Translating Classical Buddhism to Modern English

The Medium Discourses

Chapter 11: The Greats

（一三九） 中阿含 大品 息止道經 第二十三 (第三念誦) 139. The Path of Calming
我聞如是： 一時，佛遊舍衛國，在勝林、給孤獨園。 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha traveled to the country of Śrāvastī and stayed at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove.
爾時，世尊告諸比丘： 「年少比丘始成就戒，當以數數詣息止道觀相：骨相、青相、腐相、食相、骨鏁相。 彼善受、善持此相已，還至住處。 澡洗手足，敷尼師檀，在於床上結加趺坐，即念此相：骨相、青相、腐相、食相、骨鏁相。 所以者何？ 若彼比丘修習此相，速除心中欲恚之病。」 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “Junior monks who’ve recently accomplished the precepts should frequently resort to the path of calming by contemplating these signs:2 signs of bones, blueness, rot, being eaten, and the skeleton. Once these signs have been well perceived and retained, they should return to their residence. They should then wash their hands and feet, spread out their sitting mat, sit down cross-legged on that seat, and recollect these signs: signs of bones, blueness, rot, being eaten, and the skeleton. Why is that? If that monk develops these signs, he will quickly rid his mind of the illnesses of desire and dislike.”
於是，世尊說此頌曰： 3. Thereupon, the Bhagavān spoke these verses:
  • 「若年少比丘
    覺未得上意，
    當詣息止道，
    欲除其婬欲。
  • “If a junior monk’s training
    Has yet to yield a calm mind,
    He should resort to the path of calming
    Wanting to get rid of his lust.3
  • 心中無恚諍，
    慈愍於眾生。
    遍滿一切方，
    往至觀諸身。
  • With no hateful disputes in his heart,
    He has compassion for sentient beings.
    Everywhere in all directions,
    He goes to contemplate their bodies.
  • 當觀於青相
    及以爛、腐、壞。
    觀鳥蟲所食
    骨骨節相連。
  • He should observe the sign of blueness
    And being rotten, putrid, and scattered.
    Observe them eaten by birds and insects
    And their bones linked together with sinews.4
  • 修習如是相，
    還歸至本處，
    澡洗於手足，
    敷床正基坐。
  • Having developed these signs,
    [Junior monks] return to their homes,
    Wash their hands and feet,
    Prepare a seat, and sit upright.
  • 當以觀真實
    內身及外身，
    盛滿大小便，
    心腎肝肺等。
  • They should contemplate truly
    Their own body and other bodies,
    The feces and urine filling them,
    And their hearts, kidneys, livers, and lungs.5
  • 若欲分衛食，
    到人村邑間。
    如將鎧纏絡，
    常正念在前。
  • If they want a serving of food,
    They go among people in a village.
    Like officers marching in armor,
    Their attention is on what’s ahead of them.
  • 若見色可愛，
    清淨欲相應，
    見已觀如真，
    正念佛法律。
  • If they see a form that’s lovely
    And associated with desire for purity,6
    They observe its reality upon seeing it,
    Mindful of the Buddha’s Dharma and Vinaya.
  • 此中無骨筋，
    無肉亦無血，
    無腎、心、肝、肺，
    無有涕、唾、腦。
  • There are no bones or sinews,
    Neither flesh nor blood,
    No heart, kidneys, liver, or lungs,
    And no tears, spit, or brains.
  • 一切地皆空，
    水種亦復然。
    空一切火種；
    風種亦復空。
  • The whole earth is empty,
    And likewise is the water element.
    Empty is all that is fire element;
    Likewise is the air element empty.
  • 若所有諸覺
    清淨欲相應，
    彼一切息止
    如慧之所觀。
  • Whatever feelings they have
    That are associated with the desire for purity,
    They are all calmed
    And observed the way a sage observes them.
  • 如是行精懃，
    常念不淨想。
    永斷婬、怒、癡，
    除一切無明。
    興起清淨明，
    比丘得苦邊。」
  • They practice in this way diligently,
    Recollecting perceptions of the impure.
    Ending lust, hate, and delusion forever,
    They are rid of all ignorance.
    When they produce pure insight,
    A monk reaches the end of suffering.”
佛說如是。 彼諸比丘聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 4. This is what the Buddha said. Those monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.

Notes

  1. For the source text, cf. T26.1.646c9-7a14. The Taisho editors suggest Snp 1.11 as a parallel. These two texts share the same general topic of contemplating the perceptions of impurity, but they do not appear to descend from a common source. Perhaps they are inspired by only a verse or two summarizing the meditations on impurity.
    Buddhaghosa reports two origin stories for Snp 1.11 in his commentary. The first teaching was said to be for the benefit of a nun who was still attached to her own beauty by making her realize its impermanence. The second teaching was to correct a monk after a beautiful laywoman who had supported him passed away.
    The brief background provided here in MĀ 139 seems to be in a different context of teaching junior monks in general. Also, the verses here begin by saying a monk calms his feelings of dislike by contemplating the bodies of all sentient beings, which then makes him feel compassion for them. I would think the origin story for MĀ 139 would’ve been different from the two stories that Buddhaghosa tells us (both of which involve not a small amount of mysogyny). [back]
  2. signs. C. 相. Sometimes in Middle Chinese, similarly pronounced or written words became interchangeable, which causes confusion when read literally. 相 and 想 were a case of this. 相 typically translated S. nimitta or lakṣaṇa (“sign, image”), while 想 translated words like S. saṃjñā (“notion, idea, perception”), but sometimes 相 should actually be read as a simplified form of 想.
    This passage appears to reference the nine perceptions of impurity, but it doesn’t do so completely or in the usual order. It might be better to assume 相 was read as 想, but I have left it as it is in my translation for now. The intention may have been to label these items as the “attributes” of a decaying body that served as objects of contemplation exercises. If that were the case, the original may have read S. nimitta (or similar) instead of saṃjñā. [back]
  3. If a junior monk’s training/ Has yet to yield a calm mind,// C. 若年少比丘，覺未得上意. I’ve adopted two alternate readings found in the Taisho notes that make better sense of the second line (覺未得上意 > 學未得止意). Using the Taisho edition, my translation would read: “If a junior monk’s feeling (?)/ Has yet to yield the higher mentality,//”. [back]
  4. This verse corresponds generally to verses 8-9 in Snp 1.11 (i.e., Snp 202-3). [back]
  5. This verse corresponds generally to verses 3-7 in Snp 1.11 (i.e. Snp 197-201). [back]
  6. associated with desire for purity. C. 清淨欲相應. The BDK translators chose to render this expression as “associated purely with desire,” which is likely because they did not understand how purity (清淨) could be a modifier of desire (欲) or vice versa. So, they read it as an adverb of “associated with” (相應).
    This expression makes more sense read straightfowardly when we remember that S. śubha (P. subha) was usually trans. to C. as 清淨. The subject of this text are the perceptions of impurity, which are the aśubha saṃjñā (P. asubha saññā). P. subha is often trans. to English as “beauty” because it’s a form of sensual purity that instigates desire.
    Therefore, I’m assuming that 清淨欲 translated something like śubha chanda, meaning “desire for purity” in the sense of the desire for what’s attractive. This is precisely what the aśubha saṃjñā contemplations are meant to counteract.
    The overall context of this verse suggest that the “lovely form” that a monk guards against when he goes into a village is probably that of a woman, but perhaps it could apply to other things that are attractive. [back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 30 August 2024

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