Asubha: Protective Meditation on Impurities of the Body

These are traditional verses that can be recited as a meditation.

1. Aviññāṇa’subhanibhaṁ – Saviññāṇa’subhaṁ imaṁ
Kāyaṁ asubhato passaṁ – asubhaṁ bhāvaye yati

Seeing this body as impure when it is dead, without consciousness, and also impure when alive with consciousness, one should meditate on its foulness.

2. Vaṇṇa sanṭhāna gaṇdhehi – āsayokāsato tathā
Paṭikkulāni kāye me – kuṇapāṇi dvisoḷasa

The thirty-two impurities of one’s body are disgusting in colour, and sign, foul smell, position and space where impure parts connect together.

3. Patitamhā’pi kuṇapā – jegucchaṁ kāya nissitaṁ
Ādhāro hi sucī tassa – kāye tu kuṇape ṭhitaṁ

The impurities within the body are more disgusting than those that fall from it, since impurities that fall from body may touch even pure things, but inner impure parts rest just on impurities.

4. Mīḷhe kimi’va kāyo’yaṁ – asucimhi samuṭṭhito
Anto asuci sampuṇṇo – puṇṇavacca kuṭī viya

Like a worm born in filth, this body was also born in filth. Like a cesspit that is full, this body is full of filth.

5. Asuci sandate niccaṁ – yathā meda kathālikā
Nānā kimi kulāvāso – pakka candanikā viya

Just as fat pours from an over flowing pot, likewise impure things always flow from this body. Like a cesspit full of filth, this body is the home to various kinds of worms.

6. Gaṇḍabhūto rogabhūto – vaṇabhūto samussayo
Atekicchoti jeguccho – pabhinna kuṇapūpamo’ti.

This body suffers from boils, diseases, aches and pain like a wound that is incurable. It is extremely repulsive. This impure body indeed is subject to destruction.

Etena saccena suvatthi hotu!
By this truth, may there be well-being!

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Translation from The Mahamevnawa Pali English Paritta Chanting Book.

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Index

9 Buddha Qualities, abandon suffering, aggregates~khanda, alcohol, anger, animal world, anuttaropurisadammasarati quality, araham quality, Aṅgulimāla Arahant, bad association, bhagava quality, buddhanussati meditation, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist etiquette, chanting, Chattamanavaka Gatha, compassion, confidence~saddhā, courage, craving, Culla Kammavibhanga Sutta, death, Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, dharma classes near me, Enlightenment, evil deeds, first noble truth, Four Noble Truths, friendship, ghost world, giving~dāna, good actions, gratitude, greed, guided meditation, heaven, ignorance, impermanence~anicca, jataka, jealousy, karma, Katina, Katina Clothing, kids dhamma school, killing, life of Buddha, Life of Buddha with English Subtitles, Load Buddha, lokavidu quality, losing loved ones, loving-kindness~mettā, lying, Maha Satipatthana Sutta, Mangala Sutta, marks of a great man, meditation, merit~puññā, Mihintale, mindfulness~sati, Mora Paritta, Mundane Right View, nibbāna, Noble Eightfold Path, noble truth of suffering, non-attachment, Offering Katina Robes, online dhamma school, ordination, origin of suffering, parents, paritta, patience, pilgrimage, practice, precepts, psychic powers, pujas, Pāli, rains retreat, Rainy season, rare human birth, Ratana Sutta, respect, right speech, right view, sacred places, Sakka God, sammasambuddho quality, samsara, Sangha, Second Noble Truth, sexual misconduct, similes, Sri Lanka, Story of Buddha, stress, Suprime Buddha, Sāriputta Arahant, Taking advice, Third Noble Truth, Triple Gems, uposatha, Vas Season, Venerable Maha Moggalana, Vesak, vijjacaranasampanno quality, virtue~sīla, wisdom, Work, worldly conditions, wrong view