Reflection On Repulsiveness
When it comes to meditation, many people doubt its effectiveness as they don't know how powerful it can be. If you're the one who doubts this process then, you should definetely read out the full article. Meditation is a process by which an individual controls his/her mind and induces a mode of consiousness either to achieve some benefits or for the mind to simply acknowledge is contents without being identified with the content, or just as an end in itself. Meditation is practiced by some as a way to relax mind, some do it to generate positive thoughts of mind and some take it as a method to enhance their mind-power. But, what meditation actually means???
Hindu Meditation
In Hinduism originally Sanatana Dharma, meditation has a place of significance. Some of the earliest references to meditation are found in Rig Veda around 5000 BCE in India, The basic objective of meditation is to attain oneness of the practitioner’s spirit omnipresent and non-dual almighty. This state of one’s self is called as Moksha in Hinduism and Nirvana in Buddhism.
Buddhist meditation
The basic idea of meditation passed to Buddhism from Hinduism, as the founder of Buddhism himself was a Hindu, before attaining Moksha. Gautama Buddha has said to have detected two important mental qualities that arise from practicing meditation. These are - serenity or tranquility, that composes and concentrates the mind and insight which enables the practitioner to explore the five aspects that constitute the sentient being, namely matter,
sensation, perception, consciousness,
mental formation.
Differences in Ideology
In Hinduism, the ideology behind meditation is more spiritual than religion. The purposes of meditation in Hinduism are varied, like physical, mental and spiritual enhancement and also control of mind. In the extreme sense Meditation is the way of getting in union with the creator or Paramatma. Buddhists on the other hand do not believe in God, but consider meditation as an integral part of their religion. The main purpose of meditation in Buddhism is self realization or Nirvana. It is the path toward liberation from clinging and craving also called awakening which results in the attainment of Nirvana.
Meditation techniques include:
1. Asubha Bhavana (reflections on repulsiveness)
2. Pratityasamutpada (dependent origination)
3. Sati (mindfulness)
4. Anussati (recollections)
5. Anapanasati (breath meditation)
6. Dhyana (developing and alert and luminous mind)
7. Bramha-Viharas (loving-kindness and compassion)
The Buddha is said to have identified two mental qualities that arise from wholesome meditative practice:
• serenity or tranquillity which steadies, composes, unifies and concentrates the mind
• insight (vipassanā) which enables one to see, explore and discern formations (conditioned phenomena based on the five aggregates)
Reflection on repulsiveness of thirty two parts of the body
We think a lot about the beautiful parts of the human body (healthy hair, glowing skin, a nice smile, etc), but asubha meditation is about focusing on the unattractive and unpleasant qualities of the body. The goal of practicing asubha meditation is to become less attached to your own body and to stop seeing others as objects of beauty. In the Buddhist meditation practice, it is described as a technique suitable for developing both concentration and insight. Reflecting on the repulsive nature of the 32 parts of the body can be practised by any one of any age.
However, as this is a very strong technique of meditation, it is advisable at least in the beginning to have an experienced meditator or a teacher as a mentor to provide guidance and support. This technique can be practised either individually or in a group. For a lay meditator, the minimum moral discipline to be observed has been described as the five precepts (panchasila).
• Abstinence from killing any living being
• Abstinence from stealing
• Abstinence from sexual misconduct
• Abstinence from false speech
• Abstinence from alcohol and intoxicating drugs
The meditator needs to find a good environment that is conducive to practising meditation. A quiet, comfortable and clean place where one can be alone without being distracted or disturbed by other people or external events would be suitable. Though reflecting on the 32 parts of the body can be practised in any of the four postures; sitting, standing, walking or lying down, one should preferably sit on the floor in a comfortable position with the back kept straight and upright and shoulders relaxed. Once seated, one should bring the mind to the present moment by taking a few deep breaths to relax and develop an awareness of the body in the current sitting posture. The practice of mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati) for a short while in the beginning can help to prepare the mind to begin the reflection on the 32 parts of the body.
Thirty two parts of the body
• Head hair (kesa)
• Body hair (loma)
• Nails (nakkha)
• Teeth (danta)
• Skin (taco)
• Flesh (masam)
• Tendons (naharu)
• Bone (atthi)
• Bone marrow (atthiminjam)
• Kidneys (vakkam)
• Heart (hadayam)
• Liver (yakanam)
• Diaphragm (kilomakam)
• Spleen (pihakam)
• Lungs (papphasam)
• Large intestines (antam)
• Small intestines (antagunam)
• Stomach (udariam)
• Faeces (kerisam)
• Brain (mattagunam)
• Bile (pittam)
• Phlegm (semhan)
• Pus (pubbo)
• Blood (lohitam)
• Sweat (sedo)
• Fat (medo)
• Tears (assu)
• Grease (vasa)
• Saliva (kelo)
• Mucus (singhanika)
• Fluid in the joints (lasika)
• Urine (muttam)
Group one:Head hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin
Group two:Flesh, tendons, bone, bone marrow, kidneys
Group three:Heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs
Group four:Large intestines, small intestines, stomach, faeces, brain
Group five:Bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat
Group six:Tears, grease, saliva, mucus, fluid in the joints, urine
Reflect on body parts
The meditator can start reflecting on the first group of five body parts forward and backward by repeating them verbally first and then mentally, while visualizing them and their repulsive nature in one’s mind.
Use the images of the body as a the object of meditation.
It is best to use the worst image of body you have seen for starting this meditation.
Relate the image to your own body.
Think of the relationship between your body and that body. It is important to acknowledge your own corruptibility. You can do this by likening your body to the corpse you have seen.
Meditate on each stage of decomposition.
This will allow you to know the corruptibility of the body in all its forms, from bloated corpse to skeleton. It will simply help you learn to control the image, by focusing on a single aspect.
Increase the time of your asubha meditation.
Your goal should be to get to one or two hours of asubha meditation. The focus on the object for that time will allow you to go from thinking ‘learning sign’ or the pictures of the corpse as you saw them to the ‘counterpart sign’ or the perfected mental image.
Remember the purpose
Remember that purpose of the meditation is not to engender hatred of the body but to help you gain a sense of detachment from it. It is not so much to encourage you to live ascetically. Rather it is that you respect the body and its corruptibility. Focusing on foulness will lessen your attachment, but with practice it will also engender a healthy respect for your body.
Get the most out of this practice
To get most out of this, learn to work on giving up on pain or pleasure. Work on perfecting your mindfulness of breathing.
Warning
It is best not to try this meditation without a teacher.
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