Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Therigatha · 5.4

Sundarīnandā

Sundarīnandā — The Book of the Fives · Poem 4 of 12

Setting
No narrative setting beyond what the verses state; a fragmentary closing attribution names the speaker
Speaker
Two quoted blocks: an instruction addressed to Nandā, then her own first-person account of realization
Form
Five four-line verses, in two quoted blocks of three and two
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
This reading guide does not assert a specific matching text for this poem in other Buddhist literatures.
Difficulty
★★★☆☆ — opens with a word-for-word repetition from earlier in this collection

Why this text

This poem's opening two verses are identical, word for word, to Thig 2.1's instruction to the trainee nun Nandā — whose own closing attribution notes that the Buddha ‘regularly advised’ her this way. Where Thig 2.1 stopped at the instruction itself, this poem continues: three more verses carry the same address into an account of the body examined, disillusionment following, and a mind finally at peace.

Reading guide

An opening repeated word for word

‘Nandā, see this bag of bones as diseased, filthy, and rotten. With mind unified and serene, meditate on the ugly aspects of the body’ is identical, segment for segment, to Thig 2.1's opening instruction — the same address to the same name.

An instruction given 'regularly', now shown taking root

Thig 2.1's own closing line states that ‘the Buddha regularly advised the trainee nun Nandā with these verses’. This poem does not simply repeat that instruction; it extends the same quoted address three verses further, into the reflection it produced.

A first quoted block, ending inside its own reflection

The source text's quotation marks span three full verses here, not two — opening with the bag-of-bones instruction and closing only after ‘reflecting in such a way, tireless all day and night, having broken through with my own wisdom, I saw’, the address folding into its own outcome before the quote closes.

A second block, her realization made explicit

A separate quoted block follows, unambiguously in her own voice: ‘I truly saw this body both inside and out... growing disillusioned with the body, I became dispassionate within... I'm quenched and at peace’ — the instruction's completed result, stated directly.

Key terms

Sundarīnandā — this poem's speaker, addressed by the shorter name ‘Nandā’ within the verses, which open identically to Thig 2.1's instruction.
asubha — “the unattractive” or “foulness” — the same meditation category named in Thig 2.1's instruction, repeated here word for word.
yoniso — “rationally” or “wisely” — how this poem describes her own investigation of the body, in its second quoted block.
santarabāhira — “inside and out” — the completeness this poem claims for her examination of the body.
nibbindati — to become disillusioned or dispassionate — the state this poem names directly before its closing description of peace.

The text

The text in full: five verses in two quoted blocks. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“Nandā, see this bag of bones as diseased, filthy, and rotten. With mind unified and serene, meditate on the ugly aspects of the body: as this is, so is that, as that is, so is this. A foul stink wafts from it, it is the fools’ delight.” Reflecting in such a way, tireless all day and night, having broken through with my own wisdom, I saw.

§2Being diligent, rationally investigating, I truly saw this body both inside and out. Then, growing disillusioned with the body, I became dispassionate within. Diligent, detached, I’m quenched and at peace.

· · ·

Self-check quiz

Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 10
What do this poem's opening two verses share with Thig 2.1?
Correct: A. 'Nandā, see this bag of bones...' — the identical instruction, segment for segment.
Question 2 of 10
What does Thig 2.1's own closing line say about this instruction?
Correct: B. Explaining why the same words could recur, addressed to the same name.
Question 3 of 10
How many verses does this poem's opening quoted block span, according to the source text's punctuation?
Correct: D. Unlike Thig 2.1's two verses, this poem's first quoted block extends to three.
Question 4 of 10
What does the poem's second quoted block describe?
Correct: B. The instruction's completed result, stated directly in her own voice.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'santarabāhira' mean?
Correct: A. Naming the thoroughness of her investigation.
Question 6 of 10
What is this poem's relationship to Thig 2.1?
Correct: C. A shared opening, followed by new material unique to this poem.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'nibbindati' describe?
Correct: D. Marking the shift from investigation to release.
Question 8 of 10
How does this poem close?
Correct: D. A direct statement of completed peace.
Question 9 of 10
What position does this poem hold in the Book of the Fives?
Correct: C. Following Thig 5.3, continuing the Book of the Fives.
Question 10 of 10
What does 'yoniso' mean, as used in this poem's second block?
Correct: B. Describing the quality of her own examination, distinct from the instruction's opening imagery.
Answered 0 of 10 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousThig 5.3 · Sīhā