a-subha 🧟‍ = un-attractive

✅in EBT meditation, it refers to 31asb🧟‍ body parts contemplation. See AN 10.60, AN 6.29.
⚠️300+ years after EBT, in Vimt. and Vism., Theravada re-defines asubha meditation to refer to 10 stages of corpse decay, and they reclassify 31asb🧟‍ under kāya-gatā-sati 🏃‍. It's important to know this, because in EBT suttas, an instruction to "develop asubha" is frequently mentioned, but without detail (examples: SN 8.4, SN 54.9). 31asb is immediately accessible, corpse contemplation considerably more complex.
• What's the purpose of asubha meditation? To counter perversions of our inverted perception AN 4.49, SN 8.4.
• But be careful, this is an advanced practice. Best to first have foundation in breath meditation SN 54.9.
• SN 12.61 and SN 12.62 is the more general case of seeing 4 elements via dependent origination 12ps as not being worth clinging to.

a-subha 🧟

a-subha defn.

CPED: asubha: unpleasant; ugly. (nt.) a corpse. (adj.)

PTS: Asubha (adj.) [a + subha] impure, unpleasant, bad, ugly, nasty;

nt. ˚ŋ nastiness, impurity.

Cp. on term and the Asubha

-- meditation, as well as on the 10 asubhas or offensive objects Dhs. trsl. 70 and Cpd. 121 n. 6.

-- S iv.111 (asubhato manasikaroti); v.320; Sn 341; Sdhp 368.

-- subhâsubha pleasant unpleasant, good & bad Sn 633; J iii. 243; Miln 136.

-- ânupassin realising or intuiting the corruptness (of the body) It 80, 81; DhA i.76.

-- kathā talk about impurity Vin iii.68.

-- kammaṭṭhāna reflection on impurity DhA iii.425.

-- nimitta sign of the unclean i. e. idea of impurity Vism 77.

-- bhāvanā contemplation of the impurity (of the body) Vin iii.68.

-- saññā idea of impurity D iii.253, 283, 289, 291.

-- saññin having an idea of or realising the impurity (of the body) It 93.

subha 💑 in a negative context

subha 💑 = beautiful, attractive

In asubha meditation context, subha is diametrically opposed. Because one gets confused by the perception of the subha (beautiful) nimitta (sign/theme), it induces lust/passion, desire for sensual pleasures (SN 8.4, SN 46.2). To counter this tendency, one guards the sense doors AN 4.14 so one doesn’t get confused by the nimitta perceptions arising at the sense faculties.

subha defn.

Subha (adj.) [Vedic śubhas fr. subh; cp. sobhati] shining, bright, beautiful D i.76=ii.13=M iii.102;

Dhs 250 DA i.221;

auspicious, lucky, pleasant Sn 341;

It 80 good Sn 824, 910;

subhato maññati to consider as a good thing Sn 199; J i.146;

cp. S iv.111;

(nt.) welfare good, pleasantness, cleanliness, beauty, pleasure;

-- vasena for pleasure's sake J i.303, 304; asubha anything repulsive disgusting or unpleasant S i.188; v.320; subhâsubha pleasant and unpleasant Miln 136; J iii.243 (niraya=subhānaŋ asubhaŋ unpleasant for the good C.); cp. below subhāsubha.

-- angana with beautiful courts J vi.272.

-- âsubha good and bad, pleasant & unpleasant Dh 409=Sn 633. ;

-- kiṇṇa the lustrous devas, a class of devas D ii 69; M i 2. 329 390; iii.102; A i.122; J iii.358; Kvu 207; also written ˚kiṇha A ii.231, 233; iv.40, 401; Vism 414, 420 sq. VbhA 520; KhA 86.

-- gati going to bliss, to heaven Mhvs 25, 115.

-- ṭṭhāyin existing or remaining, continuing in glory D i.17; DA i.110; A v.60.

-- dhātu the element of splendour S ii.150.

-- nimitta auspicious sign auspiciousness as an object of one's thought M i 26 A i.3, 87, 200; S v.64, 103; Vism 20.

-- saññā perception or notion of what is pleasant or beautiful Nett 27 Opp. asubhasaññā concept of repulsiveness A i.42 ii.17; iii.79; iv.46; v.106. See asubha.

-- saññin considering as beautiful A ii.52.

4👑☸ Cattāri Ariya-saccaṃ 四聖諦

a-subha 🧟‍ = un-attractive

a-subha 🧟

a-subha 🧟 = un-attractive

and closely related terms

a-subha defn.

subha 💑 in a negative context

subha 💑 = beautiful, attractive

subha defn.

subha in a positive context

subha as one of 8 vimokkha

🏦 Bank of Asubha

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