Aṇguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka-Nipāta
XIX. Arañña Vaggo
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XIX: The Forest
Sutta 184
Sosānika Suttaṃ
Graveyard Haunters[ed1]
Translated by E. M. Hare
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1] Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One dwelt near Sāvatthī;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
'Yes, lord,' they replied;
and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, these five are graveyard haunting men.
What five?
One is a graveyard haunter
out of folly and blindness;
one out of evil desires and longings;
one foolish and mind-tossed;[2]
one at the thought:
"It is praised by Buddhas and their disciples";
and one is a graveyard haunter
just because his wants are little,
just for contentment,
just to mark[3] (his own faults),
just for seclusion,
just because it is the very thing.[4]
§
Verily, monks, of these five
who are graveyard haunters,
he who is a graveyard haunter
just because his wants are little,
for contentment,
to mark (his own faults),
for seclusion,
just because it is the very thing —
he of the five
is topmost,
best,
foremost,
highest,
elect.
■
Monks, just[5] as from the cow comes milk,
from milk cream,
from cream butter,
from butter ghee,
from ghee the skim of ghee
there reckoned topmost;
even so, monks,
of these five graveyard haunters,
he who is a graveyard haunter
just because his wants are little,
for contentment,
to mark (his own faults),
for seclusion
and just because it is the very thing —
he of the five
is topmost,
best,
foremost,
highest,
elect.'
[ed1] Sosānika, lit. graveyard man. Hare has abridged this sutta down to it's title referencing AN 5.181. Except for this first one, which I have edited as called for by the change of subject, I have left the footnotes intact as they apply.
[3] Sallekha, from √likh; F. Dial. i, 10: 'purgation of evil'; Dial iii, 109: resigned';; but it is as in the Psalms (cxxx, 3): 'If thou shouldeet mark iniquities, who can stand?'
[4] Idam aṭṭhitaṃ, to S.e., and Comy. which explains: imāya kalyāṇāya paṭipattiyā attho etassa.
[5] This simile recurs at S. iii, 264; A. ii, 95; v, 182; Cf. J. vi, 206.
