Contemplation On The Disadvantages Of The Body

Written by Roy Allan

My talk this evening continues on the theme of the ten contemplations found in the Girimananda Sutta that we have been discussing over the past three weeks.

Background and continuity

And just by way of background and continuity for anyone who missed the previous sessions, I will start by putting the Girimananda Sutta in context.

From my own readings of the Buddhist Suttas, it is clear regular demonstrations of the utmost compassion and caring for the sick were a prominent feature of the Buddha’s everyday life. "He who attends on the sick attends on me," was a famous statement he made on discovering a monk lying in his soiled robes, desperately ill with an acute attack of dysentery. With the help of Ananda, the Buddha washed and cleaned the sick monk in warm water. He used this occasion to exhort his disciples on the importance of ministering to the sick, reminding the monks they have neither parents nor relatives to look after them, so they must look after one another. If the teacher is ill, it is the duty of the pupil to look after him, and if the pupil is ill it is the teacher’s duty to look after the sick pupil. If a teacher or a pupil is not available, then it is the responsibility of the community to look after the sick.

But it was not always necessary for a sick monk to be physically nursed back to full health. For example, a number of suttas advocate recitation of the seven bojjhanga or factors of enlightenment for the purpose of healing physical ailments (and we have covered the seven bojjhanga in other sessions). On two occasions, when the Elders Mahakassapa and Mahamoggallana were ill, the Buddha recited the enlightenment factors and it is reported the two monks regained normal health. The Bojjhanga Samyutta also reports that once when the Buddha was ill, he requested Cunda to recite the enlightenment factors to him and was so pleased with the recitation, he soon regained health. It is interesting to note that the monks concerned were all Arahants, and had therefore fully developed the enlightenment factors. An Arahant of course is a term for the Buddha and the highest level of his noble disciples, being ‘worthy ones’ or ‘pure ones’ with minds free of defilement and thus not destined for further rebirth.

And then we have the occasion that gave rise to the Girimananda Sutta, the focus of this series of talks.

The sutta describes how Ananda told the Buddha about the monk Girimananda suffering from a serious disease and being gravely ill. Ananda suggested it might benefit Girimananda were the Buddha to visit him ‘out of compassion’. The Buddha replied ‘Should you, Ananda, visit the monk Girimananda and recite to him the ten contemplations (sometimes called ten perceptions – dasa sa