Body Part Meditation - Early Buddhist Practice

[Ceisiwr]

I’ve been looking at body part meditation, especially in DN 28 as it has a unique formulation of it

Firstly, some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right application of mind—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they examine their own body up from the soles of the feet and down from the tips of the hairs, wrapped in skin and full of many kinds of filth.‘In this body there is head hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, undigested food, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, snot, synovial fluid, urine.’ This is the first attainment of vision.

Furthermore, some ascetic or brahmin attains that and goes beyond it. They examine a person’s bones with skin, flesh, and blood. This is the second attainment of vision.

Furthermore, some ascetic or brahmin attains that and goes beyond it. They understand of a person that their stream of consciousness is consistent on both sides .This is the third attainment of vision.

Furthermore, some ascetic or brahmin attains that and goes beyond it. They understand of a person that their stream of consciousness is consistent on both sides: not established in either this world or the next. This is the fourth attainment of vision.

This is unsurpassable when it comes to attainments of vision.

Its interesting as it discusses the practice in ever more deeper levels, more than we see in other suttas. I also found this interesting, as it’s similar to Sarvāstivādin texts which, when discussing foulness meditation, talk of contemplating the body until one visually strips away the flesh and sinews until there is only the white of the bones remaining. I’m also reminded of the Visuddhimagga, where it is said monks (and nuns I assume) are able to see everyone as nothing but a skeleton, given their mastery over perception. This made me want to look at the parallels. For this I looked at T 18 and DĀ 18. For DĀ 18 I used Charles Patton’s translation here: The Long Discourses | 18. Personal Gladness. For T 18 I had to rely on an AI translation, so please read with caution. Anyway I’ve put all three parallels into a table below. As you can see, there is quite a lot of correlation between these texts which reveals an outline for an early Buddhist practice of body part/foulness meditation. In all of them the meditator first needs to attain Jhāna to fully contemplate the body parts. This suggests to me that one uses the body part meditation both as a means to enter Jhāna and then whilst in it, as a means of insight whilst in said Jhāna. This is then followed by examining the body either by visually stripping away the flesh and sinews until only the bones are left, or by examining the body in terms of flesh, sinews and bones. After this the meditator then contemplates the foul nature of the body as it relates to this life and other lives, whilst also contemplating the conditioned nature of consciousness both in this life and future lives. In this regard we are reminded of the insight gained in DN 2

"When his mind is thus concentrated, pure and bright, unblemished, free from defects, malleable, wieldy, steady and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines it to knowledge and vision. He understands thus: ‘This is my body, having material form, composed of the four primary elements, originating from father and mother, built up out of rice and gruel, impermanent, subject to rubbing and pressing, to dissolution and dispersion. And this is my consciousness, supported by it and bound up with it.’

[Adutiya]

@Ceisiwr

After this the meditator then contemplates the foul nature of the body as it relates to this life and other lives, whilst also contemplating the conditioned nature of consciousness both in this life and future lives.

I might be wrong, but it appears to me that the progression begins with the course parts of the body and then leaves those behind when led to contemplation of the conditioned stream of consciousness and rebirth. So the body part meditation is the vehicle to the main event. What do you think?

[Ceisiwr]

@Adutiya

I might be wrong, but it appears to me that the progression begins with the course parts of the body and then leaves those behind when led to contemplation of the conditioned stream of consciousness and rebirth. So the body part meditation is the vehicle to the main event. What do you think?

If I were strictly reading the Theravādin version I would agree, but based on the other versions it looks like one is contemplating this life and future ones but in terms of foulness. The impression I get is to both see the conditionality between mind and body, and to see how undesirable rebirth is so as to let go.

[Ceisiwr]

Actually you might be right, given that my reading there relies on T 18. I think then for all of them we can say that at a minimum they have in common

1. Attain Jhāna (by way of body part meditation, based on other suttas/sutras)

2. Contemplate the body parts (I would say whilst in Jhāna, others will disagree)

3. Contemplate the skin, flesh, muscle and bones or strip those away mentally, leaving the white bones

4. Contemplate the conditionality of consciousness in relation to the body, in this life and future lives.

[kumara]

On this topic, so far it seems to me that “paṭikūla” (repulsiveness) is only used in the heading of the section describing the practice, and not in the description itself. Anyone else notice the same?