32 Parts of the Body

One of the Buddhist practices used for reflecting on who we are - is called Asubha which means non-beautiful. This is not about making the body disgusting but about understanding. Have a look at something beautiful and then see around for non-beauty or the absence of beauty. You can read more about the practise here

Below is a picture of (plastic) skeleton, which is kept in the chapel of rest at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery.

Some stomach-churning, bloated and discoloured corpses are here (BE WARNED!) or have a look at some scientifically sanitised corpses here from the Body World Exhibition of Professor Gunther von Hagens.

The Tibetan wheel of birth and death is another way of reflecting on birth and death. An interactive version is here and textual explanations are provided here and here

The Life and Death of a Sand Mandala
Duration : 8Mins 37s