Sūtra on Contemplation of the Body (Shen Guan Jing) 身觀經

Translated by Dharmarakṣa

Colophon

第 15 冊　No. 0612 身觀經 西晉 竺法護譯 共 1 卷 Volume 15, No. 612; Sutra on Contemplation of the Body (Shen Guan Jing); translated by Dharmarakṣa in the Western Jin in 1 scroll.

Notes

Date 265-313 from Lancaster (Lancaster 2004, 'K 874')

English Translations

None

Summary

This text is a Buddhist discourse on the impermanence and impurity of the human body. It emphasizes the body's fragility, filled with unpleasant substances and prone to disease and decay, contrasting it with the delusion of pleasure and attachment. The teaching urges practitioners to contemplate the body's true nature to overcome desires and attachments, recognizing that all worldly possessions and pleasures are fleeting and ultimately unsatisfying in the face of death. Ultimately, the text suggests that one should focus on cultivating virtue and wisdom, understanding the body's inherent limitations. (AI generated)

Primary Source

Dharmarakṣa, 《身觀經》 'Shen Guan Jing,' in Taishō shinshū Daizōkyō 《大正新脩大藏經》, in Takakusu Junjiro, ed., (Tokyo: Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō Kankōkai, 1988), Vol. 15, No. 612, Accessed 2016-09-22, http://tripitaka.cbeta.org/T15n0612.

References

  1. Lancaster, L.R. 2004, The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue, http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue.

Collection vocabulary analysis