Table of Contents

  • 4 basic indispensable meditation methods
    • AN 9.1: the first sutta in a collection is often very important
      • 1) asubha → remove lust and passion
      • 2) metta → remove ill will
      • 3) 16 APS → remove vitakka/thinking
      • 4) a-nicca-sañña → uproot pride, conceit, self
  • 42 meditation topics for the 7sb Dhamma app store
    • #1-20: These 20 apps for 7sb are basic and essential
      • VII. IN-AND-OUT BREATHING Ānāpāna Vagga
      • VIII. CESSATION Nirodha Vagga
      • AN 10.56: 10ds: ten perceptions, nimitta names from sutta titles in SN 46 expanded
      • SN 56.7 and SN 56.1 dukkha vitakka vs. sañña
    • #21-26: These 6 “sati” apps induce pīti into 7sb
    • #27-#32: 6 more anu-s-sati-thāna, perhaps the most important of the 42, from AN 6.29
      • 1) STED first three jhānas for pleasurable abiding
      • 2) STED ASND: perception of light for knowledge and vision
      • 3) STED 31asb: 31 flavors of asubha for remoal of lust and passion
      • 4) STED 9siv: 9 stages of corpse, for eradication of self conceit
      • 5) STED 4th jhana: for penetration of all properties
      • 6) STED S&S, sati & sampajano: for remembrance and clear-discerning
    • #33-37: 5 arūpa samādhi attainments
      • STED (smd 5) ākāsā-nañcā-(a)yatanaṃ
      • STED (smd 6) viññāṇañcā-(a)yatanaṃ
      • STED (smd 7) ākiñcaññā-(a)yatanaṃ
      • STED (smd 8) Neva-saññā-nāsaññā-(a)yatanaṃ
      • STED (smd 9) Saññā-vedayita-nirodhaṃ
    • #38-#42: 5abi: noble one’s developed faculties
      • (five masteries of perception 1 of 5 )
      • (five masteries of perception 2 of 5 )
      • (five masteries of perception 3 of 5 )
      • (five masteries of perception 4 of 5 )
      • (five masteries of perception 5 of 5 )
  • 40 meditation subjects from Vism.

4 basic indispensable meditation methods

Before you try to learn the 42, start by having a basic working understanding and practice of these 4 basics.

AN 9.1: the first sutta in a collection is often very important

1) asubha → remove lust and passion

a-subhā bhāvetabbā
 Non-beautiful [foulness perceptions] (he) should-develop,
rāgassa pahānāya,
 (for) [lustful] passion's removal,

2) metta → remove ill will

mettā bhāvetabbā
 Good-will (he) should-develop,
byāpādassa pahānāya,
 (for) ill-will's removal,

3) 16 APS → remove vitakka/thinking

ānā-pānas-sati bhāvetabbā
 inhale-exhale-mindfulness (he) should-develop,
vitakk-upacchedāya,
 (for) [distractive] thinking's-cutting-off,

4) a-nicca-sañña → uproot pride, conceit, self

a-nicca-saññā bhāvetabbā
 im-permanence-perception (he) should-develop,
asmimānasamugghātāya.
 (for) pride-(and)-conceit's-uprooting.
A-nicca-saññino, bhikkhave,
 (for one who has) Im-permanence-perception, monks,
an-atta-saññā saṇṭhāti.
 not-self-perception (is) established.
An-atta-saññī
 (for one who has) not-self-perception,
asmimānasamugghātaṃ pāpuṇāti
 pride-(and)-conceit's-uprooting (is) attained,
diṭṭheva dhamme nibbānan”ti.
 here-and-now (is) Nirvana."

42 meditation topics for the 7sb Dhamma app store

SN 46 is the bojjhanga samyutta, where most of the suttas that describe the workings of the 7sb (awakening factors) reside.

#1-20: These 20 apps for 7sb are basic and essential

VII. IN-AND-OUT BREATHING Ānāpāna Vagga

SN 46.57 Aṭṭhika (sañña)
 57. The Skeleton (perception)
SN 46.58 Puḷavaka (sañña)
 58. The Worm-Infested (perception)
SN 46.59 Vinīlaka (sañña)
 59. The Livid (perception)
SN 46.60 Vicchiddaka (sañña)
 60. The Fissured (perception)
SN 46.61 Uddhumātaka (sañña)
 61. The Bloated (perception)
SN 46.62 Mettā
 62. Lovingkindness
SN 46.63 Karuṇā
 63. Compassion
SN 46.64 Muditā
 64. Altruistic Joy
SN 46.65 Upekhā
 65. Equanimity
SN 46.66 Ānāpānasati
 66. Breathing

VIII. CESSATION Nirodha Vagga

SN 46.67 Asubha (sañña)
 67. Foulness (perception)
SN 46.68 Maraṇa (sañña)
 68. Death (perception)
SN 46.69 Paṭikkūla (sañña)
 69. Repulsiveness of Food (perception)
SN 46.70 Sabbaloke (sañña)
 70. Nondelight (perception)
SN 46.71 Anicca (sañña)
 71. Impermanence (perception)
SN 46.72 Dukkha (sañña)
 72. Suffering (perception)
SN 46.73 Anatta (sañña)
 73. Nonself (perception)
SN 46.74 Pahāna (sañña)
 74. Abandonment (perception)
SN 46.75 Virāga (sañña)
 75. Dispassion (perception)
SN 46.76 Nirodha (sañña)
 76. Cessation(perception)

AN 10.56: 10ds: ten perceptions, nimitta names from sutta titles in SN 46 expanded

asubha-saññā,
 (1) The perception of unattractiveness,
maraṇa-saññā,
 (2) the perception of death,
āhāre paṭikūla-saññā,
 (3) the perception of the repulsiveness of food,
sabbaloke anabhirata-saññā,
 (4) the perception of non-delight in the entire world,
anicca-saññā,
 (5) the perception of impermanence,
anicce dukkha-saññā,
 (6) the perception of suffering in the impermanent,
dukkhe anatta-saññā,
 (7) the perception of non-self in what is suffering,
pahāna-saññā,
 (8) the perception of abandoning,
virāga-saññā,
 (9) the perception of dispassion,
nirodha-saññā —
 and (10) the perception of cessation.

SN 56.7 and SN 56.1 dukkha vitakka vs. sañña

4 vitakka and 4 sanna on 4NT, can be thought of as commentary on dukkha sanna, and show how samadhi nimitta can be vitakka or sanna.

#21-26: These 6 “sati” apps induce pīti into 7sb

AN 6.9 Anus-satiṭ-ṭhāna-sutta
 9. Topics for Recollection
“Chayimāni, bhikkhave, anus-satiṭ-ṭhānāni.
 “Mendicants, there are these six topics for recollection.
Katamāni cha?
 What six?
Buddhā-nus-sati,
 The recollection of the Buddha,
dhammā-nus-sati,
 the teaching,
saṃghā-nus-sati,
 the Saṅgha,
sīlā-nus-sati,
 ethics,
cāgā-nus-sati,
 generosity,
devatā-nus-sati.
 and the deities.

see AN 6.10, 25, 26 for details of that, and how it feeds 7sb

note Buddha-anussati is built into 5ind and 5bal in saddha-indriya

#27-#32: 6 more anu-s-sati-thāna, perhaps the most important of the 42, from AN 6.29

1) STED first three jhānas for pleasurable abiding

paṭhamaṃ...dutiyaṃ...tatiyaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati, ...
 first…second...third jhāna (he) enters and dwells in,…
Diṭṭha-dhamma-sukha-vihārāya saṃvattati.
 (in the) here-and-now,-pleasant-abiding (it) leads-to.

2) STED ASND: perception of light for knowledge and vision

āloka-saññaṃ manasi karoti,...
 Luminosity-perception (his) mind makes…
ñāṇa-dassanap-paṭi-lābhāya saṃvattati.
 Knowledge-and-vision’s-acquisition (this) leads-to.

3) STED 31asb: 31 flavors of asubha for remoal of lust and passion

kesa...mutta… (31 body parts perception)
 Head-hair...urine (31 body parts contemplation)…
Kāma-rāgap-pahānāya saṃvattati.
 Sensuality-passion-removal (this) leads-to.

4) STED 9siv: 9 stages of corpse, for eradication of self conceit

(9 contemplations on) ... sivathikāya ...
 9 contemplations on cemetary corpse decay…
Asmi-māna-samugghātāya saṃvattati.
 Pride-conceit-uprooting (this) leads-to.

5) STED 4th jhana: for penetration of all properties

catutthaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati,...
 fourth jhāna (he) enters and abides in,…
aneka-dhātu-paṭi-vedhāya saṃvattati.
 Many-elements-fully-penetrated (this) leads-to.

6) STED S&S, sati & sampajano: for remembrance and clear-discerning

sato'-va (through various moving postures)...
 Always-a-rememberer [of Dhamma] in various moving postures,…
sati-sampajaññāya saṃvattatī”ti.
 Remembrance-and-clear-discerning (this) leads-to.

#33-37: 5 arūpa samādhi attainments

see SN 54.8 for how it works with 16APS to indirectly work with and support 7sb
see SN 36.11 for how it gradually builds on 4j

STED (smd 5) ākāsā-nañcā-(a)yatanaṃ

STED (smd 5) Space-infinitude-dimension
sabbaso rūpa-saññānaṃ samatikkamā
 (with) complete [physical] form-perceptions transcending,
Paṭigha-saññānaṃ atthaṅgamā
 (with) resistance-perceptions disappearance,
nānatta-saññānaṃ a-manasikārā
 (and) diversity-perceptions; non-attention (to them),
‘an-anto ākāso’ti
 [perceiving,] 'In-finite space,'
ākāsānañcā-(a)yatanaṃ upasampajja viharati.
 Space-infinitude-dimension, (he) enters, dwells.

STED (smd 6) viññāṇañcā-(a)yatanaṃ

STED (smd 6) Consciousness-infinitude-dimension
sabbaso ākāsānañcā-(a)yatanaṃ samatikkamma
 (with) complete Space-infinitude-dimension's transcending,
An-antaṃ viññāṇanti
 (perceiving,) 'In-finite consciousness,'
viññāṇañcā-(a)yatanaṃ upasampajja viharati.
 Consciousness-infinitude-dimension, (he) enters, dwells.

STED (smd 7) ākiñcaññā-(a)yatanaṃ

STED (smd 7) Nothingness-dimension
sabbaso viññāṇañcā-(a)yatanaṃ samatikkamma
 (with) complete consciousness-infinitude-dimension's transcending
N-atthi kiñcīti
 (perceiving,) 'There-is nothing,'
ākiñcaññā-(a)yatanaṃ upasampajja viharati.
 Nothingness-dimension, (he) enters, dwells.

STED (smd 8) Neva-saññā-nāsaññā-(a)yatanaṃ

STED (smd 8) Neither-perception-nor-non-perception-dimension
sabbaso ākiñcaññā-(a)yatanaṃ samatikkamma
 (with) complete nothingness-dimension's transcending,
Neva-saññā-nāsaññā-(a)yatanaṃ upasampajja viharati.
 Neither-perception-nor-non-perception-dimension, (he) enters, dwells

STED (smd 9) Saññā-vedayita-nirodhaṃ

STED (smd 9) Perception-feeling-cessation
sabbaso neva-saññā-nāsaññā-(a)yatanaṃ samatikkamma
 (with) complete Neither-perception-nor-non-perception-dimension's transcending,
Saññā-vedayita-nirodhaṃ upasampajja viharati
 Perception-feeling-cessation, (he) enters, dwells

#38-#42: 5abi: noble one’s developed faculties

SN 46.52 5abi combined with 7sb and 4bv, remember SN 46 is bojjhanga samyutta
From SN 54.8 the lamp, 16 APS + 16 techniques
also see MN 152, the culimnating sutta in MN
STED 5abi combined with 16 APS (using SN 54.8)

(five masteries of perception 1 of 5 )

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu cepi ākaṅkheyya:
 Therefore, monks, {if} a-monk **** should-wish:
‘ap-paṭikūle paṭikūla-saññī vihareyyan’ti,
 '(in the) non-repulsive, repulsive-perceptions (I) should-dwell-in,
ayameva Ānā-pānas-sati-samādhi sādhukaṃ manasi kātabbo.
 Then-this inhale-exhale-mindful-concentration, thoroughly (his) mind should-do.

(five masteries of perception 2 of 5 )

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu cepi ākaṅkheyya:
 Therefore, monks, {if} a-monk **** should-wish:
‘paṭikūle ap-paṭikūla-saññī vihareyyan’ti,
 '(in the) repulsive, non-repulsive-perceptions (I) should-dwell-in,
ayameva Ānā-pānas-sati-samādhi sādhukaṃ manasi kātabbo.
 Then-this inhale-exhale-mindful-concentration, thoroughly (his) mind should-do.

(five masteries of perception 3 of 5 )

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu cepi ākaṅkheyya:
 Therefore, monks, {if} a-monk **** should-wish:
‘paṭikūle ca ap-paṭikūle ca paṭikūla-saññī vihareyyan’ti,
 '(in the) repulsive and non-repulsive **, repulsive-perceptions (I) should-dwell-in.'
ayameva Ānā-pānas-sati-samādhi sādhukaṃ manasi kātabbo.
 Then-this inhale-exhale-mindful-concentration, thoroughly (his) mind should-do.

(five masteries of perception 4 of 5 )

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu cepi ākaṅkheyya:
 Therefore, monks, {if} a-monk **** should-wish:
‘paṭikūle ca ap-paṭikūle ca ap-paṭikūla-saññī vihareyyan’ti,
 '(in the) repulsive and non-repulsive **, non-repulsive-perceptions (I) should-dwell-in.'
ayameva Ānā-pānas-sati-samādhi sādhukaṃ manasi kātabbo.
 Then-this inhale-exhale-mindful-concentration, thoroughly (his) mind should-do.

(five masteries of perception 5 of 5 )

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu cepi ākaṅkheyya:
 Therefore, monks, {if} a-monk **** should-wish:
‘ap-paṭikūlañ-ca paṭikūlañca
 (in the) non-repulsive-and repulsive,
ta-dubhayaṃ abhi-nivajjetvā
 {both}-of-those, removed-by-transcending,
upekkhako vihareyyaṃ
 equanimous (I) dwell,
sato sampajāno’ti,
 mindful (and) alert,'
ayameva Ānā-pānas-sati-samādhi sādhukaṃ manasi kātabbo.
 Then-this inhale-exhale-mindful-concentration, thoroughly (his) mind should-do.

40 meditation subjects from Vism.

.
 .
For comparison purposes, the 42 EBT meditation subjects, all except the 4 arupa samadhi samapatti have explicit EBT text tying it to the 7sb (awakening factor) causal sequence machine. Each of the 42 meditation subjects, are known as nimittas, or samadhi nimittas, or sati, or satipathana, or anu-sati-thana (basis for recollection), sometimes also known as a dhamma-vitakka, or a dhamma.
The first of the 7sb, sati-sambojjhanga, its job is to “remember” a Dhamma, or a samadhi-nimitta, and feed it into the 7sb machine. The particular nimitta remembered usually has the ability to inspire pamojja (gladness), pīti (rapture, the 4th of the 7sb factors), leading to an organic and connected entry into samadhi.
In extreme contrast, later Theravada, later Abhidhamma, in the Vism., they make a sharp divide between samatha and vipassana (in EBT they’re tightly integrated and inseparable). The first 10 of the 40, or kasinas, visual objects for doing samatha kung fu, which hardly appear in the EBT at all. They are in the EBT, with no explanation or detail on how to practice, and likely are there as a smuggled import by later Theravada.
With the VRJ (vism. Redefinition of jhana), every meditation topic that is capable of four jhanas (from the EBT), has been modfied to become a samatha kung fu visual based kasina practice. 16 APS (anapansati), the crown jewel of EBT meditation, is buried in the list at #29, and the practice of it has been redefined from tactile sensation of breath in the entire anatomical body, into a kasina type practice with a visual breath nimitta. The 4bv (brahmavihara), to get into VRJ (redefined jhana), now work like visual kasina. For example, you visualize your mother, make her into a mother image kasina, send metta to her kasina. Basically everything has to be a visual kasina to get jhana. Corpse contemplation also has been converted into a visual kasina practice.
In the EBT, samadhi nimittas means, any meditation topic that organically feeds the 7sb. MN 44 defines samadhi nimitta = the four satipatthana. In modern day Vism. Meditation, when they say nimitta, they’re talking about a visual kasina type of object, such as ‘breath nimitta.’
V&V, vitakka & vicara, means thinking and evaluation, everywhere in the EBT, including first jhana. In Vism., since they’re redefined jhana into a pure samatha kung fu to conform to their late Abhidhamma idea of momentariness, they’ve necessarily had to redefine what V&V means in first jhana (VRJ first jhana). Totally different than EBT first jhana.
from Buddhadust:
http://obo.genaud.net/dhammatalk/bd_dhammatalk/sitting_practice/40_kasinas.htm
In the Visuddhimagga the list is:
[1] Earth, [2] water, [3] fire, [4] wind.
For these see:
The Four Great Elements
[5] Blue-green, [6] yellow, [7] red, [8] white, [9] light, [10] space
[11] A swollen corpse, [12] discolored corpse, [13] a festering corpse, [14] a fissured corpse, [15] a mangled corpse, [16] a dismembered corpse, [17] a cut and dismembered corpse, [18] a bloody corpse, [19] a worm-filled corpse, [20] a skeleton.
For these see:
The Charnel Field where the corpses described are somewhat different, but the method to be used is the same.
[21] Recollecting the Buddha, [22] recollecting the Dhamma, [23] recollecting the Order
[24] Recollecting Ethical Culture
For this see:
Ethical Culture
[25] Recollecting Giving
For this see:
Dana
[26] Recollecting the Gods. For this see:
The Ninth Lesson
[27] Recollecting Death.
For this see:
Meditation on Death (discussion, not too helpful, but something.)
[28] Recollecting the Body.
For this see
The end of The Ones, and
Satisfaction with Body
[29] Recollecting the Breathing, [30] Recollecting Calm.
For both of these same as above, and
The Anapanasatisutta
[31] Friendly Vibrations, [32] Sympathetic Vibrations, [33] Empathetic Vibrations, [34] Objective Detachment.
For this see: The Four Godly Thoughts
[35] The Realm of Limitless Space
[36] The Realm of Limitless Consciousness
[37] The Realm of No Things There
[38] The Realm of Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception
For these see:
NAVASATTAVASA
[39] The Perception of the Foulness of Food
For this, ya gotta nose ya stuff!
And one called the [40] Specification of the Four Elements.