[Buddha-l] The Body in Buddhist Practice

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Stephen Hopkins schreef:

>Denizens -
>
>Discussions on this list rarely seem to focus on the physical aspects of
>Buddhist practice and their relationship to mind, but as many will know,
>such concerns are often at the heart of practice.  That's especially so in
>the case of such things as sitting (or walking) meditation, but, in my
>experience, attention to posture and, of course, breathing is common.  I've
>wondered if this odd - to me - absence of discussion is a more a reflection
>of the lists academic focus than it is on the perceived importance of the
>body in Buddhism, and if others also think this worthy of note or
>discussion, central to practice and understanding, or just, well, just (no
>disparagement intended) yoga (ie, to dig this hole a little deeper, a
>system of Hindu philosophy).
>  
>
Well, Steve good question, but a tough one I think. My first impression is that the body plays primarely a symbolic part in Buddhism. Especially in Zenbuddhism, where the position of the body is a symbol of the quality of the meditation. In Theravada the body is simply considered a nuisance because it hinders meditation, and the jhana's and samapatti's are seen as mental phenomena. In Tibetan Buddhism it's primarily the symbolic structure of the body with its nadi's and bindhu's that are considered worth considering. Very few Tibetans are capable of doing yoga the Indian way or t'ai chi  the Chinese way. The Nangpe yoga of Kalu Rinpoche seems to me nothing more than a kind of gymnastics and Namkhai Norbu replaced his yantra yoga with a kind of Tibetan Hoki Poki. Even Kum Nye cannot stand a comparison with t'ai chi. There doesn't seem to be the competition and dynamics of interchange between Buddhist methods of bodyculture akin to that in the t'ai chi or yogatradition. Perhaps because the body, being impermanent and the necessary condition for old age, sickness and death, figures as a symbol of samsaara.

Erik


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