Friends:

What are the 40 Classic Meditation Objects?

The Buddha taught 40 principal meditation objects = kammatthāna:
Kammatthāna literally means: Place of work, basis of action leading
to the various degrees of mental meditational absorption: jhāna.

These 40 classic and orthodox meditation subjects are:

I. The 10 Kasina  exercises: Kasina = 'Entirety'. All 4 jhānas possible..
1: Earth kasina, 2: Water kasina, 3: Fire kasina, 4: Wind kasina,
5: Blue kasina, 6: Yellow kasina, 7: Red kasina, 8: White kasina,
9: Light or consciousness kasina, 10: Space kasina.

II. The 10 perceptions of disgust: asubha-sañña: 1st jhāna possible:
A swollen and bloated corpse, a bluish livid corpse, a rotting corpse,
a cut-up and split corpse, a gnawed corpse, a hacked corpse, a spread
scattered corpse, a bloody corpse, a corpse of maggots, a skeleton.

III. The 10 contemplations: remembrances or recollections anussati:
1: On the Buddha, 2: The Dhamma, 3: The Noble Sangha community,
4: Morality, 5: Generosity, 6: Heavenly divine beings, 7: Death,
8: Body, 9: In-and-out-breathing: All 4 jhānas  possible!, 10: Peace.

IV. The 4 divine abodes or infinite states: brahma-vihāra:
1: All-embracing friendliness = mettā, 2: Pity = karunā,
3: Mutual joy = muditā, 4: Equanimity = upekkhā:
All 4 jhānas successively possible.

V. The 4 formless spheres arūpāyatana: based on the 4th jhāna:
1: The infinitude of space, 2: The infinitude of consciousness,
3: Empty nothingness, 4: Neither-perception-nor-non-perception.

VI. Perception of the loathsomeness of food āhāre patikkūla-saññā:

VII. Defining Analysis of the four great elements dhātu-vavatthāna:.

More details on these 40 precious objects:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/l/DPPN/wtb/b_f/bhaavanaa.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/libraryibrary/DPPN/wtb/g_m/kasina.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/asubha.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/anussati.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/b/buddha.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/b_f/dhamma.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/s_t/sangha.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/b_f/caaga.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/s_t/siila.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/b_f/deva.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/g_m/marana.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/g_m/kaaya_gata_sati.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/anapana_sati.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/u_v/upasamaanussati.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/b_f/brahma_vihaara.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/g_m/jhaana.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/b_f/dhaatu_vavatthaana.htm

3 Excellent and Complete Meditation Manuals are here:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/pdfs/anapanasati.pdf
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/pdfs/Main_Meditation_Manual.pdf
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/pdfs/PathofPurification2011.pdf

Sound worldwide meditation centers can be found here:
http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry

The 40 Classic Meditation Objects!

Have a nice & noble day!

Friendship is the Greatest!
Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net