Find a suitable place for meditation and sit comfortably. Close your eyes and reflect on the image of a skeleton. Continue reflecting on a skeleton until a clear image of the complete skeleton is visualized.
- Now, look at the skull. Instead of eyes, there are two large holes where the eyes were. Beautifully painted eyebrows are no longer there. Instead of nose there is a hole. Teeth are exposed. Beautifully painted lips are missing. Earlobes decorated with earrings are no longer there. Cheeks embellished with makeup and perfumes are missing. What remains is only the skull, which is like a dried out pumpkin. Because it is a conditioned thing, arising out of causes, this skeleton made of the four great elements is impermanent, impermanent. This skeleton is not mine, not myself, I am not.
- Collarbones are connected to sternum and ribs. Ribs are arranged like a bird-cage. Ribs resemble bamboo strips. Along the skeleton run the vertebrae resembling pearls on a string. My body too will become a skeleton. Because it is a conditioned thing, arising out of causes, this skeleton made of the four great elements is impermanent, impermanent. This skeleton is not mine, not myself, I am not.
- Vertebrae end by attaching to the pelvis. The pelvis resembles the wings of a butterfly. The pelvis supports the hips. Leg bones are connected to the pelvis. Leg bones are like dried out bamboo canes. Leg bones end by connecting to foot bones. Foot bones are hooked to toes. Because it is a conditioned thing, arising out of causes, this skeleton made of the four great elements is impermanent, impermanent. This skeleton is not mine, not myself, I am not.
- My body too will become a skeleton. On top of this skeleton, muscles are fastened, bound with blood vessels, and covered with skin. I call this structure my body and cling to it. When skin is peeled off, flesh is taken off, and vessels are pulled out, only the skeleton will remain. This skeleton helps to bear the weight of the body. It helps bending and movements of the body. The body I protect always, the body I clean and beautify always is only a skeleton. Because it is a conditioned thing, arising out of causes, this skeleton made of the four great elements is impermanent, impermanent. This skeleton is not mine, not myself, I am not.
