I know meditation posture has been covered before, but one thing I didn’t find anywhere in the archives was this:
‘But these little shaveling recluses are menials, black, the offscourings of our kinsman’s feet. They say, “We are meditatives, we are meditatives”, and with their shoulders drooping, with their faces cast down, as if drugged, they meditate, they meditate absorbed, they meditate more absorbed, they meditate quite absorbed.
As an owl on the branch of a tree when tracking a mouse meditates, meditates absorbed, meditates more absorbed, meditates quite absorbed, so do these little shaveling recluses, menials, black the offscourings of our kinsman’s feet meditate quite absorbed. And as a jackal on the bank of a river when tracking fish meditates, meditates absorbed, meditates more absorbed, meditates quite absorbed, so do these little shaveling recluses, menials, black the offscourings of our kinsman’s feet meditate quite absorbed. And as a cat on the edge of a refuse heap when tracking a mouse meditates, meditates absorbed, meditates more absorbed, meditates quite absorbed, so do these little shaveling recluses, menials, black the offscourings of our kinsman’s feet meditate quite absorbed. And as an ass at the edge of a refuse-heap, its burden removed, meditates, meditates absorbed, meditates more absorbed, meditates quite absorbed, so do these little shaveling recluses, menials, black, the offscourings of our kinsman’s feet, saying: ‘We are meditatives, we are meditatives,’ with their shoulders drooping, with their faces cast down, as if drugged, meditate, meditate absorbed, meditate more absorbed, meditate quite absorbed.
After reading this, I realized that my mental image of what proper meditation posture is was wholly formed by carved statues. Even the parameters of the “eyes-closed, eyes-open” debate are based on statues–nothing scriptural. But, getting back to meditation posture, I have worked hard to sit perfectly erect–chest out, small of the back tucked in, arms arched, thumbs touching, etc.–and felt no small sense of accomplishment once it was worked out. The only scriptural support I had was the standard ujuṃ kāyaṃ pericope. But, all other things being equal, the anecdotal nature of the description of monks’ meditation posture in MN 50 above (even taking into account exaggeration because of it’s being derisive) seems more authentic mostly because it has no reason to be there: it contravenes somewhat the ujuṃ kāyaṃ directive, it is somewhat unflattering or undignified as a posture–it’s not as "regal"as the statues’ posture. The pericope, however, is a more plausible candidate if one of them is to be accepted as contrived or stylized. It’s kind of like juxtaposing the reclining Buddha statues with the image of a man lying down essentially in the fetal position pillowing his head with his curled up forearm. One is ideal; but the other is probably more real.
Anyone have any thoughts?