The Caturārakkhā, or Four-Fold Protective Contemplations, with Bhante Sanathavihari

In this month's practice offering, Bhante Sanathavihari shares a chanting practice central to the novice monastic training in the Sri Lanka tradition. The Pali and English text is available here for those who want to follow along with the chant.

The Caturārakkhā, or Four-Fold Protective Contemplations, consists of:

(1) Buddhānussati Recollection on the Buddha

(2) Mettā Loving-Kindness Meditation

(3) Asubha Meditation on Impurities of the Body

(4) Maraṇsati Mindfulness of death

The contemplations in the third and fourth parts of the practice are challenging, in language, import, and emotional impact. In particular, the third contemplation is consistently a topic of vigorous discussion among practitioners (see, for example, this contemporary discussion thread). Considering what does and does not resonate for us, and how we can find ways to relate to the essence of the teaching, despite what jars, can be very helpful. 

For example, we may consider the meditation on the impurities of the body from the perspective of how it might help overcome misconceptions about the body, in order to connect with our embodied experience in ways that are meaningful, wholesome, and wise. 

We might also consider how much the cultural context impacts our practice, and in what ways contemporary understanding advances or detracts from the essence of the practice.

LOS ANGELES SANATHAVIHARI BHIKKU is a Mexican-American Theravāda monk at the Sarathchandra Buddhist Center in North Hollywood, a Sri Lankan center. He is a student of the late Dr.  Bhante Punnaji, and the director of Casa De Bhavana – an outreach project to bring the Dhamma to the Spanish-speaking world. He is also the co-author of Buddhism in Ten Steps. Bhante is a U.S. Air Force veteran, has a B.A. in Religion, and is a Mindfulness researcher at Mount St. Mary University, Los Angeles, and a Graduate Student in Counseling Psychology at Mount St. Mary University. 

Visit Bhante Sanathavihari on the web and social media:

www.casadebhavana.com
https://www.facebook.com/sanathaviharibhikkhu 
https://www.instagram.com/casadebhavana/

Or on YouTube:
Youtube channel (English)
Youtube channel (Spanish)

And check out Bhante's Spanish-language introduction to Buddhism:
Buddhismo en 10 Pasos: Una introducción práctica y sencilla al buddhismo para principiantes (Spanish Edition)