1.11. Victory Over Fascination with Bodies

Caraṁ vā yadi vā tiṭṭhaṁ,

nisinno uda vā sayaṁ;

Samiñjeti pasāreti,

esā kāyassa iñjanā.

Aṭṭhinahārusaṁyutto,

tacamaṁsāvalepano;

Chaviyā kāyo paṭicchanno,

yathābhūtaṁ na dissati.

Antapūro udarapūro,

yakanapeḷassa vatthino;

Hadayassa papphāsassa,

vakkassa pihakassa ca.

Siṅghāṇikāya kheḷassa,

sedassa ca medassa ca;

Lohitassa lasikāya,

pittassa ca vasāya ca.

Athassa navahi sotehi,

asucī savati sabbadā;

Akkhimhā akkhigūthako,

kaṇṇamhā kaṇṇagūthako.

Siṅghāṇikā ca nāsato,

mukhena vamatekadā;

Pittaṁ semhañca vamati,

kāyamhā sedajallikā.

Athassa susiraṁ sīsaṁ,

matthaluṅgassa pūritaṁ;

Subhato naṁ maññati bālo,

avijjāya purakkhato.

Yadā ca so mato seti,

Uddhumāto vinīlako;

Apaviddho susānasmiṁ,

Anapekkhā honti ñātayo.

Khādanti naṁ suvānā ca,

siṅgālā ca vakā kimī;

Kākā gijjhā ca khādanti,

ye caññe santi pāṇino.

Sutvāna buddhavacanaṁ,

Bhikkhu paññāṇavā idha;

So kho naṁ parijānāti,

Yathābhūtañhi passati.

Yathā idaṁ tathā etaṁ,

Yathā etaṁ tathā idaṁ;

Ajjhattañca bahiddhā ca,

Kāye chandaṁ virājaye.

Chandarāgaviratto so,

Bhikkhu paññāṇavā idha;

Ajjhagā amataṁ santiṁ,

Nibbānaṁ padamaccutaṁ.

Dvipādakoyaṁ asuci,

Duggandho parihīrati;

Nānākuṇapaparipūro,

Vissavanto tato tato.

Etādisena kāyena,

Yo maññe uṇṇametave;

Paraṁ vā avajāneyya,

Kimaññatra adassanāti.

Vijayasuttaṁ ekādasamaṁ.

SC 1SC Verse 195Whether walking or standing still,
down one sits or lays it down,
bends it in or stretches it—
it’s just the body’s movement.

SC 2SC Verse 196This body by bones and sinews bound,
bedaubed by membranes, flesh
and covered all over by skin—
not seen as it really is:

SC 3SC Verse 197Filled with guts, with stomach filled,
with bladder, liver-lump
with heart and lungs it’s filled,
with kidneys too and spleen.

SC 4SC Verse 198Liquids like spittle and snot
together with sweat and fat,
with blood and oil for the joints,
with bile and grease for the skin.

SC 5SC Verse 199Then by the streaming nine
impurity oozes out:
from the eye there’s dirt of eyes,
from ears, wax—dirt of ears,

SC 6SC Verse 200Snot-mucuses from nose,
vomit at times from the mouth,
sometimes phlegm’s spewed forth,
and from the body sweat and dirt.

SC 7SC Verse 201And then within its hollow head
bundled brains are stuffed—
the fool thinks all is beautiful,
by ignorance led on.

SC 8SC Verse 202But when it’s lying dead,
bloated and livid blue,
cast away in the charnel-ground
kin care for it not.

SC 9SC Verse 203Then dogs devour, jackals too,
wolves and worms dismember it,
crows and vultures tear at it,
and other creatures too.

SC 10SC Verse 204A monk who’s wise,
having heard the Buddha’s teaching,
understands that,
for he sees it as it really is.

SC 11SC Verse 205Contemplate: this living body,
that corpse was once like this
and as that corpse is now
so will this body be—
for body then discard desire,
whether within or without.

SC 12SC Verse 206Such a monk who’s wise, desire
and lust discarded utterly,
attains to Deathlessness, to peace,
Nirvāṇa, the unchanging state.

SC 13SC Verse 207But this foetid, foul, two-footed thing,
is pampered, though filled
with varied sorts of stench, as well
with oozing here and there.

SC 14SC Verse 208Whoever such a body has,
but thinks to exalt themselves,
or to despise another—
what’s this but wisdom’s lack?