Snakes and snails and
puppy-dog's tails[1]
Saṃyutta Nikāya
4. Saḷāyatana Vagga
35. Saḷāyatana Saṃyutta
§ IV: Paññāsaka Catuttha
4. Āsīvisa Vagga
Sutta 197
Āsīvis'Opama Suttaṃ
The Simile of the Snakes
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
[1][pts][than][bodh] I HEAR TELL:
Once upon a time, The Lucky man,
Sāvatthi-town revisiting,
Jeta Grove,
Anathapiṇḍika's Sporting Grounds.
There then The Lucky Man addressed the beggars, saying:
"Beggars!"
And the beggars responding "Bhante!"
The Lucky Man said this to them:
Imagine, beggars,
four families of
poisonous snakes
extremely fiery,
of deadly venom, and
coming along there
a person,
loving life,
not loving death,
loving pleasure,
reluctant to feel pain.
To him they say:
'Take care, good man!
These four families of
poisonous snakes
are extremely fiery,
of deadly venom.
From time to time
they must be stirred up,
from time to time
they must be cleansed,
from time to time
they must be fed,
from time to time
they must be taken in.
And, good man,
if ever,
one or another of
these four families of
poisonous snakes,
of extreme fire,
of deadly venom,
becomes agitated,
you, good man,
will then undergo death, or
a measure of death-like pain.
So then, good man,
do what you will do.'
So then, beggars,
that person,
runs hysterically here and there
terrified of those
four families of
poisonous snakes,
of extreme fire,
of deadly venom.
To him they say:
'Take care, good man!
Five murderous enemies
are following close at your heels,[2]
saying:
"When, in such and such a way,
he lets us see him,
there, in that way,
we will bring and end to his life."
So then, good man,
do what you will do.'
So then, beggars,
that person,
runs hysterically here and there
terrified of those
four families of
poisonous snakes,
of extreme fire,
of deadly venom;
terrified of those
five murderous enemies
following close at his heels.
To him they say:
'Take care, good man!
A sixth murderer
is lurking nearby,
following close at your heels
with drawn sword
saying:
"When, in such and such a way,
he lets us see him,
there, in that way,
we will bring and end to his life."
So then, good man,
do what you will do.'
So then, beggars,
that person,
runs hysterically here and there
terrified of those
four families of
poisonous snakes,
of extreme fire,
of deadly venom;
terrified of those
five murderous enemies
following close at his heels
terrified of that sixth murderer
lurking nearby
following close at his heels
with drawn sword.
He sees an unoccupied village,
but proceeding there,
whatever house he enters
whenever he investigates it
it is void
whenever he investigates it
it is abandoned
whenever he investigates it
it is empty.
Whatever dish he touches
whenever he investigates it
it is void
whenever he investigates it
it is abandoned
whenever he investigates it
it is empty.
Then they say this to him:
'Take care, good man!
Coming to this unoccupied village
are village-plundering
murderous bandits.
So then, good man,
do what you will do.'
So then, beggars,
that person,
runs hysterically here and there
terrified of those
four families of
poisonous snakes,
of extreme fire,
of deadly venom;
terrified of those
five murderous enemies
following close at his heels
terrified of that sixth murderer
lurking nearby
following close at his heels
with drawn sword
terrified of those
village-plundering murderous bandits.
He sees a great watery waste,
this bank full of dangers with fearful consequences,
that bank full of peace without fearful consequences,
but no rope for pulling a boat
across to the further bank,
a causeway for going
to this or that bank.
There then, beggars,
that person says this to himself:
'So then, there is this great watery waste,
this bank full of dangers with fearful consequences,
that bank full of peace without fearful consequences,
but there is no rope for pulling a boat
across to the further bank,
a causeway for going
to this or that bank.
How about if I
collect together reeds and limbs and leaves, and
bind together a raft and
lying on this raft
weaving my way with hands and feet
get myself safely to the further bank?'
So then this person
collects together reeds and limbs and leaves
and binds together a raft and
lying on this raft
weaving his way with hands and feet
gets himself safely to the further bank.
One who has got to the other bank —
the God-like man stands on firm ground.
§
I have made this simile for you, beggars,
to deeply establish the meaning.
This is the intent to be understood:
'Four families of
poisonous snakes
extremely fiery,
of deadly venom'
This, beggars, stands for
the four great basics of living things:
the characteristic of solidity,
the characteristic of liquidity,
the characteristic of heat,
the characteristic of motion.
'Five murderous enemies
following close at his heels.'
This, beggars, stands for
the five stockpiles that bind,
that is:
the form stockpile that binds,
the sense-experience stockpile that binds,
the perception stockpile that binds,
the own-making stockpile that binds,
the consciousness stockpile that binds.
'That sixth murderer
lurking nearby
following close at his heels
with drawn sword.'
This, beggars, stands for
delight and lust.
'The unoccupied village' beggars,
stands for the six internal realms of sense.
If, beggars, the eye
is investigated by one who is
wise,
experienced,
intelligent,
it appears void,
it appears abandoned,
it appears empty.
If, beggars, the ear
is investigated by one who is
wise,
experienced,
intelligent,
it appears void,
it appears abandoned,
it appears empty.
If, beggars, the nose
is investigated by one who is
wise,
experienced,
intelligent,
it appears void,
it appears abandoned,
it appears empty.
If, beggars, the tongue
is investigated by one who is
wise,
experienced,
intelligent,
it appears void,
it appears abandoned,
it appears empty.
If, beggars, the body
is investigated by one who is
wise,
experienced,
intelligent,
it appears void,
it appears abandoned,
it appears empty.
If, beggars, the mind
is investigated by one who is
wise,
experienced,
intelligent,
it appears void,
it appears abandoned,
it appears empty.
'Village-plundering murderous bandits' beggars,
stands for the six external realms of sense.
The eye, beggars, destroys
with pleasing and unpleasant forms,
the ear destroys
with pleasing and unpleasant sounds,
the nose destroys
with pleasing and unpleasant scents,
the tongue destroys
with pleasing and unpleasant tastes,
the body destroys
with pleasing and unpleasant touches,
the mind destroys
with pleasing and unpleasant things.
'The great watery waste' beggars,
stands for the four floods:
the flood of sense-pleasures,
the flood of becomings,
the flood of views,
the flood of blindness.
'This bank full of dangers with fearful consequences' beggars,
stands for identification with indivuality.
'That bank full of peace without fearful consequences' beggars,
stands for Nibbāna.
'A raft' beggars,
stands for The Aristocratic Multi-Dimensional High Way,[3]
that is:
consummate view,
consummate principles,
consummate talk,
consummate works,
consummate lifestyle,
consummate mind,
consummate serenity.
'Weaving his way with hands and feet' beggars,
stands for exertion of energy.
'One who has got to the other bank —
the God-like man stands on firm ground' beggars,
stands for the Arahant[4]."
[1]
What are little boys made of?
Snakes and snails and
puppy-dog's tails.
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice and
and everything nice.
—Some of the early pre-school propaganda programming Māra subjected us to in the US in my day. Rather read it:
What are bodies
(of whatever sex)
made of?
Snakes and snails and
puppy-dog's tails
[2] "Piṭṭhito piṭṭhito anubaddhā." "are following in back of your back."
[3] The Aristocratic Multidimensional High Way:Ariyo Aṭṭhaṇgiko Magga.
[1] Sammā Diṭṭhi: Consummate view:
This is pain.
The origin of this pain is thirst.
The ending of this pain is the ending of thirst.
The walk-to-walk to the ending of this pain is the Aristocratic Multi-Dimensional High Way:
consummate view, consummate principles, consummate talk, consummate works, consummate lifestyle, consummate self-control, consummate mind, consummate serenity, consummate vision, consummate detachment.
[2] Sammā Sankappa: Consummate Principles: let it go, inflict no mental harm, inflict no physical pain.
[3] Sammā Vaca: Consummate Talk: let go of lies, malicious speech, gossip, slander, harsh speech.
[4] Sammā Kammanta: Consummate Works: abstain from intentional taking of life, theft, giving up ethical conduct in the pursuit of pleasure; in one's commerce, mantras, or acts of thought, speech, or body.
[5] Sammā Ajiva: Consummate Lifestyle: consummate Lifestyle is the style or process of living in accordance with this system. Identifying an element of one's lifestyle that is clearly seen by one's self as low, harmful, detrimental to one's self or others one abandons it, lets it go, drops it, renounces it, restrains it, eradicates it.
[6] Sammā Vayama: Consummate Self-control, restrain low conditions that are present in this visible thing, refrain from low conditions that are not yet present in this visible thing, retain high conditions that are present in this visible thing, and obtain high conditions that are not yet present in this visible thing.
[7] Sammā Sati: Consummate Mind: Live in a body, in sense experience, mental states, and in the Dhamma, seeing bodies, sense experience, mental states, and the Dhamma, as they really are, seeing how they come to be, seeing how they burn out, living above it all, without carelessness, insightful and calmed down, overcoming any hunger and thirst that may appear, downbound to nothing at all in the world.
[8] Sammā Samādhi: Consummate Serenity: get high on the appreciation of the peace and calm of solitude, get high on getting high, get high with ease, on the sweet sensations of ease, get high off the all round, clean clear through, bright shiny, radiance of detachment.
[4] Arahant. Aristocrat. A worthy one. One who has realized Nibbāna in this life.
