EYE

Page One Sixty begins an analysis of each sense organ and their transparent elements:

Despite a heavy repetition of words here, I think Sayadaw is saying, for example with the eye-transparent element awareness, just to look at an object and notice the way that color or features impinge on the eye.  However, to make it more complicated, he says to notice first the four elements in the eye itself, and discern their transparent element.  Then look at a color some distance from the eye and note its contact.

Likewise with body, ear, nose and tongue.

159

On Page One Fifty nine,  Sayadaw concludes the study of Rupa-kalapas with the elements of earth, water, fire, wind, color, odor, flavor, nutritive essence, life faculty, and sex-materiality (male/female characteristics).  Also they have been seen in transparent and opaque forms.

Here is another interesting note on 'transparent' by Sayadaw from here:

As you continue to develop concentration based upon the

four elements, and begin to approach access concentration

(upacàra-samàdhi),

you will see different kinds of light. For

some meditators the light begins as a smoke-like grey. If you

continue to discern the four elements in this grey light, it will

become whiter like cotton wool, and then bright white, like

clouds. At this point, your whole body will appear as a white

form. You should continue to concentrate on discerning the four

elements in the white form, and you will find it becomes trans

-

parent like a block of ice or glass.

This transparent materiality is the five sensitivities

(pasàda)

and these we call ‘transparent-elements’. Of these five transparent-

elements, the body transparent-element

(kàya-pasàda)

is found

throughout the body. When at this stage the body transparent-

element, eye transparent-element, ear transparentelement, nose

transparent-element, and tongue transparent-element are seen

as a transparent lump or block. This is because you have not yet

removed the three kinds of compactness

(ghana).

If you continue to discern the four elements in that transparent

 lump or block, you will find that it sparkles and emits light.

When you can concentrate on this light continuously at least

half an hour, you have reached access concentration. With that

light try to discern the space-element in that transparent form,

by looking for small spaces in it. You will find that the trans

-

parent form breaks down into small particles which are called

råpa kalàpas. Having reached this stage, which is purification of

mind

(citta-visuddhi),

you can proceed to develop purification

of view

(diññhi-visuddhi),

by analysing these råpa kalàpas

And so looking up Pasada, I find translations as transparency and confident faith (probably two different usages).

Life Day

On Page One Fifty eight, Sayadaw discusses how to see the Life-faculty and Sex-element.  Here, he suggests using the eye alone to find the life faculty within its other features (fire, wind, etc.).  While looking up a definition for the life force (Jivitindrya), I came upon this fascinating site: 

We know that we are alive so something is experienced by our consciousness that we can call the Life Force. It is not a magic elixir or spiritual essence. It is a drive to survive. Yes, that is precisely what it is and nothing more. But that force for survival is more elegant than you might suppose. All living creatures possess it, from the simplest plant form to the most complex organism.

In Abhidhamma texts, it is called JIVITINDRIYA, which stems from the pali words “jivita” which is life and “indriya” which is a controlling faculty or principle. It is this Jivitindriya that infuses life into all volition (cetana).
It is twofold, for it includes material life (Rupa-Jivitindriya) and the mental or psychological concomitants (Nama-Jivitindriya). Clearly they are not independent but work together for, as the Abhidamma declares, “Just as a boatman depends upon the boat, even so Jivitindriya depends upon the mind and matter, and that mind and matter depend upon Jivitindriya. 

Sayadaw goes on to suggest wiggling one's finger and noting the consciousness that wants to wiggle the finger. I got a little lost on this page, it seems very short for noticing the life force, not sure about the instructions, but then, I'm in mostly a theoretical mode. 

How It Grows

One Fifty-seven discusses the eighth element, 'nutritive essence'.  It is produced by karma, consciousness, temperature, and nutriment itself.  One can look at any rupa-kalapa and see how it multiplies forth again and again.

From a commentary on the Abhidharma: 

. The “Atthasalini” (II, Book II, Ch III, 330) explains that there is foodstuff, the substance which is swallowed (kabalinkaro aharo, literally, morsel-made food), and the “nutritive essence” (oja). The foodstuff which is swallowed fills the stomach so that one does not grow hungry. The nutritive essence which is in food preserves beings, keeps them alive. The nutritive essence in gross foodstuff is weak, and in subtle foodstuff it is strong. After eating coarse grain one becomes hungry after a brief interval. But when one has taken ghee (butter) one does not want to eat for a long time (Atthasalini, 331). The “Atthasalini” (332) gives the following definition of nutriment (See also Visuddhimagga XIV, 70.):

As to its characteristic, etc., solid food has the characteristic of nutritive essence, the function of fetching matter (to the eater), of sustaining matter as its manifestation, of substance to be swallowed as proximate cause.

Flav

How to see flavor is discussed on page One Fifty Six, and like smell, is tied to the sense organ.  One uses the tongue, even the saliva on the tongue, to begin to notice the instances of the object of taste.

See N Smell

On Page One Fifty Five,  Sayadaw explains that having seen the first four elements in these tiny particles, one can also then see the second four, and on this page, we have color (the object of sight that is found in all rupa-kalapas) and odor (which it is noted is highly dependent on the nose sense and the nose is necessary to discern the properties, even though the mind-door is happening at the same time).

Made Of

On Page One Fifty Four, Sayadaw suggests to concentrate on single elements one by one in rupa-kalapas if it is hard to discern them all at once.  They are in order of earth, water, fire, and wind. The other rupa-kalapas to discern after that are color, odor, flavor and nutritive essence.

The Bits Go By

On Page One Fifty Three, Sayadaw points out that eye, ear, nose, tongue and body rupa-kalapas can be transparent and all others are opaque.

First, rupa-kalapas will look like lumps, which arise and pass away (but that is not their ultimate reality, it is only three types of illusory compactness), and one should see all of the elements in them.

A Fortress

On Page One Fifty Two, Sayadaw takes a sidebar to point out that jhana can be a helpful place to rest, like a fortress.  He identifies 'pure Vipassana yogis' who have only access concentration and not jhana, who can also do this.

Sparkles

On Page One Fifty One, we have 'How to See Rupa Kalapas'  (the teeny tiniest things).  Basically, the block of ice you are as previously mentioned, will break down into sparkles.  These are them. And once again, not to bum you out if you are just still sitting restlessly and noting restless, but this is the 'beginning of Vipassana meditation.' 

Ice Ice Baby

On Page One Fifty, Sayadaw moves back to seeing 'Ultimate Materiality', beginning with 'seeing the body-transparent element as one block.'  To do so, notice the different kinds of light you see as you meditate on the four elements. This seeing the body as a block of ice or glass is due to not yet seeing through the three kinds of compactness.

Becoming Cool

On Page One Forty Nine, Sayadaw takes 'Ten Ways to Develop Your Concentration" from the Visuddhimagga. They are:

1. Study the elements in sequence; Earth, water, fire then wind. 
2. Don't go too fast, you'll miss something. 
3. Don't go too slow, you'll not reach the end. 
4. Ward off distractions.
5. Go beyond concepts; I love this about meditation, for me it actually makes it easier, to get 'below' or 'let go' of concepts and just be with the object. 
6. Discard what is unclear.
7. Discern the characteristics clearly (and that takes time and effort)
8. Develop your concentration in line with the Higher Mind Sutra
9. Develop your concentration in line with the Becoming Cool Sutra
10. Develop your concentration in line with the Enlightenment Factors Sutra.

The last three are about balancing the five faculties and the seven factors of enlightenment (previously discussed). 

All the Elements

On Page One Forty Eight, Sayadaw suggests some concentration on the opposites of the elements if in this meditation they become unbalanced, the opposites are hardness and softness, roughness and smoothness, heaviness and lightness, flowing and cohesion, heat and cold, support and pushing.

Balancing the elements helps with a major goal beyond seeing and knowing the elements, which is to attain better concentration.
Following their being quite balanced, the yogi should see the elements in the body by 'group at a glance', and finally as a whole, possibly from the vantage point of looking down on the whole body at once.

But the Last Two

On Page One Forty seven, Sayadaw notes that the first ten elements can be discerned directly through the sense of touch, but flowing and cohesion can only be inferred from them.

For cohesion, note how the body is held together by the skin, flesh and sinews.  For flowing, be aware of saliva, blood, air or heat.

Body Stuff

and on Page One Forty six,

Supporting, relax your body, bend it forward and straighten it.  What keeps the body straight is the supporting force.  Add noticing it with hardness to make it more obvious.

Softness, press your tongue against your lip. Then relax your body and practice throughout.

Smoothness, wet your lips and run your tongue along them (man you can do a lot with your mouth).

Lightness, wag a finger up and down and feel the lightness.   Look for heaviness in the body and contrast, if this is hard to do.

Heat, look for warmth throughout the body.

Coldness, note coldness as air enters the nostrils.

Hard, Rough, Heavy

On Page One Forty five, we have the second characteristic, hardness, beginning with noticing the teeth by biting them together, and then slowly throughout the body, and alternating between pushing and hardness.

Then looking for roughness, running the tongue over the teeth, brush the hand over the skin, also noticing the above two 'with the others' .

Finally on this page, noticing heaviness, placing one hand on top of the other, or leaning the head forward.

Air

On Page One forty four, we have pushing.

To note pushing, be aware of pushing in the center of your head when you breathe in and out.  Keep doing it and you will then note it throughout your body.

The Characteristics

On Page One Forty four, Sayadaw lays out a few more characteristics of the four elements (12 total):

Earth: hardness, roughness, heaviness, softness, smoothness, lightness.
Water: flowing and cohesion
Fire: heat and coldness
Wind: supporting and pushing.

Also he says they are taught in this order (of easiest to most difficult to discern):

pushing, hardness, roughness, heaviness, supporting, softness, smoothness, lightness, coldness, cohesion, flowing; each discerned in one place in the body and then throughout.

Elements I

Sayadaw begins now on page One Forty two to discuss the four elements proper. He refers to the Satipattana Sutra by noting that the Buddha said; A bhikku reviews this very body, however it be positioned or placed, as consisting of just elements, thus there are in this body just
1) the earth element,
2) the water element,
3) the fire element,
4) the wind element.

And from the Visudhimagga, specific characteristics of each element;

1) Hardness or roughness of earth,
2) Flowing or cohesion of water,
3) Maturing or heat of fire,
4) Pushing or supporting of wind.

Lets do this!  (I'm gonna guess that an inspirational thought has fire in it)

Square One

No surprise, Sayadaw 'goes back' on page One Forty two to 'The beginning of Vipassana'...... meaning that four-elements meditation is so essential to understanding reality that along with concentration on an object, it is primary and indispensable.