The Relationship between Self-Cultivation and the Dao

When the body develops obstructions that affect meditative concentration (samādhi), then one should deliberately cultivate the body. If the body is healthy and free of obstructions, there is no need to spend time and energy specifically on cultivating the body; if meditative concentration is not affected or hindered, then leave the body alone—only by forgetting the body can meditative concentration arise. If the mind always holds the notion of the body, first, it obstructs meditative concentration, and second, the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) regarding the body becomes hard to eradicate. Empty out the body, forget the body, do not dwell on it or attend to it—then meditative concentration will easily arise, and the view of the body will be easily severed.

Modern people practice in exactly the opposite way from people of ancient times. People in ancient times did not care about the body, did not attend to it, and did not spend time and energy on it; as a result, their meditative concentration was very deep and they realized the Path quickly. Modern people, almost every one of them, obey the body in all things, treasuring it beyond measure, making excuses that caring for the body is for the sake of cultivating the Path—yet in the end the Path is not cultivated, and the body is not necessarily well cared for either. After all, karmic obstructions are right there; no matter how one nurtures and maintains the body, it still has heaps of problems. Even if the body is well maintained, the view of the body in the mind has increased considerably; and because the view of the body is not severed, one will still suffer endlessly in future lives. Think about it—is it worth it? For the sake of a body of a few decades, one delays one's cultivation of the Path—refusing pearls and instead picking up grains of sand. How foolish!