Understanding the Body, Freeing the Mind

Ajahn Anan, through a translator, speaks to the monastic community. He starts with settling the mind on the in- and out-breath, perhaps with the word Buddho, without straining, and describes how the mind falls into liking and disliking at the senses. He recalls the Buddha asking a disciple how often he contemplates death, and replying that seven times a day is too little, then urges keeping the monastic standards: chanting, almsround and eating once a day from the bowl.

The longer part is contemplation of the body: hair of the head and body, nails, teeth and skin, and when that does not steady the mind, the decay of a corpse, repeated until the mind settles. He links this to neighbourhood concentration (upacāra samādhi). He ends by reminding monks to use their strength before illness, whether they stay or travel to a ceremony in Australia.