Meditation is an essential part of Buddhism. Texts on meditation form a small but important fraction of canonical as well as post-canonical literature. Meditation aims to develop mental discipline and to cultivate a wholesome, awake state of mind which eventually expands to practice of the Dhamma. It is regarded as a world-renouncing activity and, sometimes combined with chanting and visualization methods, helps to reach a mental state of happiness or delight (pti) that is one of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (satta bojjhaṅg), which apart from happiness include mindfulness, investigation, effort, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity.
目次
Introduction 65 Meditations on the foul in Thai manuscript art 65 Illustrations of meditations on the foul according to the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta 66 1) Bloated, blue-black and festering corpse 68 2) Corpse gnawed by wild animals 69 3) Skeleton with flesh, blood and sinews 71 4) Skeleton stripped of flesh, but with blood and sinews 74 5) Skeleton without flesh and blood, but sinews 74 6) Scattered bones 74 7) Bones white like sea shells 75 8) A heap of bones 76 9) Powdered bones 76 Illustrations of meditations on the foul according to the Visuddhimagga 77 1) Bloated corpse and 2) Blue-black corpse 77 3) Festering corpse and 4) Corpse with cracked skin 78 5) Corpse gnawed and mangled and 6) Corpse cut to pieces 78 7) Mutilated corpse and 8) Bloody corpse 79 9) Corpse infested with worms 10) Skeleton 79 Conclusion 80 Further Reading 81
