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I have heard of sages being able to kill themselves with meditation. How do they do this?

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  • I think you mean Rainbow Body, but that is not killing oneself.
    – user13383
    Commented Aug 20, 2018 at 22:25
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    Where did you hear this, or can you add a reference/quote/hyperlink to the question? It sounds to me like a misunderstanding, so I don't think this is answerable as-is.
    – ChrisW ♦
    Commented Aug 21, 2018 at 9:24
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    Do you mean 'kill yourself' or 'kill your self'? The last one would make sense to me.
    – user13579
    Commented Aug 22, 2018 at 13:41
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    If one is looking to kill oneself, why the hell use meditation?
    – user11699
    Commented Apr 25, 2019 at 19:26
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    You cannot kill yourself in meditation, but you can kill your (mental conceptualization of) self in meditation.
    – ruben2020 ♦
    Commented Sep 11, 2021 at 14:35

6 Answers 6

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Many yogis have claimed to be able to do this - the scientific evidence is not convincing.

In a controlled study, it was found this was not based on meditative control, but on holding the breath and considerable tensing of the muscles in the abdomen and thorax. This resulted in reduced blood flow, but did not stop the heart. One subject was able to slow his heart for a maximum of 3 seconds using this method.

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Ok...

Allegedly some of the Buddha's disciples would attain final extinguishment whilst self-cremating(?) and it is an extinguishment of life-force.

I've read that Ananda raised himself into the air through his supernormal powers and let his body be consumed by the fire element. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/hecker/wheel273.html#section-10 (last paragraph)

We read about similar meditations in Vinaya, in particular the story of Ven. Sagata

The naga (living in the fire building) saw that Ven. Sagata had entered and, on seeing him, was upset, disgruntled, and emitted smoke. Ven. Sagata emitted smoke. The naga, unable to bear his anger, blazed up. Ven. Sagata, entering the fire element, blazed up. Then Ven. Sagata, having consumed the naga's fire with his own fire, left for Bhaddavatika. https://www.nku.edu/~kenneyr/Buddhism/lib/modern/bmc/ch8-6.html

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Theravada Buddhist Answer.

Samatha meditation is designed to focus the mind, to cultivate the Jhana states, thereby preparing the mind for the insight-portion of the Buddha's path.

Vipassana meditation is designed to allow the mind to cultivate a deep and liberating understanding of conditioned reality. Vipassana meditation is the only meditation type that can completely eradicate the 3 layered defilements, ie. the deepest layer of latent tendencies (anusaya).

With that in mind, meditation cannot kill you but it can "kill" (cut off the latent tendencies at the root) the three root defilements.

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Look up Phowa, Mahasamadhi, Parinirvana. If a monk has practiced enough, they will reach a point in spiritual development where they can just drop the body at will, permanently. Explained in a very simplified way, they do this by severing the attachment to the body, though the specific methods used may vary between traditions.

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As mentioned above with phowa. The 6 yogas of naropa has a method to "transfer the consciousness" i'e wilfully kill yourself. If you have seen the tibetan buddhist monks who put kusha grass in their heads from a gap they have made in their crown plates, this is part of the practice. I do not know the methods as it seems this has never been written in text, unless anyone here has a textual guide to it (which I would like to see)

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Unsupported speculation: Due to the phemonenon of hunger, a master must first be able to turn the senses inward at will, conquer the body and enter equanimity and one-pointedness. Starvation, hyponatraemia, and dehydration take care of the rest. After a point of no return, it happens. However, unless it is her/his karma, then the harm caused is greater than the benefit. A true master only does this when they know it's time. How do they know? Dogs know when a person has terminal illness, and cats know when they are to ill too recover. Masters therefore regain this ability that we have lost, the inner knowing. It is remarkable that animals retain intelligence that we have lost. It undermines our modern preconception of 'what is a sentient being?'.

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