Perceiving Disgust: The Reflection on the Repulsiveness of Food in Buddhist Meditation

This paper surveys the Buddhist meditation technique known as the reflection on the repulsiveness of food (Skt. āhārepratikūla saṁjñā), tracing its origins in early canonical texts to its eventual decline in Mahāyāna Buddhism. It explores how food is interwoven with Buddhist concepts such as suffering, non-self, and dependent origination. Within this framework, contemplating food—by eliciting loathing toward both food and the body—reinforces the realization of non-self, fostering disenchantment and ultimately leading to nirvāṇa. Early Buddhist texts, including the Pāli Nikāyas and Chinese Āgamas, employ vivid similes to depict food consumption as an experience of suffering, while later Abhidharma traditions of both Theravāda and Sarvāstivāda systematized the practice. With the rise of Mahāyāna Buddhism, doctrinal shifts emphasizing emptiness led to its reconfiguration, as reflected in widely circulated Mahāyāna texts. Overall, the paper examines the relationship between this practice and the evolving doctrinal understanding of food in Buddhism.