This is an AI-generated transcript from auto-generated subtitles for the video above. It likely contains inaccuracies, especially with speaker attribution if there are multiple speakers.

Guided Meditation: This Body is Nature

Greetings global sangha. Greetings from Virtual IMC. I'm in Mountain View, California on unceded Ohlone land, and I am delighted to be here supporting the sangha today with the last practice, the sixth practice of the body section in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta^[1], while Gil^[2] travels to Southern California to visit his dad today.

So, the sixth practice of the body in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta. In many ways, the previous practices build up to this one, really prepare us for this one. And this is how all the practices in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta both in the four main categories build from their foundations for one another, as well as in each of the four subsections on the body, they build up for each other.

This last one really has to do with appreciating our body as nature—that this body is nature. The body that we take to be "me" and "mine" is really a piece of nature and is subjected to all the laws of nature. The previous couple of practices that we've done, actually all of them, but especially the one yesterday that Gil led with the elements, the elemental nature: yes, this body is elements inside nature, and outside as well. As well as the one the day before with the 32 parts of the body, as if this body was a bag of beans.

If we take those two practices and put them on wheels, basically put them on steroids, put them on a time-lapse—oh, what happens with nature with that time-lapse, with the truth of impermanence? Then we arrive at this last practice.

So in order to invite us for our reflection, for our practice, for our meditation today—and I'll say a lot more about the teaching of the sutta specifically at the end in the dharma talk—but just to motivate our practice, what I'd like to do is to flash a few images of nature, of gardens, and outside. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Let's start where Gil left off yesterday, with the invitation of seeing yourself as a garden. You can use in the guided meditation also just an image of a vegetable garden. You can use this one or your own favorite one. Then perhaps an image of a forest, redwoods, lying down watching the sky, feeling a part of nature. Again, you can use this image or an image from your own mind later.

And then the forest floor, being a part of nature, feeling that nature inside and nature outside. All the elements: earth, water, fire, and wind. Fire being this capacity of nature to change, shift, and be transformed through sunlight, through heat. And perhaps a log that has fallen and has become a nurse log for other growth in the forest. And other images from the forest floor, as we imagine ourselves as part of nature changing, shifting, growing, and of course, decaying.

It's part of nature to grow and shift and change. We are not so different. This body is nature. This body is not so different; it will decay.

So let's begin our formal practice by settling in. Settling into the felt sense of this body in this moment.

Inspired by, and using the foundation of the previous days' teachings on the body.

Noticing the breath moving in and out.

Noticing the contact points. The earth element, the connection with the earth. As if we were earth sitting on earth. This body as earth, sitting, lying, resting on earth.

I'd like to invite you to imagine you're sitting or lying down in a lush garden. Feeling this body surrounded by nature. By fruits, vegetables, all parts of nature.

This body, alive and breathing, is nature.

Perhaps as if you were lying down looking at the sky. At the trees around you, the vegetation around you.

Earth element to earth, on earth, feeling the solidity, the contact points of this body in this moment. An expansion watching the sky. The clouds.

The trees around. Part of the forest. Part of the forest floor.

Relaxing, softening. Inviting the body to know, to trust that it is part of nature. It is not separate.

To feel the peace of nature. To feel the peace of wild things, as in the poem by Wendell Berry^[3].

This body, alive, breathing, is a part of nature. Not so different from an apple that falls from a tree to the forest floor and decays. Not so different, because this body is nature. This is the truth of how things are. The intimacy of being nature.

Seeing this body just as the apple, decaying, decomposing, going back into nature. This natural process.

The mind can become quite calm and absorbed, but the freedom with the ease that this contemplation brings, see for yourself.

This body is nature.

This body, too, is of the same nature, and it will be like that.

Like an apple, decaying, decomposing. It's not exempt from that fate. This body is nature.

It's not separate from nature. Nature inside, nature outside. It is subject to the laws of nature.

This body will go back into nature someday.

And for the last moments of this practice, if there has been any self-criticism or judgment coming up about your practice—"I couldn't do this, my mind was distracted"—whatever has come up, let's compost it. Let's offer it back into nature.

No need to hang on, offer it back to nature.

Knowing that being natural, this body being nature is true for us, for this being, and this seat, as well as all beings everywhere. All beings everywhere are part of nature. They're not separate from nature. All human beings, all animals, we're all nature.

Offering our hearts while we are alive, while this body is alive, blessed with the miracle of aliveness. Offering our love, our care, our goodness to ourselves and to all of nature.

This incredible, mysterious thing called life. It's too brief not to love. It's too brief.

May all beings everywhere, including us, know their true nature and be free.

Thank you all for your practice. For the generosity of your practice. Practice is generosity for ourselves and others.

The 9 Charnel Ground Contemplations

So, the topic of the sixth body contemplation in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta is called the Nine Charnel Ground^[4] Contemplations.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the previous practices, especially the 32 body parts (considering the body as a bag of beans) and the elements which you did yesterday (elements of earth, water, fire, and air), show that this body is nature. Nature inside, nature outside.

In the practice that we did, we brought to our attention, to our contemplation, to our imagination that this body is not so separate from other bodies, from other parts of nature. I actually used an apple today just to be more gentle with entering into this practice, an image that I also showed at the beginning of an apple decaying on the forest floor. We are not different; this body is not different. This body is nature. This body is ours, and yet it's not ours. We weren't given a choice menu before we were born, were you? "I want this feature, I want to be this tall." We didn't really choose this body. This body is nature.

This is a deep and beautiful contemplation that supports us not to take this body so personally. Every wrinkle, every this, every that. This body is nature and it will go back into nature. It can't be any other way. We know this, of course we know this, and yet our society, especially Western society, keeps it as a hidden secret almost. Our going back into nature is so sterilized, it is hidden, it is taken away from view. This practice really tries to bring it into our consciousness that yes, this body is nature. It will go back into the ground, it will decompose. All the sinews, the flesh, the bones, all the elements inside will go back to nature. It's natural.

This practice is laid out step-by-step in quite a lot of detail. When I teach longer daylongs or retreats, I think it would be more appropriate to go through all of it, but for today as it's brief, we're not going through the nine stages completely because it takes some preparation. But I will read them from the sutta so that you know what is in the sutta. Then I'll talk a little more about what some of the effects of this practice could be, though of course, you explore for yourself to see what it does for you.

Here is the section of the Nine Charnel Ground Contemplations from the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta:

"Again, practitioners, as though one were to see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground..." And just to say, the charnel ground in the times of the Buddha was an above-ground place where bodies were left to decompose and decay. So not underground, but overground. And there was a very active practice of the monks going to the charnel ground to do this practice specifically, to actually witness bodies left to decompose in different stages. That's what the nine stages are. That this body is alive and it's nature, and it will go through these nine stages. Please humor me as I will read these stages for you.

"...as though one were to see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground, one, two, or three days dead, bloated, livid with oozing matter." Which is what happens with every dead material, including this body. So that's stage one.

Second stage: "Being devoured by crows, hawks, vultures, dogs, jackals, and various kinds of worms." Again, it's part of nature. Nature is very efficient. I showed an image of a nurse log, a log in the forest that has fallen and becomes food for other beings, for other forms of life. We become a nurse log in this way, food for earthworms.

Next stage: "A skeleton with flesh and blood held together with sinews." Next: "A fleshless skeleton smeared with blood held together with sinews." Again, clearly they observed in a lot of detail what happens. Next: "A skeleton without flesh and blood held together with sinews."

Next stage: "Disconnected bones scattered in all directions." Next stage: "Bones bleached white, the color of shells." Next stage: "Bones heaped up, more than a year old." Next stage: "Bones rotten and crumbling to dust."

In all the nine stages, the invitation in this practice is that one compares this same body with it: "Thus this body too is of the same nature. It will be like that; it is not exempt from that fate."

So this contemplation practice is one to bring to mind either by being able to be in the charnel ground or in one's imagination. To imagine, yes, this body as if lying on the forest floor is not so different from the apple decaying or anything else decaying. This body is nature.

One impact that this practice can have—there are multiple impacts, but I'll speak about one first—is to loosen our attachment to this body, or rather I should say our over-preoccupation. This body is nature. It doesn't mean that we don't treat it with respect or we don't take care of it. No, not at all. We take care of it as this amazing, incredible piece of nature that somehow is us or has been entrusted to us to take care of, without taking it so personally. "Oh, my skin, my hair... my stomach is gurgling..." as if it's our personal responsibility to make it all act exactly perfectly. It acts according to the laws of nature. The hair might be frizzy according to the laws of nature because it's humid. Or we get sick according to the laws of nature. So it really brings a different, healthier, more free—again, not a careless, but more free—way of relating to this body. Not taking it personally and yet loving it, caring for it as this amazing, incredible piece of nature.

Another impact it can have is to bring awe for this piece of nature that's alive. It will be dead when this aliveness, when we take our last breath and aliveness is no longer part of this body, ceases. It will decay very quickly; in fact, within minutes. There is research that internally, gases and compounds and chemicals in the body start to decay. I read, was it 20 minutes? 40 minutes? I forget now, after we take our last breath. So, the fact that this piece of nature is alive, all these cells are alive and functioning, and we're thinking and going about our lives and have agency... wow. This piece of nature is alive! It's just amazing. It fills us with a sense of awe that we want to drop to our knees and kiss the ground in awe that this body is alive in this brief moment. And the mind can let go of so many preoccupations that are not healthy, or are extra, or are simply not needed.

So may we all find freedom in embracing our impermanence, not hiding it, but embracing the impermanence of this body. And may it be a cause for freedom and ease for all of us.

Oh, one last thing. I invite you in the next few days to bring attention, to bring awareness to... maybe if you do composting, if there is a piece of fruit or food that's decaying, to say, "Oh, nature, nature. This body is not so separate." Bring it into your consciousness instead of pushing it away and letting it be sterile or unseen. Bring the fact that this is nature into your consciousness.

And one thing that I want to invite you to, for those who may want to actually take this practice to the next level if you feel ready this morning... what I'll do is formally close this morning, and then I will stay on the Zoom link that I'm on right now. There are a few more images of this practice that I can offer. For those who want to see them, you're welcome to stay on the Zoom link and see that there are a few more slides to the presentation. Otherwise, you can continue to practice in a natural way.

Thank you all for your practice. Deep bows. Deep bows for your generosity, for your practice. May you be well. May you be free.