"Friends, this body is so impermanent, fragile, unworthy of confidence, and feeble. It is so insubstantial, perishable, short-lived, painful, filled with diseases, and subject to changes. Thus, my friends, as this body is only a vessel of many sicknesses, wise men do not rely on it. This body is like a ball of foam, unable to bear any pressure. It is like a water bubble, not remaining very long. It is like a mirage, born from the appetites of the passions. It is like the trunk of the plantain tree, having no core. Alas! This body is like a machine, a nexus of bones and tendons. It is like a magical illusion, consisting of falsifications. It is like a dream, being an unreal vision. It is like a reflection, being the image of former actions. It is like an echo, being dependent on conditioning. It is like a cloud, being characterized by turbulence and dissolution. It is like a flash of lightning, being unstable, and decaying every moment. The body is ownerless, being the product of a variety of conditions."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Vimalakirti, in Chapter II
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_the_body
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Buddhism and the body
6 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Buddhism and the body →
Related Quotes
"“Well, Lord, is the soul the same as the body, is the soul one thing and the body another?”"
"Joined together with bones and sinews, having a plastering of skin and flesh, covered with hide, the body is not seen…"
"Therefore, you should be revulsed by such a body. You should despair of it and should arouse your admiration for the …"
"Good people, this body is impermanent, without durability, without strength, without firmness, a thing that decays in…"
"Good people, a thing like this is irksome and hateful, and therefore you should seek the Buddha body. Why? Because th…"
"It was a foot in name only. The misshapen mass looked more like a hoof bisected by a crack."
"Strange to think it was an erotic thing. To us, the smell of rotting flesh would be unbearable. But back then men wro…"
"The bandages that women used for footbinding were about 10 feet long, so it was difficult for them to wash their feet…"
"There's not a single other woman in Liuyicun who could fit their feet into my shoes. When my generation dies, people …"
"Looking back on it, I am not sure what I was expecting. Such cruel and ugly words are used to describe bound feet. I …"