Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Wise Contemplate the Body as Impure (觀身不淨智者厭離)
Date:July.27. 2015
“We contemplate the body as impure in all of its 36 elements. The nine orifices constantly discharge filth. The Three Realms’ instability makes people afraid. Those who have wisdom contemplate this and give rise to a sense of renunciation. To be liberated from the causation of suffering, one must eliminate delusion and enter the Path.”
We should clearly understand that this body belongs to us. We must contemplate this body earnestly. When the Buddha was teaching, in addition to “suffering, causation, cessation and the Path,” the Four Noble Truths, He also taught the Fourfold Mindfulness. In practicing the Fourfold Mindfulness, we first “contemplate the body as impure.”
When we wake up every day and eat something, if we are healthy, our bodies will absorb it. All its various nutrients are used to sustain us. After we absorb the nutrients, what is left is waste that needs to be expelled. This is how our body works, every person is the same. Each of us has just a layer of skin covering tendons, bones and muscles and all the things inside. These have the function of taking things in and later expelling them. This is what happens when we are healthy. Even when healthy, there are so many impurities. We need to earnestly contemplate the workings of our internal organs. So, “We contemplate the body as impure” in all of its 36 elements.
Aside from needing the 36 elements to be organized properly, the nine orifices must also expel things; they constantly discharge extremely unclean things. Can each of us count to see if we have nine orifices? On the face alone, there are seven orifices. Then there are two more for discharging stool and urine. So, we have a total of nine orifices.
Sometimes, our eyes and ears also generate filth. If a person’s eyes are not healthy, they may produce some kind of fluid. Or there may be buildup around the corners of their eyes. These are also impurities. We discharge tears, snot, mucus, saliva, etc. And, occasionally, we need to clean our ears as well. Think about it, the 36 elements and nine orifices truly are filthy and unclean. This all happens within the Three Realms.
“The Three Realms’ instability makes people afraid.” People with wisdom will think this way. Aside from the places we rely on and live in, [the Three Realms] can also [described] our body as well as our minds. These are the Three Realms of the mind. When it comes to desires, the body has physical desires. How many kinds of physical desires do we have? Besides the desire to eat what we like, there are many others. There are also sexual desires, as well as the boundless greed to take possession of all things in the world. There are many things that we are greedy for. The desire realm [in our minds] causes great suffering and leads us to create much karma.
These desires arise because we are tempted by the various things around us. Aside from the state of our mind and the external states around us, there are also intangible afflictions. Within each person, both the body and mind are never stable; they are impermanent. A person could be fine when they leave the house, but suddenly get into an accident, his face crushed beyond recognition and his body completely mangled.
Look at each of us, besides the previously mentioned [impermanence of] the 36 elements and nine orifices of our body, our minds have to deal with the many instances of impermanence in our lives, as well as birth, aging, illness and death.We encounter so much [impermanence] as we go through life, yet we are never aware of it.Every day, because of our desires and habitual tendencies, we do whatever we please.This is the foolishness of ordinary people.
So, “Those who have wisdom contemplate this and give rise to a sense of renunciation.”If we have wisdom, we must constantly comprehend how having so many desires can physically and mentally exhaust us, causing us to suffer both in body and mind.If we can let go of these desires and put our body to good use, it will be a “vessel for spiritual cultivation”.Only with a body can we engage in spiritual practice.
Without a body, we have no way to engage in spiritual practice.
With a body, we can form blessed affinities and create blessings for living in and for transcending this world.We hope that by learning the Buddha’s Way we can become a person with wisdom.The way we see things should be different from how ordinary people see them.We must constantly remind ourselves to be vigilant.
Within our body, invisible infinitesimal changes aggregate and lead to aging and illness, which brings us closer and closer to death.So, what is really so desirable among all these things in our external conditions?We need to make use of our bodies while we can to earnestly engage in spiritual practice.This is what it means to be wise.
Wise people who look around them will reflect on the impurities within their bodies.After engaging in this contemplation, they “give rise to a sense of renunciation”.
What object in this world is worth fighting over?What are the benefits of sexual desires?Why, for the sake of sexual desires, do people ruin their lives and reputations, etc.?These sexual desires can also bring about much suffering in life.People who have wisdom will reject desires.
They are even fearful and scared of these kinds of desires that arise between people.
Not only are they afraid of such desires, they also renounce them.They quickly distance themselves from these kinds of physical and sexual desires.Thus they are “liberated from the causation of suffering”.
Life is full of suffering!Because we understand that our body is very unclean, we must further comprehend how matters and objects around us lead us to create causes of suffering and why we must distance ourselves from them.
To do so, we must “eliminate delusion” and immediately “enter the Path [We] must eliminate delusion and enter the Path”.Only when we eliminate our delusions can we mindfully enter the Path.
So, we must “contemplate the body as impure”.
Let us examine the previous sutra passage.
It is an analogy of what is in the Three Realms, from this vast space down to a smaller space and eventually down to a single house.
This house shelters us from the wind and rain.
After the house has been here for a long time,
“The walls were cracked and collapsing, the plaster was peeling and the straw roof was scattered messily. The rafters and poles were crumbling, the surrounding fences were all bent and various filthy things were everywhere.”
The appearance of this house when it was first built was that of a luxurious mansion.But after so long, the walls were falling apart.The plaster used to fill the gaps between bricks was gradually peeling.
The straw roof covering the house was gradually subjected to wind and rain and continued to disintegrate and became less and less tidy.
Looking up, one could see holes in the roof, and the eaves outside also looked very messy.
“The straw roof was scattered messily.”Then “The rafters and poles were crumbling”; “the surrounding fences were all bent.This was the framework, which is like the skeletal structure of the house.As this framework continues to deteriorate, the house will lose its shape and crumble.
The rafters and poles were crumbling; the surrounding fences were all bent:
Rafters and poles are parts of the roof; they are analogies for our bones.Our limbs cannot hold together; this is crumbling.The barriers on all sides are fences.They miss each other or cross; thus they are bent.
Now we are discussing.“The rafters and poles were crumbling.”Rafters are the beams that support the eaves.Because the eaves extend out, they need a framework to extend with them.So, the framework of the roof that extends out to the eaves is called “the rafters”.
The spine of the roof is made of poles.
These are terms used in building houses.These parts are all made out of lumber, but depending on where they are used, they will have different names. The same piece of wood can be used as a beam, a pillar, a rafter or a pole.
These are analogies for our bones and tendons. We have bones throughout our body. Those in our hands are “bones of the hand”. They are still bones. Those in our feet are “bones of the foot”. The bones in our chests are “rib bones”. The bones in our chests are “rib bones”. They have different names. The bones in our back are “vertebrae”. They are all bones, but their position in the body determines their different functions and names.
So, “Our limbs cannot hold together, this is crumbling”. Our bones were arranged in an organized fashion, each in its proper position. But if something is not in its proper position and has fallen out of alignment or if a piece of cartilage is pushed out of place, our body will hurt too much to walk or move. In these instances, our “joints” fail to provide proper support; they are not arranged precisely or have been dislocated. This is “crumbling”.
The outer fences serve as barriers.Surrounding the house, there are fences. These are the “barriers on all sides”. This is the state of the house. The fences around the property help protect the house. The house must have walls, and the bricks of the walls must be stacked in an organized fashion. The plaster on the walls must be applied smoothly.
However, after a long time, the house gradually becomes rundown and falls into disrepair. So, with winds, storms, earthquakes and so on, the house gradually begins to deteriorate. The deterioration of the house begins with the walls. “The plaster was peeling”. the peeling plaster is a sign of its decline.
So, it starts from “the plaster peeling and the straw roof [being] scattered messily”. This description of this house is also an analogy for sentient beings’ circumstantial and direct retributions that will, in the end, lead us all deterioration and impure appearances.
A few days ago, I spoke of circumstantial and direct retributions. They are not under our control. We follow our causes and conditions to be born in a certain place. We follow the affinities we have with our parents to be born in a certain family. This is circumstantial retribution.
Next is direct retribution. Originally, we might have been part of a stable family, and we might have lived a wonderful life; but because of our individual [tendencies] we wandered away and encountered [many challenges]. This is our direct retribution. Some people are born into a terrible family, but in their lives, their direct retributions bring them many blessings. They are successful at whatever they do; this is their direct retribution. When it comes to circumstantial and direct retributions, eventually even wealthy people, regardless of how rich they are, regardless of how widely recognized they are, will still have aches and pains in their bodies. Their bodies are likewise impure, and they will likewise fall ill. Illness brings unbearable suffering. They likewise will die and after they die, if their body is not quickly dealt with, it will attract maggots, putrefy and decay. The same thing happens to everyone’s body. So, direct and circumstantial retributions, in the end, lead us all to deterioration and impure appearances. Every person is the same; we all deteriorate into impure appearances.
As I mentioned earlier, the human body has 36 impure elements. Regardless of our social stature or title, this is what we are normally like.
“The 36 impure elements can be divided into three types. Let us clearly examine these three type. First of all, there are those of outer appearance. There are 12 of our outer appearance, such as hair, body hair, nails, teeth, rheum, tears, mucus, saliva, excrement, urine, as well as dandruff and sweat.
Starting with the top of our heads, we see hair, nails, teeth and rheum, which is our eye gunk. We also see tears, mucus, saliva. Then there is our urine and stool. Those are filthy things that originate in our stomachs. In the summer we tend to sweat a lot. These are the appearances of our bodies that usually visible to us.
Our bodies also have a second type of element.The Body has 12 elements [of its structure]. The 12 are the skin, flesh, blood, muscle, tendons, veins, bones, marrow. Oils, fat, brain and membranes.
Going inward from the skin, the inside of the human body is made up of these structures, skin, blood, etc. If we [hit something], the skin will break and blood will emerge. The flesh may split. These ae things we can see; we understand the part they play in the body. When it comes to our tendons, veins or bones, if any one of them is not working properly or is out of place, that will bring unbearable suffering.
What else is inside our body? There are also 12 internal elements, the liver, gall bladder, intestines, stomach, spleen, kidney, heart, lung, the two viscera and brown and white phlegm.
Look at the organs inside the body; they are encircled by our ribcage. There are the upper and lower viscera, responsible for digesting what we eat. These are the two viscera. With the liver, with just liver diseases we can identify many different types of disease. These diseases are not easy to treat.And if there is a tumor on top of that, it will be very serious. When tumors develop in the liver, they cause great pain and suffering. When people hear “cancer,” they are scared. Cancer can occur in our organs. Nobody knows when it may strike.
Is the liver the only source of problems? If the gallbladder fails to function properly, the color of our skin will change.
“Why does your skin look jaundiced recently? What happened?” “I don’t know.” “You should go for a checkup.” There may be an issue with the gallbladder. It could gallstones, or perhaps the gallbladder is diseased.
Our intestines can also develop problems. The large and small intestines twist and curve. The food we eat passes through them and is digested. If the food is not properly digested, it means something is wrong with the intestines. Intestinal cancer or bowel cancer is terrifying.
The stomach can also have problems digesting food. We even hear about problems of the heart and lungs. Our internal organs all play very important roles in the body.
With the two viscera, when we swallow food, the food goes into our stomach. The digestive system has to function smoothly. Otherwise, we will produce brown and white phlegm, which are signs of problems in our body. When we spit it out phlegm can also be red, yellow or white. Think about it, isn’t this human life?
A body consists of 36 elements. There are so many elements, which all cause our impurity. Our bodies constantly generate impure things. However, without these 36 elements, our bodies would not allow us to live healthy lives. With these 36 elements, the body can turn the food we eat into filthy waste that we excrete. At the end of our life, our entire body will decay and break down into its components.
After the flesh decomposes, it becomes part of the earth. Is there anything left? Nothing at all. However, for the sake of this “nothing” we create much karma that is “something.” In the world, we create many disasters and much karma, all for the sake of this body and its 36 elemnets. For the sake of this impure body, we continue to create karma.
Dear Bodhisattvas, in learning the Buddha’s Way, we really must be mindful and pay attention to “suffering, causation, cessation and the Path.” We must be aware that the body is impure. We need to “contemplate the body as impure, contemplate the mind as impermanent” and so on. In all things, we should always remind ourselves to be vigilant and always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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