English
Having contemplated the hairs, repelling the outward scattering of the mind, one should contemplate 'hairs, nails, teeth, skin' with a pure mind. Contemplating thus, one does not fall away from the meditation subject and overcomes the cycle of rebirth. The comparison here should be understood by adapting the same one. Just as a clever man, having earned a thousand coins and received interest, ascends a log bridge, arranges his lower and upper garments, makes his body firm with elements, and safely crosses to the other shore, so too, the clever monk, having contemplated the hairs, repelling the outward scattering of the mind, and contemplating 'hairs, nails, teeth, skin' with a pure mind, should be understood as not falling away from the meditation subject and overcoming the cycle of rebirth. Even when repelling external distractions, the concept should be To be contemplated by transcending the concept. Having discarded the designation 'hair, body hair,' mindfulness should be established with 'repulsive, repulsive.' But at first, the repulsive does not present itself. As long as it does not present itself, the designation should not be discarded. When it presents itself, then having discarded the designation, it should be contemplated as 'repulsive.' And while doing so, it should be contemplated as repulsive in five ways, according to the method stated above. For in the fivefold skin, repulsiveness is obtained in five ways, namely, by way of color, shape, smell, location, and contact. In the remaining parts, whatever is obtained, contemplation should be carried on in that way. Therein, the five parts, namely, hair, etc., have gone to the designation of a beautiful sign, a place for lust, a desirable object. Whatever beings are prone to attachment, all of them are attached to these five parts. But this bhikkhu brings the application of 'repulsive' to the place of attachment for the multitude. There, from the attainment of application onwards, without further effort, he attains application. Herein is an analogy: Just as a skilled archer, having pleased the king and received a choice village worth a hundred thousand, going there armed with the five weapons, and seeing thirty-two thieves on the way, would kill the five chief thieves among them; from the time of their killing, two of them would no longer proceed on the same path; even so should this be seen. The time when the archer, having pleased the king, received the choice village is like the time when this bhikkhu, having learned the meditation subject from the teacher, is established; the thirty-two thieves are like the thirty-two parts; the five chief thieves are like the five, namely, hair, etc.; the time of the killing of the chief thieves is like the time when this bhikkhu has brought the application of 'repulsive' to the fivefold skin, the place of attachment for all beings; the time when the remaining thieves flee at the mere striking of hands is like the attainment of application in the remaining parts without further effort. And thus, by transcending the concept, and Mindfulness should be established by releasing them one after another. While attending to the hair, with attachment to the hair, mindfulness should be directed to the body hair. Until the body hair arises, one should attend to "hair, hair." But when the body hair arises, abandon the hair and establish mindfulness on the body hair. In this way, mindfulness should be established on the nails and so on as well. Here is an analogy: Just as a leech, while moving, does not release the place held by its tail until it finds a firm hold in front; but when it finds a firm hold in front, it lifts up its tail and places it where it has grasped with its mouth; even so, while attending to the hair, with attachment to the hair, mindfulness should be directed to the body hair. Until the body hair arises, one should attend to "hair, hair." But when the body hair arises, abandon the hair and establish mindfulness on the body hair. In this way, mindfulness should be established on the nails and so on as well. By establishing it in this way, skill in mindfulness should be developed, which is said to lead to absorption. How? For absorption arises for one who attends to this absorption-subject. It does not arise right away. For the mind, nurtured in the round of existence without a known beginning and in various objects, upon being directed to "hair," goes according to the stream of familiarity and settles on the skull-cap. Upon being directed to "skull-cap," it comes according to the stream of familiarity and settles on the hair. But as one attends and attends, each part arises. Mindfulness, supported by concentration, continues to function. Therefore, whichever part arises more strongly, one should apply double the effort there to attain absorption. From the time of attaining absorption in that way, one attains absorption in the remaining parts without difficulty. Here, the analogy is like a monkey in a palm grove. Furthermore, the connection should be understood in this way: In a palm grove with thirty-two palm trees, a monkey dwells. That monkey... A hunter, greedy, standing at the base of a palm tree, made a "hush hush" sound. A conceited monkey, leaping from palm to palm, stood at the outermost palm. The hunter, going there too, made a "hush hush" sound. The monkey, again in the same way, settled on the first palm. Being chased again and again, becoming weary, standing at the base of that very palm, at the time of "hush hush," rising up and going and going, becoming extremely weary, firmly grasped the sprout-leaf tip of one palm, and even when pierced and seized with the tip of an arrow, did not flee. There, the thirty-two palms are like the thirty-two parts; the monkey is like the mind; the hunter is like the yogi; the time of the hunter standing at the base of the palm tree making a "hush hush" sound, like the conceited monkey fleeing and standing at the outermost end, is like the mind, grown in various objects in the beginningless round of existence, settling on the brain-lump, going according to the recitation stream, as soon as one attends to "hair"; the time of standing at the outermost end and making a "hush hush" sound and coming to the near end, is like settling on the hair, going according to the recitation stream, as soon as one attends to "brain-lump"; the time of rising up at the "hush hush" place, of one being chased again and again and becoming weary, is like going with mindfulness established, established in each part as it appears while one is attending; the time of not fleeing even when pierced and seized with the tip of an arrow, is like bringing to absorption by making double the attention in that part which appears more prominently. There, from the time of bringing to absorption, he will bring to absorption in the remaining parts without weariness. Therefore, "repulsive, repulsive" should be repeatedly attended to, brought together, made struck by reasoning, struck by thought. While doing thus, the four aggregates become repulsive objects, and absorption is attained. The preliminary thoughts, known as preparation and proximity, are with initial and sustained thought, and all is just like what was said below. a. When one contemplates one part, Only one first jhāna arises. When one contemplates individually, Thirty-two first jhānas arise. The topic of questions held in hand is natural. "So taṃ nimittanti" that bhikkhu, that meditation subject. "Āsevatīti sevati bhajati" he cultivates, frequents. "Bhāvetīti vaḍḍheti" he develops, increases. "Bahulīkarotīti punappunaṃ karoti" he does it repeatedly. "Svāvatthitaṃ vavatthapetīti suvavatthitaṃ karoti" he makes it well-established. "Bahiddhā kāye cittaṃ upasaṃharatīti" having done thus, he directs, places, sends his mind to the body of another. "Atthissa kāyeti" it exists in his body. "Ajjhattabahiddhākāye cittaṃ upasaṃharatīti" at times he directs his mind to his own body, at times to the body of others. "Atthikāyeti" because this is intended to be neither exclusively one's own body nor exclusively the body of another, therefore it is said. Here, however, when one performs the preliminary work of perceiving "repulsiveness" in one's own living body, both attainment and access arise. When one contemplates "repulsiveness" in the living body of another, neither attainment arises, nor access. But surely, in the ten impurities, both of these arise? Yes, they arise. For those stand on the side of what is not appropriated. Therefore, there, both attainment and access arise. But this stands on the side of what is appropriated. Therefore, here, neither of these arises. However, it should be understood that insight-development, known as the contemplation of impurity, occurs. What is discussed in this section? Concentration and insight are discussed. Now, here, all this miscellaneous information should be understood as common to contemplation. For of these: By way of sign, by way of characteristic, By way of element, and then by way of emptiness; From the aggregates and so on, it should be understood, The determination of hair and so on. There, "nimittato" means sixty hundred signs in the thirty-two aspects, by means of which the yogi grasps the thirty-two aspects part by part, that is to say: the color sign of hair, the shape sign, the direction sign, the location sign, the boundary sign. "As to sign," there are 2,800 signs in the thirty-two parts, by means of which the meditator attends to the thirty-two parts as to sign, that is to say: hair has the characteristic of being stiff, the characteristic of being bound together, the characteristic of being hot, the characteristic of being supportive; there are these four characteristics. The same method applies to body hair, etc.