The Buddha teaches on the simile of the boil, presenting a ninefold teaching for disciples on the path.

AN 9.15 The Simile of the Boil

“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, gaṇḍo anekavassagaṇiko. Tassassu gaṇḍassa nava vaṇamukhāni nava abhedanamukhāni. Tato yaṁ kiñci pagghareyya asuciyeva pagghareyya, duggandhaṁyeva pagghareyya, jegucchiyaṁyeva pagghareyya; yaṁ kiñci pasaveyya asuciyeva pasaveyya, duggandhaṁyeva pasaveyya, jegucchiyaṁyeva pasaveyya.

Gaṇḍoti kho, bhikkhave, imassetaṁ cātumahābhūtikassa kāyassa adhivacanaṁ mātāpettikasambhavassa odanakummāsūpacayassa aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammassa. Tassassu gaṇḍassa nava vaṇamukhāni nava abhedanamukhāni. Tato yaṁ kiñci paggharati asuciyeva paggharati, duggandhaṁyeva paggharati, jegucchiyaṁyeva paggharati; yaṁ kiñci pasavati asuciyeva pasavati, duggandhaṁyeva pasavati, jegucchiyaṁyeva pasavati. Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, imasmiṁ kāye nibbindathā”ti.

Pañcamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, gaṇḍo anekavassagaṇiko.

“Mendicants, suppose there was a boil that was many years old.

Tassassu gaṇḍassa nava vaṇamukhāni nava abhedanamukhāni.

And that boil had nine orifices that were continually open wounds.

Tato yaṁ kiñci pagghareyya

Whatever oozed out of them

asuciyeva pagghareyya, duggandhaṁyeva pagghareyya, jegucchiyaṁyeva pagghareyya;

would be filthy, stinking, and disgusting.

yaṁ kiñci pasaveyya

Whatever exuded from them

asuciyeva pasaveyya, duggandhaṁyeva pasaveyya, jegucchiyaṁyeva pasaveyya.

would be filthy, stinking, and disgusting.

Gaṇḍoti kho, bhikkhave, imassetaṁ cātumahābhūtikassa kāyassa adhivacanaṁ mātāpettikasambhavassa odanakummāsūpacayassa aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammassa.

‘Boil’ is a term for this body made up of the four principal states, produced by mother and father, built up from rice and porridge, liable to impermanence, to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and destruction.

Tassassu gaṇḍassa nava vaṇamukhāni nava abhedanamukhāni.

And that boil has nine orifices that are continually open wounds.

Tato yaṁ kiñci paggharati

Whatever oozes out of them

asuciyeva paggharati, duggandhaṁyeva paggharati, jegucchiyaṁyeva paggharati;

is filthy, stinking, and disgusting.

yaṁ kiñci pasavati

Whatever exudes from them

asuciyeva pasavati, duggandhaṁyeva pasavati, jegucchiyaṁyeva pasavati.

is filthy, stinking, and disgusting.

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, imasmiṁ kāye nibbindathā”ti.

So, mendicants, have no illusion about this body.”

Pañcamaṁ.

Qualities:

Delusion

Delusion

A fundamental distortion of reality that sustains confusion, clouds discernment, and fuels further doubt.

Also known as: illusion, hallucination, misapprehension, distorted view
Pāli: moha, micchāñāṇa
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Ending

Ending

The complete exhaustion and ending of craving, aversion, and delusion—the three roots of suffering. It refers to both the gradual wearing away of defilements through practice and the final cessation that constitutes Nibbāna.

Also known as: cessation, exhaustion, gradual ending, wearing away
Pāli: khaya, khīṇa, nirodha
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Ill will

Ill will

A mental quality of actively opposing or rejecting others in thought, manifesting as deliberate thoughts or intentions that oppose kindness and compassion; it fuels conflict and obstructs goodwill.

Also known as: actively opposing or rejecting others in thought, thought of malevolence towards another, hostile reflections towards another
Pāli: byāpāda
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Last updated on July 27, 2026