(1) THE PERCEPTION OF BLOATEDNESS
Q. What is the perception of bloatedness?
What is the practising of it? \
What are its salient characteristic, function and near cause?
What are its benefits ?
How is the sign grasped ?
A. "The perception of bloatedness":
The state of being swollen through- out like a cast off smelly corpse which distends its bag of skin — this is called "bloatedness".
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The viewing of bloatedness with right knowledge — this is called "perception".
The training and the undisturbed dwelling of the mind in that perception — these are called the practising of it.
The sending forth of the mind into the perception of bloatedness is its salient characteristic.
The disgust connected with the perception of bloatedness is its function.
Reflection on malodour and impurity are its near cause.
"What are its benefits?":
Nine are the benefits of the perception of bloatedness, thus:
A man is able to gain mindfulness as regards the interior of his body,
is able to gain the perception of impermanence and th£ perception of death.
He increases disgust and overcomes sense-desires.
He removes the clinging to form and well-being.
He fares well and approaches the ambrosial.
"How is the sign grasped?":
The new yogin who grasps the sign of the putrescence of bloatedness goes alone, without a companion, established in mindfulness, undeluded, with his faculties drawn in and his mind not going to things outside, reflecting on the path of going and coming. Thus he goes to the place of putrescent corpses. Avoiding contrary winds, he remains theie, standing or sitting, with the putrescent sign before him, and not too far from nor too near it. And that yogin makes a rock, an ant-hill, tree, bush or a creeper, near the place where the putrescent thing lies, one with the sign, one with the object, and considers thus: "This rock is impure, this is the impure sign, this is the rock". And so also with the ant-hill and the others.
[425] After making the sign and making the object, he practises, considering the putrescent sign from its intrinsic nature in ten ways: From colour, sex, region, locality, limitation, joints, cavities, low parts, high parts and all sides. He considers all sides of it.
"From colour" means:
"He determines black as black, the neither black nor white as neither black nor white. He determines white as white and malodorous skin as malodorous".
"From sex" means:
"He determines whether it is the body of a male or a female, and whether it is that of a young, an adult or an old person". To determine is to determine the long as long, the short as short, the fat as fat, the small as small.
"From region" means:
"He determines that in this direction is the head; in this, a hand; in this, a leg; in this, the back; in this, the abdomen; in this, the sitting place; in this, the putrescent sign". Thus he understands.
"From locality" means:
"He determines that on this place
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is the hand; on this, a leg; on this, the head; on this, the sitting-place; on this, the putrescent sign". "From limitation" means: "He determines (the limit of the body) from head to foot, from below up to the head and the edge of the scalp, under- standing the whole body as an assemblage of dung".
"From the joints" means:
"He determines that there are six joints in the two hands, six joints in the two legs, and that there is one joint of the neck and one at the waist". These are known as the fourteen great joints.
"From the cavities" means:
"He determines whether the mouth is open or closed, and whether the eyes are open or closed. He determines the hollows of the hands and the feet".
"From low parts and from high parts" means:
"He determines whether the putrescent sign is in a low place or in a high place; and again, he determines thus: 'I am in a low place, the putrescent sign is in a high place', or, The putrescent sign is in a low place, I am in a high place' ".
"He considers from all sides" means:
"He determines a distance of two or three fathoms from the sign, because he does not grasp the sign by being too near it or too far from it, and considering all things, he grasps the sign (saying), "Sddhu! sddhu /". Thus observing he is contented.
That yogin having grasped the sign, noted it well and determined it well, goes alone, without a companion, established in mindfulness, undeluded, with his faculties drawn in and his mind not going to things outside, reflecting on the path of going and coming. To and fro he walks on the path or he sits absorbed in the putrescent sign.
Why does he go without a companion? It is for the sake of acquiring calmness of body.
"Established in mindfulness" means:
"Owing to non- delusion the faculties are drawn in and the mind does not go to things outside". Why does he reflect on the path of going and coming ? It is for the sake of acquiring calmness of body. Why does he avoid contrary winds? It is for the sake of avoiding malodour. Why does he sit neither far nor near the sign? If he sits far, he cannot grasp the sign. If he sits near, he cannot get a dislike for it, or see its nature. If he does not know its nature, he is not able to grasp that sign. Therefore, he sits neither too far from nor too near it. Why does he consider the sign on all sides? It is for the sake of non-delusion. Non-delusion is thus: When a yogin goes to a still place and sees the putrescent sign, fear arises in him; at such a time, if the corpse appears to stand up before him, he does not stand up, but reflects. In this way he knows, recollects, rightly understands, regards well and fully investigates the sign. In the same way he considers all signs. This is (the indication of) non-delusion.
Q. Why does he grasp the sign in ten ways?
A. It is for the sake of binding the mind.
Why does one reflect on the path of going and coming?
It is for the sake of progress in the course.
"Progress in the course" means:
"Though a yogin enters a still place, his mind is sometimes disturbed. If he does not always investigate it, the putrescent sign does not arise. Therefore, a yogin investigates the sign with all his heart by reflecting on the path of going and coming. He investigates the place of meditation. He investigates all signs. Thus should he investigate the sign to be grasped, in the ten ways.
(corpse kasina first jhana)
That yogin thus investigates again and again, and sees the sign as if it were with his eyes. This is (the indication of) progress in the course. A new yogin, meditating on a corpse, perceiving (it. as) a jewel, rejoices, bears it in mind, resorts to it always, causes the hindrances to perish and arouses the factors of meditation, jhana. Remote form sense-desires and demeritorious states, he abides in the attainment of the first meditation, jhana, which is with initial and sustained application of thought, born of solitude and full of joy and bliss, through the perception of putrescence.
Q. Why is the first meditation, jhana, only developed through the perception of putrescence and not any other meditation, {higher} jhanas?
A. This perception always follows initial and sustained application of thought because (they go together) and because it is tied down to a place. When initial and sustained application of thought are present, this sign becomes manifest. Without initial and sustained application of thought, the yogin is not able, here, to gain the calming of the mind. Therefore, the first meditation, jhana, is developed and not any other.
And again, it is said that colour, sex and the others of this putrescent sign are considered in many ways.
"Are considered in many ways":
These (colour, etc.) are objects of initial and sustained application of thought. Separate from initial and sustained application of thought, these cannot be considered. Therefore, only the first meditation, jhana, is developed and not any other.
And again, it is said that this putrescent sign is an unenduring object. On an unenduring object the mind does not go higher. In an impure place joy and bliss can only arise by the rejection of initial and sustained application of thought, which, in a place such as this, depend on malodour. Therefore, only the first meditation, jhana, is developed and not any other.
Q. On an unenduring object how do joy and bliss occur?
A. The unenduring object is not the cause of joy and bliss. And again, joy and bliss arise owing to the removal of the heat of the hindrances and the training of the mind. The rest is as was fully taught above.
The perception of bloatedness has ended.
MISCELLANEOUS TEACHINGS
Q. What are the miscellaneous teachings regarding putrescence?
A. The beginner, being one who is affected by severe passion, should not grasp the sign in that which is not of the same kind.
That which is "not of the same kind" means:
"Like the body of a man to a woman".
If one is of a calling associated with the perception of putrescence, he should not grasp the putrescent sign, because he, owing to the close connection with these objects, does not develop the idea of their disagreeableness. One does not cause th® arising of pure perception on the bodies of beasts (?). On§ causes the arising of the sign in one bone and grasps the .sign in-the bone with facility.
And again, if a man grasps the sign of putrescence through colour, he should meditate on the kasina. If a man grasps the sign of putrescence through space, he should meditate on that element. If a man grasps the sign of putrescence through putrescence, he should meditate on putrescence.
Q. Why are there ten putrescences and neither more nor less?
A. Because the faults of the body are of ten kinds and because there are ten kinds of perception awing to ten kinds of persons. A passionate person should meditate on the perception of bloatedness. A sensual person should meditate on discolouration. A passionate lover of the beautiful should always meditate on the festering. The others should be understood in the same way.
And again, the sign of putrescence is grasped with difficulty. All signs of putrescence are means of overcoming passion. Therefore, whenever the walker in passion sees the putrescent sign, he should grasp it. Because of these reasons, it is said that among the putrescences there are ten kinds of putrescence perception.
Q. Why are these (putrescence signs) not increased?
A. When a man wishes to separate from passion, he causes the arising of the perception regarding the nature of his body. Because, if he has the perception of the nature of his body, he can quickly acquire the perception of its disagreeableness and cause the arising of the after-image. If the perception of putrescence is increased, the sign which he has grasped in his body will disappear. If he loses the perception of his own body, he will not be able to acquire the thought of disagreeableness quickly. Therefore, he should not increase.
And again, it is taught that if a man is without passion, he may increase it for the sake of developing the great thought. This is in accordance with the teaching of the Abhidhamma: "One dwells without passion and the rest, practises the first meditation, jhana, rightly, dwells on the perception of bloated- ness and causes the arising of the boundless object".
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The great Elder Singalapita uttered this stanza:
The heir of the Buddha, he,
the almsman, in the fearful wood, has with "bony-precept" filled
this earth, entirely. I think this almsman will,
in no long time, abandon lust.