Wisdom Wide and Deep

by Shaila Catherine

  Contemplating the thirty-two parts of the body can, as a side benefit, neutralize certain aversive reactions. Although I have traveled to places where a host of diverse activities—bathing and grooming, food preparation, and clothes washing—take place at a common water source, I am most accustomed to a typical Western home, where rooms are designed for different activities and most body care occurs in the bathroom. I once lived in an international community of meditators; each person came with different habits, preferences, and customs—some of which I considered rude. One man brought his nail clippers to the dining hall every couple of weeks and stood over the trash bin clipping away, and one woman flossed her teeth at the dining table after eating lunch. Since we were practicing in silence, I could not express my aversion or voice my concern for dining room hygiene or etiquette but instead had to deal with my own reactions. So I practiced reviewing the body parts, emphasizing the contemplation of nails as just nails, teeth and saliva as just teeth and saliva. I literally thought, “nails are just nails” or “this is saliva” as I perceived the color, shape, location, and characteristics of these parts. This simple recitation instantly neutralized my aversive reaction. I would still have preferred that these activities take place in a bathroom, but my reactivity to the whole situation dissipated.

  MEDITATION INSTRUCTION 5.2

  Meditating on the Thirty-Two External Parts

  To continue the contemplation of the thirty-two parts of the body, begin by establishing concentration with the breath as object and reviewing the thirty-two parts internally as detailed in the previous meditation instruction. For a next step, you may extend the meditation to include the body parts of other people in the room. Close your eyes and concentrate on discerning the parts of another person sitting nearby. Try to visualize each part included in the list in sequence, in both forward and reverse order. Shine the light of wisdom to illuminate each part. If the light fades and the body parts become unclear, you may strengthen concentration by returning to the breath as the meditation object or refresh attention by reestablishing jhāna, before continuing the contemplation of the body. Meditating on our own body parts, whether skin, nails, liver, or phlegm, is considered internal, and meditating on the body parts of another person, whether their hair, teeth, spleen, or brain, is referred to as external. Alternate contemplating, internally and externally, your own body parts and the body parts of another. Continue until the attention is stable and your concentration remains strong throughout the session. Then contemplate the parts of additional bodies. Having started with people sitting near you, gradually add more and more bodies to your contemplation. Expand your visualization to include bodies that are further and further away. Your vision can ultimately encompass body parts in every direction and throughout the universe.

  The thirty-two parts meditation practice begins with your own body, then progresses to a nearby human body, and gradually expands outward adding additional human bodies. As the range of the contemplation expands you may incorporate the bodies of land animals, fish, birds, and any other body. Of course, some animals will not have exactly the same parts—just see whatever you see. This exercise is not intended as an anatomical survey; you are probing forms that are often the source of attachment and delusion. When the meditation is strong, you may walk around seeing just parts—parts walking through the door, parts vacuuming the carpet, parts chewing gum, parts clawing at a tree stump, parts flying between trees. After contemplating in this way, wherever you look you will know they are just parts that are grouped together—not woman, not man, not teacher, not brother, but more simply collections of elements that function together to form the concepts of woman, man, teacher, and brother.

  Just as you would not pull an onion out of a stew and say, “this is stew,” or hold up an airplane seat belt and say, “this is an airplane”—likewise, you would not point to a strand of your hair and say, “this is my body.” You cannot find any part of your body about which you can say, “this is myself.” All things are constellations of parts—no self is to be found located anywhere. Practice until you can discern every part individually, in sets, and as the whole list, clearly and vividly, internally and externally.

  Reflecting on the thirty-two parts can also help reduce sensual, and especially sexual, desire. Some people feel powerless when lustful thoughts arise; they feel weakened and unable to curb the fantasies, restrain the eye, or refrain from indulging their sexual urges. If you find yourself inappropriately lusting after or fantasizing about someone’s body—perhaps while you are practicing celibacy on retreat or while spending time with your best friend’s spouse—try contemplating the thirty-two parts. Replace thoughts of desire with a perspective on the body that undercuts the lure of craving. As a quick antidote to sexual lust, the first five parts suffice—head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin. This set of five includes most of what you can see in your daily interactions. Contemplate the body as a cluster of parts; see the color, shape, location, and delimitation, rather than the distorting concept of beauty. It is just head hair, just body hair, just nails, just teeth, just skin, and so on. Let this simple contemplation neutralize sexual enchantment and lust. Historically, this practice has been used by celibate monastics, but it is a valuable tool for laypeople as well. Discerning the body as a body provides a radically different view—what is so attractive about teeth, flesh, nails, lungs, intestines, snot, and urine?

  Successful completion of discerning the thirty-two parts will be critical to the scaffolding of further jhāna practice as outlined in the remainder of this book. We will return to the sequence of the thirty-two parts of the body many times throughout the progression of jhāna and insight practice. The thirty-two parts, for instance, are used as the foundation for (1) jhāna based on repulsiveness, (2) the color kasiṇas (presented in chapter 6), (3) the four elements meditations (chapter 12), and (4) as an object for contemplating the changing nature of mental and material experience (chapter 17).111

  The practice of discerning the thirty-two parts can produce strong concentration and bring the mind into the neighborhood of jhāna, but it cannot draw the mind into full absorption. As discernment progresses, you will notice the jhāna factors strengthening, especially delight. But in order to use the body as an object for a full absorption, a new element must be added: the perception of repulsiveness.

  THE REPULSIVE ELEMENT (ASUBHA)

  We don’t often display the repulsive nature of the body. Instead, we preen ourselves with combs and razors, slather ourselves in oils and lotions, mask odors with fragrances and deodorants, disguise sores and pus with bandages, and hide rashes, scars, and blemishes with makeup. We correct disfigurements with reconstructive surgery, ignore the worms and microscopic organisms that breed in our bodies and feed on our flesh, and flush away our excrement and urine with huge quantities of fresh water. When we eat an oatmeal raisin cookie, we rarely contemplate how it will appear in the stomach fifteen minutes later, or what it will smell like as it passes through the intestine, or how it finally leaves our bodies as refuse. Rarely do we look at our own excrement and think about the foods that we ate. Although we live intimately with our own flesh, there is still something disconcerting about materiality.

  Some people spend a great deal of time and money grooming head hair with stylish cuts and fancy conditioners and gels, checking how it falls each time we see a mirror. You may admire a thick braid someone wears or a flattering touch of henna, but what is your reaction when you step in the shower at the gym and find the drain covered by a mass of hair? Is there any disgust?

  The term repulsive has strong connotations. The suggestion to cultivate an attitude of repulsion toward our organic nature may offend readers who prefer to view bodily functions with wonder or scientific interest. Repulsiveness, however, is not aversion. The complex biological activities that let us move, digest, reproduce, and perceive are indeed amazing, and during the contemplation of repulsiveness, no anger, hatred, or unwholesome factors arise. Quite t
he contrary, attention to repulsiveness brings with it a host of wholesome factors that balance the mind and infuse consciousness with lightness, flexibility, uprightness, happiness, mindfulness, joy, balance, and confidence. In your own experience, you may notice the subtle distinction between the wholesome perception of repulsiveness and a moment when the perception is tarnished by the unwholesome state of aversion. A purely repulsive perception does not resist the encounter; therefore, you will be able to remain mindful of the perception, as it appears, and for as long as you wish, without attachment or agitation. In contrast, anger, craving, fear, or resistance express an aversive reaction that obstructs the clear perception of the body; fuels the proliferation of thoughts, opinions, and stories of blame that might condemn the body; and agitates the mind.

  Discovering the Repulsive Element

  Please take a cup and spit in it. Now drink that spit. Does the idea instill a sense of revulsion, or are you happy to drink your spit? You swallow your own saliva all day long, yet this little experiment may reveal an underlying response of repulsion to the body.

  With the added element of repulsiveness, the body meditations are powerful objects for jhāna, hurtling the mind into absorptions that are surprisingly stable. Although absorptions through repulsiveness of the body cannot reach beyond the level of the first jhāna, I have found they add remarkable strength to my concentration, supporting detachment and increasing the ease and speed of seclusion. It is a relatively coarse meditation object that I can use even when ill, suffering with a headache, or otherwise struggling to overcome conditions that make working with subtler objects, such as the breath, more challenging.

  MEDITATION INSTRUCTION 5.3

  Meditating on Repulsiveness

  To explore the perception of repulsiveness as an object for jhāna, establish concentration and then use that light of concentration to discern the sequence of thirty-two parts as you have before—see the color, shape, location, and delimiting environment of the body parts. Next, focus on the concept of repulsiveness as you discern each and every part again. See the color as having a dissatisfactory and repulsive quality. Similarly, see the shape as repulsive, see the location as repulsive, and see the delimiting matter as repulsive. After contemplating the part and its characteristic of color, shape, location, and delimiting matter as repulsive, you may discern the repulsive aspect of smell and taste. Instead of maintaining a neutral, observant attitude toward each part, you will notice a slight shift in attitude as you proceed to intentionally contemplate each part as repulsive. You might recite repulsive, repulsive to help focus on the concept of repulsiveness.

  If it is difficult to sense the body as repulsive, you might try visualizing each part laid out on a dinner plate, or imagine feeling organs by reaching into a dark bag, or coming upon the body part by chance. Each meditator will find their own way to discover the repulsive aspect of the body. When I visited a morgue in Bangkok, I was shocked to see a bucket of stray body parts, with femurs hanging out like umbrellas left at the door, presumably parts that got separated from their corpses. When I think of that bucket of parts, I easily sense a repulsive quality to flesh, bones, sinews, and such.

  The perception of repulsiveness may give way to a bright nimitta—the repulsive sign. It may appear as a bright field of light that is intimately connected with the concept of repulsiveness. Although a description of the nimitta may appear similar to the breath nimitta, a discerning meditator will recognize the distinctive association with the repulsiveness subtly reflected in the perception of this mental sign, and not confuse it with the counterpart sign of the breath. Continue contemplating the body part as repulsive while this nimitta stabilizes. When the nimitta is bright and the mind is preparing to enter the first jhāna, shift your focus to the nimitta, letting go of the specific image of the body part or parts. Establish a resolve for how long you intend to remain in the first jhāna, perhaps starting with ten or fifteen minutes. When you emerge, discern the five factors associated with the first jhāna (as you did in meditation instruction 4.3). In this way, you can contemplate each body part individually for thirty-two separate absorptions. Alternatively, you may enter jhāna based on perceiving groups—as groupings of five or six, or the full sequence of thirty-two. When concentration is weak, it is easier to use just one body part at a time, such as bones. When concentration is firm, the mind can embrace the thirty-two parts at a glance.

  The Skeleton

  The skeleton is a favorite selection for the contemplation of a single body part; namely, that of bones. Images of skeletons are more available in our society than spleens, sinews, or lungs. Halloween costumes and rock bands sport skeleton designs. Skeletons can be found in medical offices, massage clinics, biology labs, and art classes. Many Buddhist monasteries have skeletons hanging in the meditation hall, sometimes with a plaque and photograph of the person who donated their body, together with a verse to remind us that we are no different than the skeleton we are viewing. When you see a skeleton as a design element in a shop window or as the logo for a commercial product, it may seem cute and cartoonish. When you approach an actual skeleton in a medical or artistic context, your intellectual curiosity or aesthetic sensibility might draw you near to examine it. Such mundane attraction to the form of the body, though, is not going to lead to jhāna, because you will not perceive the repulsive aspect. If you are having trouble seeing the skeleton as repulsive, imagine finding one in an unexpected location—perhaps between your bed sheets or decomposing in your vegetable garden. How would you feel about climbing into bed with a skeleton at night or munching on a fresh radish after unearthing a deteriorating pelvis? If seeing bones as repulsive is still a struggle for you, you can also try a less sanitized perception to support the repulsive element—bits of dried flesh sticking to a few joints, limbs scattered about after being gnawed by animals. Don’t elaborate a great deal on this sort of visualization: the point is to discern the repulsiveness of the specific skeleton that you perceive.

  MEDITATION INSTRUCTION 5.4

  The Skeleton

  After establishing concentration, focus the light of wisdom on the bones of your own skeleton: see their color, shape, location, delimitation, and if you wish, add the repulsive aspect. You can work with the skeleton either in a mode of neutral discernment or as a repulsive object for jhāna absorption. Discern your own skeleton in various postures, in as much detail as possible. There are 206 bones of various shapes and functions in the human skeleton. It is not necessary to discern each and every bone; a steady perception is more important than anatomical accuracy. This practice is traditionally considered a genuine discernment practice—an actual form of mental seeing, not merely a creative visualization. The powerful light of wisdom can penetrate forms and illuminate what the naked eye cannot apprehend. Whether your discernment is influenced by a visualization or appears to be a genuine penetrative discernment of the unique characteristics of that specific part, continue to concentrate on the skeleton. Then discern the skeleton of one other person. Alternate back and forth between the perception of your own skeleton and other people’s bones until your concentration becomes powerful and the discernment is clear.

  Now extend the contemplation to include additional people’s bones, first those of persons that are nearby, and then gradually include the skeletons of beings further away. Incrementally extend this practice to contemplate skeletons at greater and greater distances. Finally, focus on all the bones in the world and the universe: human, animal, fish, bird, and so on. Shine the light of concentration into the world; see whatever bones appear to you. Continue to contemplate until you perceive the world as filled with a vast multitude of skeletons.112 In a perception focused on bones, what can you take to be self?

  The repulsive concept can elicit first jhāna absorption when the skeleton is our own. The skeleton of another living person brings consciousness only to the threshold of jhāna.113

  The first time I practiced this meditation to the level of jhāna it was
near the end of a retreat. Shortly after leaving that retreat, I attended a meeting of colleagues. A particularly slim hand gesturing in conversation, a protruding collarbone, or a shiny tooth—each thing that reminded me of bones illuminated the perception of skeleton. For a brief moment, I sensed myself conversing as a skeleton of bones with a group of other skeletons and as one collection of bones passing the salt to another skeleton munching salad. Not only was this an amusing way to experience an otherwise tedious meeting, but a remarkable evenness pervaded my attitude toward everyone. People who had previously intimidated me, people from whom I had wanted something, and dear old friends, all flashed by as sets of bones—each equal, with no particular significance attributed to gender or social status. There was no place for desire to build and nothing to trigger aversion. There was only the perception of bones and moving skeletons: skeletons sitting, skeletons arguing, skeletons talking.

  A momentary glimpse of the world of bones hidden inside these bodies can offer a fresh perspective on ordinary experience. Repulsive meditations enhance dispassion, dislodge enchantment with beauty, weaken lustful tendencies, and produce a joy-filled detachment that ushers consciousness toward jhāna. By reducing entrancement with beauty, and quelling lust and aversion, the repulsive meditations can dissolve deeply conditioned attachment to our bodies. Indeed, each step in this meditative progression, while strengthening and purifying the mind also invites profound insight and new ways of experiencing day-to-day life.

  TABLE 5.1

  Body Meditations

  MEDITATION SUBJECT BASIS CONCENTRATION POTENTIAL

  Discernment of the features of each part Any individual part or group of parts included in the thirty-two parts of the body