The Starting Point for Contemplating the Form Body as Not-Self

Sentient beings universally take the material body as self and as belonging to self, and also appropriate the external living environment as their own possession. If one wishes to contemplate and practice vipaśyanā that the material body is not self and not belonging to self, one should first contemplate and practice observing that the living environment—the six sense objects—is not self and not belonging to self; on this basis, it then becomes relatively easier to contemplate that the material body is not self and not belonging to self.

Why is this so? Because the external six sense objects, like the material body, are all composed of the five great seeds of earth, water, fire, wind, and space within the tathāgatagarbha; their nature is the same. Moreover, the external six sense objects are slightly more distant from one's own mind than the material body, so the attachment and deliberation involved are lighter and easier to begin with. The Buddha said that the external six sense objects are our external body, also called our external realm, while the material body is the internal realm, the internal body; the internal and external are mutually complementary and interconnected. Confirming that the six sense objects are not self and not belonging to self is relatively easier; the material body follows the same principle as the six sense objects. In this way, one creates distance between one's own mind and the material body, being able to separate them somewhat, and then it becomes much easier to contemplate and confirm that the material body is not self and not belonging to self.

In the mundane world, the science that studies the material body is called medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine also speaks of the structure and constitution of the material body as being similar and analogous to mountains, rivers, and the great earth. When treating the body, one should not regard the material body as mysterious or special; treat it just as one would treat mountains, rivers, and the great earth, just as one manages the living environment. This view of Traditional Chinese Medicine is very scientific and close to the Buddha-dharma; it gives us great inspiration, providing an entry point for contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), so one can get started more quickly.

The mundane dharma says: "Flowing water does not rot, and a door hinge is not worm-eaten." The material body is the same. When the body becomes blocked, there will be foul odor, and it will rot, developing tumors and cancer cells. When the four great elements of the material world (inanimate world) are out of balance, rivers burst their banks, earthquakes and tsunamis occur, fires and wind disasters run rampant, and the vast sea turns into mulberry fields and mulberry fields into the vast sea. The material body is likewise: when the four great elements are out of imbalance, conditions such as qi deficiency and blood deficiency, wind-cold, internal heat, diarrhea, tumors, and cancers will appear.

In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the various noble ones also contemplated the external elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, and then turned to reflect upon the earth, water, fire, and wind within their own bodies, thereby attaining various meditative concentrations (samādhi) and achieving accomplishment. Therefore, starting from contemplating the six sense objects is a shortcut for contemplating the material body.