俱舍論頌疏論本 22.48

22.48

Now, the yogin who cultivates the contemplation of the skeleton has in all three stages: first, the beginner's stage; second, the stage of practiced cultivation; third, the stage transcending attention. When cultivating the contemplation of the repulsive, one should first fix the mind on a part of one's own body, whether the toe, the forehead, or another part, settling the mind wherever one pleases. Once the mind is stabilized, relying on the power of resolute intention, one imaginatively reflects on the skin and flesh rotting and falling away, gradually purifying the bones, up to contemplating the entire skeleton. Having seen one skeleton, one then contemplates a second, gradually filling a room, a monastery, and even across the earth to the edge of the ocean, filled with skeletons. To increase the resolute intention, one gradually contracts the contemplation, until one contemplates only a single set of white bones. Up to this point of gradual contraction, the meditation on the repulsive is accomplished; this is called the beginner's stage. To increase the power of resolute intention through contracted contemplation, within that single set [of bones] one first removes the foot bones and reflects on the remaining bones, gradually removing even up to half of the skull and reflecting on the other half of the skull. Contracting up to this point is called the stage of practiced cultivation. In order to achieve mastery of the resolute intention through contracted contemplation, one removes the remaining half of the skull, fixes the mind between the eyebrows, concentrates on a single object, and abides serenely. Reaching this ultimate contraction is called the stage transcending attention. The treatise says: "There is a meditation on the repulsive whose objective support is small, but its mastery is not small." One should construct a fourfold permutation: When attention is practiced and the objective support is one's own body, this is the first case; because attention is practiced, mastery is not small, and because the objective support is one body, the objective support is small. When attention is not yet practiced and the objective support extends to the ocean, this is the second case; attention is not yet practiced, so mastery is small, and because the objective support extends to the ocean, the objective support is not small. When attention is practiced and the objective support extends to the ocean, this is the third case; neither mastery nor the objective support is small. When attention is not yet practiced and the objective support is one's own body, this is the fourth case; both mastery and the objective support are small.