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Majjhima Nikāya 10

Satipaṭṭhānasutta

Mindfulness Meditation · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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contemplation of the body: repulsiveness sectionKāyānupassanāpaṭikūlamanasikārapabba

1.4. Focusing on the Repulsive

furthermorePuna moreovercaparaṁ, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu this veryimameva bodykāyaṁ upuddhaṁ from the soles of the feetpādatalā, downadho from the tips of the hairskesamatthakā, bounded by skintacapariyantaṁ fullpūraṁ of manifoldnānappakārassa impurityasucino examinespaccavekkhati:
'there is‘atthi in thisimasmiṁ bodykāye head hairskesā body hairslomā nailsnakhā teethdantā skintaco fleshmaṁsaṁ sinewsnhāru boneaṭṭhi bone marrowaṭṭhimiñjaṁ kidneyvakkaṁ hearthadayaṁ liveryakanaṁ diaphragmkilomakaṁ spleenpihakaṁ lungspapphāsaṁ intestinesantaṁ mesenteryantaguṇaṁ stomach contentsudariyaṁ feceskarīsaṁ bilepittaṁ phlegmsemhaṁ puspubbo bloodlohitaṁ sweatsedo fatmedo tearsassu greasevasā salivakheḷo snotsiṅghāṇikā synovial fluidlasikā urine' (quote)muttan’ti.
just asSeyyathāpi, monksbhikkhave, with openings at both endsubhatomukhā a bagputoḷi fullpūrā of various kindsnānāvihitassa of graindhaññassa, namely—of fine riceseyyathidaṁ—sālīnaṁ of paddyvīhīnaṁ of mung beansmuggānaṁ of peasmāsānaṁ of sesametilānaṁ of husked ricetaṇḍulānaṁ. and thatTamenaṁ with good eyescakkhumā a manpuriso having openedmuñcitvā would examinepaccavekkheyya: 'these‘ime fine ricesālī theseime paddyvīhī theseime mung beansmuggā theseime peasmāsā theseime sesametilā theseime husked rice' (quote)taṇḍulā’ti.
just soEvameva indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu this veryimameva bodykāyaṁ upuddhaṁ from the soles of the feetpādatalā, downadho from the tips of the hairskesamatthakā, bounded by skintacapariyantaṁ fullpūraṁ of manifoldnānappakārassa impurityasucino examinespaccavekkhati:
'there is‘atthi in thisimasmiṁ bodykāye head hairskesā body hairslomā and so on…pe… urine' (quote)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.’

thusIti internallyajjhattaṁ orvā in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati and so on…pe…
in this way tooevampi indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati.
the repulsiveness sectionPaṭikūlamanasikārapabbaṁ is finishedniṭṭhitaṁ.

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.

contemplation of the body: elements sectionKāyānupassanādhātumanasikārapabba

1.5. Focusing on the Elements

furthermorePuna moreovercaparaṁ, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu this veryimameva bodykāyaṁ however placedyathāṭhitaṁ however disposedyathāpaṇihitaṁ by way of elementsdhātuso examinespaccavekkhati:
'there is‘atthi in thisimasmiṁ bodykāye the earth elementpathavīdhātu the water elementāpodhātu the fire elementtejodhātu the air element' (quote)vāyodhātū’ti.
just asSeyyathāpi, monksbhikkhave, skilleddakkho a butchergoghātako orvā a butcher's apprenticegoghātakantevāsī orvā a cowgāviṁ having slaughteredvadhitvā at a crossroadscatumahāpathe into piecesbilaso having dividedvibhajitvā seatednisinno would beassa.
just soEvameva indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu this veryimameva bodykāyaṁ however placedyathāṭhitaṁ however disposedyathāpaṇihitaṁ by way of elementsdhātuso examinespaccavekkhati:
'there is‘atthi in thisimasmiṁ bodykāye the earth elementpathavīdhātu the water elementāpodhātu the fire elementtejodhātu the air element' (quote)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.

thusIti internallyajjhattaṁ orvā in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati and so on…pe…
in this way tooevampi indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati.
the elements sectionDhātumanasikārapabbaṁ is finishedniṭṭhitaṁ.

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.

contemplation of the body: charnel grounds sectionKāyānupassanānavasivathikapabba

1.6. The Charnel Ground Contemplations

furthermorePuna moreovercaparaṁ, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu just as ifseyyathāpi should seepasseyya a corpsesarīraṁ in a charnel groundsivathikāya discardedchaḍḍitaṁ one day deadekāhamataṁ orvā two days deaddvīhamataṁ orvā three days deadtīhamataṁ orvā bloateduddhumātakaṁ lividvinīlakaṁ festeringvipubbakajātaṁ.
heSo this veryimameva bodykāyaṁ comparesupasaṁharati:
'this too‘ayampi indeedkho bodykāyo of such a natureevaṁdhammo of such a kindevaṁbhāvī not beyond this' (quote)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.’

thusIti internallyajjhattaṁ orvā in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati and so on…pe…
in this way tooevampi indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati.

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.

furthermorePuna moreovercaparaṁ, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu just as ifseyyathāpi should seepasseyya a corpsesarīraṁ in a charnel groundsivathikāya discardedchaḍḍitaṁ by crowskākehi orvā being devouredkhajjamānaṁ by hawkskulalehi orvā being devouredkhajjamānaṁ by vulturesgijjhehi orvā being devouredkhajjamānaṁ by heronskaṅkehi orvā being devouredkhajjamānaṁ by dogssunakhehi orvā being devouredkhajjamānaṁ by tigersbyagghehi orvā being devouredkhajjamānaṁ by leopardsdīpīhi orvā being devouredkhajjamānaṁ by jackalssiṅgālehi orvā being devouredkhajjamānaṁ by variousvividhehi orvā kinds of creaturespāṇakajātehi being devouredkhajjamānaṁ.
heSo this veryimameva bodykāyaṁ comparesupasaṁharati:
'this too‘ayampi indeedkho bodykāyo of such a natureevaṁdhammo of such a kindevaṁbhāvī not beyond this' (quote)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.’

thusIti internallyajjhattaṁ orvā in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati and so on…pe…
in this way tooevampi indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati.

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.

furthermorePuna moreovercaparaṁ, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu just as ifseyyathāpi should seepasseyya a corpsesarīraṁ in a charnel groundsivathikāya discardedchaḍḍitaṁ a skeletonaṭṭhikasaṅkhalikaṁ with flesh and bloodsamaṁsalohitaṁ bound by sinewsnhārusambandhaṁ and so on…pe…
a skeletonAṭṭhikasaṅkhalikaṁ fleshless, smeared with bloodnimaṁsalohitamakkhitaṁ bound by sinewsnhārusambandhaṁ and so on…pe…
a skeletonAṭṭhikasaṅkhalikaṁ without flesh and bloodapagatamaṁsalohitaṁ bound by sinewsnhārusambandhaṁ and so on…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 …

bonesAṭṭhikāni freed from their connectionsapagatasambandhāni in the directionsdisā in the intermediate directionsvidisā scatteredvikkhittāni, in another placeaññena a hand bonehatthaṭṭhikaṁ in another placeaññena a foot bonepādaṭṭhikaṁ in another placeaññena an ankle bonegopphakaṭṭhikaṁ in another placeaññena a shin bonejaṅghaṭṭhikaṁ in another placeaññena a thigh boneūruṭṭhikaṁ in another placeaññena a hip bonekaṭiṭṭhikaṁ in another placeaññena a rib bonephāsukaṭṭhikaṁ in another placeaññena a back bonepiṭṭhiṭṭhikaṁ in another placeaññena a shoulder bonekhandhaṭṭhikaṁ in another placeaññena a neck bonegīvaṭṭhikaṁ in another placeaññena a jaw bonehanukaṭṭhikaṁ in another placeaññena a tooth bonedantaṭṭhikaṁ in another placeaññena the skullsīsakaṭāhaṁ.
heSo this veryimameva bodykāyaṁ comparesupasaṁharati:
'this too‘ayampi indeedkho bodykāyo of such a natureevaṁdhammo of such a kindevaṁbhāvī not beyond this' (quote)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. …

thusIti internallyajjhattaṁ orvā in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati and so on…pe…
in this way tooevampi indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati.

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.

furthermorePuna moreovercaparaṁ, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu just as ifseyyathāpi should seepasseyya a corpsesarīraṁ in a charnel groundsivathikāya discardedchaḍḍitaṁ, bonesaṭṭhikāni whitesetāni resembling the color of shellssaṅkhavaṇṇapaṭibhāgāni and so on…pe…

White bones, the color of shells …

bonesAṭṭhikāni heaped in a pilepuñjakitāni more than a year oldterovassikāni and so on…pe…

Decrepit bones, heaped in a pile …

bonesAṭṭhikāni rottenpūtīni crumbled to powdercuṇṇakajātāni.
heSo this veryimameva bodykāyaṁ comparesupasaṁharati:
'this too‘ayampi indeedkho bodykāyo of such a natureevaṁdhammo of such a kindevaṁbhāvī not beyond this' (quote)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.’

thusIti internallyajjhattaṁ orvā in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati, externallybahiddhā orvā in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati, internally and externallyajjhattabahiddhā orvā in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati;
observing the nature of arisingsamudayadhammānupassī orvā in the bodykāyasmiṁ meditatesviharati, observing the nature of vanishingvayadhammānupassī orvā in the bodykāyasmiṁ meditatesviharati, observing the nature of arising and vanishingsamudayavayadhammānupassī orvā in the bodykāyasmiṁ meditatesviharati.
'there is‘Atthi a body' (quote)kāyo’ti orvā moreover for thempanassa mindfulnesssati establishedpaccupaṭṭhitā ishoti. just enoughYāvadeva for a measure of knowledgeñāṇamattāya for a measure of mindfulnesspaṭissatimattāya independentanissito andca meditatesviharati, notna andca anythingkiñci in the worldloke graspsupādiyati.
in this way tooEvampi indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu in the bodykāye observing the bodykāyānupassī meditatesviharati.
the charnel grounds sectionNavasivathikapabbaṁ is finishedniṭṭhitaṁ.
the fourteen body contemplationsCuddasakāyānupassanā are finishedniṭṭhitā.

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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