The Inner School of the Elders

"Esoteric Theravada: The Story of the Forgotten Meditation Tradition of Southeast Asia" is a book by Kate Crosby published last year. I haven´t read literally all of it (it *is* very "esoteric"), but will post a review anyway (it´s my blog, after all). Despite being a scholarly work, it´s published by Shambhala, an independent pro-Buddhist publisher based in Boulder, Colorado. 

Judging by several other works I´ve read, the almost exclusive emphasis on Vipassana meditation (which modern Mindfulness is based on) is a new phenomenon within Theravada, not older than the 19th century, when various modernization processes conspired to "resurrect" (or perhaps create wholly de novo) this kind of meditation technique. Before the 19th century, few, if any, Buddhists meditated at all, Theravada practice being about "merit-creating" and pseudo-magical rituals. While this scenario isn´t "wrong", Kate Crosby shows that the actual picture is more complex - and even more interesting. 

It turns out that alongside the official Theravada, there *was* a tradition of advanced meditation, which Crosby calls "boran kammatthana". This was an esoteric practice of unknown date which played a prominent part in certain monastic circles prior to the 19th and 20th centuries, usually communicated by word of mouth from master to disciple. It even played a role in a major Buddhist revival in Ceylon during the 18th century. There are similarities between boran kammatthana, Tibetan dream yoga, other Tantric practices, alchemy and Ayurvedic medicine. For some reason, Crosby doesn´t discuss possible similarities with esoteric Taoism. The usual suspicion is that the esoteric tradition within Theravada really is Tantrism, and since such influences were anathema to the 19th century modernizers, this simply became another argument to ignore or suppress it. Crosby, by contrast, believes that boran kammatthana is really inspired by Ayurveda, and that it´s so closely aligned to Theravada philosophy that an "alien" Tantric intrusion is unlikely. In other words, the secret tradition is in some sense legit. (Personally, I don´t see the contradiction.) 

The most interesting section of the book tries to describe the actual practices associated with this old school form of meditation. The practitioner does experience various paranormal or supernatural phenomena: encounters with the spirits of the deceased, visions of other realms of reality, seeing spheres of light sometimes accompanied by luminous letters in ancient Khmer script, etc. Physical objects may be visible even when the meditator closes his eyes, or may appear in strange and unfamiliar shapes. Abstract themes for meditation may "appear" as quasi-physical objects, such as a sun´s disk or radiant gems. The practitioner is supposed to absorb the luminous orbs through his nostrils and place them inside his body, at the locations of various chakras or energy centers. This will eventually transform the physical body of the meditator into that of a Buddha! The relationship between this (apparently literal) transformation and the ultimate goal of nibbana (nirvana) is not spelled out in the esoteric scriptures, but presumably a person who dies while in this transmogrified state will immidiately attain liberation. (Does this mean that the Buddha-body is mortal? Or does the person choose to die? Not clear!) 

Some additional techniques described in the book take numerology and peculiar written code words as their point of departure. There are affinities between boran kammatthana and alchemy (yes, it works with quicksilver and sulphur in Southeast Asia, too), magical tattoos, traditional medicine, and "forest monks" living at the outskirts of Theravadin civilization. At the same time, the esotericism was also surprisingly intellectually sophisticated. A close reading of Theravada Buddhist philosophy suggested that the "atoms" of samsaric existence are simultaneously both material and spiritual. (Compare Whitehead´s process philosophy!) But if so, spiritual mutations should lead to changes in the physical. Therefore, it´s entirely in keeping with Buddhist understanding that a spiritual technique such as meditation can transform a physical body. Presumably, it´s also logical to assume that a certain kind of body can make it easier to attain a "spiritual" state such as nibbana.  

When Theravada modernized itself during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the esoteric practices were gradually squeezed out. One way of doing so was to ban traditional medicine in favor of the modern, Western version. The sangha (monastic order) was taken over by modernists and controlled by the modernizing state. This was the course taken in Siam (Thailand). The esoteric tradition there had already been weakened during the 18th century when the Burmese invaded and devasted Siam, including the then capital of Ayutthaya. In Cambodia, the French colonial power supported the modernist faction within the sangha. The Cold War was another crushing blow. In Cambodia and Laos, Communist regimes (most notoriously the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia) decimated the sangha and Buddhism in general. In pro-Western Thailand, millions of people were relocated from the border regions, where the Thai government feared Communist infiltration. Traditional forms of Buddhism had survived longer in these areas than in others. However, it seems boran kammatthana isn´t completely dead. A few monasteries in Thailand still teach the practice, and the controversial Dhammakaya new religious movement has adopted a modified version of it. Somewhat ironically, it seems that the latest phase of modernization, with its emphasis on individual choices in religion, might favor the ancient esotericism...

There seems to be more to explore here. This is the *inner* school of the elders.