Kāyagatāsatisuttaṁ
The Discourse about Mindfulness related to the Body

The Sixth Charnel Ground

Puna ca paraṁ, bhikkhave bhikkhu seyyathā pi
Moreover, monks, it’s as if a monk

passeyya sarīraṁ sīvathikāya chaḍḍitaṁ,
might see a body thrown into a charnel ground,

aṭṭhikāni apagatasambandhāni, Thai: apagatanahārusambandhāni = with bones and tendons no longer bound together. disāvidisāsu vikkhittāni, Thai: disā vidisā vikkhittāni, but a locative is needed in the directions; ChS: disāvidisāvikkhittāni, sandhi form of text.
with bones no longer bound together, scattered in all directions,

aññena hatthaṭṭhikaṁ, aññena pādaṭṭhikaṁ, ChS inserts aññena gopphakaṭṭhikaṁ, ankle bone. aññena jaṅghaṭṭhikaṁ,
with a hand-bone here, with a foot-bone there, with a knee-bone here,

aññena ūruṭṭhikaṁ, BJT: ūraṭṭhikaṁ, alternative spelling. aññena kaṭaṭṭhikaṁ, PTS, Thai, ChS: kaṭiṭṭhikaṁ, alternative spelling; ChS inserts aññena phāsukaṭṭhikaṁ, rib bone. aññena piṭṭhiṭṭhakaṁ, BJT, PTS: piṭṭhikaṇṭhakaṁ, Thai: piṭṭhikaṇṭakaṭṭhikaṁ, both meaning the spinal bone, the former reading has an unwarranted aspiration; ChS inserts aññena khandhaṭṭhikam, aññena gīvaṭṭhikam, aññena hanukaṭṭhikam, aññena dantaṭṭhikam = shoulder bone, neck bone, jaw bone, tooth bone, probably added for emphasis.
with a thigh-bone there, with a hip-bone here, with a bone of the back there,

aññena sīsakaṭāhaṁ.
with the skull here.

So imam-eva kāyaṁ upasaṁharati:
He then compares it with his very own body (thinking):

‘Ayam-pi kho kāyo evaṁdhammo evaṁbhāvī etaṁ anatīto’ ti.
‘This body also has such a nature, has such a constitution, has not gone beyond this.’

* * *

Tassa evaṁ appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa viharato
For the one who is living heedful, ardent, and resolute in this way

ye gehasitā sarasaṅkappā te pahīyanti,
whatever rushing thoughts there are dependent on the household life are given up,

tesaṁ pahānā ajjhattam-eva cittaṁ santiṭṭhati,
and with the giving up of these the mind becomes internally stable,

sannisīdati ekodi hoti samādhiyati.
settles down, becomes one-pointed, and concentrated.

Evam-pi bhikkhave bhikkhu kāyagataṁ satiṁ bhāveti.
Like this, monks, does a monk develop mindfulness related to the body.

last updated: November 2008