thig.5.4 Therigatha

Nanda's Vision

"Sick, putrid, unclean:
look, Nanda, at this physical heap.
Through contemplation of the foul,
develop your mind,
make it one, well-centered.

As this [your body], so that.
As that, so this.
It gives off a foul stench,
the delight of fools."

Considering it thus,
untiring, both day & night,
I, with my own discernment
dissecting it,
saw.

And as I, heedful,
examined it aptly,
this body — as it actually is —
was seen inside & out.

Then was I disenchanted with the body
& dispassionate within:
Heedful, detached,
calmed was I.
Unbound.

- Translator: Thanissaro Bhikkhu

- Editor: Ayya Kathrin Vimalañāṇī

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Sundarīnandā

“Nandā, see this bag of bones as
diseased, filthy, and rotten.
With mind unified and serene,
meditate on the ugly aspects of the body:
as this is, so is that,
as that is, so is this.
A foul stink wafts from it,
it is the fools’ delight.”
Reflecting in such a way,
tireless all day and night,
having broken through
with my own wisdom, I saw.
Being diligent,
properly investigating,
I truly saw this body
both inside and out.
Then, growing disillusioned with the body,
I became dispassionate within.
Diligent, detached,
I’m quenched and at peace.