Visuddhimagga (the pah of purification)

by Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu | 1956 | 388,207 words | ISBN-10: 9552400236 | ISBN-13: 9789552400236

This page describes General Definitions of the section Foulness as a Meditation Subject (Asubha-kammaṭṭhāna-niddesa) of Part 2 Concentration (Samādhi) of the English translation of the Visuddhimagga (‘the path of purification’) which represents a detailled Buddhist meditation manual, covering all the essential teachings of Buddha as taught in the Pali Tipitaka. It was compiled Buddhaghosa around the 5th Century.

1. [178] Now, ten kinds of foulness, [as corpses] without consciousness, were listed next after the kasiṇas thus: the bloated, the livid, the festering, the cut up, the gnawed, the scattered, the hacked and scattered, the bleeding, the worm infested, a skeleton (III.105).

The bloated: it is bloated (uddhumāta) because bloated by gradual dilation and swelling after (uddhaṃ [uddha]) the close of life, as a bellows is with wind. What is bloated (uddhumāta) is the same as “the bloated” (uddhumātaka). Or alternatively, what is bloated (uddhumāta) is vile (kucchita) because of repulsiveness, thus it is “the bloated” (uddhumātaka). This is a term for a corpse in that particular state.

2. The livid: what has patchy discolouration is called livid (vinīla). What is livid is the same as “the livid” (vinīlaka). Or alternatively, what is livid (vinīla) is vile (kucchita) because of repulsiveness, thus it is “the livid” (vinīlaka).[1] This is a term for a corpse that is reddish-coloured in places where flesh is prominent, whitish-coloured in places where pus has collected, but mostly blue-black (nīla), as if draped with blue-black cloth in the blue-black places.

3. The festering: what is trickling with pus in broken places is festering (vipubba). What is festering is the same as “the festering” (vipubbaka). Or alternatively, what is festering (vipubba) is vile (kucchita) because of repulsiveness, thus it is “the festering” (vipubbaka). This is a term for a corpse in that particular state.

4. The cut up: what has been opened up[2] by cutting it in two is called cut up (vicchidda). What is cut up is the same as “the cut up” (vicchiddaka). Or alternatively, what is cut up (vicchidda) is vile (kucchita) because of repulsiveness, thus it is “the cut up” (vicchiddaka). This is a term for a corpse cut in the middle. [179]

5. The gnawed: what has been chewed here and there in various ways by dogs, jackals, etc., is what is gnawed (vikkhāyita). What is gnawed is the same as “the gnawed” (vikkhāyitaka). Or alternatively, what is gnawed (vikkhāyita) is vile (kucchita) because of repulsiveness, thus it is “the gnawed” (vikkhāyitaka). This is a term for a corpse in that particular state.

6. The scattered: what is strewed about (vividhaṃ khittaṃ) is scattered (vikkhittaṃ [vikkhitta]). What is scattered is the same as “the scattered” (vikkhittaka). Or alternatively, what is scattered (vikkhitta) is vile (kucchita) because of repulsiveness, thus it is “the scattered” (vikkhittaka). This is a term for a corpse that is strewed here and there in this way: “Here a hand, there a foot, there the head” (cf. M I 58).

7. The hacked and scattered: it is hacked, and it is scattered in the way just described, thus it is “hacked and scattered” (hata-vikkhittaka). This is a term for a corpse scattered in the way just described after it has been hacked with a knife in a crow’s-foot pattern on every limb.

8. The bleeding: it sprinkles (kirati), scatters, blood (lohita), and it trickles here and there, thus it is “the bleeding” (lohitaka). This is a term for a corpse smeared with trickling blood.

9. The worm-infested: it is maggots that are called worms (puḷuva);it sprinkles worms (puḷuve kirati), thus it is worm-infested (puḷuvaka). This is a term for a corpse full of maggots.

10. A skeleton: bone (aṭṭhi) is the same as skeleton (aṭṭhika). Or alternatively, bone (aṭṭhi) is vile (kucchita) because of repulsiveness, thus it is a skeleton (aṭṭhika). This is a term both for a single bone and for a framework of bones.

11. These names are also used both for the signs that arise with the bloated, etc., as their support, and for the jhānas obtained in the signs.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

It is not possible to render such associative and alliterative derivations of meaning into English. They have nothing to do with the historical development of words, and their purpose is purely mnemonic.

[2]:

Apavārita—“opened up”: not in PED.

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