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is held by the power of the rudder, without the rudder it cannot be kept steady, even so, due to the weakness of the object, the mind becomes one-pointed and stays steady by the power of initial application; without initial application it cannot be kept steady. Therefore, only the first jhāna occurs here, not the second and so on. And in this repulsive object, joy and happiness arise from seeing the advantage, thinking, "Surely, by this practice, I shall be liberated from old age and death," and from the abandonment of the defilements' torment. It is like a flower-sweeper seeing the advantage of "now I shall receive much wages" in a pile of excrement, or like a very sick patient experiencing the onset of vomiting and purging. 122. And these ten kinds of foulness are one in characteristic. The characteristic of all these ten kinds is indeed their impurity, foul smell, loathsomeness, and repulsiveness. And this, by this characteristic, appears not only in a dead body, but also in a living body, like for the Elder Mahātissa, who lived on Cetiyapabbata and saw bones and teeth, and like for the novice attendant of Elder Saṅgharakkhita, who looked at the king mounted on an elephant. For just as a dead body, so too a living body is indeed foul. The characteristic of foulness here is not apparent because it is covered by adventitious ornaments. But naturally, this body is a collection of more than three hundred bones, joined by one hundred and eighty joints, bound by nine hundred sinews, smeared with nine hundred pieces of flesh, covered by wet skin, hidden by the epidermis, full of holes and gaps, like a pot of fat, constantly oozing and dripping, infested by swarms of worms, a dwelling place for diseases, a basis for suffering phenomena, like an old, burst boil, constantly flowing from nine wound openings. It is a flowing. From whose two eyes eye-rheum flows, from the ear-holes ear-wax, from the nostrils snot, from the mouth food, bile, phlegm, blood, from the lower orifices feces and urine, from ninety-nine thousand hair-pores impure sweat-water flows. Bluebottles and the like surround it. That which, unattended by tooth-sticks, face-washing, head-anointing, bathing, dressing, cloaking, and so on, being just as it was born, with rough, disheveled hair, wandering from village to village, even a king, or one of the flower-throwers, or outcasts, is indistinguishable in the repulsiveness of the body; thus, in its impurity, foul smell, disgust, and repulsiveness, there is no difference between the body of a king and that of an outcast. Here, by tooth-sticks, face-washing, and so on, they clean away the tooth-filth and so on, cover the private parts with various clothes, anoint it with various fragrant ointments, adorn it with flowers and ornaments, and make it fit to be taken as “I” and “mine.” Then, being covered by these adventitious ornaments, not understanding its true repulsive nature, men delight in women, and women in men. In ultimate reality, there is not even a tiny bit here that is fit to be delighted in. Indeed, even a single part of hair, body-hair, nails, teeth, saliva, snot, feces, urine, and so on, fallen outside the body, beings do not even wish to touch with their hand; they are disgusted, ashamed, repulsed. Whatever remains here, that, though equally repulsive, being enveloped by the darkness of ignorance, and stained by self-love and lust, they take as “pleasant, lovely, permanent, happy, self.” Those who thus take it are like the old jackal who, seeing a silk-cotton tree in the forest, and thinking the flowers fallen from the tree to be “a piece of meat,” is distressed. Therefore— Just as a jackal, seeing a silk-cotton tree in bloom in the forest, “A meat-tree I have found!” thus, going swiftly, Fallen A flower that has fallen, a very greedy fly bites it; This is not flesh, that is not flesh, which it takes from the tree. A fallen portion, is impure, so the wise one; Should not take it, nor should he take the body itself as such. For having taken this body as pure, and infatuated with it, Fools doing evil deeds, are not released from suffering. Therefore, a discerning one should see, whether of the living or of the dead; The nature of the putrid body, devoid of purity. And this has been said: The body is foul-smelling, impure, a corpse like a refuse heap; Condemned by those with eyes, the body is delighted in by fools. Covered with wet skin, a great wound with nine openings; It oozes everywhere, impure and foul-smelling. If what is inside this body, were outside; Surely, taking a stick, one would ward off crows and dogs. Therefore, a monk of noble birth, whether it be a living body or a dead body, wherever an impure aspect is perceived, should take that as a sign and bring the meditation subject to absorption. Thus, in the Visuddhimagga, made for the joy of good people, In the section on the development of concentration, The description of the meditation subject of impurity, Is the sixth chapter. 7. Description of the Six Recollections 1. Discourse on the Recollection of the Buddha 123. Among the ten recollections enumerated after impurity, recollection (sati) itself is anussati (recollection) because it arises again and again; or it is anussati because it occurs precisely where it should occur, and it is a suitable recollection for a young man who has gone forth with faith. Anussati that arises concerning the Buddha is Buddhānussati (recollection of the Buddha); this is a term for mindfulness whose object is the qualities of the Buddha. Anussati that arises concerning the Dhamma is Dhammānussati (recollection of the Dhamma); this is a term for mindfulness whose object is the qualities of the Dhamma, such as its being well-proclaimed. Anussati that arises concerning the Saṅgha is Saṅghānussati (recollection of the Saṅgha); this is a term for mindfulness whose object is the qualities of the Saṅgha, such as its being well-practiced. Anussati that arises concerning morality (sīla) is Sīlānussati (recollection of morality); this is a term for mindfulness whose object is the qualities of morality, such as its being unbroken. Anussati that arises concerning generosity (cāga) is The mindfulness that arises concerning relinquishment is mindfulness of relinquishment. This is a term for mindfulness whose object is the qualities of relinquishment, such as freedom from stinginess. The mindfulness that arises concerning deities is mindfulness of deities. This is a term for mindfulness whose object is one's qualities of faith, etc., placing deities in the position of witnesses. The mindfulness that arises concerning death is mindfulness of death. This is a term for mindfulness whose object is the cutting off of the life faculty. That which has gone into the body of form, consisting of hair, etc., or that which has gone into the body, is "kāyagatā." And since that is mindfulness, it should be "kāyagatasati," but without shortening the vowel, it is said as "kāyagatāsatī." This is a term for mindfulness whose object is the sign of the body parts, such as hair, etc. The mindfulness that arises concerning in-breaths and out-breaths is mindfulness of in-breathing and out-breathing. This is a term for mindfulness whose object is the sign of in-breaths and out-breaths. The mindfulness that arises concerning peace is mindfulness of peace. This is a term for mindfulness whose object is the calming of all suffering. 124. Thus, among these ten recollections, the yogi who wishes to cultivate the recollection of the Buddha, endowed with unwavering faith, having gone to a suitable dwelling, secluded and withdrawn, should recollect the qualities of the Blessed One, the Buddha, in this way: "Indeed, that Blessed One is an Arahant, perfectly and fully enlightened, endowed with knowledge and conduct, sublime, knower of the worlds, unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of gods and humans, the Buddha, the Blessed One." Here is the method of recollection: "That Blessed One is an Arahant for this reason; for this reason, he is perfectly and fully enlightened... and for this reason, he is the Blessed One," one recollects. It is said, "for this and that reason." 125. Here, one recollects that the Blessed One is an Arahant for these reasons: because of being far from enemies, because of having destroyed enemies, because of being worthy of requisites, etc., and because of the absence of secrecy in doing evil. For he is far, far removed from all defilements, having destroyed the defilements with their latent tendencies by the path, and thus, because of being far, he is an Arahant. He is called far from that with which he is not associated; And the Lord, unassociated with faults, is therefore considered an Arahant. 126. And these enemy defilements were destroyed by him through the path, and thus, he is an Arahant. because he has destroyed the spokes, he is Arahant. Because all enemies, called passion and so forth, were destroyed by the Lord with the sword of wisdom, therefore he is considered Arahant. 127. And this wheel of transmigration, which has been joined to the chariot of the three existences by piercing with an axle made of the origin of defilements, having a nave made of ignorance, existence, and craving, and merits and demerits as spokes, and old age and death as its rim, and which has been revolving for an immeasurable time—of this wheel, by him, having established himself on the ground of morality with the feet of energy at the Bodhi-maṇḍa, and taking the axe of knowledge that destroys kamma with the hand of faith, all the spokes were destroyed. Thus, because he has destroyed the spokes, he is Arahant. 128. Or else, the wheel of transmigration means the beginningless cycle of transmigration. And of this, ignorance is the nave, because it is the root. Old age and death are the rim, because they are the culmination.