Its most basic meaning is as a word for meditation. In Burmasenior meditation practitioners are known as "kammatthanacariyas". Buddhaghosa uses "kammatthana" to refer to each of his forty meditation objects listed in the third chapter of the Visuddhimagga, which are partially derived from the Pāli Canon. In the Pali literature, prior to the post-canonical Pali commentaries, the term comes up in only a handful of discourses and then in the context of "work" or "trade." The Thai Forest Tradition names itself Kammaṭṭhāna Forest tradition.
Buddhaghosa's forty meditation subjects
Of the forty objects meditated upon as kammatthana, the first ten are 'things that one can behold directly', 'kasina', or 'a whole':
The next ten are objects of repulsion :
Ten are recollections :
Four are stations of Brahma :
Four are formless states :
One is of perception of disgust of food. The last is analysis of the four elements : earth, water, fire, air. Each kammatthana can be suggested, especially by a spiritual friend , to a certain individual student at some specific point, by assessing what would be best for that student's temperament and the present state of his or her mind.
Meditation subjects and jhanas
According to Gunaratana, following Buddhaghosa, due to the simplicity of subject matter, all four jhanas can be induced through ānāpānasati and the ten kasinas. According to Gunaratana, the following meditation subjects only lead to "access concentration", due to their complexity: the recollection of the Buddha, dharma, sangha, morality, liberality, wholesome attributes of Devas, death, and peace; the perception of disgust of food; and the analysis of the four elements. Absorption in the first jhana can be realized by mindfulness on the ten kinds of foulness and mindfulness of the body. However, these meditations cannot go beyond the first jhana due to their involving applied thought, which is absent from the higher jhanas. Absorption in the first three jhanas can be realized by contemplating the first three brahma-viharas. However, these meditations cannot aid in attaining the fourth jhana due to the pleasant feelings associated with them. Conversely, once the fourth jhana is induced, the fourth brahma-vihara arises.
All of the aforementioned meditation subjects can suppress the Five Hindrances, thus allowing one to fruitfully pursuewisdom. In addition, anyone can productively apply specific meditation subjects as antidotes, such as meditating on foulness to counteract lust or on the breath to abandon discursive thought. The Pali commentaries further provide guidelines for suggesting meditation subjects based on one's general temperament:
Greedy: the ten foulness meditations; or, body contemplation.
Hating: the four brahma-viharas; or, the four color kasinas.
Deluded: mindfulness of breath.
Faithful: the first six recollections.
Intelligent: recollection of marana or Nibbana; the perception of disgust of food; or, the analysis of the four elements.
Speculative: mindfulness of breath.
The six non-color kasinas and the four formless states are suitable for all temperaments.
