The foulness of the body
104 Engaging in the Bodhisattva’s Deeds
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Shantideva Teachings at Sravasti Abbey 
Sep 8, 2022 Part of an ongoing series of teachings based on Shantideva’s classic text, Bodhisattvacharyavatara, often translated as Engaging in the Bodhisattva’s Deeds. Venerable Thubten Chodron also refers to the outline of the commentary by Gyaltsab Dharma Rinchen and the commentary by the Abbot Dragpa Gyaltsen.
- Two ways of looking at the body
- Review of previous verses
- Verse 48: Do you desire what is underneath the skin?
- Verses 49-53: It is unsuitable to desire what is impure
- Verses 54 and 55: If you are attached to their mind, why desire their body?
- Verse 56: Looking at our own body
- Verse 57: Rejecting the pure for the impure
- Verses 58-61: Desire for a body that arose from the impure
- Verse 62: Even attractive food when taken in by the body becomes foul
- Verse 63: Reflecting on the bodies of the dead
104 Engaging in the Bodhisattva’s Deeds: The foulness of the body (download)
Venerable Thubten Chodron
Venerable Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1977 by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche in Dharamsala, India, and in 1986 she received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan. Read her full bio.
