Dutiyasaññāsutta — Sacittavagga — the sixth chapter of the Tens, opening the Second Fifty
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A single flat list of ten, with no elaboration
Length
under 1 minute to read
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — brief, though vivid in content
Why this discourse
This second list of ten perceptions keeps five items from AN 10.56 but drops the doctrinal chain entirely, replacing it with five specific, visceral stages of a decomposing corpse — among the most graphic content in this project so far.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
A second set of ten perceptions, equally fruitful and aimed at the same freedom from death: impermanence, not-self, death, repulsiveness of food, dissatisfaction with the whole world, and five successive charnel-ground images — a skeleton, a worm-infested corpse, a livid corpse, a split-open corpse, and a bloated corpse.
Five items shared, five replaced
This list keeps five of AN 10.56's ten items outright (impermanence, not-self, death, food's repulsiveness, and dissatisfaction with the world, though reordered), but drops that discourse's closing doctrinal chain — suffering-in-impermanence, not-self-in-suffering, giving up, fading away, cessation — entirely.
The charnel ground, made concrete
In place of that abstract chain, this discourse names five specific stages of bodily decomposition in sequence — a traditional set of corpse contemplations practiced by observing an actual decaying body at different intervals, here compressed into a bare list with no narrative or simile to soften them.
Same goal, sharper method
Despite the stark difference in content, this list closes with the identical formula as AN 10.56: developed and cultivated, these perceptions too have freedom from death as their objective and culmination — two very different routes to the same destination.
Key terms
aṭṭhikasaññā — “the perception of a skeleton” — the first of the five charnel-ground images unique to this list.
puḷavakasaññā — “the perception of a worm-infested corpse” — the second charnel-ground image.
uddhumātakasaññā — “the perception of a bloated corpse” — the fifth and final charnel-ground image, closing the list.
vinīlakasaññā — “the perception of a livid corpse” — the third of the five charnel-ground images.
vicchiddakasaññā — “the perception of a split-open corpse” — the fourth charnel-ground image.
The text
The discourse in full: the ten perceptions, listed without elaboration. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Ten perceptions, a second list
§1“Mendicants, these ten perceptions, when developed and cultivated, are very fruitful and beneficial. They have freedom from death as their objective and culmination. What ten? The perceptions of impermanence, not-self, death, repulsiveness of food, dissatisfaction with the whole world, a skeleton, a worm-infested corpse, a livid corpse, a split open corpse, and a bloated corpse. These ten perceptions, when developed and cultivated, are very fruitful and beneficial. They have freedom from death as their objective and culmination.”
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Self-check quiz
5 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 5
How many items does this list share with AN 10.56's?
Correct: B. Half the list overlaps; the other half is entirely new.
Question 2 of 5
What replaces AN 10.56's closing doctrinal chain in this discourse?
Correct: B. Concrete bodily imagery in place of an abstract logical sequence.
Question 3 of 5
What kind of practice do the five new items reflect, according to the guide?
Correct: B. A traditional, visceral meditation method distinct from AN 10.56's abstract chain.
Question 4 of 5
Despite the different content, how does this list close?
Correct: B. Two different routes, the guide notes, to the same destination.
Question 5 of 5
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: D. No location is given for this brief discourse.
