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← Therīgāthā

Abhirūpanandā

Thig 2.1 · Abhirūpanandātherīgāthā

A willow branch touching the surface of still water.

Nandā, see this bag of bones as diseased, filthy, and rotten. With mind unified and serene, meditate on the ugly aspects of the body.

Meditate on the signless, give up the tendency to conceit; and when you comprehend conceit, you will live at peace.

That is how the Buddha regularly advised the trainee nun Nandā with these verses.

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Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato and Jessica Walton · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.