Chapter 7 - The Story Of Mahatissa Thera

There is the story of Mahatissa thera in Sri Lanka who overcame tanha through the practice of both samatha and vipassana. One day he left his forest retreat early in the morning and on the way to Anuradha city for his begging round, he met a woman who had left her home after quarrelling with her husband. At the sight of the thera, there arose in her a lustful desire and she laughed aloud seductively. On looking at her the thera noticed her teeth. Since he had been contemplating the skeleton, the whole body of the woman appeared as a heap of bones. He concentrated on this mental image and attained jhana. Then, after contemplating the image of the skeleton in his jhanic state of mind, he attained Arahatship.

The thera continued his journey and on the way met the womans husband. The man asked him whether he had seen a woman. The thera replied that he did see something but that he did not know whether it was a man or a woman. All that he noticed was a skeleton that passed him on the way.

What he actually saw was the womans teeth, but his practice of contemplation had turned his impression of her body into the image of a skeleton. Hence, in his mind there was no room for lust or any other defilement arising from his sense contact with the woman. Then practising vipassana on the basis of his jhanic consciousness, he became free from defilements and attained Arahatship.

This story might raise doubts among non meditating people as regards the arising of the image of a skeleton at the sight of a persons teeth, but without practice one cannot have any clear idea of what mind training (bhavana) can accomplish. The mere exercise of concentration without any training cannot help to create mental images for these depend on steadfast and prolonged practice of contemplation. Imagination is the power of perception. Repeated contemplation strengthens perception which then helps create any kind of image of oneself or other people. This faculty of mind is possible even for a parrot as is borne out by a story in the commentary on Satipatthana sutta.