i lohitāni), like the flower of the red lotus (padmapuṣpa): [seventh abhibhu and seventh kṛtsna]. 9) white visibles (rūpāṇy avadātāni), like white snow (hima): [eighth abhibhu and eighth kṛtsna].
Grasping these characteristics (nimittāny udgṛhṇan), the yogin fixes his mind on the pleasant meditation (śubhabhāvana) on the pure light (pariśuddhaprabhā) belonging to each of these visibles. Then the yogin experiences joy (prīti) and happiness (sukha) filling his entire body (kāya): this is what is called the pleasant vimokṣa (śubha vimokṣa). Since it has pleasant things as object (ālambana), it is called ‘pleasant’ vimokṣa. Since the ascetic experiences this [215c] happiness in his whole body, it is said that the yogin ‘actualizes it physically’ (kāyena sākṣātkaroti). Having obtained this mental happiness (cittasukha), the yogin ‘turns his back and rejects’ (vi-muc) the five objects of enjoyment (kāmaguṇa) and is henceforth without joy (prīti) or happiness (sukha): this is indeed a vimokṣa.
As the yogin has not yet destroyed the impurities (akṣīṇāsrava), it happens that, from time to time, passionate thoughts (saṃyojanacitta) arise in him and he becomes attached (anusajate) to pleasant visibles (śubharūpa). Then he vigorously (ātāpin) and energetically (vīryavat) cuts this attachment (tam āsaṅgaṃ samucchinatti). Actually, this pleasant meditation is a result of his mind. And just as a master magician (māyākāra), in the face of objects that he has created magically, knows that they come from him, so the yogin is no longer attached (āsaṅga) and no longer pursues objects (ālambana). Then the vimokṣa ‘liberation’ changes its name and is called ‘sphere of mastery over the object’ abhibhvÂatana.
Although the yogin thus masters (abhibhavati) the pleasant meditation (śubhabhāvana), he is still incapable of extending it (vistārayitum). Then he returns to grasp the pleasant characteristics (śubhanimitta):
a. Using the power of the vimokṣas and the power of the abhibhvāyatanas, he grasps the nature of pleasant earth (śubhapṛthivī) and gradually extends it (krameṇa vistārayati) to all the empty space (ākāśa) of the ten directions. He does the same with water (ap), fire (tejas) and wind (vāyu).
b. He grasps the nature of blue (nīlanimitta) and gradually extends it to all the space of the ten directions. He does the same with yellow (pīta), red (lohita) and white (avadāta).
These three, [namely the vimokṣas, the abhibhvāyatanas and the kṛtsnāyatanas], are one and the same thing (ekārtha), with three name-changes.
Question. – The [first] three vimokṣas, the eight abhibhvātanas and the ten kṛtsnāyatanas are either objective considerations (bhūtapratyavekṣā) or subjective considerations (adhimuktipratyavekṣā).
If they are objective considerations, since the body still contains skin (tvac) and flesh (māṃsa), how can one see only white bones (śvetasthika) in it? Besides, the body is constituted by an assemblage of thirty-six substances (ṣaṭtriṃḷśaddhātusāmagrī); [see appendix on substances] why distinguish them and consider them separately? The four great elements (mahābhūta) [entering into the constitution of the body] each have their own nature (svalakṣaṇa); why exclude three of them [water, fire and wind] and consider just the earth element (pṛthivīmahābhūta)? The four colors are not blue (nīla) exclusively; why then practice meditation just on blue (nīlabhāvana)?
Answer. – [In these considerations] there is an objective consideration (bhūtapratyavekṣā) as well as a subjective consideration (adhimuktipratyavekṣā).
Bodily characteristics (kāyanimitta), objectively, are unpleasant (aśubha): that is an objective consideration. Among outer things (bāhyadharma), there are all kinds of colors of pleasant nature (śubhalakṣaṇa): this is also an objective consideration. The pleasant (śubha) and the unpleasant (aśubha) come within objective considerations.
On the other hand, when one takes the small number of pleasant things and extends it to consider everything as pleasant, when one chooses the single element water and extends it to see everything a