[Buddha-l] The Body in Buddhist Practice

[Jim Peavler]

On Sep 16, 2006, at 6:24 AM, Erik Hoogcarspel wrote:

> Jim Peavler schreef:
>
>>
>> On Sep 15, 2006, at 12:52 PM, Erik Hoogcarspel wrote:
>>
>>> . 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, ...
>>
>>
>> My own training (admittedly Zen) suggests that the body is much  
>> more  than symbolic -- it practically IS meditation. There is no  
>> question  that the posture is often mentioned in symbolic ways,  
>> but I think it  is also true that there is hardly any other way to  
>> sit that is so  conducive to easy breathing and staying in one  
>> relaxed position for a  long period of time. And the body is a  
>> full participant in any  meditation I have ever been taught and it  
>> is what meditates. If Zazen  is the practice, then the body is the  
>> instrument and the mind the  observer.  Or so it seems to me.
>>
> You show very clearly how ambiguous the function and meaning of the  
> body is in Zen. First you write that the body IS meditation (which  
> sounds great, but raises a lot of ontological questions) and  
> subsequently you write that the body is merely the INSTRUMENT of  
> meditation.


I guess it depends on what "is" is.  I said "practically", meaning  
that the body/mind is the most important thing to consider in the  
kind of meditation I do. I don't feel any ambiguity in that at all. I  
think of INSTRUMENT in the sense of a violin, except the instrument  
and player are one and the same.

>
> -- 
>
> Erik
>
>
> www.xs4all.nl/~jehms
> weblog http://www.volkskrantblog.nl/pub/blogs/blog.php?uid=2950
>
> _______________________________________________
> buddha-l mailing list
> buddha-l at mailman.swcp.com
> http://mailman.swcp.com/mailman/listinfo/buddha-l
>

Jim Peavler
jmp at peavler.org