I am currently very interested in kasina practice using colored disks. As many have pointed out, it seems to be harder to get into this type of practice then other kasina practices that leave a retinal burn. I think however that there may be times in people's practice, where for whatever reason, they'd like to hold off on doing practices based on the elements. There's also the added challenge of trying to master a skill that's harder to get into.
What would be most helpful for me is if I had map of the four samatha jhanas for colored disks to match up with the map that Daniel has provided for the Fire Kasina territory. I've heard of people experiencing 3D visuals based on open-eye kasina practice, such as the experiences Daniel describes on retreat at Bhavana Society. I am assuming that this type of experience qualifies as fourth jhana and that getting from third to fourth represents the trickiest transition. With the candle flame, this transition phase is marked by the "murky darkness". Wondering what the signs of the transition are with external objects.
Some of the experiences I've had that I'm trying to map, include: a grey disc floating just above the colored disk, the kasina disappearing into the background, the kasina flickering in and out of the visual field, the image splitting into two images temporarily, a "glowing" version of the kasina that is reminiscent of the after-image that comes from candle flame practice (eyes almost closed). I would love to hear about what others have experienced. They would be useful as data points for marking out the territory and transition points of the jhanas.
