Eastern philosophies state that the universe is composed of the primordial essences of Earth, Water, Fire and Air. They are also called fundamental elements. They are not material elements in the crude sense but are immaterial qualities and the concept is different to the Greek ones.
An atom is a unit of energy but can be made to materialise by combination with other atoms. Every manifestation of matter has the qualities of the fundamental elements of Earth, Water, Fire and Air in different combinations. These immaterial qualities can be made to materialise by the power of the Mind.
Of the many different concentration exercises on this and that, four important ones are on Earth, Water, Fire and Air.
The concentration on Earth gives you the power to walk on water and to stand on water, or to sit on water or to step on water by materializing earth.
The present chapter refers to concentration on Earth. Obtain or make a disc about eight to ten inches in diameter, painted dull light pink or beige, or any very light colour. This disc is made of matter, of "Earth". The overall affect should not be bright or shining.
You must make a preliminary survey of why you want to do this concentration exercise. All concentration produces peace of mind and serenity and tranquility, but certain concentration exercises produce special effects. On the road to the production of the ultimate result, there are certain intermediate results which are themselves worthwhile to obtain.
Everybody is born with certain good and bad tendencies and one of the reasons for Transcendental Concentration is the suppression or elimination of the bad tendencies.
Certain desires arise through your contact with the outside world through your five senses. Many of these desires are selfish desires and one of the results of Transcendental Concentration is the overcoming selfish and unwholesome desire.
Transcendental Concentration requires much sustained effort. You will have to be at it for weeks and weeks and months and months. You must have great eagerness to embark on this type of concentration, and all the time you must display sustained effort.
You have to look at the disc for minutes and minutes and maybe for hours. What posture of body will you adopt? Of the four postures of sitting, standing, walking, and lying down, the last two are clearly unsuitable. Moreover, you cannot be standing for minutes and minutes and for hours. Therefore only the sitting posture is suitable.
You can sit comfortably on a chair, or you can sit cross-legged on a divan or on the floor. Sit about three or four or five feet away from the disc keeping it about the level of your eyes.
Before you begin your concentration exercise, calm down your body and your feelings and your emotions. Think of your body; think of the posture of your body, whether you are sitting or lying or standing, etc., and then calmly suggest to yourself that your body is at ease. Now think of your feelings; calm your feelings. Then think of your emotions; calm your emotions so that your mind is in a passive state.
With half-open eyes concentrate looking at the disc. Look at it intently for a while as if you were looking at a beautiful picture.
Do not stare at it; blink your eyes naturally without being conscious of the blinking. Do not strain your eyes or your body. Look at it comfortably but with concentration. Then on closing your eyes see whether a visualised image appears in your mind’s eye. If you lose it, try again and again. Keep it up for minutes and minutes till you see the visualised image clearly.
Keep on concentrating on the visualised image. The aim of concentration is to unify your mind with the object concentrated on. You must be able to maintain the visualised image in your mind when you walk away from your original position. If you lose it, go back to the disc and repeat the process all over again.
As you concentrate, you must completely forget the colour of the disc. The colour of the disc does not come into it at all. What is important is to know what yon are making this Concentration Exercise on "Earth". You will have to remind yourself of it off and on by repeating the expression "Earth, Earth" at suitable intervals.
Before the visualised image appears in your mind, you may have to look at the disc a few hundred times or even a few thousand times, till you have the visualised image steady in your mind, whether your eyes be shut or open.
When you walk away from the disc, keep the visualised image in your mind wherever you go. If you lose the image, you must go back to the disc over and over again with sustained effort. After you can keep the visualised image in your mind for an appreciable amount of time, there will arise in your mind what may be called the after-image. The disc will appear shining and bright like a looking glass and with no colour or shape.
You should delimit the size of the after-image. Enlarge it to any size you want, but don’t have it too big.
You should be careful of the company you keep and the kind of talk you indulge in and take care of the food you eat.
You must see whether it is better for your concentration when you are sitting or lying down or standing or walking.
And now the Five Hindrances are suppressed, as mentioned previously in the Chapter on Jhāna Concentration on in-breaths and out-breaths.
When the 5 Hindrances are suppressed, you are no more in the Realm of Sensuous Desire, and you achieve the First Jhāna.
Thereafter, the procedure is similar up to the Fourth Jhāna, but you must remind yourself off and on that this Concentration is on "Earth".
After the 4th Jhāna, you will have the power of Walking on Water.