Contemplating the 32 Parts of the Body

This section details meditations for each of the 32 impure parts of the body. In the Satipatthana Sutta, Lord Buddha taught how to use the thirty-two unclean parts of the body as objects of meditation and taught one to see each as it truly is and how each is by nature unclean, disgusting and repulsive. The meditator who practices this technique is usually trying to overcome lust or attachment to the body. When viewed piece-by-piece, none of the thirty-two parts is conducive to lust, so how can the thirty-two parts be desirable when put together into “a two-mouthed sack” ? When practicing this meditation, it is important that the meditator does not develop aversion to the parts of the body. The meditator must be constantly mindful to see the body and its parts as they truly are: impermanent, ever changing and composed of nothing worth attachment.

There are five ways to contemplate each of the thirty-two items; by color, by shape, by sector (upper or lower body), by habitat or place of origin and by borders. There are also five ways to contemplate the repulsiveness of each body part: by color, by shape, by odor, by habitat or place of origin and by borders.

When the meditator first contemplates head hair, he or she must gain and maintain the sign or Nimitta of head hair, signifying deep concentration. How?  Pull out one or two hairs from the head. Hold them in the palm of the hand and note the color. The meditator can also go to a place where hair falls, such as a barber shop, drinking fountain or in a cup of milk. If the hair is black, contemplate it as black. If it is white, contemplate it as white. If the hair is mixed colors, contemplate the predominant color. 

When the meditator sees it clearly, here are the five Characteristics to hold on to the sign: (1) color, (2) shape, (3) sector (upper or lower body). (4) habitat or place of origin [for example, head hair, location can be by the ears, or the front, back or crown of the head] and (5) delimitation.

The meditator contemplates repulsiveness in five ways: (1) color, (2) shape, (3) odor, (4) place of origin and (5) delimitations. 

Contemplation of the thirty-two parts of the body is detailed below. 

1. Hair on the Head

Characteristics
As to color, the hairs on the head [in Asia] are black, the color of fresh Aritthaka seeds. As to shape, they are the shape of round measuring rods. As to their sector, they lie in the upper sector of the body [above the waist]. As to their habitat or location of origin, they are found in the wet inner skin that envelops the skull on the crown of the head, by the ears on the two sides, near the forehead in the front or at the back near the nape of the neck. 

As to delimitations, head hairs are attached to the surface by roots which enter the depth of the tip of a rice grain into the inner skin that envelops the head. They are bounded above by space and all around by each other. There are no two hairs together. This is their delimitation. Head hairs are not body hairs, and body hairs are not head hairs. Likewise, head hairs are never intermixed with the remaining thirty-one parts of the body. Head hairs are a separate part. This is their delimitation from the dissimilar. This is the definition of head hairs.

Contemplation on Repulsiveness

Head hairs are repulsive in color as well as in shape, odor, habitat and delimitation. On seeing a head hair in a bowl of rice gruel or cooked rice, people get disgusted and say, “This has hair in it. Take it away.” They are repulsed by the color. Also, when eating at night, one may be disgusted by a hair-shaped fiber in the food, so people are repulsed by the shape. 

The odor of head hairs, unless dressed with oil or scented with flowers, is also offensive. It is still worse when they are put in a fire. Even when head hairs are not directly repulsive in color and shape, their odor is still repulsive. A baby’s excrement may have the color and shape of turmeric, but its odor is repulsive. The bloated carcass of a black dog thrown on a rubbish heap may be the color of ripe Palmyra fruit and the shape of a mandolin, but the odor is still repulsive. Similarly, even if head hairs are not repulsive in color and shape, their odor is still directly repulsive. 

Just as herbs that grow in filthy village sewage are disgusting and unusable by civilized people, so also head hairs which grow in the sewage of pus, blood, urine, bile, and phlegm are disgusting. This is the repulsive habitat of head hairs. They grow on the heap of repulsive body parts like fungus on a dung hill. This is the repulsive aspect of their habitat or location of origin.

Like head hairs, the remaining thirty-one body parts are also repulsive. They should be contemplated with the same five characteristics: by color, shape, sector of body, habitat and delimitation.

2. Hair on the Body

The natural color of body hairs is not pure black like the head hairs but blackish brown. As to shape, they are the shape of palm roots with the tips bent down. As to sector, they lie in both the upper and lower sectors of the body. As to habitat or place of origin, except for the head, palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, body hair grows in most of the rest of the skin which envelops the body. As to delimitation, they are bounded below the surface by their own roots, which are fixed by entering into the inner skin the extent of a likha [1 finger/343] above by space and all around by each other. There are no two body hairs together. This is their delimitation from the similar.  Delimitation from the dissimilar is like that for the head hairs. That is, they are different from all other thirty-one body parts.

3. Nails

This means the ten finger nails and ten toe nails. They are all white in color and shaped like the scales of fish. They grow in both sectors. Toe nails are in the lower sector and finger nails in the upper sector. Their habitats are the backs of the tips of fingers and toes. They are bounded on the two sides by the flesh of the ends of the fingers and toes. The bottom is bounded by the flesh of the back of the fingers and toes. The front and ends are bounded by space. There are no two nails together. This is the delimitation from the similar. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

4. Teeth

There are thirty-two tooth bones in the mouth of one whose teeth are complete. They too are white in color. They are of various shapes: In the lower row, the four middle teeth are the shape of pumpkin seeds set in a row in a lump of clay. On each side of these four, there is one tooth with one root and one point. The shape of this tooth is like a Jasmine bud. Each tooth after that has two roots and two points and is the shape of a wagon prop. Then, there are two teeth on each side with three roots and three points. Finally, there are two on each side with four-roots and  four-points. The upper row is similar. Teeth lie in the upper sector. Their habitat is being fixed to the jaw bone. Teeth are bounded above by space and all around by each other. There are no two teeth together. Their delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

5. Skin

The inner skin envelops the whole body. The outside is called the outer cuticle. This is black, brown or yellow in color. If it were taken off the body and compressed, it would amount to no more than a Jujube-fruit kernel.The skin itself is white. This whiteness becomes evident when the outer cuticle is destroyed. In brief, the skin is the shape of the body. In detail, the skin of the toes is the shape of silk worm cocoons. The skin of the back of the foot is the shape of shoes with uppers. The skin of the calf is the shape of a palm leaf wrapping cooked rice. The skin of the thighs is the shape of a long sack full of paddy.

The skin of the buttocks is the shape of a cloth strainer full of water. The skin of the back is the shape of hide stretched over a plank. The skin of the belly is the shape of the hide stretched over the body of a lute. The skin of the chest is more or less square.

The skin of both arms is the shape of hide stretched over a quiver. The skin of the backs of the hands is the shape of a razor box, or the shape of a comb case. The skin of the fingers is the shape of a key box. The skin of the neck is the shape of a collar for the throat. The skin of the face is the shape of an insects nest full of holes. The skin of the head is the shape of a bowl bag [the bag holding a monk’s alms bowl].

Meditators studying the skin should first examine the inner skin that covers the face, running their minds over the face beginning with the upper lip and then the inner skin of the frontal bone. After that, they should examine the inner skin of the head, imagining separating the inner skin’s connection with the bone by running their minds between the cranium bone and the inner skin of the head, just as if putting one’s hands around a bowl inside a bag.

Next, they examine the inner skin of the shoulders followed by the inner skin of the front and back of the right arm. In the same way, they examine the inner skin of the left arm. After studying the inner skin of the back, they should examine the inner skin of the front and back of the right leg. Then, they examine the inner skin of the left leg in the same way. Next, they study the inner skin of the groin, the paunch, the bosom and the neck. Then, they examine the inner skin of the lower jaw, and after that the neck. They should finish up at the lower lip. When they examine the skin in this gross way, it also becomes evident more subtly.

The skin lies in both sectors. As to habitat, it covers the whole body. As to delimitation from the similar, it is bounded inside by its fixed surface, and outside by space. It’s delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

6. Flesh

There are nine hundred pieces of flesh. All are red, like Kimsuka flowers. The flesh of the calves is the shape of cooked rice in a palm leaf bag. The flesh of the thighs is the shape of a rolling pin. The flesh of the buttock is the shape of the end of an oven. The flesh of the back is the shape of a slab of palm sugar. The flesh between each two ribs is the shape of a clay mortar squeezed thin in a flattened opening. The flesh of a breast is the shape of a lump of clay made into a ball and flung down. The flesh of the two upper arms is the shape of a large, skinned rat, but twice the size. When they examine the flesh grossly in this way, it also becomes evident subtly too.

Flesh lies in both sectors. Its habitat is being plastered over the three hundred bones. Flesh is bound below its surface by being fixed on to the collection of bones. The upper side of the flesh is attached to the skin. The edges of each piece of flesh are attached to other pieces of flesh. Delimitation of flesh from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

7. Sinews

There are nine hundred sinews. All the sinews are white. They have various shapes. Five of the great sinews that bind the body together start from the upper part of the neck and descend in the front. Five more descend in the back. There are five from the right and five from the left. Of those that bind the right hand, five descend in the front of the hand and five in the back, likewise those that bind the left hand. For those that bind the right foot, five descend by the front and five by the back, and likewise for the left foot. There are sixty great sinews called ‘the body supporters’ which descend from the neck and bind the body together. These are also called tendons. All of these are the shape of yam shoots.

There are other sinews scattered over various parts of the body. These are finer still, and are the shape of strings and cords. Others, still finer, are the shape of creepers. And, others, still finer, are the shape of lute strings. Yet others are the shape of coarse thread. The sinews at the backs of the hands and feet are the shape of a bird’s claw. Those in the head are the shape of children’s head nets. The sinews in the back are the shape of a wet net spread out in the sun. The rest of the sinews, which follow the various limbs, are the shape of a net jacket fitted to the body. Sinews are to be found in both sectors. They are found binding the bones of the whole body together. Sinews are bounded below by their supporting surface, fixed to the three hundred bones. They are bounded above by the portions in contact with the flesh and inner skin. All around they are bounded by each other. This is the delimitation from the similar. The delimitation from the dissimilar is as for  head hairs.

8. Bones

There are 300 bones. Thirty-two teeth bones have already been counted separately. The rest consists of sixty-four hand bones, sixty-four foot bones, and sixty-four soft bones dependant on the flesh.

In each leg, there is an ankle bone, two shin bones, one knee bone and one thigh bone. Above this are two hip bones, eighteen spine bones, twenty-four rib bones, fourteen breast bones, one sternum, two collar bones, two shoulder blade bones, two upper arm bones, two pairs of forearm bones, seven neck bones, two jaw bones, one nose bone, two eye bones, two ear bones, one frontal bone, one occiput bone, and nine sinciput bones. This makes exactly three hundred bones. As to color, the bones are all white.  

Bones are of various shapes. For example, the end bones of the toes are the shape of Kataka seeds. The bones next to these in the middle sections of the toes are the shape of Jack-fruit seeds. The bones of the base sections of the toes are the shape of small drums. The bones at the back of the foot are the shape of a bunch of bruised Yams. The heel bone is the shape of the seed of a single-stone Palmyra fruit. The ankle bones are the shape of two balls bound together.

The shin bones, where they rest on the ankle bones, are the shape of a Sindi shoot without the skin removed. The small shin bone is the shape of a toy bow. The large one the shape of a shriveled snakes back. The knee bone is the shape of froth melted on one side. The place where the shin bone rests on it is the shape of a blunt cow’s horn. The thigh bone is the shape of a badly-pared handle for an ax or hatchet. The place where it fits into the hip bone is the shape of a ball and the place in the hip bone where it is set is the shape of a big Punnaga fruit with the end cut off. When fastened together, the two hip bones are the shape of a potter’s oven, but separately each is the shape of the ring-fastening of a smith’s hammer. The buttocks bone on the end of them is the shape of an inverted snake’s hood which is perforated in seven or eight places.

Internally, the spine bones are the shape of lead sheet pipes put one on top of the other. Externally, they are the shape of a string of beads. Each spine bone has two or three rows of projections next to each other, like the teeth of a saw. Of the twenty-four rib bones the incomplete ones are the shape of blunt sabers, and the complete ones are the shape of long sabers. All together, they look like the outspread wings of a white cock. The fourteen breast bones are in the shape of an old chariot frame. The heart bone or sternum, is the shape of the bowl of a spoon. The collar bones have the shape of small metal knife handles.

The shoulder-blade bones are the shape of a Sinhalese hoe worn down on one side. The upper arm bones are the shape of mirror handles. The forearm bones are the shape of twin palm trunks. The wrist bones are the shape of lead-sheet pipes stuck together. The bones of the back of the hand are the shape of a bundle of bruised Yams. The base sections of the fingers are the shape of small drums. The bones of the middle sections are the shape of immature Jack-fruit seeds. The bones of the end sections are the shape of Kataka seeds.

The seven neck bones are the shape of rings of a bamboo stems threaded one after another on a stick. The lower jaw bone is the shape of a smith’s iron hammer ring-fastening. The upper one is the shape of a knife used for scraping the rind off sugarcane. The bones of the eye sockets and nostril sockets are the shape of young Palmyra seeds with the kernels removed. The frontal bone is the shape of an inverted bowl made of shell. The bones of the ear-holes are the shape of barber’s razor boxes. The bone in the forehead, above the frontal bone and the ear-holes is the shape of a piece of curled-up toffee flake. The Occiput bone is the shape of a lopsided coconut with a hole cut in one end. The Sinciput bones are the shape of a dish made of an old gourd held together with stitches.

Bones lie in both the upper and lower sectors of the body. As to habitat, bones are found indiscriminately throughout the whole body. Specifically, the head bones rest on the neck bones, the neck bones rest on the spine bones, the spine bones on the hip bones, the hip bones on the thigh bones, the thigh bones on the knee bones, the knee bones on the shin bones,  the shin bones on the ankle bones, and the ankle bones rest on the back of the bones of the foot.

Bones are bounded inside by bone marrow, above by flesh, and at the ends by each other. This is delimitation from the similar. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

9. Bone Marrow

Each bone has marrow inside. The color is white. The shape inside each large bone is like a large cane shoot moistened and inserted into a bamboo tube. Inside each small bone, it is the shape of a slender cane shoot moistened and inserted in a twig of bamboo. Marrow lies in both upper and lower sectors. As to location, its habitat is inside the bones. It is delimitated by the inner surface of the bone. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

10. Kidneys

The kidneys are two organs joined together. They are a dull red color, the color of Palibhaddahaka seeds. The kidneys are shaped like a pair of balls with which a child would play, or the shape of a pair of Mango fruits attached to a single stalk. They lie in the upper sector, on either side of the heart, fastened together by a stout sinew that starts at the base of the neck and divides into two a short way out. The kidneys are bounded by their own covering. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

11. Heart

The heart organ is the color of the back of a red-lotus petal. It is the shape of a lotus bud with the outer petals removed, turned upside down. It is smooth on the outside. Inside it is like the interior of a Kosataki or Loofah gourd. In those who possess understanding, it is a little expanded. In those without understanding it is still only a single bud. Inside it there is a hollow the size of a Punnàgo seed [Rottleria tinctoria] where half a Pasata [handful] of blood is kept. The mind element and mind consciousness element arise with this as their support. In one of greedy temperament this blood is red. In one of hating temperament, it is black. In one of deluded temperament, it is cloudy like water in which meat has been washed. In one of faithful temperament, it is yellow, the color of Kanikara flowers [Pterospermum Acerifolium]. In one with wisdom is limpid, clear, bright, and shining pure, shining like a real diamond that has been washed. The heart lies in the upper sector, in the middle of the body, between the two breasts. It is bounded by the cover of the heart organ. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

12. Liver

The liver is an organ consisting of a slab of flesh. It is a brownish shade of red, like the not-too-red backs of white water lily petals. In shape, it has a single root with twin ends, the shape of a Kovilara [Ebony] leaf. In sluggish people, it is single and large but in those with wisdom, there are two or three small ones. The liver lies in the upper sector, inside on the right. It is bounded by its own organ cover. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

13. Pleura or Membrane

Membranes or pleura are for the covering of the flesh. They are of two types, open and closed. Both kinds are white, the color of muslin rags.  The membrane is the shape of what it covers. The concealed membrane lies in the upper sector. The unconcealed membrane lies in both sectors. The closed membrane covers the heart and kidney. Open membranes cover the flesh under the inner skin throughout the whole body. The membrane is bounded below by the flesh, and above by the inner skin. The edges are bounded by more membrane. Delimitation from the dissimilar is like as for  head hairs.

14. Spleen

The spleen is the ‘tongue’ of the stomach. It is blue, the color of Nigguõóã [Vitex Negundo] flowers. It is the shape of a black calf’s tongue seven fingers in size without any attachments. It lies in the upper sector, near the upper stomach to the left of the heart. If removed, it leaves the body more open to infection or death. It is bounded by the covering of the spleen organ. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

15. Lungs

Lungs are divided into two organs. They are red, the color of not very ripe Udumbara fig fruits. They are the shape of an unevenly cut thick slice of cake. Inside, they are tasteless and lack nutritive value, like a lump of chewed straw, because they have been burned by the heat of the Karma-born fire element that springs up when there is the need to eat or drink. The lungs lie in the upper sector, inside between the two breasts, hanging above the heart and liver and covering them. They are bounded by the lung organ covering. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

16. The Large Intestine (Bowel)

The bowel tube is looped in twenty-one places. In a man it is thirty-two hands long, and in women twenty-eight hands long. It is white, the color of lime mixed with sand. It is the shape of a beheaded snake, coiled up and put in a trough of blood. It lies in both upper and lower sectors. It is fastened above to the throat and includes the stomach below to the rectum. It is the passage way for excrement through the inside of the body. It is bounded by the bowel tube. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

17. Small Intestine

This is the inner lining of the bowel in the places where the bowel is coiled. It is white, the color of Daskasi-talika [a white edible water lilly] roots, and it is the shape of those roots. It lies in both upper and lower sectors. It is found inside the twenty-one coils of the bowel, like the strings inside rope-rings used for wiping the feet. It fastens the bowel coils together so that they do not slip down in those working with hoes or axes, just as the marionette’s strings hold it’s wooden limbs. It is bounded by the bowel tube. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

18. Stomach - Undigested Food

This is what has been eaten, drunk, chewed and tasted, and is present in the stomach. It is the color of swallowed food and the shape of rice loosely tied in a cloth strainer. It is found in the upper sector of the body, in the stomach. What is called ‘stomach’ is a part of the bowel membrane, like a swelled air pocket in the middle of a length of wet cloth being wrung out at both ends. It is smooth outside, inside it is like a balloon of cloth soiled by wrapping up meat refuse. It can be like the inside of the skin of rotten Jack-fruit. This is the place where worms dwell, seething in tangles. The thirty-two families of worms such as: round worms, boil-producing worms, ‘palm-splinter’ worms, needle-mouthed worms, tape worms, thread worms and the rest are all found here. When there is no food or drink present they leap up shrieking and pounce upon the heart. When food and drink are swallowed they wait with uplifted mouths and scramble to catch the first two or three lumps swallowed. For these worms the stomach is maternity home, privy, hospital and charnel ground.

Just as when it has rained heavily in a time of drought and what has been carried by the water into the cesspit at the gate of an outcast village, the various kinds of odor such as urine, excrement, bits of hide, bone and sinew as well as spittle, snot, and blood, get mixed up with the mud and water already collected there. After two or three days the families of worms appear, and it ferments, warmed by the energy of the sun’s heat, frothing and bubbling on the top, quite black in color, and so utterly stinking and loathsome that  one can scarcely go near it or look at it much less smell it or taste it.

So too the stomach is where the assortment of food and drink falls after being pounded up by the pestle of teeth, turned over by the hand of the tongue and stuck together by saliva, losing at that moment its virtues of color, smell, and taste, and taking on the appearance of a weavers’ paste or dogs’ vomit. It gets soused with the bile, phlegm and wind that have collected there and ferments with the energy of the stomach-fire’s heat, seething with the families of worms, frothing and bubbling on the top until it turns into an utterly stinking, nauseating mulch. Even to hear about it takes away any appetite for food or drink, let alone seeing it with the eye of understanding. When food or drink fall into the stomach, they get divided into five parts: the worms eat one part, the stomach-fire burns up another part, another part becomes urine, another part becomes excrement and one part is turned into nourishment and sustains the flesh.

The stomach is bounded by the stomach-lining and by the undigested food. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

19. Feces

Feces are excrement, the color of digested food and the shape of its location, the bowel. They are found in the lower sector of the body. Feces are found in the rectum and the lowest end of the bowel, between the navel and the base of the spine. This measures eight fingerbreadths in height and resembles a bamboo tube. Like rain, feces run down to fill the lowest level and stay there. Cooked and simmered by the stomach-fire, they become soft as though ground on a stone and run down through the cavities of the bowels. They are pressed down there, becoming impacted like brown clay pushed into a bamboo joint, and there they stay. It is bounded by the bowel receptacle for digested food and by more dung. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

20. The Brain

The brain is the lump of marrow found inside the skull. It is white, like the flesh of a toadstool or the color of spoiled milk that has not yet become curd. It is the shape of its location in the skull. It is in the upper sector and found inside the skull, like four lumps of dough put together,  corresponding with the skull’s four sutured sections. It is bounded by the skull’s inner surface and by other brain matter. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

21. Bile

There are two kinds of bile: localized bile and free bile. The localized bile is the color of thick Madhuka [liquorice] oil and free bile is the color of faded Akuli flowers. Both are the shape of their container.

Localized bile belongs to the upper sector. Free bile is found in both sectors. Free bile spreads, like a drop of oil on water. It is all over the body except for the head hairs, body hairs, teeth, nails, and places where there is no flesh or where and the skin is hard and dry. When it is disturbed, the eyes become yellow and twitch and the body shivers and itches. The localized bile is situated near the flesh of the liver, between the heart and the lungs. It is found in the bile container, the gall bladder, which is like a large Kosataki or Loofah gourd pip. When it is disturbed, beings go crazy and become demented, throwing off conscience and shame, doing the undoable, speaking the unspeakable and thinking the unthinkable. It is bounded by its own membranes. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

22. Phlegm

Phlegm is inside the body. There is about a bowl full of it. It is white, the color of the juice of Nagabala leaves. It takes the shape of its container and lies in the upper sector. It is found on the surface of the digesting food in the stomach. Just as duckweed and green scum on the surface of the a pond divide when a stick is dropped into the water and then close back together again, so when eating and the food or drink pass into the stomach, the phlegm divides and then closes up again. If  the phlegm becomes weak the stomach becomes utterly disgusting, with a  stink like rotten eggs.The mouth reeks with this stench rising from the stomach. This is so bad that the man has to be told ‘Go away, your breath stinks.’ When phlegm is plentiful, it seals the surface of the stomach, acting like the wooden lid of a privy. Phlegm is bounded by its own membrane. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs. It is a separate body part.

23. Pus

Pus is produced by decaying blood. It is normally the color of bleached leaves, but in a dead body it is the color of stale, thickened gruel. Pus takes the shape of its container. It is found in both the upper and lower sectors of the body.

There is no fixed location for pus, it can be found wherever it accumulates. It can be found wherever blood stagnates, as in damaged parts of the body or wherever boils appear. It is bounded by its own membrane. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs. It is a separate body part.

24. Blood

There are two types of blood, stored blood and mobile blood. Stored blood is dark reddish brown, the color of cooked and thickened insects, and mobile blood is a bright red, the color of clear insects. Both take the shape of their container. Stored blood is found in the upper sector and the mobile blood belongs to both sectors. Blood permeates the whole body except for the head hairs, body hairs, teeth, nails, and places where there is no flesh or hard, dry skin following the network of veins. A bowlful of stored blood fills the lower part of the Liver, splashing over to the heart, kidneys and the lungs to keep them moist. If these organs are not moistened, they become thirsty. Blood is generally bounded by the veins and arteries. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs. It is a separate body part.

25. Sweat

Sweat is the water that trickles from the pores of the body hairs. It is the color of clear Sesame oil. It takes the shape of its container, and is found in both sectors. There is no fixed location for sweat, it can be found everywhere. If the body is heated by the sun, fire, or a change in temperature, it trickles from all the pores at head hairs and body hairs, like water from cut lily stems or lotus stalks pulled out of the water. Thus, its shape  corresponds to the pore openings at the head hairs and body hairs. Meditators who discern sweat should only pay attention to it as it fills the pore openings of head hairs and body hairs. Sweat is bounded by its container. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs. It is a separate body part.

26. Fat

Fat is a thick, oily substance, the color of sliced Turmeric. In a stout man, it is the shape of a tumeric-colored muslin rag placed in two or three thicknesses over the shank flesh, thigh flesh, back flesh near the spine and the belly. It is between the inner skin and the flesh. In the body of a lean man it is the shape of a single tumeric-colored muslin rag placed between the inner skin and the flesh.

It is found in both upper and lower sectors.  It permeates the whole of a stout man’s body and is to be found on a lean man’s shank flesh. Although it is oily, it is not used as oil for the head or the nose because of its  disgusting nature. It is bounded below by the flesh, and above by the inner skin and all around by more fat. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

27. Tears

Tears are the water that trickles from the eyes. They are the color of clear Sesame oil. They are the shape of their container. They belong to the upper sector. Tears are found in the eye sockets, but they do not accumulate in the eye sockets, as bile does in the gall bladder. When beings feel joy and laugh uproariously or feel grief and weep, eat particular kinds of wrong food, or when their eyes are affected by smoke, dust or dirt, tears fill up the eye sockets and trickle out. The meditator examining tears should focus on them only as they are filling the eye sockets. Tears are bounded by their containers [initially the eye socket].  Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

28. Grease

Grease is a melted oily substance. It is the color of coconut oil or of oil sprinkled on gruel. In shape, it is like a film such as a drop of oil  spread out on still water when bathing. It belongs to both upper and lower sectors of the body. It is found mostly on the palm of the hands, the soles of the feet, the backs of the feet, the tip of the nose, the forehead and the points of the shoulders. It is not always to be found in the melted state, but when these parts get heated by fire, sun, or change of temperature, it spreads over those places like the oily film on still water when bathing. Grease is delimitated by its own boundaries. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

29. Saliva

Saliva is the water mixed with froth inside the mouth. It is white, the color of froth. It takes the shape of its container, or it can be called ‘the shape of froth’. It is found in the upper sector, on the tongue after it has descended from the cheeks. It is not always accumulated there, but when beings see attractive food or remember it or put something hot or bitter or sharp or salty or sour into their mouths, or when their hearts are faint or nausea arises, then saliva appears and runs down from the cheeks on both sides to settle on the tongue. Saliva is thin at the tip of the tongue and thick at the root of the tongue. It is capable, of wetting rice or anything chewable which is put into the mouth. Like water in a pit scooped in a sandy river  bank, it is never used up.  Saliva is delimited by its own boundaries. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

30. Snot or Nasal Mucus

Snot is the impurity that trickles down from the brain. It is the color of a young Palmyra seed.
It takes the shape of its container and it belongs to the upper sector. It is found filling the nostril cavities. It is not always to be found accumulated there. Snot oozes out like curd in a lotus leaf which has been pricked with a thorn underneath. When beings weep or suffer a disturbance of the elements due to wrong food or temperature, the brain inside becomes stale and phlegm oozes out, coming down through an opening in the palate. It fills the nostrils and stays there or trickles out. The meditator who examines snot should focus on it only as it fills the nostril cavities. Snot is delimitated by its own boundaries. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

31. Synovial Fluid (The Oil of the Joints)

Synovial fluid is oily liquid which lubricates the joints of the body. It is the color of Kanikara gum and takes the shape of its container. It is found in both upper and lower sectors. It is found in the one hundred eighty joints, lubricating them. If it is weak, when a man gets up or sits down, moves forward or backward, bends or stretches, then his bones creak and he goes about making a noise like the snapping of fingers. Also, when he has walked only about five kilometers, his air element gets upset and his limbs pain him. But if a man has plenty of synovial fluid, his bones do not creak when he gets up or sits down, and even when he walks a long distance his air element does not get upset and his limbs do not pain him. Synovial fluid is bounded by its place in the joints. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

32. Urine

Urine in the body is the color of bean brine. It is the shape of water in a pot placed upside down. It is found in the lower segment inside the bladder. Just as when a porous pot with no mouth is put in a cesspool, the solution from the cesspool gets into it even though no way of entry is evident, so too while the urinary secretion from the body enters the bladder it’s way of entry is not evident, it’s exit, however, is very evident. When the bladder is full of urine, beings feel the need to make water. Urine is bounded by the inside of the bladder. Delimitation from the dissimilar is as for head hairs.

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