Is the Nila kasina green or blue?

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John P, modified 10 Years ago at 1/5/14 12:24 PM
Created 10 Years ago at 1/5/14 12:24 PM

Is the Nila kasina green or blue?

Posts: 155 Join Date: 1/24/12 Recent Posts
Hi, I'm taking a look a which colors are the canonical ones for the kasinas, and found there is some conflict between sources.

Some say that the Nila kasina is green and others say it's blue.

I remember hearing that there are some countries in Asia that consider blue and green to be the same color.

I know kasina colors don't need to be so accurate, but which color is the canonical Nila kasina? Green or Blue?
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Sweet Nothing, modified 10 Years ago at 1/5/14 1:01 PM
Created 10 Years ago at 1/5/14 12:59 PM

RE: Is the Nila kasina green or blue?

Posts: 164 Join Date: 4/21/13 Recent Posts
If you're referring to an ancient Indian language such as Pali, then Nila is blue in general.
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Avi Craimer, modified 10 Years ago at 3/3/14 12:28 PM
Created 10 Years ago at 3/3/14 12:28 PM

Nila is closer to black

Posts: 114 Join Date: 10/29/13 Recent Posts
In the books I've read on Jhana based on the teachings of Pa Auk, the authors said that the nila kasina is actually closer to black. It's not a pure black though, it's more like the shiny almost black-blue-brown like the shell of a beetle, or a piece of polished jet. I think the idea is that it's basically a dark color, but despite being dark it is still luminous, not just the absence of light.
Change A, modified 10 Years ago at 3/4/14 2:44 PM
Created 10 Years ago at 3/4/14 2:44 PM

RE: Is the Nila kasina green or blue?

Posts: 791 Join Date: 5/24/10 Recent Posts
Nila is blue.
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Avi Craimer, modified 10 Years ago at 3/5/14 9:35 PM
Created 10 Years ago at 3/5/14 9:34 PM

RE: Is the Nila kasina green or blue?

Posts: 114 Join Date: 10/29/13 Recent Posts
Follow up reference for my claim that nila is black.

"This dark color is sometimes described as blue, black, green, or brown; essentially, it is a very dark but luminous color. To produce the nila kasina, we use the dark color of bile, black hair, or the pupil of the eye."
From Wisdom Wide and Deep by Shaila Catherine, p.122.

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