The Visuddhimagga, Buddhaghosa's fifth-century manual, describes ten kasinas — fixed objects a meditator gazes at to build steady concentration. Fire is one of the ten, alongside earth, water, and others. The tradition holds it as one entry point among many, not the practice itself.
Why this is hard
A kasina is a single object — here, a flame — used as an anchor for the eyes and then for the mind, until an inner image of it can be held without looking at the fire at all. Buddhaghosa's Visuddhimagga lists ten such objects in total. The tradition teaches this as a foundation for deeper concentration, not an end in itself.
1 of 5
The Visuddhimagga names ten kasinas in all.
Because Buddhaghosa's fifth-century manual sets out ten fixed objects for this kind of practice.
Fire sitting alongside earth, water, and colour on the same old list.
2 of 5
The flame is watched first, then held in mind.
Because the tradition teaches concentration moves from the actual object to an inner copy of it.
Eyes on a flame, then closed, and the light still somehow there.
3 of 5
The aim is steadiness, not the fire itself.
Because the tradition holds any one of the ten objects can serve the same purpose.
A single point for a wandering mind to keep returning to.
4 of 5
It's one entry point among ten, not the whole path.
Because the manual presents kasina practice as a foundation, not the entirety of the tradition's training.
One doorway among several, in the tradition's own accounting.
5 of 5
An actual flame calls for actual care.
Because working with real fire carries an ordinary risk the practice itself doesn't remove.
A candle kept well clear of anything that could catch, and never left unwatched.
The practice
If this interests you, notice what it's like to focus on any one thing — a candle flame, watched from a safe distance, is traditional. The fuller instruction is given by a teacher; this is a description, not a technique to build alone.
Ten objects, one steadiness underneath them. The flame is just where this one starts.
Kasina practice as described in the Visuddhimagga, Buddhaghosa, 5th century CE