Mindfulness of Body Meditation

We conduct Four Foundations of Mindfulness Meditation to experience and contemplate successive Body-in-the-body, Feelings-in-the-feelings, Mind-in-the-mind, and Dhamma-in-the-Dhamma. The meditator, first, practices Contentration Meditation to develop Jhana and purify the mind from the Five Hindrances: laziness, doubt, ill will, restlessness, and sensual desire. When the mind is pure and firmly concentrated, the seeker reflects on the coarse human body by observing the five “root” meditation objects, which are (1) the hair on the head, (2) body hair, (3) nails, (4) teeth, and (5) skin.

From these five, the meditator can expand to contemplating all 32 parts of the body designated for study. These are: head-hairs, body-hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, intestines, intestinal tract, stomach, faeces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, nasal mucus, synovium (oil lubricating the joints), urine and the brain in the skull. These 32 parts of the body all have the universal worldly characteristics of being impermanent, subject to suffering, and “non-self” or voidness of real, permanent essence. We can observe these characteristics internally in our own body and also externally in the bodies of others. This is the first level of Mindfulness of the Body.

As meditation progresses to higher and higher levels, we can also examine refined bodies-in-the-body, transcendent Dhammakaya, and eventually, the ultimate ageless, immortal, supreme peace and happiness of Nirvana.  As we compare the unsatisfactory, frustrating, mundane characteristics of worldly phenomena with the splendid radiance, peace and happiness of transcendent Dhammak±ya and Nirvana, wisdom blossoms. We penetrate ultimate, absolute realization that everything in this world, including our own psycho-physical organism, is just an ephemeral, enchanting, deluding, frustrating and ultimately tormenting fantasy. We become bored with the chores of taking care of the body – continually feeding, washing, grooming and nursing it. As one meditator commented, the body comes to seem like a heavy backpack that we are always carrying. It feels so good when we put it down.

Such insight releases us from attachment and frees us from bodily cravings as well as the passions and unwholesome actions which cause suffering. Wisdom and purity develop hand-in-hand. As wisdom develops, the mind becomes purer and purer, more and more peaceful, and able to see more and more clearly, inspiring Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood which result in peaceful, happy living. At the same time, Right Wisdom enables the meditator to fulfill the Ten Perfections, cutting the Fetters binding us to this sensual world and transcending to higher and higher Dhammakaya levels.

The first Dhammakaya body, Gotrabhu (Change of Lineage), is the gatekeeper with one foot in transcendence and one foot in the sensual world. Gotrabhu has not yet reached Noble Disciple level and can still fall back to be swallowed up in the engulfing flood of sensual enchantment again. With continuing practice, the meditator advances to Stream Enterer and then to higher and higher Noble Disciple Dhammakaya with purer and purer virtues. These Dhammakaya eventually appear permanently, giving broad insight and Right Wisdom, leading the crude human body to behave properly with Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood. This, also, develops the other factors of the Noble Eightfold Path: Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, Right Thought, and Right Intention. These terminate accumulation of bad Karma and add momentum to the upward spiral, enhancing Right Wisdom, cutting more Fetters, and reaching higher and higher Noble Disciple levels. We experience less and less craving and attachment; enjoy more and more freedom from suffering; and ultimately cut all Ten Fetters to reach Arahant sainthood.

The specific methods for conducting Mindfulness of the Body Meditation

Lord Buddha specifies six methods for contemplating the body:

1. The first method is Contemplation of Breathing
A monk sits cross-legged in a solitary place, keeping his body erect, and focuses on breathing. Only with keen mindfulness he breathes in and breathes out. Breathing in a long breath or a short breath and breathing out a long breath or a short breath, he knows what he is doing. He trains himself to be aware of the whole breath body and to calm the breathing process. He dwells, perceiving the body, over and over again, as just body (not mine, self, or “I,” but just as a phenomenon). He perceives the body as just body both in himself and in others. He perceives the arising and dissolution of the body, along with their causes. He is firmly mindful that only body exists. There is no soul, self or “I.” Progressively, he gains insight (Vipassan±) and becomes detached from craving and wrong views. Thus, he dwells without clinging to anything in this world.

2. The second method is Mindfulness of Body Postures
A monk is always mindful of Body Postures, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. Whatever way his body is moving or placed, he dwells perceiving the body, again and again, as just body, and dwells without clinging to anything in this world.

3. The third method is Full Awareness of Bodily Actions
A monk is always fully aware of what he is doing, whether moving forward or backward, looking straight ahead or elsewhere, bending or stretching, or while eating, drinking, chewing, tasting, urinating or defecating. He is fully aware while walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking, speaking, or remaining silent. He is firmly mindful that this is only body, and dwells without clinging to anything in this world.

4. The fourth method is Contemplating the Body as Impure
A monk examines the body piece-by-piece, from the soles of the feet to the tip of the hair on the head, as just a bag of skin full of pollutants. He repeats the 32 parts of the body over and over, firmly mindful that this is only body, he dwells without clinging to anything in this world.

5. The fifth method is Contemplation of the Body as Just Elements
Again, a monk examines and analyzes the body as only a collection of primary elements, thinking that this body consists only of the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the air element. He is firmly mindful that this is only body, he dwells without clinging to anything in this world.

6. The sixth method is The Nine Contemplations of Decaying Corpses

• First, a monk contemplates a body one to three days dead – swollen, blue and festering, thinking that this body, too, will become like that;
• Second, a body being devoured by crows, vultures, other animals, and worms;
• Third, a skeleton held together by tendons, with some flesh and blood still adhering to it;
• Fourth, a skeleton held together by tendons and blood-smeared, but fleshless;
• Fifth, a skeleton held together by tendons, but without either flesh or blood;
• Sixth, a body that is just loose bones scattered in all directions;
• Seventh, a body that is just conch-colored bleached bones;
• Eighth, a body that is bones over a year old, lying in a heap;  
• Finally, ninth, a monk contemplates a body that is just rotted bones, crumbling to dust. He thinks that this body, too, will become like that. It cannot escape it. Thus, he dwells, perceiving the body as just body (not mine, self, or “I”, but just a phenomenon). He perceives the body as just body in both himself and in others. He perceives the arising and dissolution of the body and the causes for each. He is firmly mindful that only body exists, no soul, self or “I”. Mindfulness leads to insight and he becomes detached from craving and wrong views. He dwells without clinging to anything in this world. These are the ways in which a bhikkhu dwells perceiving, again and again, the body as just body.