Six Elements Meditation (Seeing Is Believing)

In the whole body there are six elements. Earth and water elements form one group; fire and air elements form another group. The space element consists of gaps, holes, and spaces in objects. The final element is the knowing element—the mind or consciousness element (viññāṇa-dhātu).

Except for discerning arising and passing away (anicca), a mind dominated by sloth and torpor or by restlessness is not truly meditating.

A heavy or corpulent yogi has more earth and water elements. These combine into heavy material phenomena (rūpa). Fire and air elements can also combine; when fire exists, air also exists, as fire burns with air. These are light elements that move upward. A thin yogi has more fire and air elements. A heavy person tends to nod off while sitting; a thin person tends to have excessive fantasy and imagination.

Therefore, a heavier yogi should breathe out longer, breathing in fully and breathing out fully. The yogi prone to nodding off should lengthen both inhalation and exhalation, breathing in longer and breathing out longer, sometimes tensing the nerves or lightly biting the teeth. Nodding occurs due to excessive samādhi and insufficient effort. If the mind is restless, one should breathe faster and count more. After adjusting the four elements in the body, one continues insight practice.

The hardness of the earth element does not appear continuously; it arises in gaps. Its magnitude varies—small, medium, or great hardness. Everything has space. There is space between phenomena during the stages of arising. Yogis contemplate in order to discern this space.

To contemplate space together with knowing is to contemplate the mind element (viññāṇa-dhātu). At this stage, contemplation of the six elements is complete: the four great elements, space, and mind—during the discernment of impermanence.

The ending of one material phenomenon (rūpa) or one mental phenomenon (nāma) is impermanence. Before the next one begins, there is a gap—space. Because of the rapidity of phenomena, it is difficult to discern the ending instantly. However, by seeing gaps, impermanence becomes clearer.

After a phenomenon ends and the next has not yet begun, there is space. By discerning space, the yogi understands the nature of ending—impermanence. With the discernment of more and more short gaps, it becomes closer to see the ultimate cessation of Nibbāna.

Seeing Impermanence Through Gaps

Seeing impermanence (anicca) is seeing the short gaps. Mental phenomena also have gaps. One should contemplate in order to see them. For example, seeing consciousness contains many short gaps. It continues by arising one after another with gaps in between.

Hearing consciousness should be understood in the same way; this is even clearer, as one sound follows another. In this way, yogis can see many short gaps. At the time of cessation, the knowing of the six sense doors comes to a stop. Ñāṇa directly experiences the phase of cessation, that is, Nibbāna. This experience is known as the “long gap.”

Discerning short gaps is seeing impermanence. Seeing the long gap is seeing the constant—Nibbāna. Not starting again, or not continuing, is the long gap that transcends time and space. When cause and effect are cut off, the gap becomes long and limitless.

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• Content of Seeing Is Believing-- Dhamma Talks by Sayadaw U Nyanabhasa
• Content of Publications of Bhikkhu Uttamo

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