Paṭik(k)ūlamanasikāra is a

Pāli Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhi ...

term that is generally translated as "reflections on repulsiveness". It refers to a traditional

Buddhist meditation Buddhist meditation is the practice of meditation in Buddhism. The closest words for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are ''bhāvanā'' ("mental development") and '' jhāna/dhyāna'' (mental training resulting in a calm and ...

whereby thirty-one parts of the body are contemplated in a variety of ways. In addition to developing

sati Sati or SATI may refer to: Entertainment * ''Sati'' (film), a 1989 Bengali film by Aparna Sen and starring Shabana Azmi * ''Sati'' (novel), a 1990 novel by Christopher Pike *Sati (singer) (born 1976), Lithuanian singer *Sati, a character in ''Th ...

(mindfulness) and

samādhi ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...

(concentration), this form of

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

is considered conducive to overcoming desire and lust. Along with cemetery contemplations, this type of meditation is one of the two meditations on "the foul" or "unattractive" (Pāli: ''asubha'').

Translation

''Paikkūla'' (Pāli) literally means "against" (''pai'') "the slope" or "embankment" (''kūla'') and has been translated adjectivally as "averse, objectionable, contrary, disagreeable" and, in its nounal form, as "loathsomeness, impurity". ''Manasikāra'' (Pāli), derived from ''manasi'' ( locative of ''mana'' thus, loosely, "in mind" or "in thought") and ''karoti'' ("to make" or "to bring into") and has been translated as "attention" or "pondering" or "fixed thought". In contemporary translations, the compound term ''paikkūla-manasikāra'' is generally translated as "reflections on repulsiveness" or, adding contextual clarity at the expense of literal accuracy, "reflections on repulsiveness of the body". Alternate translations include "attention directed to repulsiveness" and "realisation of the impurity of the body".

Benefits

This type of meditation is traditionally mentioned as an "antidote" to sensual passion. This is also one of the "four protective meditations", along with

anussati ( Pāli; sa, Anusmriti, italic=yes; ; ) means "recollection," "contemplation," "remembrance," "meditation", and " mindfulness". It refers to specific Buddhist meditational or devotional practices, such as recollecting the sublime qualities of ...

(recollection of the Buddha), mettā (benevolence) practice and recollection of death. In individual discourses, this type of contemplation is identified as a contributor to a variety of mundane and transcendental goals. For instance, in the ''Girimananda Sutta'' ( AN 10.60), Ananda's recitation of this and other contemplations immediately cures an ailing monk. In the ''Sampasadaniya Sutta'' (DN 28), Ven. Sariputta declares that meditating on these 31 body parts leads to "the attainment of vision, in four ways", and briefly outlines how this method can be used as a springboard by which one "comes to know the unbroken stream of human consciousness that is not established either in this world or in the next". In addition, in the ''Iddhipāda-samyutta'''s ''Vibhanga Sutta'' ( SN 51.20), this meditation subject is used to develop the four bases of power ('' iddhipāda'') by which one is able to achieve liberation from suffering.Bodhi (2000), pp. 1736-40; Thanissaro (1997b). While the Pali Canon invariably includes this form of contemplation in its various lists of mindfulness meditation techniques, the compendious fifth-century ''

Visuddhimagga The ''Visuddhimagga'' (Pali; English: ''The Path of Purification''), is the 'great treatise' on Buddhist practice and Theravāda Abhidhamma written by Buddhaghosa approximately in the 5th century in Sri Lanka. It is a manual condensing and sys ...

'' identifies this type of contemplation (along with anapanasati) as one of the few body-directed meditations particularly suited to the development of samādhi ( Vism. VIII, 43).

Practice

In Buddhist scriptures, this practice involves mentally identifying 31 parts of the body, contemplated upon in various ways.

Objects of contemplation

This meditation involves meditating on 31 different body parts: :

head hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fine ...

s (Pali: ''kesā''), body hairs (''lomā''),

nail Nail or Nails may refer to: In biology * Nail (anatomy), toughened protective protein-keratin (known as alpha-keratin, also found in hair) at the end of an animal digit, such as fingernail * Nail (beak), a plate of hard horny tissue at the tip ...

s (''nakhā''),

teeth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, t ...

(''dantā''),

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different de ...

(''taco''), :flesh (''masa''),

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

s (''nahāru''),

bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

s (''ahi''), bone marrow (''ahimiñja''),

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blo ...

s (''vakka''), :

heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...

(''hadaya''),

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

(''yakana''),

pleura The pulmonary pleurae (''sing.'' pleura) are the two opposing layers of serous membrane overlying the lungs and the inside of the surrounding chest walls. The inner pleura, called the visceral pleura, covers the surface of each lung and dips b ...

(''kilomaka''),

spleen The spleen is an organ found in almost all vertebrates. Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter. The word spleen comes .

(''pihaka''), lungs (''papphāsa''), :

entrail The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...

s (''anta''), mesentery (''antagu''), undigested food (''udariya''), feces (''karīsa''), : bile (''pitta''),

phlegm Phlegm (; , ''phlégma'', "inflammation", "humour caused by heat") is mucus produced by the respiratory system, excluding that produced by the nasal passages. It often refers to respiratory mucus expelled by coughing, otherwise known as sputum ...

(''semha''),

pus Pus is an exudate, typically white-yellow, yellow, or yellow-brown, formed at the site of inflammation during bacterial or fungal infection. An accumulation of pus in an enclosed tissue space is known as an abscess, whereas a visible collection ...

(''pubbo''),

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...

(''lohita''),

sweat Perspiration, also known as sweating, is the production of fluids secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distrib ...

(''sedo''),

fat In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple est ...

(''medo''), :

tears Tears are a clear liquid secreted by the lacrimal glands (tear gland) found in the eyes of all land mammals. Tears are made up of water, electrolytes, proteins, lipids, and mucins that form layers on the surface of eyes. The different types of ...

(''assu''), skin-oil (''vasā''), saliva (''kheo''),

mucus Mucus ( ) is a slippery aqueous secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is typically produced from cells found in mucous glands, although it may also originate from mixed glands, which contain both serous and mucous cells. It ...

(''siṅghānikā''), fluid in the joints (''lasikā''),

urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excreted from the body through the urethra. Cellular ...

(''mutta''). In a few discourses, these 31 body parts are contextualized within the framework of the

mahābhūta ''Mahābhūta'' is Sanskrit and Pāli for "great element". However, very few scholars define the four mahābhūtas in a broader sense as the four fundamental aspects of physical reality. Hinduism In Hinduism's sacred literature, the "great" ...

(the elements) so that the earth element is exemplified by the body parts from head hair to feces, and the water element is exemplified by bile through urine. A few other discourses preface contemplation of these 31 body parts in the following manner: "Herein ... a monk contemplates this body upward from the soles of the feet, downward from the top of the hair, enclosed in skin, as being full of many impurities." The 31 identified body parts in ''pātikūlamanasikāra'' contemplation are the same as the first 31 body parts identified in the "Dvattimsakara" ("32 Parts

f the Body F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''. Hist ...

) verse ( Khp. 3) regularly recited by monks. The thirty-second body part identified in the latter verse is the brain (''matthaluga''). The Visuddhimagga suggests the enumeration of the 31 body parts implicitly includes the brain in ''ahimiñja'', which is traditionally translated as "bone marrow".

Methods of contemplation

A canonical formulation of how to meditate on these is: :"Just as if a sack with openings at both ends were full of various kinds of grain – wheat, rice, mung beans, kidney beans, sesame seeds, husked rice – and a man with good eyesight, pouring it out, were to reflect, 'This is wheat. This is rice. These are mung beans. These are kidney beans. These are sesame seeds. This is husked rice'; in the same way, the monk reflects on this very body from the soles of the feet on up, from the crown of the head on down, surrounded by skin and full of various kinds of unclean things s identified in the above enumeration of bodily organs and fluids..."Thanissaro (1997c). In regards to this and other body-centered meditation objects, the ''

Satipatthana Sutta The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta ( Majjhima Nikaya 10: ''The Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness''), and the subsequently created Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta (Dīgha Nikāya 22: ''The Great Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness''), are ...

'' ( DN 22) provides the following additional context and expected results: According to the post-canonical Pali

atthakatha Aṭṭhakathā (Pali for explanation, commentary) refers to Pali-language Theravadin Buddhist commentaries to the canonical Theravadin Tipitaka. These commentaries give the traditional interpretations of the scriptures. The major commentaries w ...

(commentary) on the ''Satipatthana Sutta'', one can develop "seven kinds of skill in study" regarding these meditation objects through: # repetition of the body parts verbally # repetition of the body parts mentally # discerning the body parts individually in terms of each one's color # discerning the body parts individually in terms of each one's shape # discerning if a body part is above or below the navel (or both) # discerning the body part's spatial location # spatially and functionally juxtaposing two body parts

Traditional sources

The name for this type of meditation is found in the sectional titles used in the ''Mahasatipatthana Sutta'' (''

Dīgha Nikāya The Digha Nikaya (dīghanikāya; "Collection of Long Discourses") is a Buddhist scriptures collection, the first of the five Nikāyas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that compose the Pali Tipitaka of ...

'' 22) and the ''Satipatthana Sutta'' ( MN 10), where the contemplation of the 32 body parts is entitled, ''Paikkūla-manasikāra-pabba'' (which, word-for-word, can be translated as "repulsiveness-reflection-section"). Subsequently, in the post-canonical ''

'' and other atthakatha works, ''paikkūlamanasikāra'' is explicitly used when referring to this technique. This form of meditation is mentioned in the following suttas in the

Pāli Canon The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school. During ...

(listed in order of

nikāya ''Nikāya'' () is a Pāli word meaning "volume". It is often used like the Sanskrit word '' āgama'' () to mean "collection", "assemblage", "class" or "group" in both Pāḷi and Sanskrit. It is most commonly used in reference to the Pali Buddhist ...

and then sutta number within nikaya):Three of these discourses – MN 28, MN 62 and MN 140 – mention the 31 bodily organs in the context of either four or five great elements (''

''), which, strictly speaking, in the ''(Mahā)Satipahāna Sutta'' is the basis for a separate meditation from ''paṭikkūla-manasikāra'' contemplation. For example, based on commentarial statements, ''paṭikkūla-manasikāra'' contemplation could entail spatial awareness of each of the bodily organs or fluids, and is traditionally used as an antidote to lust; on the other hand, contemplation on the elements emphasizes the tactile experiences of solidity, liquidity, heat and air, and serves as a basis for developing equanimity and insight into not-self ('' anatta'') (e.g., see MN 28). * Mahasatipatthana Sutta ("The Great Frames of Reference", ''Dīgha Nikāya'' 22) * Sampasadaniya Sutta ("Serene Faith", DN 28) *

("Frames of References", '' Majjhima Nikaya'' 10). * Mahahattipadopama Sutta ("The Great Elephant Footprint Simile", MN 28) * Maharahulovada Sutta ("The Greater Exhortation to Rahula", MN 62) * Kayagatasati Sutta ("Mindfulness Immersed in the Body", MN 119) * Dhatu-vibhanga Sutta ("An Analysis of the Properties", MN 140) * In the ''

Saṃyutta Nikāya The Saṃyukta Nikāya/Samyutta Nikaya (''Saṃyukta'' ''Nikāya/'' SN, "Connected Discourses" or "Kindred Sayings") is a Buddhist scripture, the third of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three basket ...

''s collection regarding the four bases of power (''

iddhipada ''Iddhipāda'' (Pali; Skt. ''ddhipāda'') is a compound term composed of "power" or "potency" (''iddhi''; ''ddhi'') and "base," "basis" or "constituent" (''pāda''). In Buddhism, the "power" referred to by this compound term is a group of spirit ...

''), in a sutta called ''Vibhanga'' ("Analysis", ''Saṃyutta Nikāya'' 51.20) * Udayi Sutta ("To Udayi", ''

Aṅguttara Nikāya The Anguttara Nikaya ('; , also translated "Gradual Collection" or "Numerical Discourses") is a Buddhist scripture, the fourth of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that comprise the Pali ...

'' 6.29) * Girimananda Sutta ("To Girimananda", AN 10.60) Elsewhere in

Pali literature Pali literature is concerned mainly with Theravada Buddhism, of which Pali is the traditional language. The earliest and most important Pali literature constitutes the Pāli Canon, the authoritative scriptures of Theravada school. Pali literat ...

, this type of meditation is discussed extensively in the post-canonical

(Vism. VIII, 44-145). In several of these sources, this meditation is identified as one of a variety of meditations on the body along with, for instance, the mindfulness of breathing (see

Anapanasati Sutta Ānāpānasati (Pali; Sanskrit ''ānāpānasmṛti''), meaning " mindfulness of breathing" ("sati" means mindfulness; "ānāpāna" refers to inhalation and exhalation), paying attention to the breath. It is the quintessential form of Buddhist ...

).E.g., DN 22, MN 10, MN 119, Vism. VIII, 42.

Notes

References

* Anālayo (2017), ''Early Buddhist Meditation Studies''. Barre, MA: Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. . * Bodhi, Bhikkhu (trans.) (2000). ''The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya''. Boston: Wisdom Pubs. . *Bodhi, Bhikkhu (Fall 2002). ''Climbing to the Top of the Mountain: An Interview with Bhikkhu Bodhi,'' Insight Journal, Vol. 19. Barre, MA: Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. Also available on-line at https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/article/climbing-to-the-top-of-the-mountain/. * Buddhaghosa, Bhadantācariya (trans. from Pāli by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli) (1999). ''The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga''. Seattle, WA: BPS Pariyatti Editions. . * Goenka, S.N. (n.d.). ''Discourses on Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta: Condensed from the discourses during a course in Mahā-satipaṭṭhāna Sutta''. Available on-line at http://www.vri.dhamma.org/publications/webversion/english/dstp.html. The section dealing specifically with ''patikulamanasikara'' is at http://www.vri.dhamma.org/publications/webversion/english/dstp.html#15. * Hamilton, Sue (2001). ''Identity and Experience: The Constitution of the Human Being according to Early Buddhism''. Oxford: Luzac Oriental. . *Nanamoli, Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998). ''Mindfulness of Breathing (Anapanasati): Buddhist Texts from the Pali Canon and Extracts from the Pali Commentaries''. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. . *Nyanasatta Thera (1994). ''Satipatthana Sutta: The Foundations of Mindfulness'' ( MN 10). Retrieved 2008-02-02 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.010.nysa.html. *

Piyadassi Thera Piyadassi Maha Thera ( si, පියදස්සි මහා ස්ථවිරයන් වහන්සේ, 8 July 1914 – 18 August 1998) was a preacher of the Dhamma both in Sinhala and in English. He was born on 8 July 1914 at Kotahena in C ...

(trans.) (1999a). ''Girimananda Sutta: Discourse to Girimananda Thera'' ( AN 10.60). Retrieved 2008-02-02 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an10/an10.060.piya.html. *Piyadassi Thera (trans.) (1999b). ''Khuddakapatha Suttas (Selections)'' ( Khp 1-6,9). Retrieved from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/khp/khp.1-9x.piya.html. * Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). ''The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary'' (PED). London:

Pali Text Society The Pali Text Society is a text publication society founded in 1881 by Thomas William Rhys Davids "to foster and promote the study of Pāli texts". Pāli is the language in which the texts of the Theravada school of Buddhism are preserved. The ...

. A general on-line search engine for the PED is available at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/. *Soma Thera (2003) (6th reprint). ''The Way of Mindfulness''. Kandy:

Buddhist Publication Society The Buddhist Publication Society (BPS) is a publishing house with charitable status whose objective is to disseminate the teaching of Gautama Buddha. It was founded in Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1958 by two Sri Lankan lay Buddhists, A.S. Karunaratna and ...

. . A 1998 edition is available on-line from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/soma/wayof.html. *Sri Lanka Tripitaka Project (SLTP) (n.d.). ''Anuttariyavaggo'' ( AN 6.21 - 6.30). Retrieved 2008-02-01 from "MettaNet-Lanka" at http://www.metta.lk/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/4Anguttara-Nikaya/Anguttara4/6-chakkanipata/003-anuttariyavaggo-p.html. The ''Udāyi Sutta'' (AN 6.29) is identified in this section as "6. 1. 3. 9". * Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1994). ''Khuddakapatha Suttas (Complete)'' (Khp 1-9). Retrieved from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/khp/khp.1-9.than.html. *Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1996). ''Vijaya Sutta: Victory'' ( Sn 1.11). Retrieved 2008-03-23 from "Access to Insight" (1997) at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.11.than.html. *Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997a). ''Dhatu-vibhanga Sutta: An Analysis of the Properties'' ( MN 140). Retrieved 2008-02-02 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.140.than.html. *Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997b). ''Iddhipada-vibhanga Sutta: Analysis of the Bases of Power'' ( SN 51.20). Retrieved 2008-02-02 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn51/sn51.020.than.html. *Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997c). ''Kayagata-sati Sutta: Mindfulness Immersed in the Body'' ( MN 119). Retrieved from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.119.than.html. *Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2000). ''Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference'' ( DN 22). Retrieved from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.22.0.than.html. *Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2003). ''Maha-hatthipadopama Sutta: The Great Elephant Footprint Simile'' (MN 28). Retrieved 2008-02-02 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.028.than.html. *Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2006). ''Maha-Rahulovada Sutta: The Greater Exhortation to Rahula'' (MN 62). Retrieved 2008-02-02 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.062.than.html. *Vipassana Research Institute (VRI) (1996). ''Mahasatipatthana Sutta: The Great Discourse on the Establishing of Awareness''. Seattle, WA: Vipassana Research Publications of America. . *Walshe, Maurice (trans.) (1995). ''The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya''. Boston: Wisdom Pubs. .

External links

"The Section of Reflection on Repulsiveness"
from: Soma Thera (trans.) (''undated''). ''The Commentary to the Discourse on the Arousing of Mindfulness with Marginal Notes''. Available on-line at http://www.abhidhamma.org/SomaTheraTheCommentary.htm.

by Dhamma Viro {{Buddhism topics Buddhist meditation Pali words and phrases