On Jan. 10th the Saṅgha and devotees of SBS had the rare opportunity to inspect and contemplate the 32 parts of the body on real corpses.
Surgeons from the Academy of Silent Mentor went through our Buddhist textbooks, and showed us the 32 parts of the body, one after another, for us to contemplate – nothing for the faint of heart.
Let us not forget that body contemplation was praised by the Buddha as one of the tools to overcome identification with one’s own and others’ bodies, as well as attachment to them based on the (mis-)perception of inherent beauty.
During this workshop the truthfulness of the saying “Beauty is only skin-deep” became very apparent to all of us, because there is nothing beautiful inside the body, once the skin has been removed. Not to speak of the repulsive odor emerging from those parts and organs.
The mental images taken up during this day-long workshop, will serve the participants well whenever a need is felt to counterbalance mental states of sense desire, such as greed for food, drinks, or sexual activity (not allowable for monastics). This will be a great long-term support for the mental health of all participants.
We say “Thank You” to the organizers of this memorable learning opportunity, particularly Prof. Dr. Chin Kin Fah and the Academy For Silent Mentor.
Images from the event can be viewed here.