2022-02-16 Satipaṭṭhāna (31) Skeleton Contemplation
IInsight Meditation CenterFeb 16, 2022 at 3:49 pm14min
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00:02Gil Fronsdal
Today we move into the last of the mindfulness exercises of the body, with the body. There are six of these exercises. The Buddha starts with breathing, then mindfulness of postures, mindfulness of activities, mindfulness of the parts of the body, and mindfulness of the elements, the properties, of the body. Now there is mindfulness of a corpse meditation – reflection on a corpse.
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00:50Gil Fronsdal
This one begins with the words "as if" – as if we are viewing a corpse. Here, we are calling upon the imagination. Some Buddhists will spend time with corpses. Maraṇasati, mindfulness of death, is a time-honored practice in Buddhism. Most years before COVID, I took people to an anatomy lab to spend time with a corpse. It is fascinating to see and be with a corpse in an anatomy lab, where we are seeing a whole different perspective on life, the body, and people.
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01:41Gil Fronsdal
When I was a freshman in college, I took a drawing class. Halfway through the class, the teacher took us to the anatomy lab at the university. We went into the lab, and there was a person laid out, who had died – a corpse. It was the first time I had ever seen a corpse in that kind of detail, and we were supposed to draw it.
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02:16Gil Fronsdal
We were there two days. The first day I drew the person's foot, because that was the furthest I could get away from having to deal with this – this death. When I went back the next time, I realized that I had been avoiding so I decided to draw the face – to really be there with it.
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02:42Gil Fronsdal
The teacher explained that the reason he took his drawing classes to the anatomy lab was that after the visit, everyone's drawings would be stronger. I never asked him what stronger meant, but apparently he appreciated that something shifted for people.
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03:05Gil Fronsdal
So, this is a time honored way of being reminded of our mortality, of really knowing that we are going to die. It is easy when you are young to think, or operate as if, "No, I will never die." Or, "I know I will die, but it is irrelevant." At some point, to really consider – reflect and look death right in the eye. Take it in and consider it for the purposes of becoming free in this life, and for connecting to our lived experience, so that we can live in the midst of this life freely.
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