Pāḷi English Dictionary
Sutta SearchAṅguttara Nikāya
VIII. Navaka Nipāta
III. Sattāvāsa Vagga
The Book of Nines
Sutta 22
Khaḷuṅka Suttaṃ
Shaky
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time The Lucky Man
Sāvātthi-town revisiting
Anāthapiṇḍika's Jetavana sporting ground.
"Beggars. I will tell you about
the three shaky horses,
the three shaky men,
the three well-bread horses,
the three well-bread men,
the three thoroughbread horses,
the three thoroughbread men.
Pay attention,
give ear,
I will speak!"
"Even so, bhante!"
the beggars responded.
And this is what The Lucky Man
said to them: —
And what, beggars, are
the three shaky horses?
Here, beggars, one shaky horse
has admirable speed, but
has no admirable color, and
has no admirable height and girth.
Here, beggars, another shaky horse
has admirable speed, and
has admirable color, but
has no admirable height and girth.
Here, beggars, another shaky horse
has admirable speed, and
has admirable color, and
has admirable height and girth.
These then, beggars, are the three shaky horses.
■
And what, beggars, are
the three shaky men?
Here, beggars, one shaky man
has admirable speed, but
has no admirable color, and
has no admirable height and girth.
Here, beggars, another shaky man
has admirable speed, and
has admirable color, but
has no admirable height and girth.
Here, beggars, another shaky man
has admirable speed, and
has admirable color, and
has admirable height and girth.
These then, beggars,
are the three shaky men.
■
And how, beggars, has a shaky man
admirable speed, but
no admirable color, and
no admirable height and girth?
Here, beggars, a beggar knows
'This is pain'
as it really is,
'this is pain's arising',
as it really is,
'this is pain's ending',
as it really is,
'this is the walk to walk to
the end of pain'
as it really is.
I say this is his speed.
But when it comes to
being asked questions on
higher Dhamma and
higher discipline,
he becomes bewildered and
cannot answer.
I say this is his lack of color.
Moreover he does not gain requsite
clothing,
handouts of food,
a bed-sitting place, or
medicines that are
necessary helps for the sick.
I say this is his lack of
height and girth.
It is in this way, beggars,
that a shaky man has
admirable speed, but
no admirable color, and
no admirable height and girth.
And how, beggars, has a shaky man
admirable speed, and
admirable color, but
no admirable height and girth?
Here, beggars, a beggar knows
'This is pain'
as it really is,
'this is pain's arising',
as it really is,
'this is pain's ending',
as it really is,
'this is the walk to walk to
the end of pain'
as it really is.
I say this is his speed.
And when it comes to
being asked questions on
higher Dhamma and
higher discipline,
he is able to answer.
I say this is his color.
However he does not gain requsite
clothing,
handouts of food,
a bed-sitting place, or
medicines that are
necessary helps for the sick.
I say this is his lack of
height and girth.
It is in this way, beggars,
that a shaky man has
admirable speed, and
admirable color, but
no admirable height and girth.
And how, beggars, has a shaky man
admirable speed, and
admirable color, and
admirable height and girth?
Here, beggars, a beggar knows
'This is pain'
as it really is,
'this is pain's arising',
as it really is,
'this is pain's ending',
as it really is,
'this is the walk to walk to
the end of pain'
as it really is.
I say this is his speed.
And when it comes to
being asked questions on
higher Dhamma and
higher discipline,
he is able to answer.
I say this is his color.
Moreover he does gain requsite
clothing,
handouts of food,
a bed-sitting place, and
medicines that are
necessary helps for the sick.
I say this is his
height and girth.
It is in this way, beggars,
that a shaky man has
admirable speed, and
admirable color, and
admirable height and girth.
§
And what, beggars, are
the three well-bread horses?
Here, beggars, one well-bread horse
has admirable speed, but
has no admirable color, and
has no admirable height and girth.
Here, beggars, another well-bread horse
has admirable speed, and
has admirable color, but
has no admirable height and girth.
Here, beggars, another well-bread horse
has admirable speed, and
has admirable color, and
has admirable height and girth.
These then, beggars, are the three well-bread horses.
■
And what, beggars, are
the three well-bread men?
Here, beggars, one well-bread man
has admirable speed, but
has no admirable color, and
has no admirable height and girth.
Here, beggars, another well-bread man
has admirable speed, and
has admirable color, but
has no admirable height and girth.
Here, beggars, another well-bread man
has admirable speed, and
has admirable color, and
has admirable height and girth.
These then, beggars, are the three well-bread men.
■
And how, beggars, has a well-bread man
admirable speed, but
no admirable color, and
no admirable height and girth?
Here, beggars, a beggar has
thoroughly destroyed
the five yokes to sense pleasures[1] and
has been spontaneously reborn
not liable to return to this world
there to attain final Nibbāna.
I say this is his speed.
But when it comes to
being asked questions on
higher Dhamma and
higher discipline,
he becomes bewildered and
cannot answer.
I say this is his lack of color.
Moreover he does not gain requsite
clothing,
handouts of food,
a bed-sitting place, or
medicines that are
necessary helps for the sick.
I say this is his lack of
height and girth.
It is in this way, beggars,
that a well-bread man has
admirable speed, but
no admirable color, and
no admirable height and girth.
And how, beggars, has a well-bread man
admirable speed, and
admirable color, but
no admirable height and girth?
Here, beggars, a beggar has
thoroughly destroyed
the five yokes to sense pleasures and
has been spontaneously reborn
not liable to return to this world
there to attain final Nibbāna.
I say this is his speed.
And when it comes to
being asked questions on
higher Dhamma and
higher discipline,
he is able to answer.
I say this is his color.
However he does not gain requsite
clothing,
handouts of food,
a bed-sitting place, or
medicines that are
necessary helps for the sick.
I say this is his lack of
height and girth.
It is in this way, beggars,
that a well-bread man has
admirable speed, and
admirable color, but
no admirable height and girth.
And how, beggars, has a well-bread man
admirable speed, and
admirable color, and
admirable height and girth?
Here, beggars, a beggar has
thoroughly destroyed
the five yokes to sense pleasures and
has been spontaneously reborn
not liable to return to this world
there to attain final Nibbāna.
I say this is his speed.
And when it comes to
being asked questions on
higher Dhamma and
higher discipline,
he is able to answer.
I say this is his color.
Moreover he does gain requsite
clothing,
handouts of food,
a bed-sitting place, and
medicines that are
necessary helps for the sick.
I say this is his
height and girth.
It is in this way, beggars,
that a well-bread man has
admirable speed, and
admirable color, and
admirable height and girth.
§
And what, beggars, are
the three thoroughbread horses?
Here, beggars, one thoroughbread horse
has admirable speed, but
has no admirable color, and
has no admirable height and girth.
Here, beggars, another thoroughbread horse
has admirable speed, and
has admirable color, but
has no admirable height and girth.
Here, beggars, another thoroughbread horse
has admirable speed, and
has admirable color, and
has admirable height and girth.
These then, beggars, are the three thoroughbread horses.
■
And what, beggars, are
the three thoroughbread men?
Here, beggars, one thoroughbread man
has admirable speed, but
has no admirable color, and
has no admirable height and girth.
Here, beggars, another thoroughbread man
has admirable speed, and
has admirable color, but
has no admirable height and girth.
Here, beggars, another thoroughbread man
has admirable speed, and
has admirable color, and
has admirable height and girth.
These then, beggars, are the three thoroughbread men.
■
And how, beggars, has a thoroughbread man
admirable speed, but
no admirable color, and
no admirable height and girth?
Here beggars, a beggar
destroys the corrupting influences,[2]
enters into and abides in
a heart without corrupting influences,
is wisdom freed, and
experiences psychic powers for himself
in this seen thing.
I say this is his speed.
But when it comes to
being asked questions on
higher Dhamma and
higher discipline,
he becomes bewildered and
cannot answer.
I say this is his lack of color.
Moreover he does not gain requsite
clothing,
handouts of food,
a bed-sitting place, or
medicines that are
necessary helps for the sick.
I say this is his lack of
height and girth.
It is in this way, beggars,
that a thoroughbread man has
admirable speed, but
no admirable color, and
no admirable height and girth.
And how, beggars, has a thoroughbread man
admirable speed, and
admirable color, but
no admirable height and girth?
Here beggars, a beggar
destroys the corrupting influences,
enters into and abides in
a heart without corrupting influences,
is wisdom freed, and
experiences psychic powers for himself
in this seen thing.
I say this is his speed.
And when it comes to
being asked questions on
higher Dhamma and
higher discipline,
he is able to answer.
I say this is his color.
However he does not gain requsite
clothing,
handouts of food,
a bed-sitting place, or
medicines that are
necessary helps for the sick.
I say this is his lack of
height and girth.
It is in this way, beggars,
that a thoroughbread man has
admirable speed, and
admirable color, but
no admirable height and girth.
And how, beggars, has a thoroughbread man
admirable speed, and
admirable color, and
admirable height and girth?
Here beggars, a beggar
destroys the corrupting influences,
enters into and abides in
a heart without corrupting influences,
is wisdom freed, and
experiences psychic powers for himself
in this seen thing.
I say this is his speed.
And when it comes to
being asked questions on
higher Dhamma and
higher discipline,
he is able to answer.
I say this is his color.
Moreover he does gain requsite
clothing,
handouts of food,
a bed-sitting place, and
medicines that are
necessary helps for the sick.
I say this is his
height and girth.
It is in this way, beggars,
that a thoroughbread man has
admirable speed, and
admirable color, and
admirable height and girth.
These, then, beggars are
the three shaky horses,
the three shaky men,
the three well-bread horses,
the three well-bread men,
the three thoroughbread horses,
the three thoroughbread men."
[1] Pañcannaṃ orambhāgiyānaṃ saṃyojanānaṃ orambhāgiyāna PED: "being a share of the lower, i.e. this world, belonging to the kāma world, especially of the five saṃyojanāni." The five personal yokes to rebirth
1. Sakkāya-Ditthi: One-True Own-Body View. Holding the view that any one way of seeing the self [own-body] is the one true way and that all other ways are false.
2. Vicikiccha: Doubt. Re-What?-What?-Stuff. Doubt about dukkha, doubt about the origin of dukkha, doubt about the ending of dukkha, and doubt about the way to the ending of dukkha.
3. Sīlabbata-parāmāso: Foolish Beliefs. Holding to the belief that Ethical Culture, Good Deeds, Ritual or Ceremony will bring an end to dukkha, pain, or will free one from the effects of kamma.
4. Kāmacchanda: Sense-Pleasure Wanting. Attachment to wanting, wishing for pleasure, greed, lust, wanting to give pleasure, seeking one's own good, not being Satisfied with things the way they are.
5. Vyāpādo: Warped thinking, deviance from the Magga, including malevolence, wrath, anger.
[2] āsavā PED: that which flows (out or onto) outflow and influx ... 1. spirit, the intoxicating extract or secretion of a tree or flower, 2. discharge from a sore, 3. in psychological technical term for certain specified ideas which intoxicate the mind (bemuddle it, befuddle it, so that it cannot rise to higher things). Freedom from the āsavas constitutes Arahantship, and the fight for the extinction of these āsavas forms one of the main duties of man.
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