What is Asubha Meditation?
Asubha meditation is a traditional Buddhist meditation whereby thirty-one parts of the body are contemplated in a variety of ways to develop mindfulness and concentration and overcome desire and lust. The term asubha (Pāli/Sanskrit: “not beautiful,” “unattractive,” or “foul”) refers to contemplative practices that direct attention toward the body’s unpleasant, impermanent, and ultimately repulsive qualities. Reflection on repulsiveness is referred to as Patikulamanasikara in the Pali language, and is also referred to as realization of the impurity of the body and reflection on the repulsiveness of the body.
This practice encompasses two main forms: contemplation of the thirty-two (or thirty-one) parts of one’s own body—ranging from hair, nails, and teeth to internal organs, fluids, and waste—and cemetery contemplations that observe corpses in various stages of decomposition. Along with cemetery contemplations such as the contemplation of the nine stages of decay, this type of meditation is one of the two meditations on “the foul” or “unattractive”. The practice aims not to cultivate disgust for its own sake but to counteract attachment, greed, and lust by seeing through the illusion of bodily beauty and permanence.
Asubha is classified within the broader framework of mindfulness of the body (kāyānupassanā), one of the four foundations of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna). Asubha was taught by the Buddha to help his followers see the true nature of the body in order to decrease and eliminate greed and lust. It is particularly recommended for practitioners with lustful temperaments, though it must be balanced carefully to avoid generating aversion or psychological harm.
Origins & Lineage
Asubha meditation originates in early Buddhist teachings found throughout the Pāli Canon. The name for this type of meditation is found in the sectional titles used in the Mahasatipatthana Sutta (Dīgha Nikāya 22) and the Satipatthana Sutta (MN 10), where the contemplation of the 32 body parts is entitled Paṭikkūla-manasikāra-pabbaṃ, and in the post-canonical Visuddhimagga and other atthakatha works, paṭikkūlamanasikāra is explicitly used when referring to this technique.
The forty meditation subjects that the Buddha prescribed for the development of serenity have been collected in the commentaries into a set called the forty kammatthana, distributed into seven categories enumerated in the Visuddhimagga, including the ten kinds of foulness (dasa asubha). The fifth-century scholar-monk Buddhaghosa systematized asubha practice in his Visuddhimagga (Path of Purification), describing it as one of the primary concentration practices. The ten impure (asubha) objects of repulsion are specifically cemetery contemplations (sīvathikā-manasikāra) on ten stages of human decomposition which aim to cultivate mindfulness of body.
In the days of the Buddha, corpses were generally left in open grave yards and the monks and nuns were able to visit the grave yards and contemplate on various stages of decomposition. The Girimananda Sutta lists contemplation of foulness (asubha) among ten contemplations the Buddha prescribed for healing. Asubha bhavana is a popular technique of meditation among traditional Buddhist followers and is one of the four protective meditations, alongside loving-kindness (metta), recollection of the Buddha’s qualities (Buddhanussati), and recollection of death (maranasati).
How It’s Practiced
Asubha meditation is practiced in two principal ways. The first method involves mentally reciting and contemplating the thirty-two parts of the body. Practitioners typically begin by memorizing the list—head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, intestines, stomach contents, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, skin oil, saliva, mucus, joint fluid, and urine—and then systematically reviewing them in forward and reverse order. The contemplation examines each part by color, shape, location, and especially repulsiveness.
The second method, historically practiced in charnel grounds, involves direct observation of corpses in ten stages of decay: bloated, discolored, festering, cut, gnawed, scattered, hacked and scattered, bleeding, worm-infested, and reduced to a skeleton. In modern practice, where access to corpses is rare, practitioners may use visual aids such as medical images, anatomical diagrams, or guided meditations describing these stages.
Asubha meditation and practices should be taken up with some caution, as doing it incorrectly may cause more harm than good. It is advised that if one is practicing asubha meditation it should be balanced with metta meditation for ourselves and others as anger may arise. Traditional instructions recommend practicing in a quiet, secluded space, beginning with brief sessions and extending the practice gradually under the guidance of a qualified teacher.
Asubha Meditation Today
In contemporary Buddhist practice, asubha meditation is taught selectively and often with significant caveats. Some traditions emphasize strong concentration via buddho or anapana, and then asubha practice, particularly in Thai forest monasteries and strict Theravāda lineages. Teachers such as Ajahn Martin have developed guided asubha meditations available through online platforms.
However, many modern teachers express reservations. Ajahn Brahm said he wasn’t much of a fan of it and found the monks he knew who practiced it ended up disrobing anyway. Contemporary mindfulness-based approaches in the West rarely include asubha, preferring body-positive contemplations like the body scan or somatic awareness practices. Where it is taught, it typically appears in intensive retreat settings focused on traditional kammaṭṭhāna methods, often in Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, or specialized monasteries.
Medical and psychological perspectives recognize parallels between asubha and exposure-based therapies, though ethical concerns about cultivating body-disgust have limited its adoption in secular mindfulness programs.
Common Misconceptions
Asubha meditation is not about self-hatred or body-shaming. Its purpose is not to make practitioners hate themselves or develop eating disorders, but to see through the conditioned perception that equates physical appearance with lasting happiness. The practice targets attachment and craving (rāga-taṇhā), not the body itself.
It is not appropriate for all practitioners. Traditional Buddhist psychology recognizes different temperamental types, and the ten foulness meditations or body contemplation are prescribed specifically for the greedy temperament. Those prone to depression, anxiety, or body-image issues are explicitly discouraged from this practice.
Asubha is not the only or even the primary Buddhist meditation. It is one tool among the forty kammaṭṭhāna objects, and many practitioners achieve deep insight and liberation through loving-kindness, breath meditation, or insight practices without ever engaging asubha contemplation.
Finally, asubha is not about literal disgust but about penetrating the three marks of existence—impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anattā)—through the particular lens of bodily phenomena.
How to Begin
Those interested in exploring asubha meditation should first establish a foundation in basic mindfulness and concentration practices such as anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing) or metta (loving-kindness). Only after developing stability and working with a qualified teacher should one consider asubha.
Classical instructions can be found in Buddhaghosa’s Visuddhimagga, available in English translation by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli. Contemporary guided practices by teachers like Ajahn Martin are available online, though these should be approached with proper preparation and support.
Traditional Theravāda monasteries in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar may offer instruction in asubha as part of comprehensive kammaṭṭhāna training. Practitioners should disclose any history of mental health concerns to teachers and balance asubha with metta meditation. The practice is not recommended for beginners or as a standalone technique, but rather as an advanced method within a complete path of training in ethics, concentration, and wisdom.