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July1996
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Cover: PujaAjahnSuccito
Articles: AnInvitationtoAwakenVenerableChandako
KiwiPracticeAjahnSubbato
SeekingtheBuddha'sFootprintsAngelaCoton
UpasikanewsThreeReflections
BalladofAmaravati'sBridgeSamaneraThitadhammo

AnInvitationtoAwaken
VenerableChandako,anAmericanbornbhikkhucurrentlyresidentinThailand,describeshowcontemplationofthe
bodycanbeusedtobalancethemindanddevelopanappreciationofthethreecharacteristics(anicca,dukkha,anatta)
Ispentmyfirstvassaunderjetplanes,withahousingdevelopmentconstructionsiteoutsidemywindow,surroundedby
seductivesightsintheheatandsmogofThailand'scapitalcity.VenerableAjahnPiaknowlivedintheurbanjungleas
sprawlingBangkokhadgraduallyengulfedhistiny,onceremote,monastery.Theairplanesroaredandtheneighbours
snored.Istruggledwithmindstates.AndthroughitallAjahnPiakradiated.Serenity.Lovingkindness.Hewasnotan
averageman.
OnedaytheSanghawasgiventheopportunitytowitnessanautopsyatthepolicehospital.Thistraditionalpracticeof
contemplatingadeadpersonisameditationtechniquefortakinganhonestinquiringlookattheephemeralnatureof
ourbodiesandourinfatuatedidentificationwiththem.Undertakenwithwisdom,corpsecontemplationassistsin
reducingattachmenttothebody,settingdownaburdenofdukkhaandgivingrisetojoy.Deeplyacceptingthe
inevitabilityofdeathhelpsustomakeourprioritiesclear.Naturallywethendevelopanappreciationforthe
preciousnessofourlifeandtheopportunitiesitaffordsustocultivatethePath.
OnthecarrideoverItriedtoarouseasuitablyseriouscontemplativeattitudeasthedriverblaredrockmusic.WhenI
firstcametostaywithAjahnPiak,Ihadfourorfivedifferentmethodsofmeditationgoing,thepatchworkresultof
yearsofspiritualshopping.OneeveningIwenttoconsultwithhimandaskedforadviceonwhichdirectiontopursue.
Hestressedtheimportanceofunderstandingthetruthaboutthebodythroughpracticingkayagatasati(mindfulnessof
thebody)[1]andasubha(meditationontheunattractivequalitiesofthebody).Hegaveinstructionsonmentally
dissectingit,reducingittoitscomponentpartsforobjectiveanalysis,andreflectingonitseventualdemise.Thatwas
myfirstattemptatsystematicallydevelopinginvestigationofthisbody.Iwas'gettinginto'mybodyreallygettingin
thercanditwasenoughtofundamentallychallengeperceptionsIhadaboutwhoIwas.
1:KayagatasatiSuttaMN119

Itisimportanttoenjoymeditation,orelseonewillinevitablybegin

lookingoutsideforenjoyment.
Thecarstopped.Sixbrownrobes,fourThaimonks,oneyoungnoviceandaphrafarang(Westernmonk),paraded
pastwhitewalls.GreetedwiththesmellofformaldehydeIenteredtheautopsyroompreparedforgruesomeand
soberingsights,andthereshewasourcorpse,aBangkokwomaninhermid20's.Freshlydeadwithoutamarkon
herbodyandnottheleastbitblueorbloated,shelookedmorelikeSleepingBeautythantherotting,Maracombating
meditationobjectI'dexpected.Ifeignedequanimity.Thelittlenovicehadbigeyes.Iwantedtoaskwhatsuffering
haddrivenhertohangherself,butthecoronerandhisscalpelinterrupted.Hemadeitclearthisenchantedsleepwas
nofairytale.Withthemonksstandingonraisedbleacherslikethecheeringsectionatafootballmatch,thedissection
began.Theinitialcutsshatteredtheperceptionofbeauty.Whileretainingthementalimageofheroriginalcondition
forcomparison,thesubsequentdismantlingbegantotakeitseffect.IrememberedSiddharthaandhispreoccupation
whenhisenticingentertairlerscouldnotassuagehiswisesadness.Whatisthatqualitythatseparatesthelivingfrom
thedead?WhydoIgiveimportancetothiscorpseIcallmyself?
MeanwhileSleepingBeautyhadlookedbetter.Iwantedacloserpeek,soIclimbeddownfromthebleacherstostand
nexttoher,mymindrotatingbetweentheemotionsoffascination,repulsion,compassionandaquestioningpeace.
Thenthesmellhitme.Myheadbegantospin,andIdecideditwastimetobackoff.AsIsteppedintothehallwaymy
sightbegantofade,blacknessgraduallycominginfromthesidesreducingvisiontoadotandthenextinguishingit
altogether.
"Iamnotgoingtofaint!"Idetermined.Itwouldsimplybetooembarrassingforeveryonepresentiftheprafarang
faints.Iwas,however,completelyblind.HoldingontoathreadofconsciousnesswithallthewillpowerIcould
muster,Icouldheartheotherspreparingtoleave.Igrabbedontosomeone'srobetoleadmeout.Onceoutside,the
othersnoticedIlookedatleastaspaleasthecorpseandgavemeaseat.Withinafewminutesvisionreturned.
Uponreturningtothemonasterytheworkbegantointegrateandinternalize
theday'sexperience.Withoutbringingthequestionofdeathhometobearon
mylife,Iwouldbeleftonlywithanotherfascinatingmemory,myheart
remainingrelativelyunchangedbytheautopsy.IfollowedAjahnPiak's
advicetovisualizethedifferentlayersofmybody'scomposition.What
wouldIlooklikewithouthair?(aneasystartfortheordained)Withoutskin?
Withoutorgans,sinewsorflesh?Graduallyspecificpartsofthebodystood
outmoreclearlythantherest:afullsetofliplessteeth,arib,andthehairon
thebackofmyhand.Focusingonasingletoothorhair,simplyseeing
withoutconceptualising,revealedphysicalityandmentalityas
interdependentyetdistinctlyseparateprocesses,furtherunravelingthe
assumednotionofaninherentself.Theworldseemedturnedupsidedown.A
senseofspiritualurgencyarose,aswellasaseriousnesswhichIfound
necessarytobalancewithregulardevelopmentoflovingkindness.

TheBuddhaconsideredmeditationonthepartsofthebodyofcentral
importanceanditisincludedaspartoftheordinationceremonyfor
bhikkhus.Theseasubhapracticesarenotanattempttoconvinceourselves
thatallisugly,buttobalancethemindtoseethingsastheytrulyare.The
worldisneitherintrinsicallybeautifulnorugly,butproblemsarisewhen
projectionsofattractivenessonpeople,objectsandideasgiverisetodesire
anddukkha.
InexpoundingthefirstNobleTruththeBuddhainnowaydeniedthat
pleasurecanbefoundinsensualgratificationthroughthebody.Hedid,
however,pointoutthatitisfleeting,carriesabacklashofdukkha,andis
inferiortothewholesomeblissofjhanaandthepeaceofnibbana.
Indevelopingkayagatasatianabilitytoconcentratethemindisessentialto
gobeyondthesuperficial,andthecontemplationofthebodyinturn
conditionsthemindtogatherinonepointedness.Eventhoughonehasseen
theunsatisfactorynatureofsensualpleasure,aslongasonehasnotyet
experiencedthegreaterhappinessofjhanaitcannotbeexpectedthatonewill
beabletofullyletgoofattachmenttothosesensualpleasures.[2]
2:CuladukkhakkhandhaSuttaMN14

IntheThaiForesttraditionkayagatasatiisthemainstayfordevelopinginsight.AjahnChah'steacher,AjahnMun,
recommended,"Inyourinvestigationneverallowthemindtodesertthebodyforanywhereelse.Youcanexaminethe
body'sunattractiveness,viewitasmadeupofelements,examineittoseeitasaggregatesorbywayofthethree
characteristics[impermanence,sufferingandnotself.Whenanyoftheseaspectsarefullyandlucidlyseenbyone's
heart,allotherexteriorthingswillclearlymanifesttheretoo."[3]
3:AutobiographyofaForestMonk,AjahnTate,page150.
ItwasonlyAjahnMunwhocouldconvincehiseminentdiscipleAjahnTatetoinvestigatethebody.Untilhis12th
vassaAjahnTatefiguredthatoncethesubtletiesofthemindhavebeenmasteredwhygobacktoinvestigateacoarse
objectsuchasthebody.However,itwaspreciselyduetohistakingupthispracticethathehadadeeprealizationof
Dhamma.

IlaterhadtheopportunitytospeakwithAjahnPiak,andheexplainedinfurtherdetailthemeditationsonthebody.
"Firsthavethemindreststill,internallygathered.Thisisanecessaryfirststage.Assoonasitbeginstomovetakeup
anobjectofinvestigation,whicheveraspectofkayagatasatiyouregularlyuseandareskilledwith.Supposeyou
investigatetheearthelement(solidity)[4]inthebody.Ifthemindispeacefulwithenoughstrengthitwillseemas
thoughthebodydisperses,dissolvesandcompletelydisappears.Itwillbeanatta(notself).Empty.Investigate
whicheverpartofthebodyyouchoose.Ifyoucan'tinvestigateallthepartsofthebodysimplyfocusonone,buthave
itreachthepointofanatta.Thenreassembleitbackandforth,overandover,untilitisseenveryclearly:thisbodyis
onlyacollectionofpartsitisimpermanentitarises,existsandpassesaway."
4:MahahatthipadopamaSuttaMN28
Iasked,"Doyourecommendtakingonepartofthebody,theskeletonforinstance,asafixedobjectofsamadhi?"
"Yes,youcancertainlydothat.Ifatfirstyoucan'tvisualizeyourbonesitmaybenecessarytogolookataskeleton.
Rememberwhatitlookslike.Thenimagineyourselfasaskeleton.Taketheskeletonoutofyourself,thenputyourself
intheskeleton.Withincreasingskill,eachtimeyouareawareofyourselfyoucanbringuptheskeletonnimitta,(in
thiscontext)visualimagesofthebody,eithercreatedorspontaneouslyarisen,oractuallyseeingintothebodywith
themind'seye,knowing'you'arebones.Thenwhenthenimittaisclearandstable,breakitupanddissolveitintodust
andanatta.Ifyouusethisasyourmainmodeofinvestigation,eachpersonyouencounterorthinkof,youmustseeas
askeleton.Whenskilled,thiswillbringlightnessandbliss.ThisisthewayIpractisedasayoungmonk."
"Shouldoneinvestigateinthesamemannereachtimeorfollowwhereverthemindinclines?"
"Anypartofthebodyisfine.Ifthemindgoestoaparticularspotthencontemplatethere.Ifdistractingthoughtsbegin
toincrease,letthemindrestbyreturningtoconcentrationmeditation.Afterithasregainedstrengthcontinuewiththe
contemplation.Whicheverpartisclear,atoothforexample,makethatnimittaasbigorassmallaspossible.Iusedto
takeatinysinglehairandmakeitlongerandlongeruntilitfilledallspace.ThenI'dshrinkit.ItwasgoodfunandI'd
doitforhours.Thistypeoffunisquiteusefulbecauseyouareplayingwiththemeditationobjectsofhair,skin,bones
etc.theentiretime.Itisimportanttoenjoymeditation,orelseonewillinevitablybeginlookingoutsidefor
enjoyment."
InthefollowingyearsthementalimageofSleepingBeauty'sfarfromcharminglineamentsremainedvividandclear.
Andshetaught:whenthegrandballisover,thelastdancehascometoahaltandourmaskisgentlyrolledback,
what'sbehindourthinfacade?Thekissofthecoroner'sbladeinvitesustoawaken.