Question: Recently while I was practising walking meditation, I suddenly became aware of the skeleton that was working especially the legs, the leg bones and the feet bones. I was very aware of the skeleton moving along. It’s like watching a machine operating and I was just observing the machine. It was a calming experience and I continued to be aware of that experience. Is that a correct way to practise walking meditation?
Than Ajahn: Yes, that’s one way. You used the skeleton as your object of your mindfulness. You stopped thinking about other things.
When you don’t think about other things, your mind becomes calm, peaceful and happy. It can happen even though at the start of your walking, you didn’t think about the skeleton. You were observing the body, like watching your steps, left and right steps. Then, suddenly your mind created a skeleton for you to watch. This is okay.
Maybe it’s because you used to listen to talks about skeleton for a long time and it sank into your mind. It can suddenly come up when you are doing walking meditation. So, you think your body as a walking skeleton.
You can extend this further when you see other person.
You see everybody as a walking skeleton. Then, you won’t have any discrimination towards anyone because everybody is the same, whether the person is white, black, or brown; whether the person is a Jewish, Muslim, or Christian. Everyone is a walking skeleton on this earth.
Question: When I started to have this experience, I became very interested in it. It’s interesting to just watch the machine operating.
Than Ajahn: This is a universal compassion, universal kindness (mettā) towards all beings. The Buddha said, ‘Sabbe sattā.’ We are all the same. We are all just walking skeletons.
Eventually, we will be put in the box and laid into the ground. Nobody takes anything along with him/her from this earth. Then, you’ll stop fighting. You’ll stop competing. So, this is what you should do if you can see the skeleton: you should maintain it as much as possible even when you are not doing your walking meditation. Whenever you see yourself in the mirror, whenever you see other people, or whenever you think of yourself, you think of yourself/other people as a walking skeleton.
There was a story in the scripture about one of the monks who used the skeleton as his object of contemplation and mindfulness. He practised it to the point that when people came and asked him, ‘Did you see that person?’ He replied, ‘No, I only saw a skeleton. I didn’t see anybody.
I only saw a skeleton walking by. If you asked me who that person was, I wouldn’t know because I didn’t see who the person was, I saw more of that person’s skeleton.’
Okay. Good. If you can use that (skeleton) to calm your mind, to teach your mind the truth about the body, I think you might be able to become enlighten pretty soon. Then, you can look at yourself/your body as a skeleton and think, ‘What the hell! Why should I worry about it? Why should I be afraid of it dying? It’s going to die, anyway.’
About the skeleton, (in the past) I went to a monastery where they hung a skeleton in the dining hall, and there was a small sign below the skeleton, ‘I am your future. You are my past.’ Pretty good wisdom, huh?!
(M): Thank you Ajahn.
“Dhamma in English, Oct 6, 2020.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com
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