[Fall 2012 Week 4] The Physical Aspects in Buddhism and Buddhist Practice

What does Buddhism remind you of? Often, we associate Buddhism with spiritual growth, such as meditation, completely independent of our physical body. But is Buddhism unrelated to the physical world? Today, Professor Robert Buswell, an UCLA faculty member, answers the question by telling various anecdotes in Buddhist history that involve the physical body.

Assaji, one of the earliest disciples of Buddha, was on alms one day when Sariputta, the wisest of the Buddha’s disciples, spotted him. Assaji’s appearance was very peaceful and radiant, so radiant that Sariputta approached him and asked who his teacher was and what he teaches. Assaji replied with the following verses, 

“Of all those things that from a cause arise,

Tathagata the cause thereof has told;

And how they cease to be, that too he tells,

This is the teaching of the Great Recluse.”

Basically, the verses convey the message that everything arises from a cause, and how to cease this chain of cause-and-effect is what the Buddha teaches. Upon hearing this, Sariputta immediately reached the first stage of arahanthood.

In this story, it is Assaji’s appearance that attracted Sariputta in the first place. Sariputta wouldn’t just approach anyone to ask who his teacher is. An enlightened person not only possesses a wise mind, but also a peaceful, charismatic appearance, because mind and body are interrelated.

One type of meditation is through observing one’s own body. It is not about exploring the changeable mind but about being aware of one’s physical sensations. In Buddhism, there are in general four postures you can take for meditation: lying, sitting, standing, walking. But this is only a general guideline. As long as you are aware of bodily sensations, it doesn’t matter what posture you are taking.

Professor Buswell gives an example of a Buddha’s disciple who reached enlightenment in a posture that doesn’t fall into any of the above category. The story goes like this: Ananda, the attendant of the Buddha, never reached enlightenment in Buddha’s life time. After Buddha’s death, 500 arahants gathered around (the First Council) to compile Buddha’s teaching and Ananda was invited because he had been with the Buddha most of the time and therefore had heard almost all of Buddha’s teaching. However, Ananda was the only one in the council that wasn’t enlightened and he felt upset about it. The night before the council, he meditated in a sitting posture all night long in hope of reaching enlightenment. But as the sky began to light up, he realized that he was not going to make it and should better take a short nap before the council starts. Just when he was leaning back and relaxing his leg, in a queer posture between sitting and lying, he finally reached enlightenment. This story tells us that meditation doesn’t necessary have to be in one of the four postures, but it is the awareness that counts.

The Buddha teaches us that through our body we can gain wisdom and one of the three core wisdom in Buddhism is impermanence. When we observe our breath, we see that an inhalation begins, sustains, and then ceases. Same for exhalation. When we observe our bodily sensation, we too see that a sensation arises, sustains, and ceases. Nothing stays forever. Our body is a constantly changing phenomenon. And soon, one would realize that there is no self, another core wisdom in Buddhism. (The third one is suffering/unsatisfactory.) In the Buddha’s time, there was a practitioner that had supernatural powers. He could teleport to any place, any time with his mind. He comes to the Buddha and said, “I know the end of the world! What do you know?”

Buddha replied, “I know this body,” meaning that we don’t have to look externally to understand the laws (dharma) of the universe. All we have to do is look at our body. 

-Paul