THE BODY WITH NO CONSCIOUSNESS IS LIKE A USELESS LOG
The background story of the 41st verse, which is the 9th verse of the Citta Vagga is about a monk whose body was stinking due to multiple sores and became an Arahant after listening to a sermon by the Buddha.
The background story of verse 41
At one time the Buddha was staying at the Jetavana monastery in Sāvatti which was donated to the Buddha by the chief benefactor Anāthapindika.
At that time there was a monk named Tissa who obtained instructions from the Buddha on an object of meditation and started practising meditation quite diligently. However, he developed an illness due to which boils appeared all over the body. These boils which appeared as small boils at first, became bigger until they developed into big sores which burst resulting in his upper and lower robes becoming sticky and stained with blood and pus. Eventually, all of his body was stinking and hence he came to be known as “Putigattatissa”, Tissa the thera with a stinking body. Because of his stinking body, his pupil monks who were residing with him abandoned him and did not care to look after him.
One morning, as the Buddha was surveying the world through the Buddha’s supernormal mental power to see who could be spiritually helped on that day, Putigattatissa Thera appeared in the Buddha’s vision. The Buddha noticed the sad state of the body of Putigattatissa Thera and the fact that he had been abandoned by his pupil monks. The Buddha also saw that Putigattatissa Thera had the potential to become an Arahant on that day. There was a fireshed close to where the Thera was staying and the Buddha went there and boiled some water. Then the Buddha went into where the Thera was lying and got hold of the edge of his couch. As soon as the pupil monks knew of the Buddha’s presence, they also came there and as instructed by the Buddha, they carried the Thera into the fire shed. The Thera was washed and bathed in the fire shed and his robes were also washed and dried.
After his body was washed and bathed, Putigattatissa Thera felt a freshness in his body and the mind, which helped him to develop one-pointedness of the mind. The Buddha who was standing at the head of his bed, instructed him to reflect on the fact that when this body is devoid of life, it would be as useless as a log of wood and would be laid on the earth. Then the Buddha recited the following verse which is recorded as the 41st verse of the Dhammapada.
“Aciraṁ vatayaṁ kayo,
pathaviṁ adhisessati,
chuddho apetaviññāno,
niratthaṁ va kalingaraṁ.”
“Before long, alas, this body,
will lie on the ground,
discarded, without consciousness,
like a useless piece of wood.”
It is said that soon after listening to the Buddha’s discourse, Putigattatissa Thera gained enlightenment as an Arahant and passed away.
- It is a very good sutta that shows the fruitless nature of the body. The body not only can become disgusting and dirty but is responsible for our suffering in this Sansara. The vast majority of akusalas are produced with this dense body. Sooner or later, he will end up being a useless log of wood, and this lifestream will be reborn according to his actions. What is the point of doing unhealthy actions to satisfy this disgusting body and end up in the Apayas? Having a dense body like ours brings illness and excruciating pain. We desire to possess a dense body to be able to enjoy the Kāma loka that traps us in this world. Venerable Tissa reflected on Asubha, and soon after, he became an arahant and attained Parinibbānna.
