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hisannabelle -> RE: When does BDSM become unhealthy or destructive (7/3/2008 10:39:02 PM)
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quote:
Second, there is just no evidence of any culture valuing amputation for any reason other than as a punishment, if anybody has ever heard of any culture anywhere, engaging in amputation for cosmetic or spiritual reasons, I'd be happy to hear about it - piercings, tattoos, even torture, etc., Penitentes, and other forms of ritual self mutilation, sure, but not amputation, and people do some pretty strange things to achieve spiritual states.
greetings amaros,
as i've already posted, on bmezine (which is a body mod website), there are people living in the modern western world who do amputation (including of the genitals) along with other forms of extreme body modification.
i am most familiar with death and dying in buddhist practice, so here are some quotes:
The passage describes how the bodhisattva,
known in Japanese as Kiken, imbibed and painted his body
with fragrant oils, wrapped himself in pure garments, and then set
himself on fire. This act is praised as ‘‘the prime gift. Among the various
gifts, it is the most honorable, the supreme.’’5 The Buddha S ´ a¯-
kyamuni explains that if one seeking supreme enlightenment ‘‘can
burn a finger or even a toe as an offering to a Buddha stu¯ pa, he shall
exceed one who uses realm or walled city, wife or children, or even
all the lands, mountains, forests, rivers, ponds, and sundry precious
objects in the whole thousand-million world as offerings.’’6 This
story from the Lotus provided the most common scriptural foundation
for East Asian monks and nuns, from medieval to modern
times, who lit themselves on fire as Buddhist offerings.
- from "Passage to Fudaraku" by Moerman, in The Buddhist Dead, edited by Cuevas and Stone. Moerman's article is primarily concerned with the medieval Japanese monastic practice of weighing a boat with stones to drown oneself (known as the passage to Fudaraku), which was often a publicized and celebrated event, but also mentions other instances of ritual suicide as well as, as I quoted, instances where self-harm (often in the form of amputation or burning of fingers/limbs) was practiced but not suicide.
In textual accounts of monks that appeared in collections
of hagiographies under the rubric of self-immolation, we find a
range of acts such as allowing insects to feed on one’s blood, slicing
flesh from the body, and burning the fingers or arms. Not all of
these necessarily resulted in death.
- from "Fire and the Sword" by Benn, in The Buddhist Dead, edited by Cuevas and Stone. This article is primarily concerned with the politics of self-immolation in Buddhist China, but as the quote shows, also mentions instances of amputation, burning of fingers or limbs, and other forms self-harm that did not result in death.
on page six of "Self-Immolation in Buddhist China" by Jan Yun-Hua, she mentions that after the 10th century, some changes in textual emphasis led to a growing tendency to replace immolation of the entire body with the sacrifice of an arm, a few fingers, or just one finger. This article is located in History of Religions vol. 4 no. 2 (Winter 1965) pp. 243-268
if you would like more sources regarding suicide in buddhist practice or the tantric practice of visualizing cannibalism (which may or may not have been practiced in actuality in the past - this is debated among scholars - but is a really widespread practice among tibetan buddhists today - i am actually initiated into it), i'd be happy to help. if you or anyone would like to discuss more about buddhist death and dying (or buddhism in general) i'm always available by message on the other side.
respectfully,
a'ishah.
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