Saɱyutta Nikāya
4. Saḷāyatana Vagga
35. Saḷāyatana Saɱyutta
§ IV: Paññāsaka Catuttha
4. Āsīvisa Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
4. The Book Called the Saḷāyatana-Vagga
Containing Kindred Sayings on the 'Six-Fold Sphere' of Sense and Other Subjects
35. Kindred Sayings the Sixfold Sphere of Sense
§ IV: The 'Fourth Fifty' Suttas
4. The Chapter on the Snake
Sutta 206
Cha-p-Pāṇaka Suttaɱ
The Six Animals[1]
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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[1][than][bodh] Thus have I heard:
The Exalted One once addressed the brethren, saying:
"Brethren."
"Lord," responded those brethren to the Exalted One.
The Exalted One thus spake:
"Suppose, Brethren, a man
with a wounded body,
with a festering body,
were to enter a swampy jungle.
Its grasses and thorns
pierce his feet
and scratch his festering limbs.
That man, Brethren,
would feel pain and despair all the more
owing to that.
Even so, Brethren, some brother here
goes to dwell in village or jungle,
and meets with one who rebukes him.[2]
This venerable one
and he who thus treats him,[3] saying:
'Such a life (as yours)
is a thorn of impurity to the village,'
knowing him to be such a thorn, -
(these two) are to be understood as
restraint
and non-restraint.
§
[131] And how, Brethren, is non-restraint?
Herein, Brethren, a brother,
seeing an object with the eye,
is attached to objects that charm,
is averse from objects that displease,
and dwells with attention to body distracted.
His thought is mean,
and he understands not,
as it really is,
that emancipation of heart,
that emancipation of wisdom,
whereby those evil,
unprofitable states that have arisen,
cease utterly without remainder.
■
Herein, Brethren, a brother,
hearing a sound with the ear,
is attached to sounds that charm,
is averse from sounds that displease,
and dwells with attention to body distracted.
His thought is mean,
and he understands not,
as it really is,
that emancipation of heart,
that emancipation of wisdom,
whereby those evil,
unprofitable states that have arisen,
cease utterly without remainder.
■
Herein, Brethren, a brother,
smelling a scent with the nose,
is attached to scents that charm,
is averse from scents that displease,
and dwells with attention to body distracted.
His thought is mean,
and he understands not,
as it really is,
that emancipation of heart,
that emancipation of wisdom,
whereby those evil,
unprofitable states that have arisen,
cease utterly without remainder.
■
Herein, Brethren, a brother,
tasting a savour with the tongue,
is attached to savours that charm,
is averse from savours that displease,
and dwells with attention to body distracted.
His thought is mean,
and he understands not,
as it really is,
that emancipation of heart,
that emancipation of wisdom,
whereby those evil,
unprofitable states that have arisen,
cease utterly without remainder.
■
Herein, Brethren, a brother,
contacting a tangible with the body,
is attached to tangibles that charm,
is averse from tangibles that displease,
and dwells with attention to body distracted.
His thought is mean,
and he understands not,
as it really is,
that emancipation of heart,
that emancipation of wisdom,
whereby those evil,
unprofitable states that have arisen,
cease utterly without remainder.
■
Herein, Brethren, a brother,
cognizing a mind-state with the mind,
is attached to mind-states that charm,
is averse from mind-states that displease,
and dwells with attention to body distracted.
His thought is mean,
and he understands not,
as it really is,
that emancipation of heart,
that emancipation of wisdom,
whereby those evil,
unprofitable states that have arisen,
cease utterly without remainder.
§
Suppose, Brethren, a man catches six animals,
of diverse range
and diverse pasturage,
and tethers them with a stout rope.
He catches a snake
and tethers it with a stout rope:
he catches a crocodile,
and tethers it with a stout rope:
he catches a bird,[4],
and tethers it with a stout rope:
he catches a dog,
and tethers it with a stout rope:
he catches a jackal,
and tethers it with a stout rope:
he catches a monkey,
and tethers it with a stout rope.
Having done so, Brethren,
he ties them together
with a knot in the middle
and sets them going.
Now, Brethren, those six animals
of diverse range
and diverse pasturage
would struggle[5] to be off,
each one to his own range and pasture.
The snake would struggle, thinking:
'I'll enter the anthill'.
The crocodile would struggle, thinking:
'I'll enter the water'.
The bird would struggle, thinking:
'I'll mount[6] into the air'.
The dog would struggle, thinking:
'I'll enter the village.'.
The jackal would struggle, thinking:
'I'll go to the charnel-field'.
The monkey would struggle, thinking:
'I'll be off to the forest.'
Now, Brethren, when those six hungry[7] animals grew weary,
they would follow after
the one of them that was stronger,
they would conform to that one,[8]
they would become subject to him.
Even so, Brethren, in whatsoever brother
attention to body is not practised,
not made much of,
the eye struggles to pull him
with objects that charm.
Repulsive to him
are [132]
objects that displease.
The ear struggles to pull him
with sounds that charm.
Repulsive to him
are sounds that displease.
The nose struggles to pull him
with scents that charm.
Repulsive to him
are scents that displease.
The tongue struggles to pull him
with savours that charm.
Repulsive to him
are savours that displease.
The body struggles to pull him
with tangibles that charm.
Repulsive to him
are tangibles that displease.
The mind struggles to pull him
with mind-states that charm.
Repulsive to him
are mind-states that displease.
Thus, Brethren, is non-restraint.
§
And how, Brethren, is restraint?
Herein, Brethren, a brother,
seeing an object with the eye,
is not attached to objects that charm,
nor averse from objects that displease.
He dwells with attention to body established
and his thought is boundless.
He understands,
as it really is,
that emancipation of heart,
that emancipation of wisdom,
whereby those evil,
unprofitable states
that have arisen
come to cease utterly without remainder.
■
Hearing a sound with the ear,
is not attached to sounds that charm,
nor averse from sounds that displease.
He dwells with attention to body established
and his thought is boundless.
He understands,
as it really is,
that emancipation of heart,
that emancipation of wisdom,
whereby those evil,
unprofitable states
that have arisen
come to cease utterly without remainder.
■
Smelling a scent with the nose,
is not attached to scents that charm,
nor averse from scents that displease.
He dwells with attention to body established
and his thought is boundless.
He understands,
as it really is,
that emancipation of heart,
that emancipation of wisdom,
whereby those evil,
unprofitable states
that have arisen
come to cease utterly without remainder.
■
Tasting a savour with the tongue,
is not attached to savours that charm,
nor averse from savours that displease.
He dwells with attention to body established
and his thought is boundless.
He understands,
as it really is,
that emancipation of heart,
that emancipation of wisdom,
whereby those evil,
unprofitable states
that have arisen
come to cease utterly without remainder.
■
Contacting a tangible with the body,
is not attached to tangibles that charm,
nor averse from tangibles that displease.
He dwells with attention to body established
and his thought is boundless.
He understands,
as it really is,
that emancipation of heart,
that emancipation of wisdom,
whereby those evil,
unprofitable states
that have arisen
come to cease utterly without remainder.
■
Cognizing a mind-state with the mind,
is not attached to mind-states that charm,
nor averse from mind-states that displease.
He dwells with attention to body established
and his thought is boundless.
He understands,
as it really is,
that emancipation of heart,
that emancipation of wisdom,
whereby those evil,
unprofitable states
that have arisen
come to cease utterly without remainder.
§
Suppose, Brethren, a man catches six animals,
of diverse range
and diverse pasturage,
and tethers them with a stout rope.
He catches a snake
and tethers it with a stout rope:
he catches a crocodile,
and tethers it with a stout rope:
he catches a bird,
and tethers it with a stout rope:
he catches a dog,
and tethers it with a stout rope:
he catches a jackal,
and tethers it with a stout rope:
he catches a monkey,
and tethers it with a stout rope.
Having done so, Brethren,
he tethers them to a stout peg or post.
Now, Brethren, those six animals
of diverse range
and diverse pasturage
would struggle to be off,
each one to his own range and pasture.
The snake would struggle, thinking:
'I'll enter the anthill'.
The crocodile would struggle, thinking:
'I'll enter the water'.
The bird would struggle, thinking:
'I'll mount into the air'.
The dog would struggle, thinking:
'I'll enter the village.'.
The jackal would struggle, thinking:
'I'll go to the charnel-field'.
The monkey would struggle, thinking:
'I'll be off to the forest.'
Now, Brethren, when those six animals grow weary,
they would have to stand,
crouch
or lie down
by that peg or post.
Even so, Brethren, in whatsoever brother
attention to body
is practised and made much of,
the eye does not struggle
to pull him with objects that charm.
Objects that displease
are not repulsive to him.
The ear does not struggle
to pull him with sounds that charm.
Sounds that displease
are not repulsive to him.
The nose does not struggle
to pull him with scents that charm.
Scents that displease
are not repulsive to him.
The tongue does not struggle
to pull him with savours that charm.
Savours that displease
are not repulsive to him.
The body does not struggle
to pull him with tangibles that charm.
Tangibles that displease
are not repulsive to him.
The mind does not struggle
to pull him with mind-states that charm.
Mind-states that displease
are not repulsive to him.
Thus, Brethren, is restraint.
'Tethered to a stout peg or post,' Brethren,
is a term for attention to body.[9]
Wherefore, Brethren, thus must ye train yourselves:
'We shall practise attention to body.
It shall be made much of,
ridden on,
built upon,
striven with,
accumulated
and thoroughly undertaken.'"[10]
[1] Vis. Magg. ii, 484, 'the six personal sense-spheres are to be regarded as six creatures: the external sphere as their feeding-ground.'
[2] Vattāraṅ. Comy. codakaṅ.
[3] Evaṅkārā. 'Like a physician.' Comy. Owing to the structure of this sentence the distinction between the two men is obscured. I think the reading should be ayañ ca (the brother), so ca evaṅkār 'the rebuker). Sinh. MSS. read so for kho.
[4] Pakkhiṅ. 'A bird with an elephant's trunk (?).' Comy.
[5] Āviñcheyyuṅ = ākaḍḍheyyuṅ. Comy.
[6] Ḍessāmi (ḍeti) = uppatissāmi. Comy.
[7] Jhattā.
[8] Text anuvidhīyeyyuṅ. Comy. anuvidhāy- (der. from anuvidhāna)
[9] Cf. V.M., 269.
[10] Cf. D. ii, 103; S. ii, 264; Ud. 62.
