The Body Is Neither Real Nor Self

Within the physical body, the seeds of the four great elements are arising, ceasing, and mutating moment by moment. The cells in the body are constantly being renewed and metabolized every instant; within a short period of time, the cellular tissues are completely renewed, and the blood in the body is entirely replaced—no longer the blood it was before. The internal organs are also completely renewed within a period of time; even the tissues and organs throughout the whole body, as well as the muscles, tendons, and other tissues, must all be renewed and mutated. Finally, even the bones in the body must be entirely renewed. The entire body, from inside to outside, from top to bottom, is completely changed—no longer the body it once was.

Therefore, our appearance is always changing. By a certain stage of age, one's appearance differs drastically from that of one's youth—sometimes so much that no resemblance can be discerned. Everyone is completely different from how they were as children. Those who have gone through serious illness may look entirely different from when they were healthy, so much so that they seem to be a different person. With such a body as this, how could it be oneself? How could it be another?

So when engaging in careful contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), a person of wisdom will not take such a body as real or as the self, will not stubbornly insist that this is "I," and will not cling to it incessantly and crave it endlessly. Many people clearly already know that such a body is fundamentally impossible to grasp or control. Then why not shift their attention and energy to the mental realm—which we can grasp to some extent, and which, once seeds are deposited, can still be obtained and enjoyed in future lives—and strive to elevate our prajñā wisdom as much as possible?