The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

and kept alive by cravings, and with death it is disintegrated into the elements. But the kamma which
determined the appearance of this physical body has naturally been renewed and assumes a new form. II.
K!ya under the psychological aspect is the seat of sensation (Dhs §§ 613 16), and represents the
fundamental organ of touch which underlies all other sensation. Developed only in later thought DhsA. 311
cf. Mrs. Rhys Davids, Bud. Psy. Ethics lvi. ff.; Bud. Psy. 143, 185 f. I. (Physical). -- (a) Understanding of
the body is attained through introspection (sati). In the group of the four sati -- pa&&h!nas, the foundations of
introspection, the recognition of the true character of "body" comes first (see Vbh 193). The standing
formula of this recognition is k!ye k!yânupass" . . . contemplating body as an accumulation, on which
follows the description of this aggregate: "he sees that the body is clothed in skin, full of all kinds of dirty
matter, and that in this body there are hair, nails, teeth," etc. (the enumeration of the 32 !k!ras, as given Kh
iii.). The conclusions drawn from this meditation give a man the right attitude. The formula occurs
frequently, both in full and abridged, e. g. D ii.293, 294; iii.104, 141; A iii.323=v.109; S iv.111=v.278; Vbh
193, 194; Nett 83, 123; with slight variation: k!ye asubhânupass" . . . A iii.142 sq.; v.109 (under
asubhasaññ!); It 81; cp. k!ye aniccânupass" S iv.211; and k!yagat! sati. -- This accumulation is described
in another formula with: aya' . . . k!yo r(p" c!tum(m)ah!bh(tiko m!t! -- pettika -- sambhavo odana --
kumm!s' upacayo, etc. "this body has form (i. e. is material, visible), is born from mother and father, is a
heap of gruel and sour milk, is subject to constant dressing and tending, to breaking up and decay," etc.,
with inferences D i.55=S iii.207; S ii.94; iv.194; v.282, 370; D i.76, 209; M i.144, 500; ii.17; A iv.386=S
iv.83. (b) Various qualities and functions of the material body. As trunk of the body (opposed to pakkh!
and s"sa) S ii.231; also at Pv i.83; as depending on nourishment (!h!ra -- &&hitika, etc.) Sv.64; A ii.145 (with
ta*h!, m!na, methuna); as needing attention: see ˚parih!rika. As saviññ!*aka, having consciousness A
iv.53= S ii.252=S iii.80, 103, 136, 169; cp. !yu usm! ca viññ!na' yad! k!ya' jahant' ima' S iii.143. As in
need of breathing ass!sa -- pass!sa S v.330, 336; as tired, fatigued (kilanta -- k!ya) kilanta -- k!y! kilanta --
citt! te dev! tamh! k!y! cavanti "tired in body, tired in mind these gods fall out of this assembly" (D i.20;
iii.32#); in other connection PvA 43; see also kilanta. k!yo kilanto D iii.255 sq.;=A iv.332; S v.317; M
i.116; ji**assa me . . . k!yo na paleti Sn 1144; !tura -- k!yo S iii.1 (citta' an!tura'); paripu**a -- k˚ suruci
suj!to, etc., with a perfect body (of the Buddha) Sn 548= Th 1, 818; cp. mah! -- k˚ (of Brahmins) Sn 298.
The body of a Buddha is said to be endowed with the 32 signs of a great man: Bhagavato k!ye dvatti'sa
mah!purisa -- lakkha*!ni . . . Sn p. 107, cp. 549. The Tath!gata is said to be dhamma -- k!yo "author and
speaker of Doctrine," in the same sense Brahma -- k!yo "the best body" (i. e. of Doctrine) D iii.84 (Dial. iii,
81). (c) Valuation of physical body. From the contemplating of its true character (k!yânupass") follows its
estimation as a transient, decaying, and repulsive object. -- k!ye anicc' ânupass" S iv.211 (and vay'
ânupass", nirodh' ânupass"), so also asubhânupass" It 81; k!yañ ca bhindanta' ñatv! It 69; eva'dhammo (i.
e. a heap of changing elements) A iii.324; acira' vat' aya' k!yo pa&havi' adhisessati chuddho apetaviññ!*o
nirattha' va kalingara' Dh 41. pitta' semhañ ca vamati k!yamh! Sn 198. As bahu -- dukkho bahu!d"navo
A v.109; as anicca dukkha, etc. M i.500; ii.17; k!yena a&&iyam!n! harayam!n! S iv.62; v.320; dissati
imassa k!yassa !cayo pi apacayo pi !d!nam pi nikkhepanam pi S ii.94. -- This body is eaten by crows and
vultures after its death: S v.370. Represented as p(ti˚ foul S i.131; iii.120. -- Bdhgh. at Vism 240 defines
k!ya as "catu -- mah!bh(tika p(ti -- k!ya" (cp. similar passages on p. 367: patthaddho bhavati k!yo, p(tiko
bhavati k!yo). (d) Similes. -- Out of the great number of epithets (adhivacan!ni) and comparisons only a
few can be mentioned (cp. above under def. & syn.): The body is compared to an abscess (ga*.a) S
iv.83=A iv.386; a city (nagara) S iv.194; a cart (ratha) S iv.292; an anthill (vamm"ka) M i.144; all in
reference to its consisting of the four fundamental elements, cp. also: phe*' ûpama' k!ya' ima' viditv!
"knowing that the body is like froth" Dh 46; kumbh' ûpama' k!ya' ima' viditv! nagar' ûpama' citta' ida'
&hapetv! Dh 40: the body is as fragile as a water -- pot. (e) Dissolution of the body is expressed in the
standard phrase: k!yassa bhed! param mara*! . . ., i. e. after death . . . upon which usually follows the
mention of one of the gatis, the destinies which the new k!ya has to experience, e. g. D i.82, 107, 143, 162,
245, 247, 252; iii.96, 97, 146, 181, 235; M i.22; S i.94; iii.241; Dh 140; It 12, 14; J i.152; PvA 27, etc., etc.
Cp. also iv. II. (Psychological). -- As the seat of feeling, k!ya is the fifth in the enumeration of the senses
(!yatan!ni). It is ajjhattika as sense (i. e. subjective) and its object is the tangible (pho&&habba). The contact
between subject and object consists either in touching (phusitv!) or in sensing (viññeyya). The formulas
vary, but are in essence the same all through, e. g. k!ya -- viññeyy! pho&&habb! D i.245; k!yena
pho&&habba' phusitv! D iii.226, 250, 269; M i.33; ii.42; S iv.104, 112; k!yena phusitv! A v.11; k!yo c' eva
pho&&habb! ca D iii.102. Best to be grouped here is an application of k!ya in the sense of the self as
experiencing a great joy;