Meditation
is a key aspect of the Buddhist practice. Numerous meditative techniques, some
very specialized, have been preserved in ancient Buddhist texts and are passed
down from teacher to student within the many Buddhist traditions. Some less
orthodox meditation practices observed by monastics in Thailand might appear
extreme or alarming to those of us familiar with the more tranquil approach of
simple mindfulness meditation, yet offer a unique, direct insight into the
transitory and impermanent nature of existence.
While
it may seem gruesome or macabre, the practice of meditating next to a decaying
or desiccated corpse (Pali: asubhakammatthana) remains relatively common in
many temples across Thailand and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Aimed at
imparting a deeper understand of impermanence and helping the practitioner to
overcome conditioned states of the mind and emotions, monks undergoing this
advanced training use naked corpses of the recently deceased as objects for
meditation.
Meditators
in this practice are directed to focus on the “disgusting” aspects of the
cadaver and the impermanence of the flesh, bones, and fluids. The highest state
of meditation is reached when both attraction and repulsion cease to exist.
This approach is viewed as a powerful way to learn selflessness, says Justin
McDaniel, a professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
“And the more selfless you are, the closer you are to nirvana.” (The New
York Times)
Illustrations
of the 19th century monk Phra Malai meditating over corpses. From blogs.bl.uk
The
family of a child or young adult who has died unexpectedly will sometimes
donate the remains to a temple for this purpose, seeking to make merit and gain
a positive outcome from the tragedy. The monks see the deceased young people as
“representing the best of humanity,” says Professor McDaniel. “They’re innocent
— not so selfish and greedy and ambitious. If something so beautiful can decay,
why are you so proud and vain? You’re even uglier.” (The New York Times)
At
some monasteries, such as Wat Khao Yai in Thailand’s Pichit Province and Wat
Hualompong in Bangkok, a donated corpse is suspended on a hook before monastics
who have received permission to undertake this meditation, or the meditators
might sit in charnel grounds, viewing corpses before, during, and after
cremation. Such practices have been depicted in numerous centuries old
manuscripts and murals, and related in the biographies of prominent Thai monks
such as Luang Phu Man, Than Achan Taeng, and Somdet To.
The
purpose of this traditional form of meditation is “simply to hold in your mind,
very clearly, that when you look at a [living] person, you’re seeing only the
external aspect of that physical person.” says Siripanyo Bhikkhu, a monk from
eastern Thailand. “We just sort of live in denial of the fact that we have all
these organs and bones and liquids and fluids. We are obsessed with the
externals. No one wants to see the internals. But we try to see them in an
equal light, neither delighting nor being repelled by the attractive or the
unattractive signs of the external or the internal.” (The Washington Times)
Corpse
meditation is aimed at imparting a deeper understand of impermanence and
helping the practitioner to overcome conditioned states of the mind and
emotions. From dhammawheel.com
“It
is very common with [monastics] to have [corpse meditation] pictures with us,
to use them, or just to have in your hut, or have with you when you are eating,
or just to look at and to contemplate,” he says. “That’s what monasteries are
for: They remind us of the true nature of life, which is this impermanence and
transitory nature.” (The Washington Times)
Source
: buddhistdoor.net