Wisdom Wide and Deep

by Shaila Catherine

  steady, and attained to imperturbability.

  —MAJJHIMA NIKĀYA100

  SOME MEDITATORS want to apply the heightened state of clarity as quickly as possible to the development of insight and may choose to jump immediately into the four elements meditation, which is introduced in chapter 12. Although it is certainly possible to make this leap, I would encourage most meditators to strengthen concentration with the additional jhāna practices that are introduced in section II. These include body parts; colors and elements that form mental impressions called kasiṇas; immaterial abidings; immeasurable attitudes of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity; and reflections on death. Facility with at least one kasiṇa will activate intensely focused and expansive features of the concentrated mind. However, you have options; your decisions may be influenced not only by your abilities and aspirations, but also by the pragmatic conditions of access to qualified teachers and time available for retreat.

  Although some practitioners may choose to specialize in a particular concentration subject, or may find, for example, that they are satisfied after the development of one kasiṇa rather than all ten kasiṇas, you may enjoy exploring the wealth and range of approaches offered in this comprehensive training system. Few contemporary lay practitioners take the time to comprehend the role each meditation object plays and to experience its unique effect on consciousness, but if you build a sturdy and pliant foundation through a repeated and diverse training in concentration, these rarefied states will remain accessible to you both on retreat and in daily life, and they will not dissipate after just a few glimpses.

  The following section includes detailed instructions for deepening and extending the practice by establishing jhāna with additional meditation subjects. Each new meditation subject enhances concentration, brightens attention, expands consciousness, and refines the ability to hold an object with balanced attention while the jhāna factors continue to refresh attention and purify consciousness.

  At this juncture, some readers might naturally assume that after establishing the fourth jhāna with the breath as object one would precede in a numerically ascending order to the fifth jhāna and the subsequent immaterial states. It may therefore surprise readers that the next chapter in the training focuses instead on body parts that have the potential to raise the mind only to the first jhāna. Although the sequence might not seem logical at this stage, I encourage you to explore the progression as presented here. Before I had the benefit of systematic training with Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw, I had fumbled experimentally through many of these same meditation subjects—I know first-hand the many errors that a haphazard undertaking can produce. The system presented in this book offers a pragmatic and trustworthy approach in which each level of attainment creates a foundation that supports the next, often more subtle, attainment and enables meditators to rapidly develop facility with jhāna. Each concentration practice follows a carefully considered and repetitive progression, building on the methodical procedure laid out in chapter 4. Each meditation subject has unique attributes and offers unique benefits. Each jhāna, each reflection, each determination, and each insight makes an impression on consciousness and molds the mind into a calm, wise, and fit vessel for liberating insight.

  The systematic repetition that is a hallmark of this training method can be compared to methods used for fitness training. When I joined a gym, I was assigned a personal trainer who designed my physical training program. My routine began with postural analysis; this was followed by passive muscular release work on firm polystyrene logs; I then progressed through a series of aerobic exercises, and developed strength training with machines and weights, and finally, the session concluded with stretching. Similarly, this systematic approach to the Buddhist path of virtue, meditation, and insight offers a well-crafted program designed to unlock the enormous proficiency and power accessible to a well trained mind.

  Systematic repetition is a necessary part of training, but you can adjust the length of time spent in various jhānas, perhaps sequencing rapidly through the lower jhānas when you wish to preserve more time to dwell in the fourth jhāna or immaterial spheres. In retreat conditions, you may sequence through the entire series as your morning “warm up” meditation, and in succeeding sessions strategically select the particular jhānas that will most effectively intensify concentration, stability, or luminosity. You may benefit from the restorative power of prolonged absorptions and also enhance the flexibility and agility that can develop through quick progressions. As you become proficient in these attainments, you may moderate the amount of time spent in each jhāna and mold the system toward a fruitful exploration of consciousness. The basic rule of thumb is simple: stabilize the lower jhānas before moving to the higher attainments.

  Developing concentration through mindfulness with breathing (ānāpānasati samādhi) may be the most frequently recommended meditation subject. It is generally considered “foremost among the various meditation subjects.”101 Some students, however, find breath meditation difficult, and may suffer from headaches or find that the focus on breathing highlights preexisting respiratory ailments such as asthma, so that the mind too easily slips into anxiety. These meditators might benefit from emphasizing contemplations of the Buddha, virtue, or loving-kindness as meditation subjects, or developing dispassion through the meditations on the body or death prior to taking the breath as their subject. Other meditators may discover greater tranquility with the expanded concepts of colors and elements through kasiṇa practices.

  It is difficult to predict what meditation subject would be most effective for an individual practitioner. Even Venerable Sariputta, the chief disciple of the Buddha, erred by suggesting the repulsive corpse as the meditation subject for one student. Although this young monk exerted himself diligently, he made no progress. Realizing that this young monk had worked with radiantly colored gems during many previous lives as a goldsmith, the Buddha manifested a luminous red lotus as the basis for the red kasiṇa. The monk’s attention was captivated by the beautiful red color. His mind easily focused steadily upon this new meditation subject; he soon entered jhāna, and he then developed insight.102 Therefore, since even Venerable Sariputta could not predict the most appropriate meditation subject, these instructions guide students systematically through the full spectrum of meditation objects, enabling meditators to discover for themselves which objects are most suitable for their goal.

  Some meditation subjects require prior attainments and must be learned in sequence, while other subjects can be a starting point for meditators who feel an affinity for those topics. While each new object in the sequence includes a unique set of instructions pertinent to that particular practice, a mind already refined through concentration on the breath will find these techniques can be rapidly and easily integrated. The instructions presented in this section will serve as a manual for meditators who are endeavoring to establish jhāna either in retreat or in diligent practice at home. The same instructions that are so useful and essential to an intensive meditator may, however, appear tedious to the casual reader. Those readers who are reading this book as an overview of Buddhist meditation prior to attaining jhāna may wish to simply continue with the basic breath meditation, contemplate these teachings in a general way, and experiment with the daily reflections that are incorporated throughout section II, but reserve the methodical meditation instructions for a future intensive practice opportunity.

  Chapter 10 concludes this section on concentration beyond the breath with a review of the essential skills that develop through the practice of jhāna. The remainder of this book will explore insight and wisdom practices. The teachings in sections III and IV do not depend upon the prior cultivation of jhāna and will have relevance for every reader.

  The Buddha recognized that people have different inclinations and desires. Some people prefer the qualities of material jhānas and others seek immaterial states. These sequential attainments invite us to understand both the m
aterial and the immaterial aspects of existence, experience the pleasures and peace associated with the full range of absorptions, recognize the limitations of each stage, and thereby cling to none of it. Enjoy the process, exploring this progression of concentration and insight at a rate that supports your path.

  CHAPTER 5

  Embodying Your World: Contemplating Thirty-Two Parts of the Body

  With mindfulness of the body established,

  Controlled over contact’s sixfold base,

  A bhikkhu who is always concentrated

  Can know Nibbāna for himself.

  —THE UDANA103

  HOW MINDFUL ARE YOU of bodily sensations? Are you aware of your current posture, the touch of this book, the texture of your clothing, the pull of gravity? Are you comfortable in your own skin right now? Do you feel your muscles contract, temperatures fluctuate, and energy ebb and swell as you move? Every movement can serve to enliven your physical sensitivity and mindfulness. Take a sneeze, for example. Observe the sensory experience of a sneeze with careful attention—feel the tingling, sharpness, heat, tension, facial movements, mounting pressure, and explosive release. Though you won’t attain jhāna by mindful sneezing you can use any movement, posture, or physical event like a sneeze to strengthen mindfulness of the body. As mindfulness of the body increases, each moment of living becomes more vivid and clear; the mind encounters things with a balanced composure; you are mastering the application of focus and will be able to apply it toward the attainment of jhāna when conditions permit.

  Jhāna concentration requires an ability to restrain the sense doors—to put the brakes on habitual yearning for tasting, touching, feeling, seeing, hearing, and thinking. In order to curb preoccupation with sensory gratification, it is important to observe and investigate sense contact. As you move through the day, notice what catches your eye. Do sights lure you into searching for visual pleasure? What sounds intrigue you? Do you choose to be engaged with hearing right now? How about the sensitivity of the tongue? Is it pulled toward tastes and foods that your body doesn’t need? Where does the mind wander? Are you frittering time away drifting in imagination or dwelling on painful emotions?

  It is important to understand that your body, complete with emotions and senses, is not an obstacle to either jhāna or ultimate realization. We all have bodies. The Buddha had a body. There is no need to fear, judge, or reject our bodies. Our bodies maintain our lives and serve as the vehicles that carry us through our spiritual quest.

  Knowing the body well and trusting your ability to be mindful of the body, without judgment or obsession during daily activities, will support your ability during formal jhāna practice to shift your attention away from sensory desires. The knowledge accrued through cultivating mindfulness of the body during daily life creates a firm and flexible base for concentration practice. But for rapid and efficient attainment of jhāna, minimize attention to body sensations during formal meditations. When absorbed in jhāna, physical sensations diminish, and emotions and mental states are surprisingly consistent and predictable. Although you won’t be giving explicit attention to the body during formal jhāna practice, you also don’t need to dull physical perceptions or sustain an undercurrent of aversion toward the body. Build upon a wise and mindful relationship to your body.

  THE THIRTY-TWO PARTS

  The next meditation subject in this sequence involves a review of the parts of the body. Many meditative insight practices encourage mindful attention to what you actually feel in the body—sensations such as pressure, roughness, softness, cold, and so forth. However, the meditation on the thirty-two parts invites a different orientation to the body. With this practice, you will still know the experience, characteristics, and expression of the body, but you will give virtually no attention to sensory experiences. In jhāna practice, fascination with the ever-changing sensations of the body is diminished, and instead the detached, focused discernment of the body’s elements and parts is emphasized.104 The thirty-two parts practice is an important meditation subject that offers us additional avenues into jhāna and will structure later insight methods.105

  Full Awareness

  How present are you for the life you are living? Remind yourself to be present for daily actions, like brushing your teeth, getting dressed in the morning, turning a key in a lock, sitting in a chair, washing your face. When walking, feel the changing sensations of the foot lifting, moving forward, and lowering to the floor.

  Being mindful in daily activities is not difficult in itself, but sometimes it can be difficult to make the effort to be mindful, or to remember to make the effort. You might place a sticky note or cartoon on something you use each day—such as the bathroom mirror or a door handle—to remind yourself to bring careful attention to activities like brushing your hair or opening the door.

  This traditional exercise is a form of body scan in which you will discern thirty-two specific parts of the body.106 The ancient instruction invites meditators to “review the body up from the soles of the feet and down from the top of the hair,” discerning the thirty-two parts of the body as clearly as one might sort a bag of grains and recognize which grains are rice, beans, peas, or millet.107 Similarly, you can move your attention to the various parts of the body, recognizing each distinct part.

  Step One

  The first step in the practice of discerning the parts of the body is simply to memorize the list of thirty-two parts. The easiest approach is to learn the list in groups of five and six, as follows:

  head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin,

  flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys,

  heart, liver, diaphragm,108 spleen, lungs,

  intestines, mesentery, contents of the stomach, feces, brain,109

  bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat,

  tears, grease, saliva, snot, oil of the joints, and urine.

  Step Two

  Next, closely examine each part, one by one, starting with head hair. Pluck one. Put it on a sheet of white paper and look at it. What do you notice? What are the colors, shapes, and textures? For example, observe any distinctive blond, gray, red, or black tones; take note of the fineness or thickness of the strand; notice the length of the hair; and observe if it is smooth, dry, soft, or kinky. Reflect on where this body part is located on the body and what it is near. Head hair, for instance, is part of the scalp; it is surrounded by grease and emerges from a follicle that is rooted in the skin. Construct a careful and clear perception of head hair. What can you see and know about that strand of hair?

  This practice uses discernment, visualization, and reflection to develop mindfulness of body; it does not use felt sensation. Many of the body parts are internal organs and cannot of course be examined on a piece of white paper. In those cases you visualize and contemplate each part as it appears to you. First, try to envision the color and shape, which is usually easiest to see. Some parts are fixed only in specific locations, while other parts are diffused throughout the body. You might see the part along with the surrounding structures that delimit that part. For example, you might perceive the diaphragm attached to the bones of the spine and surrounded by lungs on one side and intestines on the other. When seeing the brain, you might find it encased in the bones of the skull and infused with veins.

  In Buddhist cultures, monastics may observe autopsies in hospitals or decomposing corpses when devout Buddhists have donated their cadavers for such contemplation. I was privileged to engage in these practices as part of my traditional training at a Thai forest monastery. Most meditators in the West will not have this opportunity; anatomy books and medical illustrations can provide clues about each body part and where it is found. Since this is meditative contemplation and not precise medical science, don’t feel that it is necessary to get caught up with anatomical intricacies. If your concentration is extremely strong, you will literally perceive the specific body part with the mind. This is a practice of discernment—a noncritical, nonjudgmental contemplation of the b
ody. It involves viewing the body from the perspective of a detached observer, as plainly as one would see a bag of grains and sort through them knowing which were beans, peas, or rice. But, regardless whether you are directly observing the body part or are imagining its appearance, this meditation will develop concentration, clarity, and detachment regarding the body.

  MEDITATION INSTRUCTION 5.1

  Meditating on the Thirty-Two Internal Parts

  Begin the meditation by establishing concentration with the breath. This meditation does not require a foundation of jhāna; however, if you have previous expertise with jhāna, proceed up to the fourth jhāna. While abiding in the fourth jhāna, a powerful and bright light will intensify. This light of wisdom (paññāloka) is a natural product of deep concentration and can aid the discernment of phenomena.110 Emerge from the fourth jhāna and, with the support of this light of wisdom, begin to discern the body parts one by one by directing attention to each part inside your own body. Use the light of wisdom to penetrate the body and discern each part by color, shape, location, and the environment that surrounds it.

  Start the contemplation with the first pentad (head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin) in both forward and reverse order, until it becomes easy to contemplate each part clearly. Although skin, hair, and nails are visible on the exterior surface of your body, as constituents of the meditator’s body, they will be referred to as “internal parts” and contrasted with “external parts,” which belong to another person’s body. Then add the next pentad, reciting the parts as you focus on the color, shape, location, and environment that delimits each part. Continue through the list until you can see each part clearly, in the groupings, and as the full list of thirty-two parts in both forward and reverse order.