By: Bhikkhu Anãlayo
The element earth can … be used to exemplify our rootedness in what is wholesome and productive of welfare for ourselves and others. Again, similar to water, which adapts its form to wherever it flows, so we can train ourselves to be flexible and adaptive to outer circumstances. Just as fire provides warmth to those who are shivering with cold, so we can offer the warmth of our heart to the lonely and desolate. Comparable to wind that keeps moving, in the same way, in the same way we keep progressing on the path to liberation. IN this or any other way, the four elements can be employed as metaphors for mental qualities to be cultivated.
From: Satipatthāna Meditaton: A Practice Guide. Anãlayo is a Theravadin monk and also has a PhD in Buddhist Studies. His main field of interest is Early Buddhism. Analayo is a resident scholar-monk at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Barre, Massachusetts. He is the author of numerous books.