釋禪波羅蜜次第法門 9.26

9.26

Eighth is the notion of the skeleton. The practitioner further contemplates the corpse when its skin, flesh, and the like are already exhausted, and sees only white bones. There are two kinds of seeing the bones: first, seeing the tendons still joined together; second, the tendons exhausted and the bones separated. There are again two kinds: first, contaminated by residual blood, grease, and grime; second, bones white like cornelian or conch shell. As for the person I loved, contemplating them in this way, the skull is terrifying, the mark of hardness is worse than tiles or stone, and soft, smooth touch is suddenly all lost. I reflect to myself: 'My own body cannot avoid this phenomenon.' With single-minded samādhi, one eliminates worldly greed and love.