There are forty concentration methods. These forty methods of concentration can be seen below:

        1. 10 Kasinas.. (10 devices) (Earth, Fire, Water, White, Red etc.)

2. 10 Asubhas ..(concentration on different types of corpses)

3. 10 Anussatis .. (10 recollections)

4. Four  Arupas (the Sphere of space, the sphere of consciousness, the Sphere of Nothingness, and the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-perception)

5. Four Brahma Viharas (Abode of the Brahma gods) (Metta, Garuna, Mudita, Upekka)

6. Contemplation on the loathsomeness of food

7. Analysis of the 4 physical elements.

Ref:  "Buddhist Abhidhamma", U Kyaw Min of Burma, (Heian International, P.O. Box 1013, Union City, CA 94587 USA).

On pages 114 to 116 he has written about the 40 kinds of concentration methods. This is according to Theravada Buddhism.

        Concentration on the noble attibutes of the Buddha is called Buddha Nussati (in Burmese it is pronounced Bodeda Nokethati). One of the methods of doing this is to recite the Than Bode Gahtar at least 108 times a day. This can be done with the help of a seitbadee (rosary). I present here my translation of the Than Bode Gahtar from Burmese and also the Pali version which gives you the sound in English alphabet. It is said that if you recite the Than Bode Gahtar for a thousand times, your wish will be fulfilled if the wish is for a good cause like to get a job or to help you in a meritorious works like building a pagoda.

Thanbodeday Ghahtar - sounds written in English (original in Pali language)

Than bode dei

At-hta wi thin-sa

Dwa-da thin-sa

Thaha thakei

Pyinsa that-ta

Tha-ha thani

Nama-mi

Thira tha mahan

Appakar walukar Ginga

Ananta neibbutar zinar

Teithan Daminsa Thanginsa

Ardeyayna namar-mahan

Namekkyar nubarweina heitwar

Thubbe uppadewei

Aneika andayapi

Winarthan-tu

Athei-thetaw

 English Translation

I pay homage to the Twenty Eight Buddhas

I pay homage to the Twelve thousand Buddhas

I pay homage to the Five hundred thousand Buddhas

I bow my head in homage to all these Buddhas

The Buddhas who have achieved Nibbana

Are more in number than the grains of sand

in the river Ganga.

They are in Hundreds of thousands

They are in Millions

They are in Tens of Millions

I pay homage to the Twenty Eight Buddhas

I pay homage to the Twelve thousand Buddhas

I pay homage to the Five hundred thousand Buddhas

I pay homage to the Dhamma taught by all these Buddhas

I pay homage to the Ariyan Sanga

They who have achieved the four Magga paths

They who have achieved the four Phalas

I bring my two palms

in front of my forhead

and I pay my homage

For paying homage to the Triple Gems

May all kinds of Danger

May all kinds of Harm

Be swept away from me

May all Kinds of Danger

May all Kinds of Harm

Vanish and disappear

Translated by Kyaw Myaing

7 January 2000