<blockquote>
<p>Can be the mind separated from the body?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>While it'd take certain level of cultivation of serenity and insight to experience that on the humans plane, there're realms in the 31 planes of existence where <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sagga/loka.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">beings exists solely with the mind without possessing a physical body</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If yes, do have some teachings to contemplate the separation of mind and body, preferably some mindfulness technique?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Quite oftentimes, the inability to stay mindful of that truth is due to the fear of what might happen to oneself after death. It's really the fear of the unknown that makes one clings even more to what one already has. In <a href="https://suttacentral.net/sn55.27/en/sujato?layout=plain&amp;reference=none&amp;notes=asterisk&amp;highlight=false&amp;script=latin" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 55.27</a>, Ven. Ananda comforts the householder Anathapindika and taught him contemplation on the four aspects to remove all fright, trepidation, and fear.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-04-24T19:00:09.517Z
2022-04-24T19:00:09.517Z
santa100
<p><a href="https://accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.001.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 22.1</a>, SN 36.6 and <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.021x.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MN 21</a> are a good starting point.</p>
<p>Also <a href="https://suttacentral.net/mn62/en/sujato?layout=linebyline&reference=pts&notes=asterisk&highlight=true&script=latin" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MN 62</a> is directly applicable, instructing to have a mind like earth, wind, fire, water &amp; space.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Rāhula, meditate like the earth. For when you meditate like the earth,
pleasant and unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind. Suppose
they were to toss both clean and unclean things on the earth, like
feces, urine, spit, pus, and blood. The earth isn’t horrified,
repelled, and disgusted because of this. In the same way, meditate
like the earth. For when you meditate like the earth, pleasant and
unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind.</p>
<p>Meditate like water. For when you meditate like water, pleasant and
unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind. Suppose they were to
wash both clean and unclean things in the water, like feces, urine,
spit, pus, and blood. The water isn’t horrified, repelled, and
disgusted because of this. In the same way, meditate like water. For
when you meditate like water, pleasant and unpleasant contacts will
not occupy your mind.</p>
<p>Meditate like fire. For when you meditate like fire, pleasant and
unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind. Suppose a fire were to
burn both clean and unclean things, like feces, urine, spit, pus, and
blood. The fire isn’t horrified, repelled, and disgusted because of
this. In the same way, meditate like fire. For when you meditate like
fire, pleasant and unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind.</p>
<p>Meditate like wind. For when you meditate like wind, pleasant and
unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind. Suppose the wind were
to blow on both clean and unclean things, like feces, urine, spit,
pus, and blood. The wind isn’t horrified, repelled, and disgusted
because of this. In the same way, meditate like the wind. For when you
meditate like wind, pleasant and unpleasant contacts will not occupy
your mind.</p>
<p>Meditate like space. For when you meditate like space, pleasant and
unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind. Just as space is not
established anywhere, in the same way, meditate like space. For when
you meditate like space, pleasant and unpleasant contacts will not
occupy your mind.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-04-24T21:28:42.007Z
2022-04-24T21:28:42.007Z
Dhamma Dhatu
<p>Yes, the following sutta shows how an educated noble disciple deals with physical pain compared to an uneducated ordinary person.</p>
<p>The former feels the physical pain but does not lament about it, while the latter feels the physical pain and also laments about it.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“When an uneducated ordinary person experiences painful physical
feelings they sorrow and wail and lament, beating their breast and
falling into confusion. They experience two feelings: physical and
mental.</p>
<p>It’s like a person who is struck with an arrow, only to be struck with
a second arrow. That person experiences the feeling of two arrows.</p>
<p>In the same way, when an uneducated ordinary person experiences
painful physical feelings they sorrow and wail and lament, beating
their breast and falling into confusion. They experience two feelings:
physical and mental. ....</p>
<p>When an educated noble disciple experiences painful physical feelings
they don’t sorrow or wail or lament, beating their breast and falling
into confusion. They experience one feeling: physical, not mental.</p>
<p>It’s like a person who is struck with an arrow, but was not struck
with a second arrow. That person would experience the feeling of one
arrow.</p>
<p>In the same way, when an educated noble disciple experiences painful
physical feelings they don’t sorrow or wail or lament, beating their
breast and falling into confusion. They experience one feeling:
physical, not mental.<br />
<a href="https://suttacentral.net/sn36.6/en/sujato" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 36.6</a></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-04-24T16:39:52.823Z
2022-04-24T16:39:52.823Z
ruben2020
<p>As e.g. if somebody harms you, you don't feel because you know that the people is only harming this body, that is just a pile of cells, and the people is incapable to harm your mind.</p>
<p>If yes, do have some teachings to contemplate the separation of mind and body, preferably some mindfulness technique?</p>

<mind><meditation-mindfulness>
Can be the mind separated from the body?
# Can be the mind separated from the body?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-04-24)

As e.g. if somebody harms you, you don't feel because you know that the people is only harming this body, that is just a pile of cells, and the people is incapable to harm your mind.

If yes, do have some teachings to contemplate the separation of mind and body, preferably some mindfulness technique?

**Tags:** mind, meditation-mindfulness


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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-04-24. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Yes, the following sutta shows how an educated noble disciple deals with physical pain compared to an uneducated ordinary person.

The former feels the physical pain but does not lament about it, while the latter feels the physical pain and also laments about it.

> “When an uneducated ordinary person experiences painful physical
> feelings they sorrow and wail and lament, beating their breast and
> falling into confusion. They experience two feelings: physical and
> mental.
>
> It’s like a person who is struck with an arrow, only to be struck with
> a second arrow. That person experiences the feeling of two arrows.
>
> In the same way, when an uneducated ordinary person experiences
> painful physical feelings they sorrow and wail and lament, beating
> their breast and falling into confusion. They experience two feelings:
> physical and mental. ....
>
> When an educated noble disciple experiences painful physical feelings
> they don’t sorrow or wail or lament, beating their breast and falling
> into confusion. They experience one feeling: physical, not mental.
>
> It’s like a person who is struck with an arrow, but was not struck
> with a second arrow. That person would experience the feeling of one
> arrow.
>
> In the same way, when an educated noble disciple experiences painful
> physical feelings they don’t sorrow or wail or lament, beating their
> breast and falling into confusion. They experience one feeling:
> physical, not mental.  
> [SN 36.6](https://suttacentral.net/sn36.6/en/sujato)


---

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-04-24. Score: 2

> Can be the mind separated from the body?

While it'd take certain level of cultivation of serenity and insight to experience that on the humans plane, there're realms in the 31 planes of existence where [beings exists solely with the mind without possessing a physical body](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sagga/loka.html).

> If yes, do have some teachings to contemplate the separation of mind and body, preferably some mindfulness technique?

Quite oftentimes, the inability to stay mindful of that truth is due to the fear of what might happen to oneself after death. It's really the fear of the unknown that makes one clings even more to what one already has. In [SN 55.27](https://suttacentral.net/sn55.27/en/sujato?layout=plain&reference=none¬es=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin), Ven. Ananda comforts the householder Anathapindika and taught him contemplation on the four aspects to remove all fright, trepidation, and fear.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2022-04-24. Score: 1

[SN 22.1](https://accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.001.than.html), SN 36.6 and [MN 21](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.021x.than.html) are a good starting point.

Also [MN 62](https://suttacentral.net/mn62/en/sujato?layout=linebyline&reference=pts¬es=asterisk&highlight=true&script=latin) is directly applicable, instructing to have a mind like earth, wind, fire, water & space.

> Rāhula, meditate like the earth. For when you meditate like the earth,
> pleasant and unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind. Suppose
> they were to toss both clean and unclean things on the earth, like
> feces, urine, spit, pus, and blood. The earth isn’t horrified,
> repelled, and disgusted because of this. In the same way, meditate
> like the earth. For when you meditate like the earth, pleasant and
> unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind.
>
> Meditate like water. For when you meditate like water, pleasant and
> unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind. Suppose they were to
> wash both clean and unclean things in the water, like feces, urine,
> spit, pus, and blood. The water isn’t horrified, repelled, and
> disgusted because of this. In the same way, meditate like water. For
> when you meditate like water, pleasant and unpleasant contacts will
> not occupy your mind.
>
> Meditate like fire. For when you meditate like fire, pleasant and
> unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind. Suppose a fire were to
> burn both clean and unclean things, like feces, urine, spit, pus, and
> blood. The fire isn’t horrified, repelled, and disgusted because of
> this. In the same way, meditate like fire. For when you meditate like
> fire, pleasant and unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind.
>
> Meditate like wind. For when you meditate like wind, pleasant and
> unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind. Suppose the wind were
> to blow on both clean and unclean things, like feces, urine, spit,
> pus, and blood. The wind isn’t horrified, repelled, and disgusted
> because of this. In the same way, meditate like the wind. For when you
> meditate like wind, pleasant and unpleasant contacts will not occupy
> your mind.
>
> Meditate like space. For when you meditate like space, pleasant and
> unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind. Just as space is not
> established anywhere, in the same way, meditate like space. For when
> you meditate like space, pleasant and unpleasant contacts will not
> occupy your mind.


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