Samathanimitta

Dear Pali friends,

I am struggling with some Pali passages which are important for my research on Samatha training methods.

Commentary to Sangiti sutta from Digha Nikaya and to Dhammasangani states:

Samathova taṃ ākāraṃ gahetvā puna pavattetabbassa samathassa nimittavasena samathanimittaṃ.

The attunement to serenity is an attunement, by power of which one can make serenity to reoccur, having learned [previously] the mode of [attaining] serenity.

This passage is clarified by Visuddhimagga (IV, 120):

evamadhigate pana etasmiṃ tena yoginā vālavedhinā viya, sūdena viya ca ākārā pariggahetabbā. yathā hi sukusalo dhanuggaho vālavedhāya kammaṃ kurumāno yasmiṃ vāre vālaṃ vijjhati, tasmiṃ vāre akkantapadānañca dhanudaṇḍassa ca jiyāya ca sarassa ca ākāraṃ pariggaṇheyya. “evaṃ me ṭhitena evaṃ dhanudaṇḍaṃ evaṃ jiyaṃ evaṃ saraṃ gahetvā vālo viddho”ti. so tato paṭṭhāya tatheva te ākāre sampādento avirādhetvā vālaṃ vijjheyya.

When it [jhāna] has been attained in this way, the mode of its attainment must be discerned by the meditator as if he were a hair-splitter or a cook. For when a very skilful archer, who is working to split a hair, actually splits the hair on one occasion, he discerns the modes of the position of his feet, the bow, the bowstring, and the arrow thus: “I split the hair as I stood thus, with the bow thus, the bowstring thus, the arrow thus.” From then on he recaptures those same modes and repeats the splitting of the hair without fail.

The Commentary above has two Subcommentaries. Visuddhimagga passage above helps to comprehend the Subcommentary to Sangiti sutta:

Taṃ ākāraṃ gahetvāti samādhānākāraṃ gahetvā. Yenākārena pubbe alīnaṃ anuddhataṃ majjhimaṃ bhāvanāvīthipaṭipannaṃ hutvā cittaṃ samāhitaṃ hoti, taṃ ākāraṃ gahetvā sallakkhetvā.

'Having learned the mode': having learned the mode of [attaining] meditative composure (samādhāna). In whatever mode the attitude (citta) became composed before, — not being lax and agitated, [being] centred, and going along the track of practice, — having learned, having examined that mode.

However, I find it difficult to comprehend the Subcommentary to Dhammasangani:

Kasiṇanimittaṃ viya saññāṇaṃ viya saviggahaṃ viya ca suṭṭhu upalakkhetabbākāraṃ ‘‘nimittan’ti vuccati.

Would it be tenable to translate:

The mode which should be well discerned as attunement to totality (kasiṇa), as [selective] recognition, and as graspable entity, is called “attunement”.

Your suggestions and corrections will be greatly appreciated.

With Metta,

Dmytro Ivakhnenko (Assaji)