And what, Ananda, is unattractiveness perception? Here, a disciple examines this very body from the soles of the feet up, and from the top of the head down, enclosed in skin and full of various kinds of impurity: In this body there are head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, undigested food, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, snot, synovial fluid, urine. Dwell contemplating the unattractiveness of the body. This is called perception of unattractiveness.

Instructions:

1.) Find a quiet place, adopt a posture of stillness (sitting cross-legged, kneeling, or lying down mindfully). Begin by establishing mindfulness of breathing to calm and steady the mind. Allow the mind to settle. Let any restlessness subside.

2.) With full awareness, bring to mind and mentally examine the body in parts, using the Tathagata's list. You may start from either the feet upward or the head downward.

In this body, there are: head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, undigested food, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, snot, synovial fluid, urine.

Visualize each item clearly and neutrally. You may even use anatomical diagrams to aid memory. Reflect on its nature: fluid, perishable, impure, not-self.

3.) After going through the list, view the body as a composite of these parts. Ask yourself:

“Is there anything here that is truly beautiful?” “Why do I cling to this body as mine, as me?” “Would I be attached to it if I truly saw its nature?”

Let insight and dispassion gently arise.

4.) Return to the Breath

Allow the mind to rest again on the breath for a few minutes. Let the contemplation settle and integrate.

This practice is not about self-hatred or disgust, but about seeing clearly. Its purpose is to free the mind from the delusion that the body is worthy of clinging. It is a medicine for the illness of sensual attachment, especially for those overwhelmed by desire.