Majjhima Nikāya
1. Mūla-Paṇṇāsa
3. Tatiya Vagga
Sutta 23
Vammīka Suttaṃ
The Anthill
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
[1][chlm][pts][upal][swe] I Hear Tell:
Once upon a time Bhagava, Sāvatthī-town residing, Anāthapiṇḍika's Jeta Grove.
At this time, then, the Ancient Kumāra Kassapa resided in Dark Woods.
Then towards the passing of night
a certain deity of surpassing color
drew near to Kumāra Kassapa
and illuminating the while that Dark Woods,
having drawn near,
stood to one side.
Standing to one side
that deity said this to Kumāra Kassapa:
[2][pts][upal][swe] "Beggar! Beggar!
This anthill smokes by night,
by day blazes up.
The Brahmin says this:
'Use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it up.'
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw an obstruction
and said:
'An obstruction, venerable.'
The Brahmin says this:
'Get rid of the obstruction,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out.'
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a puffed up croaker[1]
and said:
'A puffed up croaker, venerable.'
The Brahmin says this:
'Get rid of the puffed up croaker,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out.'
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a diverging path[2]
and said:
'A diverging path, venerable.'
The Brahmin says this:
'Get rid of the diverging path,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out.'
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a screen.[3]
and said:
'A screen, venerable.'
The Brahmin says this:
'Get rid of the screen,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out.'
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a turtle.[4]
and said:
'A turtle, venerable.'
The Brahmin says this:
'Get rid of the turtle,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out.'
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a slaughter-house,
and said:
'A slaughter-house, venerable.'
The Brahmin says this:
'Get rid of the slaughter-house,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out.'
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a piece of flesh,
and said:
'A piece of flesh, venerable.'
The Brahmin says this:
'Get rid of the piece of flesh,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out.'
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a serpent,
and said:
'A serpent, venerable.'[5]
The Brahmin says this:
'Let stand the serpent.
Do not upset the serpent.
Give homage to the serpent.'
[3][pts][upal][swe] Now then, bhikkhu,
approach the Bhagava
questioning him about this,
in such way as the Bhagava explains,
so you should retain it.
Beggar!
I see in this world
with its deities,
with its Māras,
Brahmas; —
this generation
together with shamans and brhamins,
with its deities and men,
no one who if questioned about this,
could explain it to the satisfaction of mind
other than a Tathāgata
or a Tathāgata's apprentice,
or one who had heard it from such a one."
Thus spoke that deity
and having spoken,
he vanished on the spot.
[4][pts][upal][swe] Then, towards the end of the night
the Ancient, Kumāra Kassapa, drew near to the Bhagava,
having drawn near
he sat to one side.
Sitting to one side
the Ancient, Kumāra Kassapa,
said this to the Bhagava:
"Towards the passing of night, Bhante,
a certain deity of surpassing color
drew near
and illuminating Dark Woods the while,
having drawn near,
stood to one side.
Standing to one side
that deity said this to me:
'Beggar! Beggar!
This anthill smokes by night,
by day blazes up.
The Brahmin says this:
"Use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it up."
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw an obstruction
and said:
"An obstruction, venerable."
The Brahmin says this:
"Get rid of the obstruction,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out."
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a puffed up croaker
and said:
"A puffed up croaker, venerable."
The Brahmin says this:
"Get rid of the puffed up croaker,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out."
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a diverging path
and said:
"A diverging path, venerable."
The Brahmin says this:
"Get rid of the diverging path,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out."
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a screen,
and said:
"A screen, venerable."
The Brahmin says this:
"Get rid of the screen,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out."
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a turtle,
and said:
"A turtle, venerable."
The Brahmin says this:
"Get rid of the turtle,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out."
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a slaughter-house,
and said:
"A slaughter-house, venerable."
The Brahmin says this:
"Get rid of the slaughter-house,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out."
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a piece of flesh,
and said:
"A piece of flesh, venerable."
The Brahmin says this:
"Get rid of the piece of flesh,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out."
Using the sword,
Goodly-wise, digging,
saw a serpent,
and said:
"A serpent, venerable."
The Brahmin says this:
"Let stand the serpent.
Do not upset the serpent.
Give homage to the serpent."
Now then, bhikkhu,
approach the Bhagava
questioning him about this,
in such way as the Bhagava explains,
so you should retain it.
Beggar!
I see in this world
with its deities,
with its Māras,
Brahmas; —
this generation
together with shamans and brhamins,
with its deities and men,
no one who if questioned about this,
could explain it to the satisfaction of mind
other than a Tathāgata
or a Tathāgata's apprentice,
or one who had heard it from such a one.'
Thus spoke that deity
and having spoken,
he vanished on the spot.
[5][pts][upal][swe] What now, Bhante, is 'the anthill'?
What is 'smoking by night'?
What is 'blazing up by day'?
Who is 'the Brahmin'?
Who is 'Goodly-wise'?
What is 'the sword'?
What 'digging out'?
What 'the obstruction'?
What 'the puffed up croaker'?
What 'the divergent path'?
What 'the screen'?
What 'the turtle'?
What 'the slaughter-house'?
What 'the piece of flesh'?
What 'the serpent'?"
[6][pts][upal][swe] "'Anthill,' bhikkhu,
such is an expression for this four-great-elements-made body,
brought into being by mother and father,
dependant on gruel and yogurt,
given to instability,
erosion,
and dissolution;
given to breaking-up
and breaking-down.
In the night, beggar,
what one rethinks
and re-evaluates
of the day's works,
that is an expression for "smoking at night".
In the day, beggar,
whatever followed
from that rethinking
and whatever followed
from that re-evaluating
in the works of body,
speech
or mind,
that is an expression for "blazing up by day".
'Brahman,' bhikkhu,
such is an expression
for The Tathāgata,
Aristocrat,
#1-Highest-Self-Awakened-One.
'Goodly-wise,' bhikkhu,
such is an expression
for the beggar who is a seeker.
'The Sword,' beggar,
such is an expression
for wisdom that is aristocratic.
'Digging out,' beggar,
such is an expression
for energetic resolve.
'Obstruction,' beggar,
such is an expression
for blindness.
Get rid of the obstruction,
let go of blindness,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out,
this is the point.
'The puffed-up croaker,' beggar,
such is an expression
for angry mudslinging
Get rid of the puffed-up croaker,
let go of angry mudslinging,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out,
this is the point.
'The divergent path,' beggar,
such is an expression
for doubt.
Get rid of the divergent path,
let go of doubt,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out,
this is the point.
'The screen,' beggar,
such is an expression
for the five bindups:
the bindup of wanting pleasure,
the bindup of angry ways,
the bindup of lazy ways and inertia,
the bindup of fear and trembling,
the bindup of doubt.
Get rid of the screen,
let go of the five bindups,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out,
this is the point.
'The turtle,' beggar,
such is an expression
for the five bound up stockpiles,
that is to say:
the pile bound up in thingness,
the pile bound up in sense experience,
the pile bound up in perception,
the pile bound up in own-making,
the pile bound up in re-knowing-knowing-knowledge.
Get rid of the turtle
let go of the five bound up stockpiles,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out,
this is the point.
'The slaughter-house,' beggar,
such is an expression
for the five cords of sense-pleasure:
things known by way of the eye;
wished for,
enjoyable,
pleasing,
attractive,
useful in attaining pleasure,
exciting,
sounds known by way of the ear;
wished for,
enjoyable,
pleasing,
attractive,
useful in attaining pleasure,
exciting,
scents known by way of the nose;
wished for,
enjoyable,
pleasing,
attractive,
useful in attaining pleasure,
exciting,
tastes known by way of the tongue;;
wished for,
enjoyable,
pleasing,
attractive,
useful in attaining pleasure,
exciting,
touches known by way of the body;
wished for,
enjoyable,
pleasing,
attractive,
useful in attaining pleasure,
exciting.
Get rid of the slaughter-house,
let go of the five cords of sense-pleasure,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out,
this is the point.
'The piece of flesh,' beggar,
such is an expression
for delighting in lust.
Get rid of the piece of flesh,
let go of delighting in lust,
use the sword, Goodly-wise,
dig it out,
this is the point.
'Serpent,' beggar,
such is an expression
for the beggar who has abandoned the corrupting influences.
Let stand the serpent.
Do not upset the serpent.
Give homage to the serpent.
This is the point."
This is what Bhagava said.
"Delightful!" said the Ancient Kumāra Kassapa,
uplifted by what the Lucky Man said.
[1] Uddhumāyikaṃ. Bhk. Bodhi and Horner have 'Frog' and 'Toad' referencing commentary. Likely so, but here I think the idiom has internal meaning which is better left in its raw state.
[2] Dvidhāpathaṃ. PED has forked path, divided path or crossroads. This is a simile for doubt. Uncertainty as to which path to take. One get's rid of doubt but one does not get rid of a forked path, or a crossroads, one takes one or the other fork or direction; one gets rid of a divergent path ... or, maybe, thinking of 'duality' and dualistic thinking, one does get rid of both choices. If it says go this way or go that way, we can say; 'I'll not go either way.' Abstaining from either self-indulgence or self-punishment, I'll take the Middle Path. So my translation means 'Taking the Middle path, I will get rid of any divergent path that presents itself — whether forked or a crossroads.
[3] Caṇgavāraṃ [cangavāraṃ]. An empty vessel or box. Horner has 'strainer' and Bhk. Bodhi has 'sieve'; both rely on the commentary. If this is a strainer or sieve, it is likely something like the sifting tool gardeners use to filter out rocks, etc; a box that acts as a funnel, with a screen at one end. The PED points to a possible etymology in: Tamil canguvaḍa a dhoney, Anglo-Ind. ḍoni, a canoe hollowed from a log. This would work as a simile for the khandhas (trunk) which is often enough referred to as an empty vessel; and 'strainer' or 'sieve' would work as a simile for the six senses: The eye comes into contact with an object of sense; arising from the contact is sense impression; sense impression is then used as the raw data for the mind sense and the visual component of the composite re-knowing-knowing-knowledge of the world of the individual. If there is no eye, and there is an object of sense present, there is no resultant object re-knowing-knowing-knowledge; if there is eye, but no object, there is no resultant object re-knowing-knowing-knowledge. So in effect the senses act as a filter (sieve) through which the world is perceived. If this is not an error, we need to go with 'sieve', seeing the hindrances as filtering out higher states of re-knowing-knowing-knowledge, insight, and letting go. If the reader has doubt, using a sword, dig it out, get rid of all three.
[4] Kummo. Horner and Bhk. Bodhi: 'tortoise.' When this animal is used as a simile it is most often the variety that inhabits water; this variety is now more commonly known as a turtle.
[5] Nāga. Ms. Horner (?following Chalmers?) translates as "cobra" which is not incorrect, though likely misleading on the grounds that this will be heard by anyone interested in Eastern Religions as "Kundalini" and will bring in sexual or tantric connotations.
