Bodily fabrication

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
Post Reply
lucky-2012
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 3:48 pm

Bodily fabrication

Post by lucky-2012 »

In Thanissaro Bhikkhu's translation of the Anapanasati Sutta, he refers to 'bodily fabrication'.

Can anyone please provide or point me towards a more in depth explanation of what this means?

Thanks

With Metta
"Make it your sport — watching the defilements and making them starve, like a person giving up an addiction"

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai ... ensed.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
piotr
Posts: 412
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 4:33 pm
Location: Khettadesa

Re: Bodily fabrication

Post by piotr »

Hi,

Take a look at 3rd footnote.
Bhagavaṃmūlakā no, bhante, dhammā...
User avatar
reflection
Posts: 1116
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:27 pm

Re: Bodily fabrication

Post by reflection »

Hi!

Often that part is translated as breath-body or body of breath, pointing to the parts of the body and mind involved with the breathing. I know Nyantiloka translated it like this and Bodhi/Nanamoli did as well. That's because the word kaya ("body", but literally "group") does not have to point only to the entire physical body. A bit more detailed analysis you can find here, by Budhadasa: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/anapanasati.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've come to understand it this way and think that's a logical interpretation for a sutta that is called sati of breathing. Also, this subclassification of 'body' pointing to the breath, I think is referred to in the sutta itself by this: " I tell you, monks, that this — the in-&-out breath — is classed as a body among bodies.".

So you calm the breath itself, that's what it means according to the interpretation above.

Note: Thanissaro may mean something else. As far as I know, the above is not his interpretation.

Metta,
Reflection
lucky-2012
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 3:48 pm

Re: Bodily fabrication

Post by lucky-2012 »

Thank you both!

With metta
"Make it your sport — watching the defilements and making them starve, like a person giving up an addiction"

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai ... ensed.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
piotr
Posts: 412
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 4:33 pm
Location: Khettadesa

Re: Bodily fabrication

Post by piotr »

Hi,
reflection wrote:Often that part is translated as breath-body or body of breath (...)
I think that this reffers to the problem of understanding of sabbakāya rather than to the term kāyasaṅkhāra (“bodily fabrication” in translation by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu) mentioned in the original post.
Bhagavaṃmūlakā no, bhante, dhammā...
User avatar
reflection
Posts: 1116
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:27 pm

Re: Bodily fabrication

Post by reflection »

It's mainly the term 'kaya' I talked about, which is in both.
Post Reply