Tantrik yoga

THE SIX MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT THE CHAKRAS
Over the past hundred plus years, the concept of the chakras, or subtle energy centers within the body, has seized the Western
imagination more than virtually any other teaching from the yoga tradition. Yet, as with most other concepts deriving from Sanskrit
sources, the West (barring a handful of scholars) has almost totally failed to come to grips with what the chakras meant in their
original context and how one is supposed to practice with them. This post seeks to rectify that situation to some extent. If you're
short on time, you can skip the contextual comments I'm about to make and go straight to the list of the six fundamental
facts about the chakras that modern yogis don't know. (See the postscript for a precise definition of 'chakra'.)
First let me clarify that by 'the West' I mean not only Euro-American culture but also the aspects of modern Indian culture that are
informed by the Euro-American culture matrix. Since at this point it is nearly impossible to find a form of yoga in India not
influenced by Euro-American ideas about it, when I use the term 'Western' I include all the teachings on yoga in India today that
exist in the English language.
Okay, I'll give it to you straight: for the most part, Western yoga understands almost nothing about the chakras that the original
creators of the concept thought was important about them. If you read a book like Anodea Judith's famous Wheels of Life or other
books inspired by it, you are not reading a work of yoga philosophy but of Western occultism, based on three main sources: 1) earlier
works of Western occultism that borrow Sanskrit terms without really understanding them (like Theosophist C.W. Leadbeater's The
Chakras, 1927); 2) John Woodroffe's flawed 1918 translation of a text on the chakras written in Sanskrit in 1577; and 3) 20th-century
books by Indian yoga gurus which are themselves based on sources 1) and 2). Books on the chakras based on sound comprehension
of the original Sanskrit sources exist only in the scholarly world.
'But does that matter?' yogis ask me. 'I've benefited so much from Anodea Judith's book and others like it, don't take that away from
me!' I won't and I can't. Whatever benefit you've received, from whatever source, is real if you say it is. I'm just here to tell you two
things: first, that when modern Western authors on the chakras tell you they are presenting ancient teachings, they're lying
but they don't know that they are, because they can't assess the validity of their source materials (since they don't read Sanskrit).
Second, for those who are interested, I'm here to let you know a little bit about what yogic concepts mean in their original context
(because I'm a Sanskrit scholar, and a meditator who happens to prefer the traditional forms). Only you can assess whether that is of
any benefit to you. I'm not claiming that older is intrinsically better. I'm not trying to imply there's no spiritual value to Western
occultism. I'm just approximating the historical truth in simple English words as best I can. So I'll get on with it now: the six
fundamental facts about the chakras that modern yogis don't know. (Again, please see the p.s. at the bottom for a definition of what
a chakra is.)

1 . T H ER E' S N OT J US T ON E C HA KR A SY S T EM I N T HE O R I G I N A L T R A DI T IO N , T HE R E AR E M A N Y .

So many! The theory of the subtle body and its energy centers called cakras (orpadmas, dhras, lakyas, etc.) comes from the
tradition of Tantrik Yoga, which flourished from 600-1300 CE, and is still alive today. In mature Tantrik Yoga (after the year 900 or
so), every one of the many branches of the tradition articulated a different chakra system, and some branches articulated more than
one. Five-chakra systems, six-chakra systems, seven, nine, ten, fifteen, twenty-one, twenty-eight and more chakras are taught,
depending on what text you're looking at. The seven- (or, technically, 6 + 1) chakra system that Western yogis know about is just one
of many, and it became dominant around the 16th century (see point #4 below).
Now, I know what you're thinking'But which system is right? How many chakras are there really?' And that brings us to our first
major misunderstanding. The chakras aren't like organs in the physical body; they aren't fixed facts that we can study like doctors
study neural ganglia. The energy body is an extraordinarily fluid reality, as we should expect of anything nonphysical and
supersensuous. The energy body can present, experientially speaking, with any number of energy centers, depending on the person
and the yogic practice they're performing.
Having said that, there are a few centers which are found in all systemsspecifically, chakras in the lower belly, the heart, and the
crown of the head, since these are three places in the body where humans all over the world experience both emotional and spiritual
phenomena. But apart from those three, there's huge variety in the chakra systems we find in the original literature. One is not more
'right' than another, except relative to a specific practice. For example, if you're doing a five-element practice, you use a five-chakra
system (see point #6 below). If you're internalizing the energy of six different deities, you use a six-chakra system. Duh, right? But
this crucial bit of information has not yet reached Western yoga.
We've only just started down this rabbit hole, Alice. Wanna learn more?

2 . T H E C H A KR A S YS T EM S A R E P R E S CR IP T I V E , N OT D E SC R I PT I V E.

This might be the most important point. English sources tend to present the chakra system as an existential fact, using descriptive
language (like the mldhra chakra is at the base of the spine. it has four petals, and so on). But in most of the original Sanskrit
sources, we are not being taught about the way things are, we are being given a specific yogic practice: we are to visualize a subtle
object made of colored light, shaped like a lotus or a spinning wheel, at a specific point in the body, and then activate mantric
syllables in it, for a specific purpose. When you understand this, point #1 above makes more sense. The texts are prescriptive they
tell what you ought to do to achieve a specific goal by mystical means. When the literal Sanskrit reads, in its elliptical fashion, Fourpetaled lotus at the base of the body we are supposed to understand The yog ought to visualize a four-petaled lotus See point #5
for more on this.

3 . T H E P S YC H OL OG IC AL ST AT E S A SS O C IA T E D W I T H T H E CH AK R A S A R E C OM PL E T EL Y M OD E R N AN D
W E ST ER N .

On countless websites and in countless books, we read that the mldhra chakra is associated with survival & safety,
that maipra chakra is associated with willpower & self-esteem, and so on. The educated yogi should know that all associations of
the chakras with psychological states is a modern Western innovation that started with Jung. Perhaps such associations represent
experiential realities for some people (though usually not without priming). We certainly dont find them in the Sanskrit sources.
Theres only one exception Im aware of, and that is the 10-chakra system for yogi-musicians that Ive done a blog post on. But in
that 13th-century system, we do not find each chakra associated with a specific emotion or psychological state; rather, each petal of
each lotus-chakra is associated with a distinct emotion or state, and there seems to be no pattern by which we could create a label for
the chakra as a whole.
But thats not all. Nearly all the many associations found in Anodea Judiths Wheels of Life have no basis in the Indian sources. Each
chakra, Judith tells us, is associated with a certain bodily gland, certain bodily malfunctions, certain foods, a certain metal, a
mineral, an herb, a planet, a path of yoga, a suit of the tarot, a sephira of Jewish mysticism (!), and an archangel of Christianity
(!!). None of these associations are found in the original sources. Judith or her teachers created them based on perceived similarities.
That goes also for the essential oils and crystals that other books and websites claim correspond to each chakra. (I should note that
Judith does feature information from an original Sanskrit source [that is, the hat-cakra-nirpaa, see below] under the label
Lotus Symbols for each chakra. I should also note that Anodea is a really lovely person whose work has benefited many. This isn't
personal.)
This is not to say that putting a certain kind of crystal on your belly when youre having self-esteem issues and imagining it purifying
your maipra chakra might not help you feel better. Maybe it will, depending on the person. While this practice is certainly not
traditional, and has not been tested over generations (which is the whole point of tradition, really), god knows theres more on
heaven and earth than is dreamt of in my rational brain.
But, in my view, people should know when the pedigree of a practice is a few decades, not centuries. If a practice has value, then you
don't need to falsify its provenance, right?
Hey theredo you like this post? Do you want learn more? Then please sign up for my email list! You won't receive many
mailings, and we'll never share your email.
4 . T H E S E V EN - C HA KR A SY S T EM PO P UL AR T O DA Y D E R I V E S N OT FR OM A S CR IP T U R E, BU T FR O M A
T R E AT I S E W R IT T E N IN 15 7 7 .

The chakra system Western yogis follow is that found in a Sanskrit text written by a guy named Pr nanda Yati. He completed his
text (the ha-chakra-nirpaa or 'Explanation of the six chakras', actually chapter six of a larger work) in the year 1577.
In an earlier version of this post, I called the 7-chakra system 'late and somewhat atypical'. But after a few days, I realized that I was
mistakena simpler version of the same 7-chakra system is found in a 13th-century postscriptural text called theradtilaka ('Sarasvat's Ornament'), though that text does plainly acknowledge that there are multiple chakra systems (such as systems of
12 or 16 chakras). However, most yogis (both Indian and Western) know the 7-chakra system only through Pr nandas 16thcentury work, or rather, through a relatively incoherent and confusing translation of it, done by John Woodroffe in 1918. Still, the
text is important to many lineages in India today. Would it have been without the Woodroffe translation? I doubt it, since there are
very few people in modern India who read Sanskrit fluently.

More important, however, is the fact that the tradition itself regards scripturaltexts as infallible and human authors as fallible, so its
ironic that modern yogis functionally treat Prnandas 7-chakra system as divinely revealed. Personally, Im not sure that
anything written in words can be considered infallible, but if you want to revere a yogic teaching as divinely revealed, it makes more
sense to do it with a text that actually claims to be such like the original Tantrik scriptures (composed prior to 1300). Of course,
Prnanda does base his work on earlier, scriptural sources but that doesnt mean that he perfectly understood them (see point
#6 below). In summary, then, the seven-chakra system that you know is based on a flawed translation of a nonscriptural source. This
by no means invalidates it, just problematizes its hegemony.
Note that Tantric Buddhism (e.g., of Tibet) often preserves older forms, and indeed the five-chakra system is dominant in that
tradition (as well as the fundamental three-bindu system). For a typical five-chakra system as found in classical Tantra, see page 387
of my book, Tantra Illuminated.

5 . T H E PU R P O S E OF A C HA KR A S YS T EM I S T O FU N C T I ON A S A T E M P LA T E FO R N Y S A .

As far as the original authors were concerned, the main purpose of any chakra system was to function as a template for nysa, which
means the installation of mantras and deity-energies at specific points of the subtle body. So, though millions of people are
fascinated with the chakras today, almost none of them are using them for their intended purpose. Thats okay. Again, Im not here
to make anyone wrong, just to educate the folks who are interested.
The most outstanding features of the chakra systems in the original sources are these two: 1) that the mystical sounds of the Sanskrit
alphabet are distributed across the petals of all the chakras in the system, and 2) that each chakra is associated with a specific
Hindu deity. This is because the chakra system is, as I said, primarily a template for nysa. In nysa, you visualize a specific mantric
syllable in a specific location in a specific chakra in your energy body while silently intoning its sound. Clearly, this practice is
embedded in a culturally-specific context in which the sounds of the Sanskrit language are seen as uniquely powerful vibrations that
can form an effective part of a mystical practice that brings about spiritual liberation or worldly benefits through magical means.
Invoking the image and energy of a specific deity into a specific chakra is also culturally-specific, though if Western yogis come to
understand what those deities stand for, the practice could potentially be meaningful for them as well, though probably never as
meaningful as for someone who grew up with those deities as paradigmatic icons emblazoned on their subconscious minds.
The so-called Cause-deities (karana-devats) figure largely in every chakra system. These deities form a fixed sequence. From the
lowest chakra to the highest, they are Indra, Brahm, Vishnu, Rudra, vara, Sadiva, and Bhairava, with the first and last of these
often not appearing, depending on the number of chakras. The last deity in the list of Cause-deities is never the ultimate deity of the
given system, for that deity (whoever it is) is enthroned in the sahasrra on or above the crown of the head (which technically is not
a chakra, since chakras by definition are pierced by Kualin in her ascent, whereas the sahasrra is her destination).
Therefore,Bhairava (the most esoteric form of Shiva) is only included in the list of Cause-deities when he is transcended by the
Goddess.

6 . T H E S E E D- M AN T R AS T HA T Y O U T H IN K G O W I T H T H E C HA KR AS A CT UA LL Y G O W I T H T H E EL E M E N T S
T H A T H AP P EN T O BE I N S T A LL E D I N T HO S E C HA KR A S.

This is simpler than it sounds. Youve been told that the seed-mantra (bja or single-syllable mantra) of the mldhra chakra is
LAM. Its not. Not in any Sanskrit source, not even Pr nandas somewhat garbled syncretic account. And the mantra
of svdhihna chakra is not VAM. Wait, what? Its simple: LAM (rhymes with 'thumb') is the seed-mantra of the Earth element,
which in most chakra visualization practices is installed in the mldhra. VAM is the seed-mantra of the water element, which is
installed in svdhihna (at least, in the seven-chakra system you know about). And so on: RAM is the syllable for Fire, YAM for
Wind, and HAM for Space. (All these bjas rhyme with 'thumb'; though I should note in passing that in esoteric Tantrik Yoga, the
elemental bjas actually have different vowel sounds which are thought to be much more powerful.)
So the main point is that the fundamental mantras associated with the first five chakras on every website you can Google actually do
not belong to those chakras, but rather to the five elements installed in them. This is important to know if you ever want
to install one of those elements in a different place. Gasp! I can do that? Totally. What do you think might be the effect on your
relationships of always installing the Wind element in the heart center? (Remember, YAM is the mantra of Air/Wind, not of
the anhata chakra.) Dyou ever notice that modern American yogis have really unstable relationships? Could that be connected to
repeatedly invoking Wind on the level of the heart? Nahhh.. (I can be funny now because only a small percentage of my readers
have made it down this far.) So maybe you want to install some Earth in the heart sometime, cuz grounding is good for your heart.
In that case, its kinda handy to know that LAM is the Earth element mantra, not the mldhra-chakra mantra. (Note that,
traditionally, though the elements can be installed in different places in the body, they can't change their set sequence. That is, they
can telescope up or down depending on the given practice, but Earth is always lowest, then Water, etc.)
Furthermore, some of the geometric figures associated with the chakras today also properly belong to the Elements. Earth is
traditionally represented by a (yellow) square, Water by a (silvery) crescent, Fire by a downward-pointing (red) triangle, Wind by a
hexagram or six-pointed star, and Space by a circle. So when you see those figures inscribed in illustrations of the chakras, know that
they actually are representations of those Elements, not of a geometry inherent in the chakra itself.

This brings me to my last point: even a Sanskrit source can be confused. For example, in Pr nanda's 16th-century text that is the
basis of the popular modern chakra system, the five Elements are installed in the first five chakras of a seven-chakra system. But this
doesn't really work, because in all the classical systems, Space element is installed at the crown of the head, since that is where the
yog experiences an expansive opening into infinite spaciousness. Space is the element that merges into the infinite, so it has to be at
the crown. I would speculate that Prnanda placed Space at the throat chakra because he lived at a time of increasing dogmatic
adherence to the received tradition without critical reflection (a trend which sadly has continued), and the tradition he received was
a Kaula one in which the classical Cause-deities got shoved down to make room for later, higher deities (specifically Bhairava and the
Goddess), and the elements were uncritically kept fused to the deities and chakras with which they were previously associated.
(Having said that, the fact that Prnanda was drawing on Kaula sources is not obvious, because instead of enthroning the Goddess
at thesahasrra as we would expect in a Kaula 7-chakra system, we find Paramaiva, probably due to the influence of Vednta. See
the questions and answers below for more on this.)
So, weve barely scratched the surface of this subject. No, Im not kidding. Its really complex, as you can gather by taking a look at
the scholarly literature, like Dory Heilijgers-Seelens work, or Gudrun Bhnemann's. It takes uncommon patience and focus to even
read such work, let alone produce it. So heres what I hope will be the result of this post: some humility. A few less claims to
authority when it comes to really esoteric subjects. Maybe a few less yoga teachers trying to tell their students what the chakras are
all about. Heck, Im humbled by the complexity of the original sources, and thats with twelve years of Sanskrit under my belt.
This is still mostly uncharted territory. So when it comes to the chakras, dont claim you know. Tell your yoga students that every
book on the chakras presents only one possible model. Nothing written in English is really authoritative for practitioners of yoga. So
why not hold more gently the beliefs you've acquired about yoga, even while you keep learning? Let's admit we really don't
understand these ancient yoga practices yet; and instead of seeking to be an authority on some oversimplified version of them, you
can invite yourself and your students to look more clearly, more honestly, more carefully, and more non-judgmentally at their own
inner experience.
After all, everything that every yoga master ever experienced is in you, too.
~
Like this post but you want something more practical for your spiritual life? Check out this post on the Power of Subtle
Impressions (samskras). Some people have called it 'revelatory'. And please sign up for my newsletter!
~
Postscript: This post is getting a wider circulation than I'm used to, and some people who don't know me interpret my wry tone as
arrogance or sarcasm. In fact, I'm a real softie at heart. Please read my bio so that you can assess my qualifications to make the
statements that I do. And if you're in the Bay Area or Colorado, come out to one of my live teaching events!
Postscript #2: Someone pointed out that I didn't offer an actual definition of a chakra in this post. So here it is: "In the Tantric
traditions, chakras (Skt. cakra) are focal points for meditation within the human body, visualized as structures of energy resembling
discs or flowers at those points where a number of ns or meridians converge. They are conceptual structures yet are
phenomenologically based, since they tend to be located where human beings experience emotional and/or spiritual energy, and
since the form in which they are visualized reflects visionary experiences had by meditators."

An 18th-century image of several chakras, probably from Rjasthn.

http://www.tantrikstudies.org/blog/2016/2/5/the-real-story-on-the-chakras

Music and Yoga, Tantrik yoga

The tradition of classical Tantra evolved not one but many cakra systems. (In English, the word is commonly spelled chakra, but
should always be pronounced as in church not shock.) Five-cakra systems were the most common in the early tradition, in order to
correspond with the five basic elements.
My mentor and friend Somadeva Vasudeva (currently of the University of Kyt) discovered a fascinating 10-cakra system in a 16th
century (?) text called A Jewel-mine of [teachings on] Music (Sagta-ratnkara) by a fellow called rngadeva. This is the only
Sanskrit text that I am aware which associates specific emotional and mental states (bhvas) with specific cakras; or, more precisely,
with the 'petals' of the cakras.

Here are brief excerpts from the text, translated by Dr. Vasudeva (with minor adjustments by myself) -- but please know that proper
understanding of this material is only possible through reading the commentaries on the text by Kallintha and Sihabhpla, not
included here. This post includes the first five cakras in this ten-cakra system, which have the same locations and names as the first
five cakras of the seven-cakra system popular in the West.
CAKRA #1. dhra "Between the anus and genitals is the dhra-cakra. It has four petals. In these four petals, arranged in the
intermediate points of the compass, are located four blisses(nanda): [1] supreme bliss in the north-east, [2] innate bliss in the
south-east, [3] hero's bliss in the south-west, and [4] union bliss in the north-west. Ku alin
resides in this lotus structure.

When she is raised to the cranial aperture she bestows liberation."

CAKRA #2. svdhi hna
"At the 'root' (base) of the genitals is located the six-petalledsvdhi hna-cakra
(Kallintha adds that it

is six finger-breadths above the dhra-cakra). In its petals, beginning with the east (subjectively the front) are found: [1] modesty,
[2] cruelty, [3] destruction of pride, [4] stupefaction, [5] disrespect and [6] suspicion. [As Sihabhpla explains, this means that
when the soul rests in these respective petals it takes on these respective states]. This cakra is the abode of the power of infatuation."
CAKRA #3. ma ipraka "In the navel[-region] is located a ten-petalled cakra called ma ipraka. In its petals are found, starting
with the East (front) [1] deep sleep, [2] craving, [3] envy, [4] slander, [5] shame, [6] fear, [7] compassion, [8] stupor, [9] degeneracy,
and [10] depression. It is the locus of the sun. [Sihabhpla identifies this as a specific vital energy (pr a) called sun(srya).]"
CAKRA #4. anhata "In the heart[-region] is located the anhata-cakra. It is the site for worshipping iva in the form of the
Pra ava O. It has twelve petals. The results of abiding in these, beginning with East (front) are: [1] destruction of unsteadiness, [2]
clear reasoning, [3] remorse, [4] expectation, [5] transparency [or absence of pretense], [6] worry, [7] striving, [8] equanimity, [9]
religious hypocrisy, [10] instability, [11] discernment, and [12] audacity [or faith in oneself]."
None of the bhvas (mental-emotional states) of cakras #1-3 are to be cultivated by the yog-musician. However, in cakra #4, the
musician should cultivate the qualities of petals #1, 8, 11, and 12. Singers who abide in the qualities of petals #4, 6, or 10 will destroy
their natural ability, we are told.
CAKRA #5. viuddhi "In the throat[-region] is located the sixteen petalled viuddhi-cakra, it is the seat of Sarasvat (Goddess of
speech, music, and learning). [Sihabhpla: the Goddess of speech, contemplated there, bestows the perfection of speech]. When
the soul abides in its sixteen petals, there accrue the following rewards beginning with the East (front): [1] thePra ava (O), [2]
the Udgthachant, [3] the hupha mantra,
[4] the va a mantra,
[5] the svadhmantra offered to the ancestors (pit), [6]

the svh mantra offered to the Gods, [7] nama , a word for offering salution, [8] nectar[ean joy], [9] the seven musical notes in
order beginning with aja,
[10] the Bull (of Lord Shiva), [11] gndhra, [12] madhyama, [13] pacama, [14]dhaivata, [15] nida,

[16] poison[ous misery].

Petals #8-15 are to be cultivated by the musician, we are told.
Cakras #6-10 are in Part Two of this post.

Please note that the image is not from the text cited in the blog, although its depiction of the manipra-cakra is parallel. Image
courtesy of Christopher Tompkins.
Continued from the previous post, this post details cakras 6 through 10 of the 10-cakra system of the Sanskrit text called "A Jewelmine of Music". Translation by Somadeva Vasudeva, with minor adjustments by myself. Additional comments translated from the
Sanskrit commentary by Sihabhpla. Note that this cakra system was not "invented" for this text on musicianship, but was drawn
from yogic materials now unavailable.
CAKRA #6. lalan-cakra. "In the uvula[-region] is located the twelve petalled lalan-cakra. In its petals are located the following
fruits, beginning with the East (front): [1] intoxication, [2] arrogance, [3] affection, [4] grief, [5] distress [Sihabhpla: suffering
caused by unknown causes], [6] greed, [7] disenchantment, [8] agitation, [9] the wave [Sihabhpla: the six waves existing in
the vital breath (pr a), the mind (buddhi) and the body (deha): hunger & thirst, grief & delusion, old age & death] [10] faith, [11]
contentment, and [12] respectfulness."
"In the lalan-cakra the tenth [faith] and eleventh [contentment] petals confer mastery on the musician, the first [intoxication],
fourth [grief] and fifth [distress] are considered destructive by the experts in yogic science."
CAKRA #7. j-cakra. "[In the region] between the eyebrows is located the three-petalled j-cakra. The rewards are the
manifestations of [the three gu as]: [1] sattva, [2] rajas, and [3] tamas."

CAKRA #8. mana-cakra. "After that comes the six-petalled mana-cakra, its fruits are [the mastery of]: [1] dream, [2] enjoyment
of flavor, [3] olfactory perception, [4] visual perception, [5] the sensation of touch, [6] aural cognition."
CAKRA #9. soma-cakra. "Above is the sixteen-petalled soma-cakra. On its sixteen petals are located sixteen kals (powers, forces,
digits, sixteenths, parts, aspects). The soul attains [the following] rewards when it progresses to these petals beginning with the
East (front): [1] compassion, [2] forbearance, [3] integrity, [4] fortitude, [5] dispassion, [6] constancy, [7] joy, [8] mirth, [9] thrills,
[10] tears (of joy) in meditation, [11] stability, [12] gravitas, [13] effort, [14] clearmindedness, [15] generosity, [16] singlepointedness." Note that many of these are Yamas & Niyamas in the rad-tilaka.
CAKRA #10. sahasrapatra-cakra. "In the cranial aperture is located a thousand-petalled, nectar-bearing lotus, it nourishes the body
with streams of nectar. . . . The soul located in the cranial aperture, being flooded with nectar, is content, and can excel in music. "
Dr. Vasudeva, who translated this passage, adds:
"Musicians might well wonder why rgadeva goes to such lengths in describing esoteric physiology in a musicological work. The
answer is given in the following verses: Only when the soul is located in certain of these petals/kals can music be mastered. Some
other petals/kals are harmful to music, others are indifferent."
Source: The account of the cakras in found in the Sagta-ratnkara of rgadeva, edited by Pandit S. Subrahmanya Sastri,
revised by Smt. S. Sarada, Adyar Library and Research Centre, Madras, second edition 1992.

Commentaries

Both the Celtic Druid meditations and the Hopi Native American teachings according to some had a 3 chakra system. They were at
the belly, the chest (heart) and the head. The druids used a grail, a wide large drinking bowl used by the Celtic chiefs and kings. The
druids would use it as a meditation on the water of the the grail bowl gazing at it then visualizing the bowl internally at the belly,
chest and head. Hopi would visualize a door at these 3 places. There is a Theravada Buddhist concentration method using water in a
large bowl, one of the 4 kasina meditations on the 4 elements. But it is not visualized in the body. When meditating on the body
Theravada meditation uses awareness of movements of the body or touch sensation. For example the legs and feet in walking
meditation. An example of sensation of the body would be of the touch sensation at the nose in mindfulness of breath.