Body Contemplation

How essential is body contemplation? Didn’t the Venerable Ajahn Chah teach ‘letting go’? It is essential to investigate the body to see the mind clearly. Sometimes people take Luang Por Chah’s teachings from the end of the path and forget about the instructions for the beginning. If one has not passed beyond all attachment to the body, it is impossible to clearly investigate the mind. The investigation of citta and dhamma satipatthānas (the four foundations of mindfulness: the body, feelings, mind and dhammas) is the path of practice for anāgāmis.

Without investigating the body as elements, as asubha, as thirty two parts, or contemplation of death, one will not be able to realize sotāpanna.

Even those with great pāramī, such as Luang Por Tate and Luang Ta Mahā Boowa, had to go through the body to realize the path.

The whole practice can be summarized in this form: ask yourself would you really want to renouciate your body, your family your sense desire etc. and then if answer is not, find out why by exploring the body and mind truth

  1. So you practice mindfulness of body.
  2. That leads to mindfulness of feeling.
  3. That leads to mindfulness of mind.
  4. That leads to mindfulness of dharma.

Since all five aggregates are interdependent, as long as one is figured out the others will be seen naturally

Stream entry is someone who understand contact They build faith and understanding there They see the feeling, perception and consciousness relies on contact And contact not fully controlled by anyone or anything

At that time the Blessed One said to the monks:

“There are six spheres of contact. What are the six? They are the sphere of contact of the eye … the ear … the nose … the tongue … the body … the sphere of contact of the mind.

“[As for] recluses and brahmins who do not understand as it really is the arising of these six spheres of contact, their cessation, their gratification, their danger, and the escape from them, it should be known that these recluses and Brahmins depart from my teaching, are far from my discipline, just as the sky in regard to the earth.”

It's about how you deal with contact. So our life is just a set of contacts, if we know the gratification and danger, it's like you fully understand what they are. On the other hand, if you fully close your sense bases and not let them touch the outside, you can not develop wisdom since you can not know the real gratification it's like you have to really taste it and find out the danger there by yourself.

And how, Ānanda, is there development without direction? Not directing his mind outwardly, a bhikkhu understands: ‘My mind is not directed outwardly.’ Then he understands: ‘It is unconstricted after and before, liberated, undirected.’ Then he further understands: ‘I dwell contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful; I am happy.’

So basically it is clear, when you use a theme to inspire the mind and then you quit them, you immerse yourself in mindfulness of body. There are 10 themes: buddha, dharma, sanga, breathing, precepts, heavenly beings.... you can pick any theme you want.

“One thing, mendicants, when developed and cultivated, leads solely to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment. 1.2What one thing? 1.3Recollection of the teaching … Recollection of the Saṅgha … Recollection of ethical conduct … Recollection of generosity … Recollection of the deities … Mindfulness of breathing … Mindfulness of death … Mindfulness of the body … Recollection of peace. 1.4This one thing, when developed and cultivated, leads solely to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment.”

While he is contemplating the body in the body, there arises in him, based on the body, either a fever in the body or sluggishness of mind, or the mind is distracted outwardly. That bhikkhu should then direct his mind towards some inspiring sign. When he directs his mind towards some inspiring sign, gladness is born. When he is gladdened, rapture is born. When the mind is uplifted by rapture, the body becomes tranquil. One tranquil in body experiences happiness. The mind of one who is happy becomes concentrated. He reflects thus: ‘The purpose for the sake of which I directed my mind has been achieved. Let me now withdraw it.’ So he withdraws the mind and does not think or examine. He understands: ‘Without thought and examination, internally mindful, I am happy.’