The Three Stages of Initiatic Spirituality by Angel Millar

Author:Angel Millar
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Esoteric/Occult
Publisher: Inner Traditions/Bear & Company
Published: 2019-11-27T16:00:00+00:00

12

Meditation on the Body and Mortality

In the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha describes how the individual should practice mindfulness of the body.1 First, the practitioner should go to a forest or some other tranquil place, such as a quiet room. There he should sit cross-legged and should begin to concentrate on his whole body. After this, the practitioner should focus his attention on the elements that make up his physical form, and, finally, he will contemplate his mortality and the destruction of the flesh.

The technique is not complicated. Inhaling, the monk (bhikkhu) should say to himself, “I am breathing in a long breath” or “I am breathing in a short breath,” depending on the length of the inhalation. The same is done with the exhalation. Next, the practitioner becomes aware of his body as he breathes in and out. With each breath he thinks to himself that the body is becoming increasingly calm.

The practitioner must be aware of the posture of his body. If he is sitting, he thinks to himself, “I am sitting”; if he is standing or walking, he thinks, “I am standing” or “I am walking”; and so on. He must give his full attention to everything he does, no matter how small. If he is looking ahead, he must be fully aware that he is doing so. If he is eating a handful of food, he must concentrate on the action and experience of chewing the food.

Then, in meditation, the bhikkhu focuses not only on the actions of the body, but on the body itself. Beginning at the feet, he mentally works his way up the body, naming each part—toes, nails, hair, skin, muscle, fat, blood, marrow, loins, intestines, liver, kidneys, and so forth—and anything that his body might contain, including substances like excrement or pus.

In practice, then, the physical body of the bhikkhu is recognized to be subject to the laws of nature, karma, and so on, and is thus in a state of inevitable decay. Nevertheless, because mindfulness requires looking at experiences of pleasure and pain with the same detachment—as if such sensations are occurring to someone else—the adept remains unmoved by his observations.2

We have already looked at the classical elements, especially in regard to ancient Greek thought and medieval European alchemy. Here the bhikkhu meditates on the elements in his body, contemplating the presence of the elements of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth within it. After this, he will visualize his body as a corpse, while reminding himself that his physical body will eventually end up in that condition. Finally, he imagines the corpse being eaten by jackals, ravens, hawks, and other animals, until it becomes a skeleton.

Here in this meditation we find much that is associated with the warrior: the physical body, the ability to overcome pain, and meditation on death.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.