Aṇguttara-Nikāya
III. Tika Nipāta
VII. Mahā Vagga
Sutta 62 [DTO #63]
Bhaya Suttaṃ
Dangers
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Proofed against and modified in accordance with the revised edition at dhammatalks.org
Provenance, terms and conditons
[1][wood][olds][bodh] "Monks, uneducated run-of-the-mill people
describe three things
as mother-and-child-separating dangers.
Which three?
"There comes a time
when a great fire-conflagration breaks out.
When a great fire-conflagration breaks out,
it burns villages, towns, and cities.
When it is burning villages, towns, and cities,
a mother there can't get to her child,
and the child can't get to its mother.
This is the first thing
that uneducated run-of-the-mill people describe
as a mother-and-child-separating danger.
"Then again there comes a time
when a great cloud arises.
When a great cloud arises,
a great flood of water is produced.
When a great flood of water is produced,
it floods villages, towns, and cities.
When it is flooding villages, towns, and cities,
a mother there can't get to her child,
and the child can't get to its mother.
This is the second thing that uneducated run-of-the-mill people describe
as a mother-and-child-separating danger.
"Then again there comes a time
when there is danger
and an invasion of savage tribes.
Taking power, they surround the countryside.
When this happens,
a mother there can't get to her child,
and the child can't get to its mother.
This is the third thing that uneducated run-of-the-mill people describe as a mother-and-child-separating danger.
"These are the three things
that uneducated run-of-the-mill people describe
as mother-and-child-separating dangers.
"But there are these three things
that are mother-and-child-uniting dangers,
yet run-of-the-mill people describe them
as mother-and-child-separating dangers.
Which three?
"There comes a time when a great fire-conflagration breaks out.
When a great fire-conflagration breaks out,
it burns villages, towns, and cities.
When it is burning villages, towns, and cities,
there are times when it so happens
that a mother can get to her child,
and the child can get to its mother.
This is the first thing that is a mother-and-child-uniting danger,
yet run-of-the-mill people describe it
as a mother-and-child-separating danger.
"Then again there comes a time
when a great cloud arises.
When a great cloud arises,
a great flood of water is produced.
When a great flood of water is produced,
it floods villages, towns, and cities.
When it is flooding villages, towns, and cities,
there are times when it so happens
that a mother can get to her child,
and the child can get to its mother.
This is the second thing
that is a mother-and-child-uniting danger,
yet run-of-the-mill people describe it
as a mother-and-child-separating danger.
"Then again there comes a time
when there is danger
and an invasion of savage tribes.
Taking power, they surround the countryside.
When this happens,
there are times when it so happens
that a mother can get to her child,
and the child can get to its mother.
This is the third thing
that is a mother-and-child-uniting danger,
yet run-of-the-mill people describe it
as a mother-and-child-separating danger.
"These are the three things
that are mother-and-child-uniting dangers,
yet run-of-the-mill people describe them
as mother-and-child-separating dangers.
"There are these three things
that are (genuine) mother-and-child-separating dangers.
Which three?
The danger of aging,
the danger of illness,
the danger of death.
"A mother can't get (her wish)
with regard to her child who is aging,
'I am aging,
but may my child not age.'
A child can't get (its wish)
with regard to its mother who is aging,
'I am aging,
but may my mother not age.'
"A mother can't get (her wish)
with regard to her child who is growing ill,
'I am growing ill,
but may my child not grow ill.'
A child can't get (its wish)
with regard to its mother who is growing ill,
'I am growing ill,
but may my mother not grow ill.'
"A mother can't get (her wish)
with regard to her child who is dying,
'I am dying,
but may my child not die.'
A child can't get (its wish)
with regard to its mother who is dying,
'I am dying,
but may my mother not die.'
"These are the three things
that are (genuine) mother-and-child-separating dangers.
"There is a path,
there is a practice,
that leads to the abandoning and overcoming
of these three mother-and-child-uniting dangers
and these three mother-and-child-separating dangers.
"And which is that path,
which is that practice...?
Just this very noble eightfold path, i.e.,
right view,
right resolve,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right effort,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
"This is the path,
this the practice,
that leads to the abandoning and overcoming
of these three mother-and-child-uniting dangers
and these three mother-and-child-separating dangers."
Of Related Interest:
MN 87;
SN 15:3;
SN 42:11;
AN 5:49;
AN 5:57;
Ud 8:8;
Thig 3:5;
Thig 10
