Christian Vlad:
Just wanted to chime in because I have recently started doing some kasina-practice as well and have similar problems.
1. Nikolai, you said that it's okay to have SOME amount of blinking. But for me it's more like constant blinking, like every 5-7 secs or so (just due to the constant staring and watering of the eyes, I think). Also, it seems hard to have the visual image of the kasina stay really fixed in place. There is always some amount of involuntary movement of the image involved, caused by micro-movements of the eyes that can't seem to be stopped.
2. Do we have to really shoot for perfection here or will the pleasant sensations arise even when there is no complete fixed focus on the kasina? Maybe you could also share with us after what average amount of time these sensations came up for you (rough estimate of course).
Thanks alot!
1. When you let your gaze stare off into the distance, do you blink a hell of a lot? Or is it more of a relaxed gentle gaze that has no 'effort' involved in it? If it is then simply stare at the candle as you would the distant mountains or valleys or trees or buildings or whatever in the horizon. Let the gaze be gentle and let the eyes relax just before they shut by themselves.
If you catch the staring becoming very 'effortful' then remind yourself to relax the eyes and let it be a gentle gaze once again. If the eyes blink, they blink. Let it happen. Just remind yourself when the blinking has ended to return to the object gently, sans effort!
Simply training the mind to do this again and again without 'trying' to do it is accumulative and it gets easier as you do it over and over. Let the eyes blink when they blink. The object of kasina practice is to return attention to it when the mind moves away from it again and again, whether your mind has wondered away in thought or the blinking interrupted the flow of observing the kasina. The flow of attention is more important than the flow of eye sight. If blinking occurs, pay attention to it. Then return to the kasina object when it has subsided no matter how many times blinking occurs. And experiment with the way you stare at the kasina object. If it has a sense of 'trying' overlaying it, recognize that and let that tendency relax.
2. When I did kasina for a long time, I took on board the idea that I was essentially following the
anapanasati sutta instructions but the breath was substituted by the kasina object.
"[1] Breathing in long, he discerns, 'I am breathing in long'; or breathing out long, he discerns, 'I am breathing out long.' [2] Or breathing in short, he discerns, 'I am breathing in short'; or breathing out short, he discerns, 'I am breathing out short.' [3] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body.'[2] He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body.' [4] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.'[3] He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.'
This is how I did it:
Observing he discerns, 'I am staring at the kasina object', staring he discerns the colour of the kasina object, staring he discerns the movement of the object (for candle flame), staring he discerns the shape of the object, staring he discerns the perception of the perception of the object, staring he discerns 'blinking, blinking, blinking,', staring he discerns 'returning to the kasina object', repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, till....
"[5] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to rapture.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to rapture.' [6] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to pleasure.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to pleasure.' [7] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to mental fabrication.'[4] He trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to mental fabrication.' [8] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming mental fabrication.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming mental fabrication.'
He keeps staring sensitive to rapture, then pleasure, then mental fabrications, then calming mental fabrications (and bodily ones). Doing this, 'pleasant sensations' would manifest within the body due to the calming of the mental fabrications (and the bodily ones) and I would then shift all attention to such sensations (with eyes thus closed). Pleasantness would always result.
I practiced within the Goenka tradition for years and gained access to a subtle level of vibrations felt throughout the body and it was then not very hard to calm mental and bodily fabrications to give rise to 'pleasure' and rapture from simply concentrating the mind. It had become more pliant, malleable as a result. a few minutes of staring at the kasina was enough to shift to 'pleasantness' (back in 2009). If it doesn't take that long for you, keep repeating the kasina instructions till the mind is a little more pliant and malleable and thus gives rise to 'pleasantness'. Experiment!
Is there a really long time of completely undivided attention necessary to have them arise?
That would depend on you, the way you practice and the 5 hindrances interfering with that 'undivided attention'. It doesn't have to be 'long' if you practice in a way that works for you. Experiment!
Nick
