似相則清淨而離瑕。二相之別，本論〈地遍〉之品詳辨之。
⁶ 近行禪（upacārajjhāna）：諸蓋已伏而尚未入安止之一級定，即近行定之位；其與安止定之別，本論〈地遍〉之品既辨，本品三遍各以一句收之而不重釋。
⁷ 四分法之禪與五分法之禪（catukkapañcakajjhāna）：初禪至第四禪之四分法，與開第二禪為二而成的五分法；其全說在本論〈地遍〉之品。
⁸ 義注（aṭṭhakathā）：本論所承之古來義注。本篇唯此一引繫於「諸義注」而不繫其書名，本編不代考定。
⁹ 念（sati）：憶持所緣而不忘失之心所，論中恆與智、精進、定並行。與今日通行之「正念」一語所指之泛然覺察不同科，宜依本論所立而讀。
The vernacular of this unit is this edition’s own rendering-with-exposition from the Pāli original (tr. mine); see this unit’s apparatus for the base-text particulars.
§1 The General Rule for the Remaining Kasiṇas and the Water Kasiṇa—Acquiring the Sign, Four Names, and Two Signs 〔CSCD §91〕
Chapter Five: Exposition of the Remaining Kasiṇas
Discussion of the Water Kasiṇa
Now, after the earth kasiṇa, comes the detailed exposition¹ of the water kasiṇa. Just as with the earth kasiṇa, a person who wishes to develop the water kasiṇa should sit comfortably and acquire a sign in water; whether in something prepared or unprepared—all this should be explained in detail just as [with the earth kasiṇa]. And as here, so everywhere. For from this point onward, not even this much will be stated again; only the distinctions will be described.
Here too, for a meritorious person who performed the preliminary practice in a former life, the sign arises in unprepared water—in a lotus pond, a pond, a saltwater pool, or the sea—as it did for the Elder Cūḷasiva. It is said that the venerable one thought, “I shall abandon gain and honor and live in seclusion.” He boarded a ship at Mahātittha to travel to Jambudīpa, and while looking out over the ocean during the voyage, a kasiṇa sign resembling that [water] arose.
One who has not performed the preliminary practice, however, should avoid the four faults of a kasiṇa² and take water that is not any one of the colors blue, yellow, red, or white. He should use water caught in a clean cloth while still in the air, before it reaches the ground, or other water that is similarly clear and unclouded. He fills a bowl or water pot with it level to the rim, places it in a concealed spot at the edge of the monastery as described above, and sits comfortably. He should not examine the color or attend to its characteristic.³ He should treat it as one color with its support, establish the mind on the conceptual phenomenon⁴ by force of prominence, and then, among such names for water as ambu, udaka, vāri, and salila, develop “water, water” using the clearest name.
As he develops it in this way, the two signs arise in sequence according to the method described above. Here, however, the learning sign⁵ appears as though moving; if the water is mixed with froth and bubbles, it appears just that way and the fault in the kasiṇa becomes evident. The counterpart sign is unwavering and appears like a jeweled fan set in space or like a mirror disk made of jewels. At the very moment it appears, he obtains access jhāna⁶; and according to the method described above, he also obtains the absorptions of the fourfold and fivefold systems.⁷ This is the water kasiṇa.
§2 The Fire Kasiṇa—Method of Preparation, Four Names, and Three Similes for the Counterpart Sign 〔CSCD §92〕
Discussion of the Fire Kasiṇa
A person who wishes to develop the fire kasiṇa should likewise acquire a sign in fire. Here, for a meritorious person who has performed the preliminary practice, the sign arises when he acquires it from unprepared [fire]—when looking at a flame anywhere, whether the flame of a lamp, a hearth, a place where bowls are fired, or a forest fire—as it did for the Elder Cittagutta. It is said that on a day for hearing the Dhamma, the venerable one entered the uposatha hall, and the sign arose as soon as he looked at the lamp flame.
The other kind of person should prepare one. This is the method of preparation: split moist heartwood, dry it, cut it into lengths, go to a suitable tree root or pavilion, stack the wood as for firing bowls, and light it. In a mat, hide, or cloth, make an opening one span plus four fingers across. Place it in front, sit down according to the method described above, and acquire the sign in the dense flame at the center, without attending to the grass and wood below or the plume of smoke above. He should not examine the color as “blue,” “yellow,” and so forth, nor attend to its characteristic as heat. He should treat it as one color with its support, establish the mind on the conceptual phenomenon by force of prominence, and then, among such names for fire as pāvaka, kaṇhavattanī, jātaveda, and hutāsana, develop “fire, fire” using the clearest name.
As he develops it in this way, the two signs arise in sequence according to the method described above. Here, the learning sign appears like a flame repeatedly breaking off and falling. For one who acquires it from unprepared [fire], the fault in the kasiṇa becomes evident: a piece of burning wood, a mass of embers, ash, or smoke appears. The counterpart sign is motionless and appears like a piece of red blanket set in space, a golden fan, or a golden pillar. At the very moment it appears, he obtains access jhāna; and according to the method described above, he also obtains the absorptions of the fourfold and fivefold systems. This is the fire kasiṇa.
§3 The Air Kasiṇa—The Two Doors of Seeing and Touch, and Three Names 〔CSCD §93〕
Discussion of the Air Kasiṇa
A person who wishes to develop the air kasiṇa should likewise acquire a sign in air. That [acquisition] is either through what is seen or through what is touched. For the commentaries⁸ say: “One who acquires the air kasiṇa acquires a sign in air: he observes the tip of sugarcane being moved and thoroughly moved, or the tip of bamboo . . . and so on (as explained above) . . . or the tip of a tree or of hair being moved and thoroughly moved, or he observes [air] touching the body.” Therefore, when he sees dense-leaved sugarcane, bamboo, or a tree standing level at the top, or the head of a person with dense hair [four fingers long], being struck by the wind, he establishes mindfulness⁹: “This air is striking at this place.” Or when air enters through a gap in a window or a hole in a wall and strikes some part of his body, he establishes mindfulness there. Then, among such names for air as vāta, māluta, and anila, he develops “air, air” using the clearest name. Here, because of the enlargement of the learning sign, [the sign] appears moving, like a swirl of steam rising from milk-rice just taken down from the fire. The counterpart sign has settled and is motionless. The rest should be understood according to the method described above. This is the air kasiṇa.
Notes
¹ Detailed exposition (vitthārakathā): in this treatise, the general rule for a practice is first established and its particular forms are then stated; that particular treatment is its “detailed exposition.” The general rules for acquiring the sign, preparing a kasiṇa, the two signs, access, and absorption were established in the chapter on the earth kasiṇa. Thus this chapter itself states that “from here onward only the distinctions will be described,” and each of the nine remaining kasiṇas occupies no more than one section.
² Four faults of a kasiṇa (cattāro kasiṇadosā): admixtures of the four colors blue, yellow, red, and white. The material used to prepare a kasiṇa should avoid these four colors; the chapter on the earth kasiṇa already enumerates them.
³ Characteristic (lakkhaṇa): the inherent characteristic of a phenomenon, such as the heat of fire; this is distinct from the “sign” (nimitta) that serves as the object of development. One who prepares a kasiṇa takes only the color of its support, neither examining its color nor attending to its inherent characteristic.
⁴ Conceptual phenomenon (paṇṇattidhamma): not an ultimate phenomenon, but a phenomenon established by designation and perception. The object of a kasiṇa is on this plane; hence the practitioner does not examine color or attend to the characteristic, but establishes the mind on it solely by force of prominence.
⁵ Learning sign and counterpart sign (uggahanimitta · paṭibhāganimitta): the two signs that arise in kasiṇa practice. The learning sign still carries the imperfections of its support, while the counterpart sign is purified and free from those imperfections. Their distinction is explained in detail in the chapter on the earth kasiṇa.
⁶ Access jhāna (upacārajjhāna): a level of concentration in which the hindrances have been suppressed but absorption has not yet been entered, namely the plane of access concentration. Its distinction from absorption concentration is already explained in the chapter on the earth kasiṇa; each of the three kasiṇas here closes it in a single sentence without repeating the explanation.
⁷ Absorptions of the fourfold and fivefold systems (catukkapañcakajjhāna): the fourfold system from the first through the fourth absorption, and the fivefold system formed by dividing the second absorption into two. Their full exposition appears in the chapter on the earth kasiṇa.
⁸ Commentary (aṭṭhakathā): the ancient commentarial tradition received by this treatise. This is the only citation in the present unit tied to “the commentaries” without naming a specific work; this edition does not independently determine it.
⁹ Mindfulness (sati): the mental factor that retains the object without forgetting it; in the treatise it consistently operates together with wisdom, energy, and concentration. It belongs to a different classification from the broad awareness commonly designated by the modern expression “mindfulness” and should be read according to the framework established in this treatise.
地遍的方法整套搬用，只換所緣：水取其澄、火取其焰心、風取其動——「此後唯說差別」
大局 — 同法異所緣（上）
地遍一品（第 4 品）把一個業處的完整修法立成了範本：取相、避遍過、二相、近行與安止、四分法五分法。本品開頭一句話就把體例定了：「這一切都應當如地遍那樣廣說；從此以下，連這麼多也不再說了，只說其差別」（白話 §1）。所以餘九遍每遍只得一節之幅——不是省略，是方法論：同法異所緣。本單元走三大種遍：水、火、風。讀法上抓三件事即可：這個所緣怎麼取（作法）、它的取相帶什麼瑕（遍過所顯）、它的似相是什麼樣（各遍不同的清淨形）。〔所見〕
§01 餘遍之通則與水遍——取相・四名・二相 → 白話 §1
通則先立（一切如地遍廣說、以下唯說差別），隨即水遍：宿世已作加行的有福之人，於蓮池、池、鹹水處、海等未造作之水上相即生起——如小尸婆長老渡海眺望而遍相現前。未作加行者則避四遍過（不取青黃赤白之雜色水），取空中以淨布所承、未及地的水或澄淨不濁之水，注滿缽或水瓶到齊緣，安放隱蔽處；不觀察顏色、不作意特相，把它與所依合為一色，以增盛之力把心安立在施設法上，於 ambu 等水之諸名中取最顯明者修習「水、水」。二相次第生起：取相現起時像在動，水中有泡沫水泡則遍過顯出；似相不動搖，如置於空中的寶珠之扇、如寶所成的鏡輪。似相現起同時得近行禪，並得四分法五分法諸禪（白話 §1）。〔讀法〕「不觀色、不作意特相」是全品反覆出現的口訣：所緣是施設法上的「水」，不是濕、不是冷、不是某種顏色——取相的動與似相的止，正是心從物的雜質走向概念之純的軌跡。
§02 火遍——作法・四名・三喻之似相 → 白話 §2
有福者於燈焰、竈、燒缽處、野火隨處觀焰相即生起——如質多笈多長老入布薩堂一觀燈焰即得。餘者造作：堅木劈開曬乾、截段堆積點燃，於蓆、皮或布上穿一張手四指之孔，置於前，不作意下面的草木、不作意上面的煙焰，於中間的密焰上取相；不依「青」「黃」觀色、不依熱性作意特相，於 pāvaka 等火之諸名中取最顯明者修習「火、火」。取相現起如焰屢屢斷落；未造作者遍過顯出——燃木之片、炭團、灰、煙現起。似相不動，如置於空中的赤毛毯之片、如金之扇、如金柱（白話 §2）。〔讀法〕「中間的密焰」一語見取所緣的精度：上有煙、下有薪，都不是火——修火遍者取的是火最純的那一段。三個似相之喻（毛毯、金扇、金柱）與水遍的寶珠鏡輪對讀，可見似相雖各隨其所緣，其「淨而定」之性一味。
§03 風遍——見觸二門與三名 → 白話 §3
風遍二門：依所見或依所觸。諸義注說：觀甘蔗之梢、竹之梢、樹之梢、髮之梢被吹動遍動，或觀風觸於身。故見齊頂而立、葉密之甘蔗（竹、樹）或髮密四指之頭被風吹打時，安立念「這風打在這個地方」；或風自窗隙壁孔入而觸身某處，即於彼處安立念，於 vāta 等風之諸名中取最顯明者修習「風、風」。取相如才取下的乳粥所騰起的熱氣之旋，動而現起；似相已止靜而不動（白話 §3）。〔讀法〕風不可見，故本遍的取相之門最特別——借動相（梢之搖）或觸相（身之受風）而取；乳粥熱氣之喻精確到溫度：那種將散未散的旋動，正是取相之「動」的樣子。三遍並讀，取相皆帶動（水動、焰落、氣旋），似相皆歸止——動與止之間，就是取相與似相之界。〔所見〕
給一般讀者
本單元最省力的讀法：先確認你已讀過地遍（第 4 品）——那裡是整套方法；這裡每遍只答三個問題：拿什麼當所緣、瑕疵長什麼樣、純了以後長什麼樣。水是寶珠鏡輪，火是金扇金柱，風是止靜的氣旋。若自修，記住兩句：不觀色、不作意特相（所緣是「水」這個概念，不是那攤水）；似相現起同時即得近行禪（第 4 品之通則於九遍一體適用）。色遍四種接續在下一單元。
想讀本單元全文：白話 §1–§3 即餘遍通則、水火風三遍各自之取相作法、諸名、遍過與二相之形的全段逐段全譯。
The Earth-Kasiṇa Method Is Carried Over in Full; Only the Object Changes: Water Is Taken in Its Clarity, Fire at the Heart of the Flame, and Air in Movement—“From Here Onward, Only the Distinctions”
The Big Picture — The Same Method, Different Objects (I)
The chapter on the earth kasiṇa (Chapter 4) established the complete method for a meditation subject as a template: acquiring the sign, avoiding faults in the kasiṇa, the two signs, access and absorption, and the fourfold and fivefold systems. The opening sentence of this chapter establishes its method of exposition: “All this should be explained in detail as with the earth kasiṇa; from this point onward, not even this much will be stated again—only the distinctions will be described” (Vernacular §1). Thus each of the other nine kasiṇas occupies only one section. This is not omission, but method: the same method with different objects. This unit covers the three kasiṇas of the great elements: water, fire, and air. The reading can be held through three questions: how is this object acquired (the method of preparation), what flaw does its learning sign retain (the fault made visible), and what does its counterpart sign look like (the purified form distinctive to each kasiṇa)? 〔What Is Seen〕
§01 The General Rule for the Remaining Kasiṇas and the Water Kasiṇa—Acquiring the Sign, Four Names, and Two Signs → Vernacular §1
The general rule comes first—everything is to be explained as with the earth kasiṇa, while what follows states only the distinctions—and then the water kasiṇa begins. For a meritorious person who performed the preliminary practice in a former life, the sign arises in unprepared water: a lotus pond, a pond, a saltwater pool, or the sea. Thus the Elder Cūḷasiva looked over the ocean while crossing it and the kasiṇa sign appeared before him. One without that preliminary practice avoids the four faults of a kasiṇa, taking no water mixed with blue, yellow, red, or white. He uses water caught in a clean cloth while still in the air before it reaches the ground, or water that is clear and unclouded, fills a bowl or water pot level with the rim, and places it in a concealed spot. He does not examine the color or attend to its characteristic, but treats it as one color with its support, establishes the mind on the conceptual phenomenon by force of prominence, and, among names for water such as ambu, uses the clearest one to develop “water, water.” The two signs arise in sequence: the learning sign appears to move, and froth or bubbles in the water disclose the fault in the kasiṇa; the counterpart sign is unwavering, like a jeweled fan set in space or a mirror disk made of jewels. With the arising of the counterpart sign, access jhāna is gained, followed by the absorptions of the fourfold and fivefold systems (Vernacular §1). 〔Reading〕 “Do not examine color; do not attend to the characteristic” is the formula repeated throughout this chapter: the object is the conceptual “water,” not wetness, cold, or any particular color. The movement of the learning sign and the stillness of the counterpart sign trace the mind’s passage from the impurities of a material support toward the purity of a concept.
§02 The Fire Kasiṇa—Method of Preparation, Four Names, and Three Similes for the Counterpart Sign → Vernacular §2
For the meritorious person, the sign arises when he looks at a flame—a lamp flame, hearth, bowl-firing place, or forest fire—as it did for the Elder Cittagutta, who entered the uposatha hall and acquired the sign on first seeing a lamp flame. Others prepare one: split and dry heartwood, cut and stack it, then light it; pierce an opening one span plus four fingers across in a mat, hide, or cloth and place it in front. Without attending to the grass and wood below or the plume of smoke above, acquire the sign in the dense flame at the center. Do not examine its color as “blue” or “yellow,” and do not attend to its characteristic as heat; among names for fire such as pāvaka, take the clearest and develop “fire, fire.” The learning sign appears like flame repeatedly breaking off and falling. In unprepared fire, the fault becomes visible as burning wood, a mass of embers, ash, or smoke. The counterpart sign is still, like a piece of red blanket set in space, a golden fan, or a golden pillar (Vernacular §2). 〔Reading〕 The words “dense flame at the center” show the precision with which the object is taken: smoke above and fuel below are not fire—the practitioner takes the purest portion of the flame. Read beside the jeweled fan and mirror disk of the water kasiṇa, the three similes for the counterpart sign—blanket, golden fan, and golden pillar—show that although each counterpart sign follows its object, all share the single quality of being purified and settled.
§03 The Air Kasiṇa—The Two Doors of Seeing and Touch, and Three Names → Vernacular §3
The air kasiṇa has two doors: through what is seen or through what is touched. The commentaries say to observe the tips of sugarcane, bamboo, trees, or hair being moved and thoroughly moved, or to observe air touching the body. Thus when dense-leaved sugarcane, bamboo, or a tree, or a head with hair four fingers long, is struck by the wind, establish mindfulness: “This air is striking at this place.” Or when air enters through a window gap or wall opening and touches a part of the body, establish mindfulness there. Among names for air such as vāta, use the clearest and develop “air, air.” The learning sign appears in motion like a swirl of steam rising from milk-rice just taken down from the fire; the counterpart sign has settled and is motionless (Vernacular §3). 〔Reading〕 Air cannot be seen, so the way its sign is acquired is the most distinctive of these kasiṇas: it is taken by the visible movement of a tip or by the touch of air on the body. The milk-rice steam simile is precise even in temperature—that swirl on the verge of dispersing is the “movement” of the learning sign. Read together, all three learning signs move—water ripples, flame falls, vapor swirls—and all three counterpart signs come to rest. Between movement and stillness lies the boundary between the learning and counterpart signs. 〔What Is Seen〕
For the General Reader
The easiest way to read this unit is first to make sure you have read the earth kasiṇa (Chapter 4), where the complete method appears. Here each kasiṇa answers only three questions: what serves as the object, what its flaw looks like, and what it looks like once purified. Water is a jeweled fan or mirror disk; fire is a golden fan or pillar; air is a settled swirl. If you practice, remember two lines: do not examine color and do not attend to the characteristic—the object is the concept “water,” not the pool of water. The counterpart sign arises together with access jhāna: the general rule of Chapter 4 applies uniformly to all nine remaining kasiṇas. The four color kasiṇas follow in the next unit.
To read this unit in full: Vernacular §1–§3 is the complete passage-by-passage translation of the general rule for the remaining kasiṇas and of the methods of acquiring, naming, and distinguishing the signs of the water, fire, and air kasiṇas.
考據Apparatus
一、科判定位
譯底 本單元之譯底＝CSCD（內用不上站）。本層一切巴利逐字取自本單元原典欄之譯底，定位一式：〔CSCD §NN〕式對譯底欄逐字可核。本品無自家對頁之巴利，故頁域一概不記。
篇名 譯底欄自帶 ### 行 4 個：其一為品題行 ### 5. Sesakasiṇaniddeso（品之標，不入篇名），餘三為本篇所轄之三科題 ### Āpokasiṇakathā・### Tejokasiṇakathā・### Vāyokasiṇakathā。一單元轄三科——本篇非一科之全，而為「大種之三遍」相鄰三小科之合（各科皆在千字以下）。
段號域 譯底欄之段號自〔CSCD §91〕至〔CSCD §93〕，實落段號 3 個，號序連續無缺，一科一號。本篇於譯底欄之幅為 5,159 位元組，為本品三單元之中者。
本品段號無缺之正面記載 本品全三單元之段號域為〔CSCD §91〕至〔CSCD §101〕，十一號逐號連續，無一缺、無一重（本欄實測，逐單元反查譯底欄）。本品遂無「缺號之誌」可入本檔目三——如實記其無，不代補、不代誌其因。
通則之立與其省 〔CSCD §91〕之首段立本品之通則：Yatheva hi pathavīkasiṇaṃ, evaṃ āpokasiṇampi bhāvetukāmena sukhanisinnena āpasmiṃ nimittaṃ gaṇhitabbaṃ, kate vā akate vāti sabbaṃ vitthāretabbaṃ.——凡地遍所說者，餘遍亦如是廣說。繼以 Yathā ca idha, evaṃ sabbattha. Ito parañhi ettakampi avatvā visesamattameva vakkhāma. 自陳其後之體裁：自此以下不復重述其通，唯說其別。本品之短、九遍之科各不逾千字，其由盡在此一句——本目誌其實，不代裁其切界。
三遍各自之骨 三科同一體裁而各具四節：①得相之緣（宿修者於自然之水火風得相・未修者作而後取）②作法（karaṇavidhāna）與所避（na vaṇṇo paccavekkhitabbo・Na lakkhaṇaṃ manasi kātabbaṃ）③名之取（四名或三名之中取其顯名）④二相之出與近行安止之得。四節於水遍具足而詳，火遍略其一，風遍更略——Sesaṃ vuttanayeneva veditabbanti 一句收之。
前後接點 前承地遍之品：本篇首句作 Idāni⋯pathavīkasiṇānantare āpokasiṇe vitthārakathā hoti.——論自標其為「地遍之後之廣說」（pathavīkasiṇānantare），逐字承前品末單元之品末標 Pathavīkasiṇaniddeso nāma。後接本品次單元：本篇收句 Sesaṃ vuttanayeneva veditabbanti. Vāyokasiṇaṃ.，次單元即以 Tadanantaraṃ pana nīlakasiṇaṃ uggaṇhanto 逐字承之——論自標之續（Tadanantaraṃ）。
movement 品夾《總覽》繫本單元於 §A〈水・火・風三遍〉一節；其所繫之 loci 逐字見該表，本目不重錄、不截取——本品《總覽》之 movement 表為科判導出，不出 Vism 章§。
二、詞義與譯語
本目只記本篇用法與其定位；名相定讀以規範詞表為準，詞表所未定者，本目不代定。前此諸品已立之讀不重解——本篇所涉之既立詞為 kasiṇa（遍）・pathavīkasiṇa／āpokasiṇa／tejokasiṇa／vāyokasiṇa（地遍／水遍／火遍／風遍）・cattāro kasiṇadosā（四遍過）・uggahanimitta（取相）・paṭibhāganimitta（似相）・upacārajjhāna（近行禪）・catukkapañcakajjhāna（四分法之禪與五分法之禪）・nimitta（相）。以下唯列本篇新出者。
通則與加行〔CSCD §91〕
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| vitthārakathā | 廣說 | 本品之體裁名；āpokasiṇe vitthārakathā hoti | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| visesamatta | 唯其別 | 本品體裁之樞語；通則既立於地遍之品，此後唯說其別 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| sukhanisinna | 安坐 | 取相之威儀；三遍共式 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| kate vā akate vā | 於所作或非所作 | 取相之二處；akate 者自然之水火風，kate 者人所作之遍 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| pubbekatādhikāra | 宿世所作加行 | 得相之勝緣；與 puññavant（有福者）連文 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| akatādhikāra | 未作加行者 | 其對；須避四遍過而作 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| nissayasavaṇṇa | 唯取所依之色 | 作意之法；不觀其色、不作意其相，唯就所依之色而立 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| ussada | 增盛 | ussadavasena paṇṇattidhamme cittaṃ ṭhapetvā——依增盛而置心於施設法。依先例勝從業處之品既立之 ussada＝增盛，本欄原提「偏勝」，誌之 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| paṇṇattidhamma | 施設法 | 遍之所緣之定位；心所置之處 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| pākaṭanāma | 顯名 | 諸名之中取其最顯者以為誦語，三遍共式 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
水遍〔CSCD §91〕
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| pokkharaṇī・taḷāka・loṇi・samudda | 蓮池・池・鹹水處・海 | 未作而得相之四處 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| suddhavattha | 淨布 | 取水之法；未及地而於空中以淨布所受之水 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| vippasanna・anāvila | 澄淨・不濁 | 所取之水之二德 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| samatittika | 齊緣而滿 | 滿至器口；本篇 1 見（水遍之器），本品次單元青遍之匣復用之 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| ambu・udaka・vāri・salila | 水之四名 | 顯名之例；四名之中取 āpo 而誦 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| pheṇapupphuḷakamissa | 雜於泡沫與水泡者 | 取相之過；取相現而遍過乃顯 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| nipparipphanda | 不動搖 | 似相之相；與取相之 calamānaṃ viya（如動）相對 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| maṇitālavaṇṭa | 寶珠之扇 | 似相之喻；置於空中 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| maṇimayādāsamaṇḍala | 寶所成之鏡輪 | 似相之第二喻 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
火遍〔CSCD §92〕
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| dīpasikhā | 燈焰 | 未作而得相之處之一 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| uddhana | 竈 | 同上 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| pattapacanaṭṭhāna | 燒缽之處 | 同上；亦為作火遍時積薪之式 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| davadāha | 野火 | 同上 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| aggijāla | 火焰 | 所觀之境 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| karaṇavidhāna | 作法 | 火遍作法一段之標目 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| siniddha・sāradāru | 潤・堅木 | 作火遍之材 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| ghaṭikā | 段木 | ghaṭikaṃ ghaṭikaṃ katvā——截之為段 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| kaṭasāraka・camma・paṭa | 蓆・皮・布 | 穿孔之三物 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| vidatthicaturaṅgulappamāṇa | 一張手四指之量 | 孔之量；本品二見（火遍之孔・限定虛空遍之孔，後者在第三單元） | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| ghanajālā | 密焰 | 取相之處；不取下之草木、不取上之煙焰，取中之密焰 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| uṇhatta | 熱性 | 所不作意者；即火之自相 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| pāvaka・kaṇhavattanī・jātaveda・hutāsana | 火之四名 | 顯名之例；四名之中取 tejo 而誦 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| alātakhaṇḍa・aṅgārapiṇḍa・chārikā・dhūma | 燃木之片・炭團・灰・煙 | 未作而取相者所現之遍過四相 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| rattakambalakkhaṇḍa | 赤毛毯之片 | 似相之第一喻 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| suvaṇṇatālavaṇṭa | 金之扇 | 似相之第二喻 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| kañcanatthambha | 金柱 | 似相之第三喻 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
風遍〔CSCD §93〕
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| diṭṭhavasa・phuṭṭhavasa | 依所見・依所觸 | 風遍取相之二門；十遍之中唯此遍許以觸取 | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| ucchagga・veḷagga・rukkhagga・kesagga | 甘蔗之梢・竹之梢・樹之梢・髮之梢 | 所引義注之四例；風所吹動之處 | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| erita・samerita | 所動・所遍動 | 義注之定型語對；eritaṃ sameritaṃ upalakkheti | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| samasīsaṭṭhita | 齊頂而立 | 所觀之物之相；ghanapatta（葉密）與之連文 | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| ghanakesa | 髮密 | 以人頭取相時之揀 | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| vātapānantarikā | 窗之間隙 | 風入之處；本品三見（風遍・光明遍・限定虛空遍） | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| bhittichidda | 壁之孔 | 同上 | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| vāta・māluta・anila | 風之三名 | 顯名之例；三名之中取 vāto 而誦。水遍火遍各出四名而風遍唯三——本欄誌其實不代補 | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| usumavaṭṭi | 熱氣之旋 | 取相之喻；如才取下的乳粥所騰之熱氣 | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| pāyāsa | 乳粥 | 同上之物 | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| sannisinna | 已止靜 | 似相之相；與取相之 calaṃ（動）相對 | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
人地之名（本篇事例所出；本層唯照錄巴利，漢語定讀以俟來哲）
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cūḷasivatthera | 小尸婆長老 | 水遍之事例；捨利養而渡海，觀大海而相起 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| Mahātittha | 大津 | 其登舟之處 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| Jambudīpa | 閻浮提 | 其所往 | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| Cittaguttatthera | 質多笈多長老 | 火遍之事例；於布薩堂觀燈焰而相起。本品二見——次單元黃遍之事例亦此長老 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| uposathāgāra | 布薩堂 | 其處 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| dhammassavanadivasa | 聞法之日 | 其時 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
須併觀之二處 ①三遍之漢名逐名由既立之讀承之——āpokasiṇa（水遍）・tejokasiṇa（火遍）・vāyokasiṇa（風遍）三名已於業處之品〔CSCD §47〕之十遍列既立，本目不重立，唯錄其於本篇之廣說之位。②lābhasakkāra（利養恭敬）・vivittavāsa（獨住）二語為本篇事例之語，其單字之讀在既有諸品之詞條之內，本目不重列。
三、異讀
材料之面 本篇無自家對頁之巴利，故無校勘段可錄；可查之面唯譯底欄自身。誌錄不判。
普查之實測 譯底欄全篇逐字普查：異讀括注式（(sī.)・(syā.)・(kaṃ.)・(pī.) 等）零命中；異誦之標識詞 pāṭho 零命中；異說之標識詞 Porāṇā／porāṇā・Keci／keci・eke・Apare āhu 俱零命中。方括注唯二式（[§NN] 段號 3 個與版頁記 6 個，後者皆在註記之內）。查無即記無：譯底欄自身無異讀之記。
引號之對稱 全篇 '' 實測 10 處為偶數，開 5 收 5，成對——五對即三遍之誦語三（''āpo āpo''・''tejo tejo''・''vāto vāto''）、風遍之立念語一（''ayaṃ vāto etasmiṃ ṭhāne paharatī''）、義注之引一（見目四）。
本欄自出之一處字面之記 水遍之四名列作 ambu, udakaṃ, vāri, salilantiādīsu、火遍之四名列作 pāvako, kaṇhavattanī, jātavedo, hutāsanotiādīsu，二者皆以 -tiādīsu 之式收而不繫引號；風遍之三名則作 vātamālutaanilādīsu ——連書為一詞而不以逗分。同一體裁而三處之書式不齊。誌其字面不改、不代齊。
本欄之界 上列皆為譯底欄之字面之實；未與 PTS 掃描頁對勘。本欄之零命中唯就譯底欄一面，不以之推斷他本。
四、論主引據
論主自引之處，逐處繫段號錨；出處唯本文自標者記之，不代考定。
| 位置 | 引式〔逐字〕 | 所引之要 | 本文自標之出處 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §93〕 | Vuttañhetaṃ aṭṭhakathāsu ''vāyokasiṇaṃ uggaṇhanto vāyusmiṃ nimittaṃ gaṇhāti, ucchaggaṃ vā eritaṃ sameritaṃ upalakkheti, veḷaggaṃ vā…pe… rukkhaggaṃ vā kesaggaṃ vā eritaṃ sameritaṃ upalakkheti, kāyasmiṃ vā phuṭṭhaṃ upalakkhetī''ti. | 風遍取相之二門（見與觸）之所據 | aṭṭhakathāsu（於諸義注）——自標其為義注之說而不繫書名 |
引式與出處之數〔本欄實測〕 本篇之圓括注出處零命中——他篇習見之經論簡稱括注（相應部、增支部、中部諸式）於本篇一處不出。引式之標 Yathāha・Vuttampi cetaṃ・Tena vuttaṃ・Tenāha・Tenetaṃ vuccati・Apare āhu・vacanato 俱零命中，唯 Vuttañhetaṃ 1 見。全篇唯一之引繫於 aṭṭhakathāsu 而不標其書——本目誌其實而不代考定其出處。
論主自陳之二處 ①〔CSCD §91〕Yathā ca idha, evaṃ sabbattha. Ito parañhi ettakampi avatvā visesamattameva vakkhāma.——論自陳本品以下之體裁。②〔CSCD §91〕Tassa kirāyasmato lābhasakkāraṃ pahāya vivittavāsaṃ vasissāmīti——事例以傳云之標（kira，於此作連聲之 kirāyasmato）領之，其獨立形本篇零命中，此為全篇唯一之傳云之標，其位即小尸婆長老之事。二處皆論主自陳或自標其傳，本目逐字錄其位而不代評。
五、譬喻·修辭
本目只記本篇譬喻之所在與其所配，不作文學評價。
甲・譬喻 本篇之比況形實測：viya 7 見、連聲之比況形（-miva）1 見、sadisa 諸形 2 見、iva 之詞界 零命中、seyyathāpi 零命中；Yathā 1 見而為體裁之語（Yathā ca idha, evaṃ sabbattha）非比況之領。合之比況十處，逐一如下。
| 位置 | 所喻 | 喻依〔逐字〕 |
|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §91〕 | 得相之人 | cūḷasivattherassa viya（如小尸婆長老） |
| 〔CSCD §91〕 | 水遍之取相 | calamānaṃ viya upaṭṭhāti（如動而現） |
| 〔CSCD §91〕 | 水遍之似相 | ṭhapitamaṇitālavaṇṭaṃ viya（如置於空中之寶珠扇） |
| 〔CSCD §91〕 | 水遍之似相 | maṇimayādāsamaṇḍalamiva（如寶所成之鏡輪） |
| 〔CSCD §92〕 | 得相之人 | cittaguttattherassa viya（如質多笈多長老） |
| 〔CSCD §92〕 | 火遍之取相 | jālaṃ chijjitvā chijjitvā patanasadisaṃ（如焰屢斷而墜） |
| 〔CSCD §92〕 | 火遍之似相 | ṭhapitarattakambalakkhaṇḍaṃ viya（如置於空中之赤毛毯片） |
| 〔CSCD §92〕 | 火遍之似相 | suvaṇṇatālavaṇṭaṃ viya（如金之扇） |
| 〔CSCD §92〕 | 火遍之似相 | kañcanatthambho viya（如金柱） |
| 〔CSCD §93〕 | 風遍之取相 | otāritamattassa pāyāsassa usumavaṭṭisadisaṃ（如才取下的乳粥所騰之熱氣旋） |
譬喻之偏在 十處之中似相之喻佔五（水二・火三・風〇），取相之喻佔三，人之比佔二〔按：viya 二處為人之比，sadisa 二處為相之比，合計以位計〕。風遍無似相之喻——其似相唯以 sannisinnaṃ hoti niccalaṃ（止靜而不動）狀之，不設喻。此偏在為本篇之顯相：論於難見之似相多設喻，於可見之火水尤詳。
乙・修辭之可核觀察 ①本篇之骨為三科同式之四節（緣・法・名・相），其收語三科皆作單詞句（Āpokasiṇaṃ.・Tejokasiṇaṃ.・Vāyokasiṇaṃ.，各 1 見）——一科一收，三科不漏。②省略之語 vuttanayeneva（依所說之法）全篇實測 6 見，Sesaṃ vuttanayeneva veditabbanti 1 見（風遍之收）——本篇之短由此二式所致。③…pe… 省略式 1 見（風遍所引義注之內）。④問句 零命中——Kasmā? 式之短問、ti ce 式之難於本篇俱不出。⑤偈頌 零處（本篇無縮排之偈行）。⑥事例（人事之比況）2 處，皆繫長老之名，皆以 viya 收於段末而不展其議。
以上諸數唯就本篇之域實測，不及全書。
六、章內互讀
每指皆帶段號錨；所指之處唯就本篇文中可核之名相立——本篇之段號與 Vism 章§二系不明對映，故所指不繫章§，亦不推估換算。不代考定。
| 本篇之處 | 所指 | 可核之由 |
|---|---|---|
〔CSCD §91〕 Idāni⋯pathavīkasiṇānantare āpokasiṇe vitthārakathā hoti | 地遍之品 | 論自標其所承之品（pathavīkasiṇānantare）；彼品末單元之品末標逐字作 Pathavīkasiṇaniddeso nāma |
〔CSCD §91〕 Yatheva hi pathavīkasiṇaṃ, evaṃ āpokasiṇampi bhāvetukāmena sukhanisinnena āpasmiṃ nimittaṃ gaṇhitabbaṃ | 地遍之品之取相諸節 | 論自標其通則已立於彼而此不重出；kate vā akate vāti sabbaṃ vitthāretabbaṃ 一語即指彼品之廣說 |
〔CSCD §91〕 cattāro kasiṇadose pariharantena | 地遍之品之四遍過 | 四遍過（青黃赤白四色之避）於彼品既立其目，本篇引之而不重釋 |
〔CSCD §91〕 vuttanayeneva catukkapañcakajjhānāni ca pāpuṇātīti | 地遍之品之初禪至第五禪諸單元 | 論自標其所依之法；四五禪之全說在彼品，本篇三遍各以一句收之 |
〔CSCD §91〕 anukkamena vuttanayeneva nimittadvayaṃ uppajjati | 業處之品〔CSCD §47〕之十遍列 | 彼篇立十遍之名與其分（āpokasiṇaṃ・tejokasiṇaṃ・vāyokasiṇaṃ 逐字在其列），本篇乃其廣說 |
〔CSCD §93〕 Sesaṃ vuttanayeneva veditabbanti. Vāyokasiṇaṃ. | 本品次單元〔CSCD §94〕 | 次單元首句作 Tadanantaraṃ pana nīlakasiṇaṃ uggaṇhanto——論自標之續（Tadanantaraṃ），四色遍即承三大種遍而說 |
七、傳本
作者、傳本與注疏源流諸問題，本編不於考據內立說。
I. Placement in the Outline
Working base The working base for this unit is CSCD (internal and never published). Every Pāli form in this layer is taken verbatim from the source column’s working base. One locator form is used: 〔CSCD §NN〕, which can be checked verbatim against the working-base column. This chapter has no internally page-collated Pāli, so no page range is recorded.
Section titles The working-base column contains four ### lines. One is the chapter-title line, ### 5. Sesakasiṇaniddeso (the chapter marker, not included among this unit’s section titles). The other three are the three sections governed by this unit: ### Āpokasiṇakathā, ### Tejokasiṇakathā, and ### Vāyokasiṇakathā. One unit governs three sections: this unit is not the whole of one section, but a combination of three adjacent short sections on the “three kasiṇas of the great elements,” each under one thousand words.
Paragraph-number range The working-base paragraph numbers run from 〔CSCD §91〕 through 〔CSCD §93〕, with three actual numbers. The sequence is continuous, with none missing, one number for each section. This unit occupies 5,159 bytes in the working-base column, the middle-sized of the chapter’s three units.
Positive record that no paragraph number is absent in this chapter Across all three units of this chapter, the paragraph-number range is 〔CSCD §91〕 through 〔CSCD §101〕. All eleven numbers occur in continuous order, with none missing and none repeated (measured in this column by checking each source column unit by unit). Thus this chapter has no “record of a missing number” to enter under Heading III. Its absence is recorded as such, without supplying a number or explaining why none is absent.
The general rule established and thereafter omitted The first paragraph at 〔CSCD §91〕 establishes this chapter’s general rule: Yatheva hi pathavīkasiṇaṃ, evaṃ āpokasiṇampi bhāvetukāmena sukhanisinnena āpasmiṃ nimittaṃ gaṇhitabbaṃ, kate vā akate vāti sabbaṃ vitthāretabbaṃ.—whatever is stated for the earth kasiṇa is likewise to be explained in detail for the remaining kasiṇas. It continues with Yathā ca idha, evaṃ sabbattha. Ito parañhi ettakampi avatvā visesamattameva vakkhāma., declaring the form of what follows: from here onward the general rule is not repeated; only the distinctions are stated. The brevity of this chapter, in which none of the nine remaining kasiṇa sections exceeds one thousand words, is fully explained by this sentence. This heading records the fact and does not decide the unit boundary.
The skeleton of each of the three kasiṇas The three sections share a single form, each with four parts: (1) the condition for obtaining the sign—one with prior practice obtains it in natural water, fire, or air, while another prepares it before acquiring it; (2) the method of preparation (karaṇavidhāna) and what is avoided (na vaṇṇo paccavekkhitabbo and Na lakkhaṇaṃ manasi kātabbaṃ); (3) choosing the name—the clearest from among four or three names; and (4) the arising of the two signs and the attainment of access and absorption. All four parts are complete and detailed for the water kasiṇa, one is abbreviated for the fire kasiṇa, and the air kasiṇa is briefer still; the single sentence Sesaṃ vuttanayeneva veditabbanti concludes it.
Connections before and after This unit follows the chapter on the earth kasiṇa. Its first sentence reads Idāni…pathavīkasiṇānantare āpokasiṇe vitthārakathā hoti.—the treatise itself identifies it as the “detailed exposition after the earth kasiṇa” (pathavīkasiṇānantare), following verbatim the preceding chapter’s closing designation Pathavīkasiṇaniddeso nāma. The next unit in this chapter follows: the present unit closes Sesaṃ vuttanayeneva veditabbanti. Vāyokasiṇaṃ., and the next begins Tadanantaraṃ pana nīlakasiṇaṃ uggaṇhanto, explicitly marking the continuation with Tadanantaraṃ.
Movement The chapter Overview attaches this unit to movement §A, “The Water, Fire, and Air Kasiṇas.” The loci attached to it appear verbatim in that table; this heading neither repeats nor excerpts them. The movement table in the chapter Overview is derived from the classification headings and supplies no Vism chapter section.
II. Terms and Renderings
This heading records only the use and location of terms in this unit. The normative glossary governs established readings, and this heading does not decide what the glossary leaves unsettled. Readings established in earlier chapters are not re-explained. Those occurring here are kasiṇa (kasiṇa), pathavīkasiṇa/āpokasiṇa/tejokasiṇa/vāyokasiṇa (earth/water/fire/air kasiṇa), cattāro kasiṇadosā (four faults of a kasiṇa), uggahanimitta (learning sign), paṭibhāganimitta (counterpart sign), upacārajjhāna (access jhāna), catukkapañcakajjhāna (absorptions of the fourfold and fivefold systems), and nimitta (sign). Only terms new in this unit are listed below.
General Rule and Preliminary Practice 〔CSCD §91〕
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| vitthārakathā | detailed exposition | the name for this chapter’s mode of treatment; āpokasiṇe vitthārakathā hoti | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| visesamatta | only the distinction | the key phrase for this chapter’s mode: once the general rule has been established in the chapter on the earth kasiṇa, only the distinctions are stated | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| sukhanisinna | seated comfortably | the posture for acquiring the sign; the common formula for all three kasiṇas | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| kate vā akate vā | in what is prepared or unprepared | the two places in which the sign is acquired: akate is natural water, fire, or air, while kate is a kasiṇa prepared by a person | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| pubbekatādhikāra | preliminary practice performed in a former life | the superior condition for obtaining the sign; it occurs with puññavant (meritorious person) | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| akatādhikāra | one without prior preliminary practice | its counterpart; such a person must prepare one while avoiding the four faults of a kasiṇa | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| nissayasavaṇṇa | take only the color of the support | the method of attention: do not examine its color or attend to its characteristic, but establish it solely through the color of the support | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| ussada | prominence | ussadavasena paṇṇattidhamme cittaṃ ṭhapetvā—establishing the mind on the conceptual phenomenon by prominence. Following the established precedent, the already established ussada in the chapter on meditation subjects is rendered “prominence”; this column’s earlier proposal, “predominance,” is recorded | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| paṇṇattidhamma | conceptual phenomenon | the location of the kasiṇa object; that on which the mind is established | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| pākaṭanāma | clearest name | the most evident among several names is chosen for the recitation formula; common to all three kasiṇas | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
Water Kasiṇa 〔CSCD §91〕
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| pokkharaṇī·taḷāka·loṇi·samudda | lotus pond · pond · saltwater pool · sea | the four places where the sign is obtained without preparing one | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| suddhavattha | clean cloth | the method of obtaining water: water caught in a clean cloth while still in the air, before it reaches the ground | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| vippasanna·anāvila | clear · unclouded | the two qualities of the water taken | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| samatittika | filled level to the rim | filled as high as the vessel’s mouth; one occurrence in this unit (the water-kasiṇa vessel), and again in the next unit for the blue-kasiṇa container | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| ambu·udaka·vāri·salila | four names for water | examples of clear names; from among the four, āpo is chosen for the recitation | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| pheṇapupphuḷakamissa | mixed with froth and water bubbles | a fault in acquiring the sign: when the learning sign appears, the fault in the kasiṇa becomes visible | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| nipparipphanda | unwavering | the quality of the counterpart sign, contrasted with the learning sign’s calamānaṃ viya (as though moving) | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| maṇitālavaṇṭa | jeweled fan | a simile for the counterpart sign, set in space | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| maṇimayādāsamaṇḍala | mirror disk made of jewels | the second simile for the counterpart sign | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
Fire Kasiṇa 〔CSCD §92〕
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| dīpasikhā | lamp flame | one of the places where the sign is obtained without preparing one | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| uddhana | hearth | likewise | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| pattapacanaṭṭhāna | place where bowls are fired | likewise; also the pattern for stacking wood when preparing a fire kasiṇa | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| davadāha | forest fire | likewise | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| aggijāla | flame | the object viewed | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| karaṇavidhāna | method of preparation | the heading for the passage on preparing a fire kasiṇa | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| siniddha·sāradāru | moist · heartwood | the material for preparing the fire kasiṇa | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| ghaṭikā | length of wood | ghaṭikaṃ ghaṭikaṃ katvā—cutting it into lengths | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| kaṭasāraka·camma·paṭa | mat · hide · cloth | the three materials in which the aperture is made | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| vidatthicaturaṅgulappamāṇa | the measure of one span plus four fingers | the size of the aperture; it occurs twice in this chapter, for the fire-kasiṇa aperture and the limited-space-kasiṇa aperture, the latter in Unit 3 | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| ghanajālā | dense flame | the place where the sign is acquired: not the grass and wood below, not the smoke and flame above, but the dense flame at the center | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| uṇhatta | heat | that to which attention is not given; the intrinsic characteristic of fire | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| pāvaka·kaṇhavattanī·jātaveda·hutāsana | four names for fire | examples of clear names; from among the four, tejo is chosen for the recitation | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| alātakhaṇḍa·aṅgārapiṇḍa·chārikā·dhūma | piece of burning wood · mass of embers · ash · smoke | the four forms of fault in the kasiṇa appearing to one who acquires the sign from unprepared fire | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| rattakambalakkhaṇḍa | piece of red blanket | the first simile for the counterpart sign | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| suvaṇṇatālavaṇṭa | golden fan | the second simile for the counterpart sign | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| kañcanatthambha | golden pillar | the third simile for the counterpart sign | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
Air Kasiṇa 〔CSCD §93〕
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| diṭṭhavasa·phuṭṭhavasa | through what is seen · through what is touched | the two doors for acquiring the air kasiṇa; among the ten kasiṇas, only this one may be acquired by touch | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| ucchagga·veḷagga·rukkhagga·kesagga | tip of sugarcane · tip of bamboo · tip of a tree · tip of hair | the four examples in the cited commentary: places moved by air | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| erita·samerita | moved · thoroughly moved | the commentarial formula pair; eritaṃ sameritaṃ upalakkheti | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| samasīsaṭṭhita | standing level at the top | the appearance of what is observed; it occurs with ghanapatta (dense-leaved) | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| ghanakesa | dense-haired | the qualification when acquiring the sign from a person’s head | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| vātapānantarikā | gap in a window | the place where air enters; three occurrences in this chapter, in the air kasiṇa, light kasiṇa, and limited-space kasiṇa | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| bhittichidda | hole in a wall | likewise | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| vāta·māluta·anila | three names for air | examples of clear names; from among the three, vāto is chosen for the recitation. The water and fire kasiṇas each give four names, while the air kasiṇa gives only three; this column records the fact without supplying another | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| usumavaṭṭi | swirl of steam | a simile for the learning sign, like the steam rising from milk-rice just taken down from the fire | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| pāyāsa | milk-rice | the substance in the preceding simile | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
| sannisinna | settled | the appearance of the counterpart sign, contrasted with the learning sign’s calaṃ (moving) | 〔CSCD §93〕 |
Names of People and Places (appearing in this unit’s accounts; this layer reproduces the Pāli only, while Chinese readings are left to the wise who come after)
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cūḷasivatthera | Elder Cūḷasiva | the water-kasiṇa account: he abandons gain and crosses the sea, and the sign arises while he looks over the ocean | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| Mahātittha | Mahātittha | the place where he boards the ship | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| Jambudīpa | Jambudīpa | his destination | 〔CSCD §91〕 |
| Cittaguttatthera | Elder Cittagutta | the fire-kasiṇa account: the sign arises while he looks at a lamp flame in the uposatha hall. Two occurrences in this chapter: the account of the yellow kasiṇa in the next unit also concerns this elder | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| uposathāgāra | uposatha hall | its location | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
| dhammassavanadivasa | day for hearing the Dhamma | its time | 〔CSCD §92〕 |
Two places to be read together (1) Each name for the three kasiṇas inherits an established reading: āpokasiṇa (water kasiṇa), tejokasiṇa (fire kasiṇa), and vāyokasiṇa (air kasiṇa) were already settled in the list of ten kasiṇas at 〔CSCD §47〕 in the chapter on meditation subjects. This heading does not establish them again, but records where their detailed exposition occurs here. (2) lābhasakkāra (gain and honor) and vivittavāsa (living in seclusion) occur in an account in this unit; the readings of their component words have already appeared in earlier chapters’ entries and are not listed again.
III. Variant Readings
Material available This unit has no internally page-collated Pāli and therefore no collation passage to record. The only searchable surface is the working-base column itself. The facts are recorded without decision.
Measured complete survey A verbatim survey of the entire working-base column found parenthetical variant markers such as (sī.), (syā.), (kaṃ.), and (pī.) in zero occurrences; the variant-recitation marker pāṭho in zero occurrences; and the alternative-opinion markers Porāṇā/porāṇā, Keci/keci, eke, and Apare āhu all in zero occurrences. Square brackets have only two forms: three [ §NN ] paragraph numbers and six edition-page notations, the latter all in annotations. When none are found, none are recorded: the working-base column itself records no variant reading.
Quotation-mark symmetry The 10 measured occurrences of '' in this unit are even, with five opening and five closing marks. The five pairs are the three recitation formulas for the kasiṇas (''āpo āpo'', ''tejo tejo'', and ''vāto vāto''), one formula for establishing mindfulness in the air kasiṇa (''ayaṃ vāto etasmiṃ ṭhāne paharatī''), and one citation from the commentary (see Heading IV).
One literal feature arising in this column The water kasiṇa lists its four names as ambu, udakaṃ, vāri, salilantiādīsu, and the fire kasiṇa lists its four as pāvako, kaṇhavattanī, jātavedo, hutāsanotiādīsu; both close with the -tiādīsu form and use no quotation marks. The air kasiṇa’s three names instead read vātamālutaanilādīsu, written together as a single word without commas. The writing of these three parallel passages is not uniform. Their literal form is recorded without alteration or regularization.
Scope of this column Everything above is a literal fact of the working-base column. This column has not been collated against the scanned PTS pages. The zero counts apply only to the working-base column and support no inference about other editions.
IV. The Commentator’s Citations
Each citation by the author is attached to a paragraph-number anchor. A source is recorded only where identified by the text itself and is not independently determined.
| Location | Citation Formula 〔verbatim〕 | Point of the Citation | Source Identified by the Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §93〕 | Vuttañhetaṃ aṭṭhakathāsu ''vāyokasiṇaṃ uggaṇhanto vāyusmiṃ nimittaṃ gaṇhāti, ucchaggaṃ vā eritaṃ sameritaṃ upalakkheti, veḷaggaṃ vā…pe… rukkhaggaṃ vā kesaggaṃ vā eritaṃ sameritaṃ upalakkheti, kāyasmiṃ vā phuṭṭhaṃ upalakkhetī''ti. | the source for the two doors of acquiring the air kasiṇa, seeing and touch | aṭṭhakathāsu (in the commentaries)—the text identifies it as a commentarial statement without naming a work |
Number of citation formulas and sources 〔measured in this column〕 Parenthetical source references occur zero times in this unit: the abbreviated parenthetical forms for discourses and treatises common elsewhere, including those of the Saṃyutta, Aṅguttara, and Majjhima Nikāyas, do not occur here. The citation markers Yathāha, Vuttampi cetaṃ, Tena vuttaṃ, Tenāha, Tenetaṃ vuccati, Apare āhu, and vacanato all occur zero times, while Vuttañhetaṃ occurs once. The unit’s sole citation is tied to aṭṭhakathāsu but does not name a work. This heading records the fact and does not independently determine its source.
Two statements by the author (1) At 〔CSCD §91〕, Yathā ca idha, evaṃ sabbattha. Ito parañhi ettakampi avatvā visesamattameva vakkhāma.—the author states the mode of treatment from this chapter onward. (2) At 〔CSCD §91〕, Tassa kirāyasmato lābhasakkāraṃ pahāya vivittavāsaṃ vasissāmīti—the account is introduced by the reportative marker kira, here in sandhi as kirāyasmato. The independent form occurs zero times in this unit, and this is the unit’s sole reportative marker, located in the account of the Elder Cūḷasiva. Both passages are authorial statements or authorial markings of a report. This heading records their positions verbatim and offers no judgment.
V. Similes and Rhetoric
This heading records only where the similes in this unit occur and what they illustrate; it offers no literary evaluation.
A. Similes By measurement, the comparison forms in this unit are: viya, 7 occurrences; comparison in sandhi (-miva), 1; forms of sadisa, 2; independent iva, zero; and seyyathāpi, zero. Yathā occurs once, but in the expository formula Yathā ca idha, evaṃ sabbattha, not as the marker of a simile. Together these make ten comparisons, listed individually below.
| Location | Meaning Illustrated | Simile 〔verbatim〕 |
|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §91〕 | the person who obtains the sign | cūḷasivattherassa viya (like the Elder Cūḷasiva) |
| 〔CSCD §91〕 | the learning sign of the water kasiṇa | calamānaṃ viya upaṭṭhāti (appears as though moving) |
| 〔CSCD §91〕 | the counterpart sign of the water kasiṇa | ṭhapitamaṇitālavaṇṭaṃ viya (like a jeweled fan set in space) |
| 〔CSCD §91〕 | the counterpart sign of the water kasiṇa | maṇimayādāsamaṇḍalamiva (like a mirror disk made of jewels) |
| 〔CSCD §92〕 | the person who obtains the sign | cittaguttattherassa viya (like the Elder Cittagutta) |
| 〔CSCD §92〕 | the learning sign of the fire kasiṇa | jālaṃ chijjitvā chijjitvā patanasadisaṃ (like a flame repeatedly breaking off and falling) |
| 〔CSCD §92〕 | the counterpart sign of the fire kasiṇa | ṭhapitarattakambalakkhaṇḍaṃ viya (like a piece of red blanket set in space) |
| 〔CSCD §92〕 | the counterpart sign of the fire kasiṇa | suvaṇṇatālavaṇṭaṃ viya (like a golden fan) |
| 〔CSCD §92〕 | the counterpart sign of the fire kasiṇa | kañcanatthambho viya (like a golden pillar) |
| 〔CSCD §93〕 | the learning sign of the air kasiṇa | otāritamattassa pāyāsassa usumavaṭṭisadisaṃ (like a swirl of steam rising from milk-rice just taken down) |
Distribution of similes Of the ten positions, five are similes for the counterpart sign (two for water, three for fire, none for air), three are similes for learning signs, and two compare people [note: two viya positions compare people and two sadisa positions compare signs; the count here is by position]. The air kasiṇa has no simile for its counterpart sign; it is described only as sannisinnaṃ hoti niccalaṃ (settled and motionless), without a simile. This distribution is a visible feature of the unit: the treatise uses more similes for the harder-to-see counterpart signs and is especially detailed with visible fire and water.
B. Verifiable rhetorical observations (1) The unit has a four-part form shared by three sections (condition, method, name, sign). Each section closes with a one-word sentence (Āpokasiṇaṃ., Tejokasiṇaṃ., and Vāyokasiṇaṃ., one occurrence each): one close per section, none omitted. (2) The abbreviation formula vuttanayeneva (according to the method already stated) occurs 6 times by measurement; Sesaṃ vuttanayeneva veditabbanti occurs once, at the close of the air kasiṇa. These two forms account for the brevity of the unit. (3) The ellipsis form …pe… occurs once, within the commentary cited for the air kasiṇa. (4) Questions occur zero times: neither a short question in the form Kasmā? nor an objection in the form ti ce occurs here. (5) Verses occur zero times; the unit has no indented verse line. (6) Accounts that compare persons occur at 2 places, each tied to the name of an elder and each closed by viya without further discussion.
All figures above were measured only within this unit, not across the whole work.
VI. Intratextual Cross-Reading
Each reference carries a paragraph-number anchor. The indicated passage is established only from names and terms verifiable in this unit. The relation between this unit’s paragraph numbers and the Vism chapter-section system is unknown, so these references carry no chapter section and no conversion is estimated. No independent determination is made.
| Location in This Unit | Points To | Verifiable Basis |
|---|---|---|
〔CSCD §91〕 Idāni…pathavīkasiṇānantare āpokasiṇe vitthārakathā hoti | the chapter on the earth kasiṇa | the treatise itself identifies the preceding chapter (pathavīkasiṇānantare); that chapter’s closing designation reads verbatim Pathavīkasiṇaniddeso nāma |
〔CSCD §91〕 Yatheva hi pathavīkasiṇaṃ, evaṃ āpokasiṇampi bhāvetukāmena sukhanisinnena āpasmiṃ nimittaṃ gaṇhitabbaṃ | the passages on acquiring the sign in the chapter on the earth kasiṇa | the treatise itself states that its general rule was established there and does not repeat it here; kate vā akate vāti sabbaṃ vitthāretabbaṃ expressly points to that detailed exposition |
〔CSCD §91〕 cattāro kasiṇadose pariharantena | the four faults of a kasiṇa in the chapter on the earth kasiṇa | the four faults, admixtures of blue, yellow, red, and white, are established there; this unit invokes them without repeating the explanation |
〔CSCD §91〕 vuttanayeneva catukkapañcakajjhānāni ca pāpuṇātīti | the units on the first through fifth absorptions in the chapter on the earth kasiṇa | the treatise itself identifies the method on which it relies; the full exposition of the fourfold and fivefold systems occurs there, and each of the three kasiṇas here closes it in one sentence |
〔CSCD §91〕 anukkamena vuttanayeneva nimittadvayaṃ uppajjati | the list of ten kasiṇas at 〔CSCD §47〕 in the chapter on meditation subjects | that passage establishes the names and division of the ten kasiṇas, including āpokasiṇaṃ, tejokasiṇaṃ, and vāyokasiṇaṃ; the present unit is their detailed exposition |
〔CSCD §93〕 Sesaṃ vuttanayeneva veditabbanti. Vāyokasiṇaṃ. | the next unit in this chapter, 〔CSCD §94〕 | the next unit begins Tadanantaraṃ pana nīlakasiṇaṃ…, explicitly marking the continuation with Tadanantaraṃ; the four color kasiṇas thus follow the three great-element kasiṇas |
VII. Transmission
This edition advances no position in the apparatus on questions concerning authorship, textual transmission, or the lineage of commentaries.