On one occasion the Buddha’s body was full of impurities. He said to Venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, my body is full of impurities. I would like to take a purgative.” Ānanda went to Jīvaka and told him what the Buddha had said. And Jīvaka replied, “Well then, Venerable Ānanda, oil the Buddha’s body for a few days.” After doing as instructed, Ānanda returned to Jīvaka to let him know, adding, “Please continue the treatment.”

Jīvaka thought, “It would not be appropriate for me to give the Buddha a powerful purgative.” He then prepared three handfuls of blue water-lily flowers with a variety of medicines, went to the Buddha, and gave him one handful, saying, “Sir, please smell the first handful. This will purge you ten times.” He then brought him the second and the third handful, repeating the instruction, adding, “In this way you’ll have thirty purgings.” After giving the Buddha thirty purgings, he bowed down, circumambulated him with his right side toward him, and left.

When he was outside the gatehouse, Jīvaka thought, “I’ve given thirty purgings to the Buddha, for his body is full of impurities. But he’ll only be purged twenty-nine times. After being purged, however, he’ll take a bath, which will count as one purging. In this way the Buddha will have had exactly thirty purgings.”