Dearest Friends,

Thank you for your presences and your participation in our most recent gathering.

In our last session, we moved to the fourth exercise listed under the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta’s section on mindfulness of the body, which involves the somewhat unusual practice of reflecting on the repulsiveness of the body (paṭikūla-manasikāra). This exercise entails contemplating on the body as a collection of 32 parts—none of which are attractive in and by themselves. These parts are traditionally categorized into six groups that are based primarily on their physical states and locations:

• External Coverings: Head hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin
• Flesh and Connective Tissues: Flesh/muscles, sinews/tendons, bones, bone marrow, kidneys
• Upper Tract Organs: Heart, liver, diaphragm (pleura), spleen, lungs
• Lower Tract Organs: Large intestines, small intestines, stomach contents (undigested food), feces, brain
• Fluids and Secretions: Bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat
• Remaining Fluids: Tears, grease/oil, saliva, mucus, joint fluid (synovial fluid), urine

The purpose of this meditation isn’t to cultivate aversion towards the body, but to simply loosen our attachment to it by revealing its composite, fragile and impersonal nature. It invites us to see the body as a temporary assemblage of parts and processes that is subject to decay. Seeing the truths of non-self, impermanence and unsatisfactoriness in this way frees us from clinging…and also evokes compassion for all beings whose bodies share the same fate.

SUGGESTED PRACTICE:

Sit quietly and attend to your breath with your gaze lowered or your eyes closed. Then with a sense of gentle interest and warm curiosity, contemplate the 32 parts of the body listed in the previous section of this blog post. Notice how none of these parts are inherently attractive. Notice how these parts have changed as your body has aged. Allow your observations to soften your attachment to the body without slipping into melancholy, disgust or aversion. Before you end the meditation, rest in a felt sense of gratitude for how this body has served you as a vehicle of awakening…and offer blessings of compassion to all beings whose bodies are subject to death, fragility and decay.  

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The Story of the Man with a Beautiful Wife

REFLECTION PROMPTS:

• How does reflecting on the body’s less appealing aspects shift your relationship to it?
• Did this practice evoke aversion or did it open space for humility, gratitude and compassion?
• How might remembering the body’s impermanence change the way you relate to beauty, health and identity in your everyday life?