Q&A 23 on the Contemplative Practice of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness

Question: Regarding the 36 parts in the white bone contemplation and the contemplation of impurity, when contemplating one's own body, wherever the contemplation reaches, that place relaxes. I feel that wherever the contemplation reaches, the mind's grasping toward that place diminishes, and so it relaxes. Is that right?  

Answer: Yes. The body's state of tension arises because there is grasping in the mind; whatever part is grasped at, that part becomes tense and stiff. So the body's condition is also caused by emotions. Remove the emotions, relax the mental state, and the body relaxes. When contemplating the 36 parts within the body, contemplate with an objective attitude, as if contemplating a body that is not one's own; without grasping, the body loosens and becomes soft. The emptier the mind, the softer the body. 

The feelings of suffering experienced by body and mind all arise from the grasping of the manas; if there is no grasping, there is no suffering. The knots and bonds in the mind are also produced by grasping—knots and bonds are like ropes; where there are knots and bonds, there is obstruction and blockage. When there is no grasping, the mind is open, spacious, and unobstructed—ascending to heaven or entering the earth, all according to my will. When experiencing suffering, one should reflect: what have I grasped at in the past and now, such that this suffering appears? All suffering has a cause; only by finding the cause and resolving the cause is there a way to extinguish the fruit of suffering.