The Relationship Between Self-Cultivation and the Path

When the body develops obstructions that hinder meditative concentration (samādhi), then one should deliberately cultivate the body. If the body is healthy and free of obstructions, there is no need to deliberately spend time and energy on cultivating it; if meditative concentration is not affected or obstructed, leave the body alone—only by forgetting the body can meditative concentration arise. If the mind constantly holds the notion of the body, first, it obstructs meditative concentration, and second, the view of self (ātma-dṛṣṭi) regarding the body becomes hard to eliminate. Empty out the body, forget the body, and stop dwelling on it and tending to it—then meditative concentration will easily arise, and the view of the body will be easy to eliminate.

Modern people practice in exactly the opposite way from people of ancient times. People of old paid no attention to the body, did not concern themselves with it, and did not spend time and energy on it; as a result, their meditative concentration was very deep and they realized the Path quickly. Modern people, almost without exception, follow the body's every demand, treasuring it beyond measure, making excuses that taking care of the body is for the sake of cultivating the Path—yet in the end the Path is not cultivated, and the body is not necessarily well cared for either. After all, karmic obstructions are right there; no matter how one maintains and nurtures the body, it still has a whole pile of problems. Even if the body is well maintained, the view of the body in the mind has increased considerably; and because the view of the body is not severed, one will still suffer endlessly in future lives. Think about it—is it worth it? For the sake of a body of a few decades, one delays one's cultivation of the Path; refusing the pearl, one picks up grains of sand—how foolish!