What meditation practice(s) are encompassed by 'asubha' (non-beautiful)?
Upvote:1
The core buddhism's meditation is not about body parts or anything related to outer world. It's always about the dependent co-arising.
Below is about the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person from Assutava Sutta
"Monks, an uninstructed run-of-the-mill person might grow disenchanted with this body composed of the four great elements, might grow dispassionate toward it, might gain release from it. Why is that? Because the growth & decline, the taking up & putting down of this body composed of the four great elements are apparent. Thus the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person might grow disenchanted, might grow dispassionate, might gain release there.
And below is about instructed disciple of the noble ones from same Assutava Sutta
"The instructed disciple of the noble ones, [however,] attends carefully & appropriately right there at the dependent co-arising:
Therefore based on above, the famous asubha meditation conflicts with that sutta. So the reason should be asubha is misinterpreted.
Explained detailed on Asubha meditation is in Kuddaka Nikaya-1 -> Asubhanupassi Sutta (If anyone found an english reference please add). This says that sabba sankharesu aniccanupassino viharathi That's the abstracted meaning of asubha meditation. (I'm referring to sinhala - pali cannon, sorry I can't translate this to english)
There's another sutta which clearly says that, Noble meditation should not be based on air, fire, water etc. I'll try to find the reference to that as well.
With this you might be confused by now. Yes, most of the meanings are mis-interpreted. The real dhamma is out there now, It will come famous but will take sometime to accept by people.
With Metta...!
Upvote:1
There's a chapter (about 13 pages) about foulness meditation in the Visuddhimagga -- if that's what you're asking -- with includes corpses cut up and worm infested etc.
The Visuddhimagga (Pali; English: The Path of Purification), is the 'great treatise' on Theravada Buddhist doctrine written by Buddhaghosa approximately in the 5th Century in Sri Lanka. It is a manual condensing and systematizing the 5th century understanding and interpretation of the Buddhist path as maintained by the elders of the Mahavihara Monastery in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
It is considered the most important Theravada text outside of the Tipitaka canon of scriptures, and is described as "the hub of a complete and coherent method of exegesis of the Tipitaka," but it has also been criticised for its non-canonical departures, and its interpretation of dhyana as concentration-meditation.
That references English translations if you'd like to read one, I think it's Chapter 6.
Some people prefer the suttas and not the Visuddhimagga (maybe more "EBT" than "Theravada").
Upvote:1
Some people are engrossed with the beauty of oneself or that of others. This is a perversion (vipallasa) of seeing what is impure as pure. For more see Vipallasa Sutta.
Asuba contracts the perception of beauty by:
- seeing the constituent part o organs which bake the whole which one considers beautiful
- seeing the decaying nature of the body which one considers beautiful
- seeing the arising, transient existence and passing away nature of the body
This practice neutralises the minds tendency to obsess with beauty. But one must be careful that one does not start loathing the body as impure as this leads to the other end of the spectrum. There are cases where monks and people have committed suicide due to this.
This is mentioned in: Kaya,gatā,sati Sutta, Mahā Sati’patthāna Sutta, Sati’patthāna Sutta
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