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Majjhima Nikāya 10

Satipaṭṭhānasutta

Mindfulness Meditation · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Kāyānupassanāpaṭikūlamanasikārapabba

1.4. Focusing on the Repulsive

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu imameva kāyaṁ uddhaṁ pādatalā, adho kesamatthakā, tacapariyantaṁ pūraṁ nānappakārassa asucino paccavekkhati:
‘atthi imasmiṁ kāye kesā lomā nakhā dantā taco maṁsaṁ nhāru aṭṭhi aṭṭhimiñjaṁ vakkaṁ hadayaṁ yakanaṁ kilomakaṁ pihakaṁ papphāsaṁ antaṁ antaguṇaṁ udariyaṁ karīsaṁ pittaṁ semhaṁ pubbo lohitaṁ sedo medo assu vasā kheḷo siṅghāṇikā lasikā muttan’ti.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, ubhatomukhā putoḷi pūrā nānāvihitassa dhaññassa, seyyathidaṁ—sālīnaṁ vīhīnaṁ muggānaṁ māsānaṁ tilānaṁ taṇḍulānaṁ. Tamenaṁ cakkhumā puriso muñcitvā paccavekkheyya: ‘ime sālī ime vīhī ime muggā ime māsā ime tilā ime taṇḍulā’ti.
Evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu imameva kāyaṁ uddhaṁ pādatalā, adho kesamatthakā, tacapariyantaṁ pūraṁ nānappakārassa asucino paccavekkhati:
‘atthi imasmiṁ kāye kesā lomā …pe… muttan’ti.

Furthermore, a mendicant examines their own body, up from the soles of the feet and down from the tips of the hairs, wrapped in skin and full of many kinds of filth. ‘In this body there is head hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, undigested food, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, snot, synovial fluid, urine.’ It’s as if there were a bag with openings at both ends, filled with various kinds of grains, such as fine rice, wheat, mung beans, peas, sesame, and ordinary rice. And a person with clear eyes were to open it and examine the contents: ‘These grains are fine rice, these are wheat, these are mung beans, these are peas, these are sesame, and these are ordinary rice.’

Iti ajjhattaṁ vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati …pe…
evampi kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati.
Paṭikūlamanasikārapabbaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ.

And so they meditate observing an aspect of the body internally … That too is how a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body.

Kāyānupassanādhātumanasikārapabba

1.5. Focusing on the Elements

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu imameva kāyaṁ yathāṭhitaṁ yathāpaṇihitaṁ dhātuso paccavekkhati:
‘atthi imasmiṁ kāye pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū’ti.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, dakkho goghātako vā goghātakantevāsī vā gāviṁ vadhitvā catumahāpathe bilaso vibhajitvā nisinno assa.
Evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu imameva kāyaṁ yathāṭhitaṁ yathāpaṇihitaṁ dhātuso paccavekkhati:
‘atthi imasmiṁ kāye pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū’ti.

Furthermore, a mendicant examines their own body, whatever its placement or posture, according to the elements: ‘In this body there is the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the air element.’ It’s as if a deft butcher or butcher’s apprentice were to kill a cow and sit down at the crossroads with the meat cut into chops.

Iti ajjhattaṁ vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati …pe…
evampi kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati.
Dhātumanasikārapabbaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ.

And so they meditate observing an aspect of the body internally … That too is how a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body.

Kāyānupassanānavasivathikapabba

1.6. The Charnel Ground Contemplations

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu seyyathāpi passeyya sarīraṁ sivathikāya chaḍḍitaṁ ekāhamataṁ vā dvīhamataṁ vā tīhamataṁ vā uddhumātakaṁ vinīlakaṁ vipubbakajātaṁ.
So imameva kāyaṁ upasaṁharati:
‘ayampi kho kāyo evaṁdhammo evaṁbhāvī evaṁanatīto’ti.

Furthermore, suppose a mendicant were to see a corpse discarded in a charnel ground. And it had been dead for one, two, or three days, bloated, livid, and festering. They’d compare it with their own body: ‘This body is also of that same nature, that same kind, and cannot go beyond that.’

Iti ajjhattaṁ vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati …pe…
evampi kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati.

And so they meditate observing an aspect of the body internally … That too is how a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu seyyathāpi passeyya sarīraṁ sivathikāya chaḍḍitaṁ kākehi vā khajjamānaṁ kulalehi vā khajjamānaṁ gijjhehi vā khajjamānaṁ kaṅkehi vā khajjamānaṁ sunakhehi vā khajjamānaṁ byagghehi vā khajjamānaṁ dīpīhi vā khajjamānaṁ siṅgālehi vā khajjamānaṁ vividhehi vā pāṇakajātehi khajjamānaṁ.
So imameva kāyaṁ upasaṁharati:
‘ayampi kho kāyo evaṁdhammo evaṁbhāvī evaṁanatīto’ti.

Furthermore, suppose they were to see a corpse discarded in a charnel ground being devoured by crows, hawks, vultures, herons, hounds, tigers, leopards, jackals, and many kinds of little creatures. They’d compare it with their own body: ‘This body is also of that same nature, that same kind, and cannot go beyond that.’

Iti ajjhattaṁ vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati …pe…
evampi kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati.

And so they meditate observing an aspect of the body internally … That too is how a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu seyyathāpi passeyya sarīraṁ sivathikāya chaḍḍitaṁ aṭṭhikasaṅkhalikaṁ samaṁsalohitaṁ nhārusambandhaṁ …pe…
Aṭṭhikasaṅkhalikaṁ nimaṁsalohitamakkhitaṁ nhārusambandhaṁ …pe…
Aṭṭhikasaṅkhalikaṁ apagatamaṁsalohitaṁ nhārusambandhaṁ …pe…

Furthermore, suppose they were to see a corpse discarded in a charnel ground, a skeleton with flesh and blood, held together by sinews … A skeleton without flesh but smeared with blood, and held together by sinews … A skeleton rid of flesh and blood, held together by sinews …

Aṭṭhikāni apagatasambandhāni disā vidisā vikkhittāni, aññena hatthaṭṭhikaṁ aññena pādaṭṭhikaṁ aññena gopphakaṭṭhikaṁ aññena jaṅghaṭṭhikaṁ aññena ūruṭṭhikaṁ aññena kaṭiṭṭhikaṁ aññena phāsukaṭṭhikaṁ aññena piṭṭhiṭṭhikaṁ aññena khandhaṭṭhikaṁ aññena gīvaṭṭhikaṁ aññena hanukaṭṭhikaṁ aññena dantaṭṭhikaṁ aññena sīsakaṭāhaṁ.
So imameva kāyaṁ upasaṁharati:
‘ayampi kho kāyo evaṁdhammo evaṁbhāvī evaṁanatīto’ti.

Bones rid of sinews scattered in every direction. Here a hand-bone, there a foot-bone, here an ankle bone, there a shin-bone, here a thigh-bone, there a hip-bone, here a rib-bone, there a back-bone, here an arm-bone, there a neck-bone, here a jaw-bone, there a tooth, here the skull. …

Iti ajjhattaṁ vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati …pe…
evampi kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati.

And so they meditate observing an aspect of the body internally … That too is how a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu seyyathāpi passeyya sarīraṁ sivathikāya chaḍḍitaṁ, aṭṭhikāni setāni saṅkhavaṇṇapaṭibhāgāni …pe…

White bones, the color of shells …

Aṭṭhikāni puñjakitāni terovassikāni …pe…

Decrepit bones, heaped in a pile …

Aṭṭhikāni pūtīni cuṇṇakajātāni.
So imameva kāyaṁ upasaṁharati:
‘ayampi kho kāyo evaṁdhammo evaṁbhāvī evaṁanatīto’ti.

Bones rotted and crumbled to powder. They’d compare it with their own body: ‘This body is also of that same nature, that same kind, and cannot go beyond that.’

Iti ajjhattaṁ vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati, bahiddhā vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati, ajjhattabahiddhā vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati;
samudayadhammānupassī vā kāyasmiṁ viharati, vayadhammānupassī vā kāyasmiṁ viharati, samudayavayadhammānupassī vā kāyasmiṁ viharati.
‘Atthi kāyo’ti vā panassa sati paccupaṭṭhitā hoti. Yāvadeva ñāṇamattāya paṭissatimattāya anissito ca viharati, na ca kiñci loke upādiyati.
Evampi kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati.
Navasivathikapabbaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ.
Cuddasakāyānupassanā niṭṭhitā.

And so they meditate observing an aspect of the body internally, externally, and both internally and externally. With respect to the body, they meditate observing the liability to originate, to vanish, and to originate and vanish. Or mindfulness is established that the body exists, to the extent necessary for knowledge and mindfulness. They meditate independent, not grasping at anything in the world. That too is how a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body.

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