a-subha 🧟‍ = un-attractive

✅in EBT meditation, it refers to 31asb🧟‍ body parts contemplation. See AN ^10.60, AN ^6.29.
⚠️300+ years after EBT, in Vimt. and Vism., Theravada re-defines asubha meditation to refer to 10 stages of corpse decay, and they reclassify 31asb🧟‍ under kāya-gatā-sati 🏃‍. It's important to know this, because in EBT suttas, an instruction to "develop asubha" is frequently mentioned, but without detail (examples: SN ^8.4, SN ^54.9). 31asb is immediately accessible, corpse contemplation considerably more complex.
• What's the purpose of asubha meditation? To counter perversions of our inverted perception AN ^4.49, SN ^8.4.
• But be careful, this is an advanced practice. Best to first have foundation in breath meditation SN ^54.9.
• SN ^12.61 and SN ^12.62 is the more general case of seeing 4 elements via dependent origination 12ps as not being worth clinging to.

a-subha 🧟 = un-attractive

and closely related terms

a-subha defn.

CPED: asubha: unpleasant; ugly. (nt.) a corpse. (adj.)

PTS: Asubha (adj.) [a + subha] impure, unpleasant, bad, ugly, nasty;
nt. ˚ŋ nastiness, impurity.
Cp. on term and the Asubha
-- meditation, as well as on the 10 asubhas or offensive objects Dhs. trsl. 70 and Cpd. 121 n. 6.
-- S iv.111 (asubhato manasikaroti); v.320; Sn 341; Sdhp 368.
-- subhâsubha pleasant unpleasant, good & bad Sn 633; J iii. 243; Miln 136.

-- ânupassin realising or intuiting the corruptness (of the body) It 80, 81; DhA i.76.
-- kathā talk about impurity Vin iii.68.
-- kammaṭṭhāna reflection on impurity DhA iii.425.
-- nimitta sign of the unclean i. e. idea of impurity Vism 77.
-- bhāvanā contemplation of the impurity (of the body) Vin iii.68.
-- saññā idea of impurity D iii.253, 283, 289, 291.
-- saññin having an idea of or realising the impurity (of the body) It 93.

subha 💑 in a negative context

subha 💑 = beautiful, attractive

In asubha meditation context, subha is diametrically opposed. Because one gets confused by the perception of the subha (beautiful) nimitta (sign/theme), it induces lust/passion, desire for sensual pleasures (SN 8.4, SN 46.2). To counter this tendency, one guards the sense doors AN 4.14 so one doesn’t get confused by the nimitta perceptions arising at the sense faculties.

subha defn.

Subha (adj.) [Vedic śubhas fr. subh; cp. sobhati] shining, bright, beautiful D i.76=ii.13=M iii.102;
Dhs 250 DA i.221;
auspicious, lucky, pleasant Sn 341;
It 80 good Sn 824, 910;
subhato maññati to consider as a good thing Sn 199; J i.146;
cp. S iv.111;
(nt.) welfare good, pleasantness, cleanliness, beauty, pleasure;

-- vasena for pleasure's sake J i.303, 304; asubha anything repulsive disgusting or unpleasant S i.188; v.320; subhâsubha pleasant and unpleasant Miln 136; J iii.243 (niraya=subhānaŋ asubhaŋ unpleasant for the good C.); cp. below subhāsubha.

-- angana with beautiful courts J vi.272.
-- âsubha good and bad, pleasant & unpleasant Dh 409=Sn 633. ;
-- kiṇṇa the lustrous devas, a class of devas D ii 69; M i 2. 329 390; iii.102; A i.122; J iii.358; Kvu 207; also written ˚kiṇha A ii.231, 233; iv.40, 401; Vism 414, 420 sq. VbhA 520; KhA 86.
-- gati going to bliss, to heaven Mhvs 25, 115.
-- ṭṭhāyin existing or remaining, continuing in glory D i.17; DA i.110; A v.60.
-- dhātu the element of splendour S ii.150.
-- nimitta auspicious sign auspiciousness as an object of one's thought M i 26 A i.3, 87, 200; S v.64, 103; Vism 20.
-- saññā perception or notion of what is pleasant or beautiful Nett 27 Opp. asubhasaññā concept of repulsiveness A i.42 ii.17; iii.79; iv.46; v.106. See asubha.
-- saññin considering as beautiful A ii.52.

subha in a positive context

subha as one of 8 vimokkha

As one of the 8 vimokkha (MN 77) meditation attainments, subha refers to 4bv☮️ brahma vihāras (or perhaps just metta), divine abidings (SN 46.54).
LBT says subha are jhānas done with kasinas.

Also see: MN 137, SN 14.11

🏦 Bank of Asubha

🔗🏦 Bank of Asubha: collection of helpful materials

Asubhānupass 9 texts and 12 matches in Suttanta Pali

AN ^4.163 Asubhasutta Ugly asubhānupassī 2 Pi En Ru
AN ^4.169 Sasaṅkhārasutta Extra Effort asubhānupassī 2 Pi En Ru
AN ^5.69 Nibbidāsutta Disillusionment asubhānupassī 1 Pi En Ru
AN ^5.70 Āsavakkhayasutta The Ending of Defilements asubhānupassī 1 Pi En Ru
AN ^5.71 Paṭhamacetovimuttiphalasutta Freedom of Heart is the Fruit (1st) asubhānupassī 1 Pi En Ru
AN ^5.121 Gilānasutta Sick asubhānupassī 1 Pi En Ru
AN ^5.122 Satisūpaṭṭhitasutta Mindfulness Well Established asubhānupassī 1 Pi En Ru
AN ^10.60 Girimānandasutta With Girimānanda asubhānupassī 1 Pi En Ru
MN ⁵⁰ Māratajjanīyasutta The Rebuke of Māra asubhānupassino 2 5 Pi En Ru

KN
Dhp ⁸ Māra can’t overpower asubha meditator

KN Dh.p., 1. yamakavaggo (KN 2.1), para. 26 ⇒

asubhānupassiṃ viharantaṃ, indriyesu susaṃvutaṃ.

KN Iti 85 asubha, breath meditation, impermanence
KN It, 3. tikanipāto, 4. catutthavaggo, 6. asubhānupassīsuttaṃ (KN 4.85), para. 2 ⇒

“asubhānupassī, bhikkhave, kāyasmiṃ viharatha; ānāpānassati ca vo ajjhattaṃ parimukhaṃ sūpaṭṭhitā hotu; sabbasaṅkhāresu aniccānupassino viharatha. asubhānupassīnaṃ, bhikkhave, kāyasmiṃ viharataṃ yo subhāya dhātuyā rāgānusayo so pahīyati {pahiyyati (ka.)} . ānāpānassatiyā ajjhattaṃ parimukhaṃ sūpaṭṭhititāya ye bāhirā vitakkāsayā vighātapakkhikā, te na honti. sabbasaṅkhāresu aniccānupassīnaṃ viharataṃ yā avijjā sā pahīyati, yā vijjā sā uppajjatī”ti. etamatthaṃ bhagavā avoca. tatthetaṃ iti vuccati —

KN It, 3. tikanipāto, 4. catutthavaggo, 6. asubhānupassīsuttaṃ (KN 4.85), para. 3 ⇒

“asubhānupassī kāyasmiṃ, ānāpāne paṭissato.

KN Nett, 4. paṭiniddesavāro, 9. parivattanahāravibhaṅgo, para. 5 ⇒

ye vā pana keci evamāhaṃsu “attakilamathānuyogo dhammo”ti. niyyāniko tesaṃ dhammo adhammo. ye ca kho keci evamāhaṃsu “dukkho dhammo”ti. sukho tesaṃ dhammo adhammo. yathā vā pana bhikkhuno sabbasaṅkhāresu asubhānupassino viharato subhasaññā pahīyanti. dukkhānupassino viharato sukhasaññā pahīyanti. aniccānupassino viharato niccasaññā pahīyanti. anattānupassino viharato attasaññā pahīyanti. yaṃ yaṃ vā pana dhammaṃ rocayati vā upagacchati vā, tassa tassa dhammassa yo paṭipakkho, svassa aniṭṭhato ajjhāpanno bhavati. tenāha āyasmā mahākaccāyano “kusalākusaladhamme”ti.

Pe ³
KN Peṭ, 3. suttādhiṭṭhānatatiyabhūmi, , para. 33 ⇒

“asubhānupassiṃ {asubhānupassī (pī.) passa dha. pa. 8} viharantaṃ, indriyesu susaṃvutaṃ.

KN Peṭ, 3. suttādhiṭṭhānatatiyabhūmi, , para. 36 ⇒

tattha yā asubhāya upaparikkhā, ayaṃ kāmesu ādīnavadassanena pariccāgo. indriyesu susaṃvuto tasseva alobhassa pāripūriyaṃ mama āyatanasocitaṃ anupādāya. bhojanamhi ca mattaññunti rasataṇhāpahānaṃ. iti ayaṃ alobho asubhānupassitāya vatthuto dhārayati, so alobho hetu. indriyesu guttadvāratāya gocarato dhārayati, bhojanemattaññutāya parato dhārayati, ayaṃ nissando. taṃ ve nappasahati māro, vāto selaṃ va pabbatanti, idaṃ phalaṃ. iti yoyeva dhammo ādimhi nikkhitto, soyeva majjhe ceva avasāne ca.

KN Peṭ, 3. suttādhiṭṭhānatatiyabhūmi, tatthimā uddānagāthā, para. 5 ⇒

asubhānupassiṃ viharantaṃ, nimittesu asubhā ca.

4👑☸ Cattāri Ariya-saccaṃ 四聖諦