Unattractiveness/32 parts (asubha/dvattiṁsākāra)
Unattractiveness/32 parts (asubha/dvattiṁsākāra)
13. “It seems like the ‘Reflection on the 32 Parts’ of the body is missing several parts...Is it meant to be comprehensive? Or is it just the ugly bits?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unattractiveness]
1. “Could you describe ways to work with delighting and wanting around the pleasure of food?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Food] [Craving] [Happiness] [Unattractiveness] [Disenchantment] // [Elements] [Mindfulness of body] [Clinging] [Impermanence] [Dependent origination]
Sutta: AN 5.208: The benefits of chewing toothwoods. [Cleanliness]
6. “Did Ajahn Chah use asubha practice during his battle with lust?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Sensual desire] [Unattractiveness] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Impermanence] [Patience] [Conditionality]
Reference: Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 81.
6. “You mentioned that asubha practice can cool sensual desire. But what if what you are attracted to is not so much a physical thing but an attraction of the heart—of good qualities you see. What cools the heart if you are hooked?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unattractiveness] [Dispassion] [Clinging]
1. “What is mesentery?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Unattractiveness]
Reference: Abhayagiri Chanting Book, p. 37.
2. “Why are some body parts omitted from this list?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Unattractiveness] // [Commentaries] [Sensual desire] [Self-identity view]
Reference: Abhayagiri Chanting Book, p. 37.
4. “What do the Pāḷi terms translated as impurity and foulness mean?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Pāli] [Translation] [Aversion] [Unattractiveness] // [Etymology] [Sensual desire]
Simile: MN 119.7: Sack of grains.
Comment: Words themselves like “impure” are culturally loaded. [Language] [Cultural context] [Culture/India]
1. “What is the length of an average small intestine?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Unattractiveness]
2. “How long does it take food to make its way through the digestive tract?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Food] [Unattractiveness]
3. “Is blood only red when it’s outside the body?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Unattractiveness]
4. “Is there a biological function for tears?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Unattractiveness] // [Emotion]
5. “How does phlegm relate to mucus?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Unattractiveness]
6. Comment: When I go though the list [of the 32 parts], I separate the object from my body and evision my body with it absent. [Visualization] [Unattractiveness]
Response by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Ajahn Chah] [Unattractiveness] [Not-self] [Sensual desire] [Calming meditation] [Sloth and torpor]
1. “Why is there no liquid blood in the photographs of flesh and sinews?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Unattractiveness]
Reference: Thirty-two parts slideshow video.
2. “Where does a stomach ache originate from?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Sickness] [Unattractiveness]
3. “Is there a particular orientation for the intestines?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Unattractiveness]
Story: Ajahn Karuṇadhammo’s first surgery as a nursing student. [Health care] [Unattractiveness]
4. “During the meditation, is it appropriate to envision the stomach itself with undigested food?” (The stomach isn’t listed in the 32 parts.) Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Visualization] [Food] [Unattractiveness]
7. “Why are the first five parts chosen for special contemplation?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Unattractiveness] // [Ajahn Mun] [Sensual desire]
1. “Has there been discussion of getting a skeleton for Abhayagiri?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Unattractiveness] [Abhayagiri]
2. “Is it common for body contemplation to veer towards aversion?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Mindfulness of body] [Unattractiveness] [Aversion] [Elements] // [Translation] [Not-self] [Ajahn Chah]
Sutta: MN 62: Mahārāhulaovāda Sutta, The Greater Discourse of Advice to Rāhula.
7. “How would I apply the perception of unattractiveness in my daily life?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unattractiveness] [Everyday life] [Recollection] // [Sensual desire] [Ageing] [Proliferation] [Dispassion] [Appropriate attention]