Practices and Contemplations

Disciples, everything is burning. And what is everything that is burning? The eye is burning, forms are burning, eye-consciousness is burning, eye-contact is burning, and whatever feeling arises with eye-contact as condition: whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant: that too is burning.

Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of delusion. Burning with birth, aging, and death, with sorrows, with lamentations, with pains, with distresses, with despairs, I say.

Abiding in renunciation means living in the spirit of continual letting go. It is not about fighting against experience or forcing the mind into stillness. Rather, it is the gentle and steady release of craving and clinging to the five aggregates: body, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.

We begin by resting fully in body and mind, using the breath as our anchor. With each breath, we allow ourselves to surrender whatever arises:

• Let go of any attachment to the body, its weight, posture, or appearance.

• Let go of feelings and sensations, pleasant or unpleasant, as they come and go.

• Let go of perceptions and mental images.

• Let go of tensions or tightness in body and mind.

• Let go of intentions, desires, or judgments about how things “should” be.

• Surrender even the subtle sense of “I” who is practicing, the self that wants to be elsewhere or become something.

Abiding in renunciation is simply staying present, aware in real time, while releasing whatever is being clung to. It is not about entering a trance or special state. You may keep the eyes open, alert and awake, just breathing naturally.

The breath can be a gentle support:

• On the outbreath, let go, release stress, surrender tension, soften clinging.

• On the inbreath, allow in the lightness, ease, and calm that follow from letting go.

At first, you may find it helpful to use a simple visualization: imagine stress or clinging leaving the body through the top of the head, the hands, or the soles of the feet. Use whatever image makes it easier to embody release.

With practice, even the visualization can be let go of, leaving only the natural ease of renunciation.

Renunciation is not deprivation, it is freedom. Each time you surrender clinging, you taste release, peace, and lightness of heart.

To cultivate mindfulness of eating, the Tathagata instructs us to approach food consumption with the same level of revulsion as we would feel if we were to consume our own child.

And how should the nutriment physical food be seen?

Suppose a couple, taking a small amount of provisions, would enter a great forest. And they have with them their only beloved and cherished child.

Then due to their small amount of provisions being exhausted and depleted while still in the middle of the forest, they might think: Our small amount of provisions is exhausted and depleted, and there is still a great stretch of forest ahead of us.

What if we were to kill our only beloved and cherished child, make dried flesh and powdered meat, and by eating our childs flesh, we might cross the remainder of this forest, lest all three of us perish?

Then the couple would kill their only beloved and cherished child, make dried flesh and powdered meat, and by eating their childs flesh, they would cross the remainder of the forest.

While eating their childs flesh, they would beat their breasts and lament: Where are you, our only child, where are you, our only child? What do you think would they eat that food for amusement or for enjoyment, or for the sake of physical beauty or attractiveness? No, venerable sir. Wouldn't they eat that food only for the sake of crossing the forest? Yes, venerable sir. In the same way I say that physical food should be seen.

When physical food is fully understood, the lust for the five cords of sensual pleasure is fully understood. When the lust for the five cords of sensual pleasure is fully understood, there is no fetter bound by which a noble disciple might come back to this world. - SN12.63

And what, Ananda, is unattractiveness perception? Here, a disciple examines this very body from the soles of the feet up, and from the top of the head down, enclosed in skin and full of various kinds of impurity: In this body there are head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, undigested food, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, snot, synovial fluid, urine. Dwell contemplating the unattractiveness of the body. This is called perception of unattractiveness.

Instructions:

1.) Find a quiet place, adopt a posture of stillness (sitting cross-legged, kneeling, or lying down mindfully). Begin by establishing mindfulness of breathing to calm and steady the mind. Allow the mind to settle. Let any restlessness subside.

2.) With full awareness, bring to mind and mentally examine the body in parts, using the Tathagata's list. You may start from either the feet upward or the head downward.

In this body, there are: head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, undigested food, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, snot, synovial fluid, urine.

Visualize each item clearly and neutrally. You may even use anatomical diagrams to aid memory. Reflect on its nature: fluid, perishable, impure, not-self.

3.) After going through the list, view the body as a composite of these parts. Ask yourself:

“Is there anything here that is truly beautiful?” “Why do I cling to this body as mine, as me?” “Would I be attached to it if I truly saw its nature?”

Let insight and dispassion gently arise.

4.) Return to the Breath

Allow the mind to rest again on the breath for a few minutes. Let the contemplation settle and integrate.

This practice is not about self-hatred or disgust, but about seeing clearly. Its purpose is to free the mind from the delusion that the body is worthy of clinging. It is a medicine for the illness of sensual attachment, especially for those overwhelmed by desire.

Preparation

Posture: Sit in a stable posture, cross-legged or on a chair. Keep the spine upright but relaxed.

Breathing: Establish mindfulness of breathing for a few minutes to calm the mind and settle awareness.

Intention: Bring to mind the purpose of this practice, to see the body clearly as it is, not as it is imagined or desired.

Recollection of the 32 Parts

And how does a disciple examine the body? Here, a disciple examines this very body from the soles of the feet up, from the top of the head down, enclosed in skin and full of various kinds of impurity:

Visualize each part individually as it is in real life. Or you can imagine the body like a transparent sack filled with these parts.

As you go through the list reflect: "All these are in this body, not beautiful, not permanent, not self."

1. Head hairs,
2. Body hairs,
3. Nails,
4. Teeth,
5. Skin,
6. Flesh,
7. Sinews,
8. Bones,
9. Bone marrow,
10. Kidneys,
11. Heart,
12. Liver,
13. Pleura (diaphragm),
14. Spleen,
15. Lungs,
16. Intestines,
17. Mesentery,
18. Undigested food,
19. Feces,
20. Bile,
21. Phlegm,
22. Pus,
23. Blood,
24. Sweat,
25. Fat,
26. Tears,
27. Grease,
28. Saliva,
29. Mucus,
30. Joint fluid,
31. Urine,
32. Brain.

Ask yourself:

• Are any of these parts inherently pure or desirable?
• Do they belong to a 'self', or are they just natural phenomena arising from conditions?
• Is this body lasting, or constantly changing?

Let these reflections reduce clinging and increase disenchantment.

Return to Stillness

Conclude by returning to mindfulness of breathing, allowing the contemplation to settle. Dwell in silence, letting insight and equanimity deepen.

Whatever, Rahula, is internal, pertaining to oneself, solid, clung to: such as hair of the head, hair of the body, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, stomach, feces, or whatever else is internal, pertaining to oneself, solid, clung to: this is called, Rahula, the internal earth element.

Both the internal earth element and the external earth element are simply the earth element. And that should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus:

This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self. Seeing it thus as it really is with correct wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the earth element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the earth element.

What, Rahula, is the water element? The water element may be either internal or external. What, Rahula, is the internal water element? Whatever internally, belonging to oneself, is water, watery, and clung to: such as bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, spit, snot, oil of the joints, urine, or whatever else internally, belonging to oneself, is water, watery, and clung to: this is called, Rahula, the internal water element.

Both the internal water element and the external water element are simply the water element. And that should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus:

This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self. Seeing it thus as it really is with correct wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the water element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the water element.

What, Rahula, is the fire element? The fire element may be either internal or external. What, Rahula, is the internal fire element? Whatever internally, belonging to oneself, is fire, fiery, and clung to: such as that by which one is warmed, ages, and is consumed, and that by which what is eaten, drunk, chewed, and tasted gets fully digested, or whatever else internally, belonging to oneself, is fire, fiery, and clung to: this is called, Rahula, the internal fire element.

Both the internal fire element and the external fire element are simply the fire element. And that should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus:

This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self. Seeing it thus as it really is with correct wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the fire element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the fire element.

What, Rahula, is the air element? The air element may be either internal or external. What, Rahula, is the internal air element? Whatever internally, belonging to oneself, is air, airy, and clung to: such as up-going winds, down-going winds, winds in the belly, winds in the bowels, winds that course through the limbs, in-breathing and out-breathing, or whatever else internally, belonging to oneself, is air, airy, and clung to: this is called, Rahula, the internal air element.

Both the internal air element and the external air element are simply the air element. And that should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus:

This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self. Seeing it thus as it really is with correct wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the air element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the air element.

The external air element is just the air element. It should be seen as it truly is with proper wisdom thus:

This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self. Seeing it thus as it truly is with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the air element, and the mind becomes dispassionate towards the air element.

And what, Rahula, is the space element? The space element may be internal or external. And what, Rahula, is the internal space element? Whatever internal, belonging to oneself, space, spatial and included, that is, the cavity of the ear, the nostrils, the door of the mouth, and whereby one swallows what is eaten, drunk, consumed, and tasted, and where it stays, and whereby it is excreted from below, or whatever else internal, belonging to oneself, space, spatial and included, not contacted by flesh and blood: this is called the internal space element.

Both the internal space element and the external space element are simply the space element. It should be seen as it truly is with proper wisdom thus:

This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self. Seeing it thus as it truly is with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the space element, and the mind becomes dispassionate towards the space element.

Develop mindfulness that is like the earth, Rahula. For, Rahula, for one who is developing mindfulness that is like the earth, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not overpower his mind.

Just as, Rahula, the earth is not repelled, humiliated, or disgusted by anything clean or unclean placed on it; similarly, Rahula, develop mindfulness that is like the earth.

For, Rahula, for one who is developing mindfulness that is like the earth, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not overpower his mind.

Develop mindfulness that is like water, Rahula. For, Rahula, for one who is developing mindfulness that is like water, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not overpower his mind.

Just as, Rahula, water washes clean and unclean things without being repelled, humiliated, or disgusted; similarly, Rahula, develop mindfulness that is like water. For, Rahula, for one who is developing mindfulness that is like water, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not overpower his mind.

Develop mindfulness that is like fire, Rahula. For, Rahula, for one who is developing the mindfulness that is like fire, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not overpower his mind.

Just as, Rahula, fire burns clean and unclean things without being repelled, humiliated, or disgusted; similarly, Rahula, develop mindfulness that is like fire. For, Rahula, for one who is developing mindfulness that is like fire, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not overpower his mind.

Develop mindfulness that is like wind, Rahula. For, Rahula, for one who is developing mindfulness that is like wind, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not overpower his mind.

Just as, Rahula, the wind blows clean and unclean things without being repelled, humiliated, or disgusted; similarly, Rahula, develop mindfulness that is like wind. For, Rahula, for one who is developing mindfulness that is like wind, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not overpower his mind.

Develop mindfulness that is like space, Rahula. For, Rahula, for one who is developing mindfulness that is like space, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not overpower his mind.

Just as, Rahula, space is not established anywhere; similarly, Rahula, develop mindfulness that is like space. For, Rahula, for one who is developing mindfulness that is like space, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not overpower his mind.

Preparation

Sit quietly and allow the body to settle. Let the breath flow naturally.

Establish mindfulness with the intention: "May this contemplation loosen my attachment to this body, and awaken insight into impermanence, not-self, and the urgency to practice."

Visualization of the Corpse

Bring to mind the image: "Just as if one were to see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground, one, two, or three days dead, bloated, livid, and festering, in the same way, a disciple considers this very body, however it is placed or disposed, as: This too is the nature of the body, thus it will become, and it is not exempt from this fate. Thus, a disciple dwells contemplating the body in the body internally."

Visualize it clearly:

• The skin has discolored, turning blue-green.
• The belly is swollen with gas.
• Fluids begin to seep.
• The stench of decomposition fills the air.
• Flies gather. The body no longer resembles the person it once was.

This is the body, just days after the breath stops.

Reflect: “This too is the nature of this body.”

Look at your own body, not abstractly but as this body, flesh, skin, blood, and organs.

What you wash and perfume today will rot and stink tomorrow. What you clothe and admire will be reduced to bone and dust.

Let this bring disenchantment, not depression, but a liberating disillusionment.

Bring It Closer to Your Sense of Self

Consider the parts of the body you most identify with, your face, your voice, your body’s strength.

Say: "These too will not last. They are not mine, not me, not my self."

Stay with that feeling. Let it pierce through vanity, fear, and fantasy.

Conclude in Stillness

Return to the breath. Let the mind rest in silence. Sense the freedom in letting go of ownership of the body.

Generate a gentle resolve:

• While this body lasts, may I use it to walk the path.

• May I not be deceived by its appearance.

• May I remember the truth of death and decay so that I may live wisely, with compassion and urgency.

The Blessed One said to Venerable Mahā Moggallāna, Are you nodding, Moggallāna? Are you nodding? Yes, lord.

Well then, Moggallāna, whatever perception you have in mind when drowsiness descends on you, don't attend to that perception, don't pursue it. It's possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

But if by doing this you don't shake off your drowsiness, then recall to your awareness the Dhamma as you have heard & memorized it, re-examine it, & ponder it over in your mind. It's possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

But if by doing this you don't shake off your drowsiness, then repeat aloud in detail the Dhamma as you have heard & memorized it. It's possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

But if by doing this you don't shake off your drowsiness, then pull both your earlobes and rub your limbs with your hands. It's possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

But if by doing this you don't shake off your drowsiness, then get up from your seat and, after washing your eyes out with water, look around in all directions and upward to the major stars & constellations. It's possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

But if by doing this you don't shake off your drowsiness, then attend to the perception of light, resolve on the perception of daytime, (dwelling) by night as by day, and by day as by night. By means of an awareness thus open & unhampered, develop a brightened mind. It's possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

But if by doing this you don't shake off your drowsiness, then, percipient of what lies in front & behind, set a distance to meditate walking back & forth, your senses inwardly immersed, your mind not straying outwards. It's possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

But if by doing this you don't shake off your drowsiness, then, reclining on your right side, take up the lion s posture, one foot placed on top of the other, mindful, alert, with your mind set on getting up. As soon as you wake up, get up quickly, with the thought, I won't stay indulging in the pleasure of lying down, the pleasure of reclining, the pleasure of drowsiness. That is how you should train yourself.

Imagine, disciple, a beauty queen, the most graceful in the land, adorned with garlands and scented with the finest perfumes, paraded through the streets before a vast crowd. Now suppose you are tasked with carrying a bowl brimming full of oil on your head, and behind you walks a man with a drawn sword, ready to strike you down if you spill even a single drop.

This is how you should practice, with mindfulness so vigilant and undistracted that you see danger from all sides. Any clinging to form, feeling, perception, fabrication, or consciousness in regard to the body is the danger.

Keeping track of these dangers all around you, this is awareness abiding in memory.

The bowl of oil is your practice. The sword is the consequence of heedlessness.

With Right View, you set the Right Intention to purify the mind of any clinging to the physical body by using Right Effort.

The Tathāgata teaches us to use the Four Right Efforts:

1. Prevent unwholesome states from arising.

This is your complete, all-encompassing mindfulness: vigilant, undistracted, seeing danger from all directions, not clinging to anything, keeping track in memory, seeing things fade and pass away.

2. Abandon unwholesome states that have arisen.

Wherever in experience there is clinging to perception, sensation, or thought, use one of the practices, such as perception of impermanence, to see through the perception, sensation, or thought.

3. Arouse wholesome states not yet arisen.

This is inclining to an awareness unobstructed, not hampered by any fabrication or perception such as:

• 'I am in this body'.
• 'This is my pain'.
• 'Am I doing this right?'

4. Maintain wholesome states that have arisen.

Wherever clear, unobstructed awareness is present, you maintain it. Do not let it be obstructed.

When practicing Mindfulness of the Body in any posture, walking, standing, sitting, lying down, observe carefully where there is clinging to fabrication: where the subtle sense of self-making clings.

The Perception of Impermanence becomes the sword of wisdom. Tracking experience in memory, you see not only that sensations fade, but that even the impulse to hold them, to be them, to avoid them, that too is fabricated.

You may also apply any other perceptions, mindfulness of breathing, contemplation of the Four Elements, or others, in this same way.

Seeing with Right View, we don’t try to change experience. We watch it arise and pass away like a mirage.

We practice this over and over, walking, sitting, lying down, standing, until the lingering perception of the body no longer establishes itself anywhere in awareness. We are now dwelling in the mental body, not clinging to physical existence, abiding in jhana.

When dwelling feelings in feelings, practice by seeing all physical contact as painful. Dwelling in feelings; do not lean on (make contact) with the mind-made sensations of the physical body; dwell purely in feelings:

And how should the nutriment contact be seen? Suppose a cow with a skin disease would stand leaning against a wall. The creatures living in the wall would bite her. If she stood leaning against a tree, the creatures living in the tree would bite her. If she stood leaning against water, the creatures living in the water would bite her. If she stood leaning against open air, the creatures living in the air would bite her. Wherever that cow with a skin disease stands leaning, the creatures living there would bite her.

In the same way I say that the nutriment contact should be seen. When the nutriment contact is fully understood, the three feelings are fully understood. When the three feelings are fully understood, I say there is nothing further for a noble disciple to do. - SN12.63

Just as in the autumn when the rain pours down in thick drops, a water bubble forms and bursts. A discerning person would observe it, thoroughly investigate it, and examine it wisely. For that person observing, investigating, and examining wisely, it would appear empty, void, and without substance. What substance could there be in a water bubble, disciples?

In the same way whatever feeling, past, future, or present... whether far or near, a disciple observes, investigates, and examines it wisely. For that disciple observing, investigating, and examining wisely, it would appear empty, void, and without substance. What substance could there be in feeling, disciples? SN22.95

The breath is not just a bodily function; it is a unique gateway between the physical and mental realms. The breath is both felt in the body and known by the mind, serving as a subtle and direct bridge that can transport us beyond the limitations of the physical body into the realm of the mental body. Ultimately, practicing mindfulness of breath can lead us toward an awareness unbound by form.

When we begin to perceive the breath not as mere air moving through the lungs but as a field of awareness, a movement of perception itself, we cross over from physical sensation into the energetic fabric of the mind. From there, the breath becomes limitless. It is no longer confined to the chest or nostrils. It radiates, it pervades, it breathes in all directions.

The goal of this practice is not escape, but freedom from contraction, freedom from the narrow sense of “I am this body, in this place, held by this skin.” We begin rooted in the body, and gradually open to a deeper dwelling: one that is internal, boundless, luminous. We arrive at a state of being where the breath is experienced as mental, infinite, unbound. In that space, stillness can bloom. Clarity can arise. The body is no longer a barrier; the mind, no longer a cage.

This is the path of dwelling in the mental body, breathing into infinity.

Practice Instructions:

1. Settling: Arriving Where You Are

• Sit in a stable, comfortable posture.
• Let the hands rest naturally. Allow the spine to find ease.
• Close the eyes gently, and let the face soften.
• Begin by noticing: “I am breathing in. I am breathing out.”
• Let your attention rest in the breath as it is, not as an object seen from the mind, but as an embodied presence.

2. Full Body Awareness: The Breath as Field

• Gradually widen your awareness. Notice how the breath touches and moves the whole body.
• Don’t chase the breath, let it reveal itself.
• Feel how breath energy rises through the chest, spreads through the limbs, even down to the fingertips and toes.
• The breath is not only at the nose or lungs. It is a tide through the entire body.

3. Calming the Body: Softening the Edges

• Let tension dissolve on the out-breath.
• Sense the whole body breathing, and invite relaxation with every breath.
• Notice the breath growing smoother, lighter, more subtle.
• Let the body begin to disappear into the breath.

4. Dwelling in the Mental Body

• At a certain point, shift your attention from the physical sensation of breath to the feeling of breathing itself, as known by the mind.
• Rest in the knowing of breath, the gentle rhythm of awareness.
• The body recedes; you now dwell in the field of feelings and perceptions.
• Here, the breath becomes luminous, boundaryless. It is not “in” the body. It is the body, the mental body.

5. Breathing into Infinity

• As you settle into this non-physical awareness of breath, allow it to expand in all directions.
• No need to visualize, simply feel the breath without limit.
• You are no longer breathing into a chest or belly, you are breathing into space.
• Breath extends upward, downward, outward, beyond any direction.
• The breath is not moving through you; you are dwelling in breath.
• Let go of edges. Let go of form. Let the mind open.

6. Abiding in Stillness

• At this stage, there may be stillness.
• No need to do anything.
• Simply rest in the experience.
• Breath is happening. Awareness is aware.
• Stay here as long as is easeful.

Closing

When the time comes to end, return gently. Begin to notice the body again. Move fingers, toes. Open the eyes slowly. Take a few natural breaths, and pause before rising.

Let the after-feeling of spaciousness accompany you into daily life. Carry the fragrance of this unbound breath with you, as a quiet reminder that freedom is not found elsewhere. It is found right here, in the space of awareness that has no edges, no limits.

When self-view arises, observe that it depends on causes and conditions. Do not take the view at face value. Instead, see it as another arising and passing phenomenon, not owned, not controlled. Let the sense of being the perceiver be included in the field of investigation.

HUNGER — "I am hungry"

Direct experience: Stomach sensation, perception of emptiness, unpleasant feeling, craving.

Self-view: "I am hungry."

Investigation:

• Sensation is bodily aggregate (rūpa).

• Perception labels it as hunger (saññā).

• Feeling is unpleasant (vedanā).

• Craving arises (taṇhā).

• Thought of "I am hungry" is a fabrication (saṅkhāra).

• Awareness of all this is consciousness (viññāṇa).

Reflection: These arise dependently — no self found.

ANGER — "I am angry"

Direct experience: Heat, tension, tightness in chest or face, mental agitation, hostile thoughts.

Self-view: "I am angry."

Investigation:

• Physical sensations (rūpa).

• Perception of threat or injustice (saññā).

• Feeling tone unpleasant (vedanā).

• Reactive volition to attack or defend (saṅkhāra).

• Consciousness lights up the experience (viññāṇa).

Reflection: Anger is dependently arisen. There is no "angry self" — only processes unfolding.

PAIN — "My knee hurts"

Direct experience: Throbbing, burning, pressure in knee.

Self-view: "This is my pain."

Investigation:

• Sensations are rūpa.

• Perception labels "knee pain" (saññā).

• Feeling tone unpleasant (vedanā).

• Craving for relief arises (taṇhā).

• Volitional formations try to resist it (saṅkhāra).

• Consciousness knows it (viññāṇa).

Reflection: The pain is happening, but not to anyone. No self inside the pain.

PLEASURE — "I am enjoying this"

Direct experience: Pleasant sensations, joy, lightness.

Self-view: "I am happy."

Investigation:

• Sensation arises (rūpa).

• Perception labels it as pleasant (saññā).

• Feeling is pleasant (vedanā).

• Craving and clinging: wanting more (taṇhā, upādāna).

• Thought: "I am enjoying" (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: The joy is impermanent, dependently arisen. No need to own it.

THOUGHT — "I am thinking"

Direct experience: Inner verbalization, imagery.

Self-view: "I am thinking these thoughts."

Investigation:

• Contact triggers mental proliferation (papañca).

• Perception labels objects of thought (saññā).

• Feeling tone arises.

• Volitional formations shape content (saṅkhāra).

• Consciousness knows it (viññāṇa).

• Reflection: Thoughts arise due to conditions. There is no thinker behind the thought.

DECISIONS — "I decided to do this"

Direct experience: Intention, planning, choice-making.

Self-view: "I am the agent."

Investigation:

• Intentions arise due to prior causes (karma, habits).

• Volitional formations activate choice (saṅkhāra).

• Consciousness knows it.

Reflection: The sense of agency is constructed. Decisions arise from causes and conditions.

KNOWING — "I am aware"

Direct experience: Knowing itself.

Self-view: "I am the knower / I am awareness."

Investigation:

• Consciousness arises dependent on sense bases and objects

• Knowing fluctuates, changes, ceases in deep sleep or absorption.

Reflection: Even knowing arises and passes. No unchanging knower found.

MBARRASSMENT — "I am embarrassed" Direct experience: Heat in the face, heart racing, a sinking feeling, self-referential thoughts.

Self-view: "I am embarrassed."

Investigation:

Physical sensations (rūpa).

Perception labels the situation as socially awkward (saññā).

Feeling tone is unpleasant (vedanā).

Craving for approval or escape arises (taṇhā).

Mental proliferation ("I made a mistake") is saṅkhāra.

Reflection: Embarrassment arises from conditions — no self is inside the embarrassment.

PRAISE — "I am admired"

Direct experience: Pleasant feeling when complimented, expansion in the chest, lightness.

Self-view: "I am a good person."

Investigation:

• Sounds of praise contact ear-base (rūpa).

• Perception recognizes praise (saññā).

• Feeling tone pleasant (vedanā).

• Craving and clinging arise toward self-image (taṇhā, upādāna).

• Identification is saṅkhāra.

Reflection: Praise is impermanent; admiration is conditioned. Self-view is unnecessary here.

FAILURE — "I failed"

Direct experience: Heavy chest, discouragement, mental self-blame.

Self-view: "I am a failure."

Investigation:

• Perception of outcome as failure (saññā).

• Feeling tone unpleasant (vedanā).

• Craving for success or aversion to failure (taṇhā).

• Volitional formations of regret (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: Failure is an interpretation. Self-view adds extra suffering on top of conditions.

POSSESSIONS — "My house, my phone"

Direct experience: Seeing or thinking about belongings.

Self-view: "This belongs to me."

Investigation:

• External forms (rūpa).

• Perception labels as "mine" (saññā).

• Pleasant feeling tone (vedanā).

• Clinging and protection arise (upādāna).

• Sense of self strengthens (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: Ownership is a convention. No true ownership exists in ultimate terms.

BODY IMAGE — "I am attractive / unattractive"

Direct experience: Seeing one's own body, judgments arise.

Self-view: "I am my body."

Investigation:

• The body is rūpa.

• Perceptions compare it to mental standards (saññā).

• Feeling tone arises (vedanā).

• Craving for approval or aversion (taṇhā).

• Identification happens (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: The body is just form, subject to aging, sickness, and death — not self.

FEAR — "I am afraid"

Direct experience: Rapid heartbeat, tight stomach, racing thoughts.

Self-view: "I am in danger."

Investigation:

• Sensations (rūpa).

• Perception of threat (saññā).

• Feeling tone unpleasant (vedanā).

• Craving for safety (taṇhā).

• Reactive planning or avoidance (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: Fear arises dependent on causes; no "fearful self" exists inside it.

SLEEPINESS — "I am tired"

Direct experience: Heavy eyelids, foggy mind, drooping posture.

Self-view: "I am sleepy."

Investigation:

• Bodily sensations (rūpa).

• Perception of low energy (saññā).

• Feeling tone unpleasant (vedanā).

• Craving to sleep or aversion to tiredness (taṇhā).

• Self-identification as tired (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: Tiredness is a changing bodily state. No fixed self is tired.

UNCERTAINTY — "I don't know"

Direct experience: Mental wavering, indecision, disquiet.

Self-view: "I am confused."

Investigation:

• Perceptions arise of incomplete knowledge (saññā).

• Feeling tone unpleasant (vedanā).

• Craving for certainty (taṇhā).

• Self-identification with confusion (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: Confusion is a mental process. Awareness remains, but no self is confused.

OPINIONS — "I believe this"

Direct experience: Formation of judgments, inner conclusions.

Self-view: "My view is correct."

Investigation:

• Perception labels situations (saññā).

• Feeling tone (pleasant or unpleasant) associated with agreement or disagreement.

• Clinging to views (diṭṭhi-upādāna).

• Identification with one's stance (saṅkhāra).

• Reflection: Views are constructed. The self is not found in holding views.

LONELINESS — "I am lonely"

Direct experience: Emptiness in the chest, longing, mental images of others.

Self-view: "I am alone."

Investigation:

• Sensations in the body (rūpa).

• Perception of absence of others (saññā).

• Feeling tone unpleasant (vedanā).

• Craving for connection (taṇhā).

• Self-identification with being isolated (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: Loneliness arises based on perception and craving. No self is lonely — it is contact with conditions.

SUCCESS — "I achieved this"

Direct experience: Pleasant feelings, satisfaction, pride.

Self-view: "I am successful."

Investigation:

• Experience of pleasant results (rūpa).

• Perception of accomplishment (saññā).

• Feeling tone pleasant (vedanā).

• Craving for continuation or recognition (taṇhā).

• Self-building around achievement (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: Success depends on many causes. No permanent self achieved anything.

ANTICIPATION — "I am looking forward to this"

Direct experience: Energized body, future-oriented thoughts.

Self-view: "I will enjoy this."

Investigation:

• Mental projections (saññā).

• Feeling tone pleasant (vedanā).

• Craving for future experience (taṇhā).

• Ownership of expectation (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: Anticipation is mental fabrication. The future is uncertain, and no self controls it.

GUILT — "I did wrong"

Direct experience: Sinking feeling, mental replay of past actions.

Self-view: "I am guilty."

Investigation:

• Mental images and memories (saññā).

• Feeling tone unpleasant (vedanā).

• Craving for relief or correction (taṇhā).

• Self-blame narrative (saṅkhāra).

• Reflection: Guilt arises from conditions and moral codes; the self is an added overlay.

DREAD — "I am dreading this"

Direct experience: Heavy chest, anticipation of unpleasant event.

Self-view: "I will suffer."

Investigation:

• Mental projections (saññā).

• Feeling tone unpleasant (vedanā).

• Craving for escape (taṇhā).

• Ownership of fear (saṅkhāra).

• Reflection: Dread is a projection, not an inherent self. The future is not-self.

ARROGANCE — "I am superior"

Direct experience: Inflated chest, comparison to others.

Self-view: "I am better."

Investigation:

• Judgments of comparison (saññā).

• Pleasant feeling tone (vedanā).

• Craving for superiority (taṇhā).

• Self-construction around identity (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: Superiority depends on conditions and views. There is no inherently superior self.

ENVY — "I deserve that"

Direct experience: Tightness, longing for what others have.

Self-view: "I am lacking."

Investigation:

• Perception of other's possession (saññā).

• Feeling tone unpleasant (vedanā).

• Craving for acquisition (taṇhā).

• Self-comparison narrative (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: Envy is a reaction to perceptions. No self is diminished by others’ gain.

INSPIRATION — "I am motivated"

Direct experience: Light, energized feelings, future plans.

Self-view: "I am inspired."

Investigation:

• Mental images and ideas (saññā).

• Pleasant feeling tone (vedanā).

• Craving to act or create (taṇhā).

• Ownership of motivation (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: Motivation is an energy flow, not a self. It arises from conditions.

BOREDOM — "I am bored"

Direct experience: Restlessness, agitation, seeking stimulation.

Self-view: "I am unfulfilled."

Investigation:

• Perception of lack (saññā).

• Feeling tone unpleasant (vedanā).

• Craving for something new (taṇhā).

• Identification with lack (saṅkhāra).

Reflection: Boredom is conditioned discontent. No self is incomplete.

To practice, we are not merely observing things as earth, but we immerse ourselves in the earth, realizing unity of perception, seeing everything as earth itself:

My experience, this very body and mind, is earth. And all experiences, without exception, rise and fall back into earth. Nothing stays in experience. From this earth-element, thoughts arise, feelings arise, memories arise, but none of them remain suspended. Each one, no matter how high or bright, falls back to earth.

Joy rises, it is earth. Fear rises, it is earth. Craving rises, it too is earth. All formations arise from earth and dissolve into earth.

Nothing escapes this gravity. All formations return. Like ashes falling on ashes, like dust settling on dust, all experience returns to where it all came from, earth.

So what is there to cling to? Where is the 'me, myself, or mine' in all of this?

We see the entire body, mind, and world of experience as immersed in the water element, observing all phenomena as flowing, dissolving, disappearing, and ultimately being swallowed by the great ocean of emptiness, non-clinging, and cessation.

All of experience is water. Thoughts surge like waves. Emotions rise like the tide. Memories swirl like eddies. Desires ripple and then fade.

We immerse ourselves in this water, no longer standing apart, no longer trying to resist the current. We become the stream.

Each perception is a droplet. Each contact is a ripple. Each 'I am' is a fragile foam on the surface. And where do they go?

These aggregates, these appearances, they arise like ripples, float like foam, burst like bubbles, vanish like illusions, and all of it flows away.

They disappear into the great ocean, where names, forms, and perceptions vanish, where there is no more coming and going.

When you see form as foam, feeling as bubbles, and perception as a mirage, there is nothing to hold, nothing to resist, and the clinging mind dissolves.

For everything is already flowing. Already dissolving. Already being swallowed by the great ocean.

What are you trying to hold together that wants to flow?

The body is on fire, the eyes are on fire.

But this fire does not hold. It does not preserve. It does not cling. It burns away.

Thoughts arise, and already they are burning away. Feelings swell, only to dissipate. Pleasure flickers, and then it's gone. Grief arises, and it dissolves in the heat.

There is no need to control. Everything is burning away on its own.

What remains when nothing is held back, when all formations are surrendered to the great fire of time?

Let it burn away. Let it pass. Let it vanish, naturally, gently, truly. No self is lost, only the illusion of permanence.

There is just this moment, this warmth, this flickering, this releasing.

This is not annihilation, this is clarity. This is not destruction, this is the law of nature.