Nine Cemetery Contemplations

In the time of the Buddha, the common practice was that when a person died the body would be taken away and thrown into a charnel ground, which was usually located some distance away from human habitation. No one went there at other times. The bodies of the dead would slowly deteriorate. In this meditation, the Buddha teaches us the way to contemplate about the nine stages of the deterioration of a dead body.

The first stage of the deterioration of the dead body takes place within a day or two after death. It will bloat, discolor, become blue, and ooze. The first contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate such a dead body with wisdom and mindfulness and relate it to our lives in this way: this body of mine too will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body too has not transcended such a fate. When one contemplates this, one’s mind becomes less obsessed by defilements and easier to calm and settle. This contemplation helps the meditator develop concentration easily.

The second stage of the deterioration of a dead body, which is about a week after the first stage, is that a stench will emanate from it and attract animals. Vultures, dogs, crows, foxes and other carrion eaters will break the dead body from limbs and eat it. Then, the body becomes food for animals and changes drastically from what it looked like. The second contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness relate it to our lives this way. This body of mine too will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not transcended such a fate.

It is common for people to have a reluctance to think about dead bodies, and even if we have a dream about it we call it a nightmare. There is a valid reason for meditating on these subjects. It helps us accept reality more readily. We may feel this is difficult or unpleasant. We may feel that this meditation method is unfair. Why are we being instructed to contemplate such gruesome objects? Looking at life with rose tinted glasses gets us nowhere. Jealousy, anger, revenge, and other emotions we are used to experiencing will not go away by continuing to look at life the old way. We should understand that living in a world of make-believe beauty does not really rid us from jealousy and anger, etc.… Therefore, what Buddha teaches here is the truth. His instructions directly lead to the realization of life. When we are on the track to understand the reality of life, it is a natural result that we become more virtuous. We become patient, we do not experience jealousy, we do not get angry, and we do not seek revenge. These are characteristics of a righteous life. These virtues are cultivated when we practice this meditation.

Now, we move to the third stage of the deterioration of the dead body. It would now be unrecognizable and would be in pieces and parts of bone would be visible. There would be bits of flesh strewn about and dry pools of blood around the remains. Now, you should investigate such a stage. The third contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness and relate it to our lives this way: this body of mine will also become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not transcended such a fate. When you contemplate this with wisdom, your mind gradually becomes oriented towards understanding life. When contemplating a dead body on a charnel ground, you must have atāpi, sampajañña, and satimā. We learned about these in a previous chapter. Atāpi is improving through perseverance, the skill of subduing the accumulated weaknesses of our minds. Sampajañña is using our intelligence skilfully and satimā is the skill of staying totally aware and mindful.

It is not uncommon for humankind to be easily startled and hold an immature perception about a dead body. If we see a dead body in our dreams we awaken frightened. All we need to do is realize that this is reality and that contemplating on this gives us strength to face any calamity that could befall us.

There is a name for liberated ones who have understood life. It is “tādī.” Tādī is imperturbability in gain and loss, fame and defame, praise and insult, and wellbeing, and suffering, the eight natures – ups and downs of the world. The liberated ones have cultivated imperturbability by contemplating these realities of life.

Let us return to the dead body, in the fourth of the nine stages of deterioration in the charnel ground. There would be no flesh now and there would be traces of dried blood on bones that are now visible. There are no flies, no worms, no carrion eaters; it is just the skeleton without flesh. Now you should investigate such a stage. The fourth contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and mindfulness, relate it to our lives in this manner. This body of mine, too, will become like this: the dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not transcended such a fate. While you contemplate the deteriorating body in the charnel ground, your mind has no room for thinking unwholesome thoughts. This is a benefit we expect from this meditation. This is how our minds prepare to become free of fetters.

Let us investigate the dead body now in its fifth stage. The traces of blood have disappeared now. It is only the partial skeleton with dried sinews here and there. Now, we should investigate such a stage. The fifth contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness and relate it to our lives in this way: this body of mine will also become like this: the dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not transcended such a fate. When you practice this, your mindfulness and wisdom are further developed.

In the sixth stage of the deterioration of a dead body on the charnel ground, the meditator contemplates on the scattered skeleton thus; the skull is in one place, the ribs are strewn about, the clavicle elsewhere, and the bones of arms and fingers are strewn about too. The pelvic bone to one side and the bones of the legs and feet are in another place. Now, the dead body is reduced to a heap of bones strewn about. The sixth contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness and relate it to your life in this way. This body of mine too will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not exceeded such a fate.

In the seventh stage of the deterioration of a dead body on the charnel ground, the meditator contemplates on the scattered bones thus; the bones strewn about become bleached to the colour of a conch shell. The seventh contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness relate it to your life in this manner: this body of mine, too, will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not transcended such a fate. The meditator starts thinking, “do I perceive this life as me, mine, and myself?” When the meditator starts to think like this with mindfulness, his attachments are loosened, his mind becomes settled, and tends towards the understanding of life. This is a huge gain in his life.

In the eighth stage of deterioration of the dead body on the charnel ground, which is a few years after death, the bones are broken into little pieces and lose identity. The eighth contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness relate it to your life in this manner: this body of mine, too, will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this brief period of time. This body too has not transcended such a fate.

The Buddha once said that in an eon or “kalpa”, if the skeletons of one person did not deteriorate and piled on top of another after each death they would form a huge mountain. This shows us how far we have travelled in this cycle of birth and death. During this very short period of roughly 50-60 years of life, we struggle to maintain this body because we have no understanding of it. A wise person decides to live this life with understanding.

The ninth stage of deterioration of a dead body on the charnel ground is when the bones are just fragments, have become dust, and are mixed with the earth. The ninth contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness relate it to your life in this way: this body of mine, too, will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not transcended such a fate.

The meditator investigates his body through these nine stages of deterioration. Then, he must realize that all other bodies, too, have not transcended this fate. So, he contemplates the fact that nobody has transcended this fate. He relates the nine stages of deterioration of the dead body on the charnel ground to his life in this manner. Everybody will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. Nobody has transcended such a fate. With the nine stages of deterioration of the dead body on a charnel ground, the Buddha’s teachings on Kāyānupassanā meditation or the contemplation of the body within the four establishments of mindfulness is complete.