AN 9.15

Gaṇḍasutta

“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, gaṇḍo anekavassagaṇiko. Tassassu gaṇḍassa nava vaṇamukhāni nava abhedanamukhāni. Tato yaṁ kiñci pagghareyya— asuciyeva pagghareyya, duggandhaṁyeva pagghareyya, jegucchiyaṁyeva pagghareyya; yaṁ kiñci pasaveyya— asuciyeva pasaveyya, duggandhaṁyeva pasaveyya, jegucchiyaṁyeva pasaveyya.

The Simile of the Boil

“Mendicants, suppose there was a boil that was many years old. And that boil had nine orifices that were continually open wounds. Whatever oozed out of them would be filthy, stinking, and disgusting. Whatever exuded from them would be filthy, stinking, and disgusting.

Gaṇḍoti kho, bhikkhave, imassetaṁ cātumahābhūtikassa kāyassa adhivacanaṁ mātāpettikasambhavassa odanakummāsūpacayassa aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammassa. Tassassu gaṇḍassa nava vaṇamukhāni nava abhedanamukhāni. Tato yaṁ kiñci paggharati— asuciyeva paggharati, duggandhaṁyeva paggharati, jegucchiyaṁyeva paggharati; yaṁ kiñci pasavati— asuciyeva pasavati, duggandhaṁyeva pasavati, jegucchiyaṁyeva pasavati. Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, imasmiṁ kāye nibbindathā”ti.

‘Boil’ is a term for this body made up of the four principal states, produced by mother and father, built up from rice and porridge, liable to impermanence, to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and destruction. And that boil has nine orifices that are continually open wounds. Whatever oozes out of them is filthy, stinking, and disgusting. Whatever exudes from them is filthy, stinking, and disgusting. So, mendicants, have no illusion about this body.”