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from old age and death.'" He, quite secluded from sensual pleasures... ...enters and dwells in the first jhāna. For him, the first jhāna of the form sphere is attained, a divine dwelling, and a basis for meritorious deeds born of development." 106. Therefore, whoever goes to see the charnel ground for the purpose of informing the mind, let him strike the bell, and gather the assembly, and then go. But if he goes for the purpose of meditation Alone, by oneself, without abandoning the primary meditation subject, while contemplating it, to ward off dangers from dogs and the like in the charnel ground, taking a knife or a staff, having established a well-prepared state, making mindfulness unconfused, and having made the mind, the sixth sense, and the sense faculties to be inward-turned, so that the mind is not outward-turned, one should go. As one leaves the monastery, one should note the door, "I have left by this door, in this direction." Then, the path by which one goes should be ascertained: "This path goes towards the east, or towards the west, north, south, or towards an intermediate direction." And at this point, it goes to the left; at this point, to the right; and at this point, there is a rock; at this point, an anthill; at this point, a tree; at this point, a bush; at this point, a creeper. Thus, ascertaining the path of travel, one should go to the sign-place. But not against the wind. For one going against the wind, the stench of the corpse might strike the nose and disturb the brain, or cause one to vomit food, or generate remorse, "I have come to such a place of corpses!" Therefore, avoiding going against the wind, one should go with the wind. If it is not possible to go with the wind, if there is a mountain, a precipice, a rock, a fence, a thorny place, water, or mud in between, one should cover the nose with a corner of the robe and go. This is his practice of going. 107. Having gone thus, one should not immediately look at the foul sign. The directions should be ascertained. For one standing in one part of the direction, the object does not appear clearly, and the mind is not workable. Therefore, avoiding that, one should stand where, for one standing, the object appears clearly, and the mind is workable. And going against the wind and with the wind should be avoided. For one standing against the wind, the mind wanders, oppressed by the stench of the corpse. For one standing with the wind, If there are non-humans dwelling there, they become angry and cause harm. Therefore, one should move a little away, and not stand too much against the wind. Even when standing thus, one should not stand too far, nor too near, nor at the feet, nor at the head. For one standing too far, the object is not clear. Too near, fear arises. Standing at the feet or at the head, the entire foul object is not clearly perceived. Therefore, one should stand at a comfortable spot, in the middle of the body, neither too far nor too near, while observing. 108. Standing thus, one should observe the surrounding signs, as stated: "In that place, a stone, or... a creeper, makes a sign." Here is the method of observation: If there is a stone around that sign, within the range of sight, it should be determined: "This stone is high or low, small or large, red or black or white, long or round." Then it should be noted: "In this particular place, this stone is this foul sign; this foul sign is this stone." If there is an anthill, it too should be determined: "High or low, small or large, red or black or white, long or round." Then it should be noted: "In this particular place, this anthill is this foul sign." If there is a tree, it too should be determined: "An assattha or a nigrodha, a kacchaka or a kapītana, high or low, small or large, red or black or white." Then it should be noted: "In this particular place, this tree is this foul sign." If there is a bush, it too should be determined: "A sindivā or a karamanda, a kaṇavīra or a kuraṇḍaka, high or low, small or large." Then it should be noted: "In this particular place, this bush is this foul sign." If there is a creeper, it too should be determined: "A lābu or a kumbhaṇḍī, a sāmā or a kāḷavalli or a pūtilatā." should be determined. Then, “In this place, this creeper is this foul sign, this foul sign is this creeper,” should be noted. 109. What was said, “makes it with a sign, makes it with an object,” is included right here. For, determining again and again is called making it with a sign. “This stone is this foul sign, this foul sign is this stone,” thus, pairing two by two, determining again and again, is called making it with an object. Having thus made it with a sign and with an object, it is said to be determined by its intrinsic nature. Therefore, that intrinsic nature of it, which is its unique, personal state of being bloated, should be attended to. “Bloated” is described, meaning it should be determined by its intrinsic, essential nature. 110. Having thus determined, the sign should be grasped in six ways: by color, by gender, by shape, by direction, by location, and by delimitation. How? The yogi should determine this body by color, as black, or white, or of a mottled complexion. By gender, however, without determining as female or male, it should be determined as this body of one in the first, or middle, or last stage of life. By shape, in the manner of the bloated shape itself, this is its head shape, this is its neck shape, this is its hand shape, this is its belly shape, this is its navel shape, this is its hip shape, this is its thigh shape, this is its calf shape, this is its foot shape, should be determined. By direction, in this body, two directions, below the navel is the lower direction, above is the upper direction, should be determined. Or, “I am standing in this direction, the foul sign is in this direction,” should be determined. By location, “In this place are the hands, in this place are the feet, in this place is the head, in this place is the middle body,” should be determined. Or, “I am standing in this place, the foul sign is in this place.” The loathsome sign should be established in this. By delimitation, this body is bounded below by the soles of the feet, above by the crown of the head, and all around by the skin. And in the place thus bounded, it should be established that it is filled with thirty-two parts of impurity. Or else, this is its hand-boundary, this is its foot-boundary, this is its head-boundary, this is its middle-body-boundary, so it should be established. Or whatever space it occupies, that much is this bloated corpse, so it should be delimited. However, for a man, a woman's body, or for a woman, a man's body is not suitable. In a dissimilar body, the object does not arise, it only becomes a cause for agitation. "Even an exposed woman stands captivating a man's mind," it is said in the Majjhima Commentary. Therefore, only in a similar body should the sign be grasped in these six ways. 111. But for that noble son who has practiced meditation in the presence of former Buddhas, who has fulfilled the ascetic practices, who has thoroughly understood the great elements, who has grasped the aggregates, who has established mind and matter, who has opened up the perception of beings, who has performed the duties of a recluse, whose inclinations are purified, whose development is cultivated, who has the seed of higher knowledge, who has few defilements, for him, just by looking and looking, the counterpart sign arises. If it does not arise thus, then it arises for him who grasps the sign in these six ways. But for whom it does not arise even thus, by him, from the joints, from the openings, from the depressions, from the elevations, and from all around, the sign should again be taken in five ways. 112. Therein, "from the joints" means from the one hundred and eighty joints. But in a bloated corpse, how will one establish the one hundred and eighty joints? Therefore, by him, three joints of the right hand, three joints of the left hand, three joints of the right foot, three joints of the left foot, one neck joint, one waist joint, thus, by means of these fourteen great joints, it should be established from the joints. "From the openings" means an opening is the space between the hands, the space between the feet, the space of the abdomen, the space of the ears, thus... From this, it should be determined. Even of the eyes, the closed state or the open state, and of the mouth, the closed state or the open state, should be determined. "Depressed" means whatever depressed place in the body, the eye socket or the inside of the mouth or the throat, that should be determined. Or else, "I stand in a depressed place, the body is elevated," should be determined. "Elevated" means whatever elevated place in the body, the knee or the chest or the forehead, that should be determined. Or else, "I stand in an elevated place, the body is depressed," should be determined. "All around" means the whole body all around should be determined. Having moved knowledge throughout the entire body, wherever a place appears as distinct, there the mind should be fixed on "bloated, bloated." If even so it does not appear, the end of the abdomen is excessively bloated; there the mind should be fixed on "bloated, bloated." 113. Now, concerning "he makes that sign well-grasped," and so on, this is the explanation of the determination: By that yogi, in that body, according to the method of grasping the sign as described, the sign should be well-grasped. Having established mindfulness well, it should be adverted to. Doing this again and again, it should be well observed and determined. Standing or sitting in a place neither too far nor too near the body, one should open the eyes, look, and grasp the sign. "Bloated, repulsive; bloated, repulsive" a hundred times, a thousand times, one should open the eyes and look, then close them and advert to it.