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SN 47.20 💃🤷🤺: some ways to integrate kayagata sati, marana sati, into your moment by moment practice

What good is a weapon if you don't use it? If you don't have the important ideas from Dhamma memorized, integrated into your arsenal, and practice using them all the time, it's like spending your life reading and studying cook books and never actually trying out the recipes and eating the results.

 SN 47.20 is one of my favorite suttas. It's short, but it's not in my rotation of suttas memorized word for word. Instead, I memorize the essence of that sutta  as a single perception (sañña) that I can conjure up, visualize instantaneously, anywhere, any time, quickly.




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SN 47.20




How to integrate the essence of SN 47.20 into a single perception

Here's another great tip. Sometime early in the morning after you wake up, or better yet make it a part of your daily morning sutta reciting session, be sure to recite the 8 or 10 precepts (based on KN 1.2). Even if you only plan to keep 5 precepts for the day, or something less than 8, it's a good idea just to recite all of them to keep it in your consciousness, and just make a mental note as you're reciting that you're not intending to observe particular precepts, but you're reciting just to keep it in memory (sati). 

So here's the tie in to SN 47.20. One day, I realized that precept #7 and #8 describe the epitome of what makes sensual pleasures alluring. A world famous beauty who is superb in dancing, singing, and just for fun, I also visualize she's a great cook, masseuse, and does all my annual taxes as well. As I'm chanting each word of precept #7 and #8, I'm visualizing each item as the scene from SN 47.20. 

Next I visualize the man with the sword hugging me from behind, with the sharp blade held next to my exposed neck, and I visualize trying to balance the bowl of oil, while the most beautiful woman in the world is doing her best to distract me. And just like in professional sports, she commits personal fouls and uses every evil trick in the book when the referees aren't looking. This is the key part. The more vivid you can imagine the situation, the more it impresses upon your mind the need to maintain  💀   🏃‍  31🧟  kayagata, marana sati, etc. I actually move my arms and hands to a position where I'm balancing an invisible bowl of oil, imagining the loud crowd and contact shoving and pushing threatening to end my balance. Try the arm thing, it makes a difference.

Then I practice dissolving the girl into 31 body parts, as asubha,  or into just an amorphous blob of luminosity, just like any other sentient being seen through animitta, signless, neither 
subha nor asubha, just another compatriot in samsara experiencing dukkha.

Since I recite suttas and precepts everyday, then this assures that I do this practice at least once a day. If I'm short on time, at the minimum I spend 10 seconds on this practice.

Then the next level, is to do this throughout the day, anytime you encounter any living being, you see them as body parts or some other aspect that accords with reality rather than our false narratives and erroneous perceptions that lead to craving and suffering.


KN 1.2 dasa-sikkhā-padaṃ
 KN 1.2 ten-training-precepts
♦ 1. pāṇ-ātipātā
 1. {killing}- living-beings;
veramaṇī-sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
 abstaining (from it) – (this) training-precept (I) undertake.
♦ 2. a-dinn’-ādānā
 2. [that which is] not-given-, taking (it);
veramaṇī-sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
 abstaining (from it) – (this) training-precept (I) undertake.
♦ 3. a-brahmacariyā
 3. Non-chastity [not even a single lustful tought];
veramaṇī-sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
 abstaining (from it) – (this) training-precept (I) undertake.
♦ 4. musā-vādā
 4. False-speech;
veramaṇī-sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
 abstaining (from it) – (this) training-precept (I) undertake.
♦ 5. surāmeraya-majja-pamād-aṭṭhānā
 5. alcoholic-beverages,(and)-intoxicants-(that cause)-heedless-behavior;
veramaṇī-sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
 abstaining (from it) – (this) training-precept (I) undertake.
♦ 6. vi-kāla-bhojanā
 6. wrong-time-eating [after noon up to sunrise];
veramaṇī-sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
 abstaining (from it) – (this) training-precept (I) undertake.
♦ 7. nacca-gīta-vādita-visūkadassanā
 7. dancing – singing – (listening to) music – watching-shows;
veramaṇī-sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
 abstaining (from it) – (this) training-precept (I) undertake.
♦ 8. mālā-gandha-vilepana-dhāraṇa-maṇḍana-vibhūsanaṭṭhānā
 8. garlands – scents – cosmetics - , wearing – ornamenets – adornments;
veramaṇī-sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
 abstaining (from it) – (this) training-precept (I) undertake.
♦ 9. uccā-sayana-mahā-sayanā
 9. high-beds – luxurious-beds;
veramaṇī-sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
 abstaining (from it) – (this) training-precept (I) undertake.
♦ 10. jātarūpa-rajata-paṭiggahaṇā
 10. gold – , silver - , receiving (it), [including cash, equivalent currency]
veramaṇī-sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
 abstaining (from it) – (this) training-precept (I) undertake.

(8 training precepts for laypeople, yogis)

Remove #10 from above. Combine #7 and #8 into #7. #9 becomes #8.

(5 training precepts for householders)

Same as first 5 from above, except for #3, replace abrahmacariya with kāmesu-micchā-cārā, which means “sensuality-wrong-conduct”, the primary meaning is sexual misconduct that’s dishonorable, unlawful in one’s culture. Underage partner, partner who is married, protected by parents or guardian, etc.

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