Vijaya Sutta | Sn I-11

11. Vijaya Sutta

Discourse on the Victory

192. While walking or standing or sitting or lying down (the various joints) bend and stretch. Such bending and stretching are merely movements of the body. (1)

193. The true nature of the body is not seen (to the untrained mind)since it is (properly) held together by bones and sinews wound up with or dressed up by flesh and serum and covered by the skin. (2)

197. This body is made up of intestines, the stomach, the liver, entrails, the bladder, the heart, lungs, kidneys and the spleen. (3)

198. It is filled with the mucous of the nostrils, phlegm, sweat, fat, blood, joint lubricating fluids, bile, serum, etc. (4)

199/200. Moreover, from it there is a constant flow of discharge:

(e.g.) there is the discharge from the eye;
the discharge from the ear
the mucous from the nose and sometime bile or phlegm
is vomited through the mouth;
sweat and impurities are put forth by the (whole) body. (5-6)

201. Furthermore, the head has a cavity filled with the brain.

It is the fool who is easily led by ignorance into thinking that the body is beautiful. (7)

202. When that body lies lifeless and bloated, the corpse, now black and blue is just thrown away at the cemetery and no kith or kin cares (to touch it). (8)

203. That body, now as a corpse, is eaten up by dogs, jackals, wolves, worms, and insects crows, vultures and other kinds that love to feast on carrion. (9)

204. Under the Buddha's Teaching, the wise Bhikkhu, on hearing the Buddha's words, gains insight into the reality of this body (in the following manner:) (10)

205. (That) this nasty living body, while alive, walks, stands, sits or lies down in, much the same way as the nasty corpse which, when there was life in it, did, the same functions (movements).

(Putting it another way,) that nasty corpse, now, being devoid of life, (lifeless), dose not walk or stand or sit or lie down,

in much the same way as this nasty living body will no longer do the same function (movements) once it become lifeless.

Thus should the earnest, Bhikkhu cast away passionate desire for one's own body or any other body. (11)

206. Under the Buddha's Teaching, the wise Bhikkhu, having cast away passionate desire, attains the deathless, blissful, craving-free and stable Nibbāna. (12)

207. This biped's body, being impure and foul smelling has to be carefully preserved (kept) (so as to be tolerable) with perfumes and cosmetics.

Yet, there is (hardly anything that could prevent) the constant oozing out of scum from the various outlets to this body filled with anything but nasty matter. (13)

208. Should anybody, being the mere possessor of such kind of body, feel arrogant, or despising others, what else could be behind it then except his ignorance of the Noble Truths?

(Thus the Buddha said). (14)

End of the Eleventh Vijaya Sutta