Kakacūpamasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 21

The Simile of the Saw · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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not‘No indeedvata you wretchre anythingkiñci, naughtypāpi maiddāsi, later in the daydivātaraṁ you got up (quote)uṭṭhāsī’ti angrykupitā upsetanattamanā displeased wordsanattamanavācaṁ blurted outnicchāresi.
thenAtha indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, to Kāḷīkāḷiyā the maiddāsiyā this occurredetadahosi:
actually present‘santaṁyeva indeedkho myme mistressayyā withinajjhattaṁ angerkopaṁ notna showspātukaroti, notno absentasantaṁ.
just these of mineMayhamevete work dutieskammantā well-organizedsusaṁvihitā, because of whichyena myme mistressayyā actually presentsantaṁyeva withinajjhattaṁ angerkopaṁ notna showspātukaroti, notno absentasantaṁ.
why don’t IYannūnāhaṁ to a greaterbhiyyoso degreemattāya the mistressayyaṁ test (quote)vīmaṁseyyan’ti.
thenAtha indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, Kāḷīkāḷī the maiddāsī even later in the daydivātaraṁyeva got upuṭṭhāsi.
thenAtha indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, Vedehikāvedehikā the housewifegahapatānī to Kāḷīkāḷiṁ the maiddāsiṁ said thisetadavoca:
hey‘he wenchje Kāḷī (quote)kāḷī’ti.
what‘Kiṁ, ma’am? (quote)ayye’ti?
why‘Kiṁ, wenchje, during the daydivā did you get up? (quote)uṭṭhāsī’ti?
not‘Na indeed, ma’amkhvayye, anything (quote)kiñcī’ti.
not‘No indeedvata you wretchre anythingkiñci, naughtypāpi maiddāsi, during the daydivā you got up (quote)uṭṭhāsī’ti angrykupitā upsetanattamanā a door-pinaggaḷasūciṁ having grabbedgahetvā on the headsīse a blowpahāraṁ gaveadāsi, the headsīsaṁ cracked openvobhindi.

‘Oh, so nothing’s up, you naughty maid, but you get up later in the day!’ Angry and upset, she blurted out angry words. Then Kāḷī thought, ‘My mistress actually has anger in her and just doesn’t show it; it’s not that she has no anger. It’s just because my work is well-organized that she doesn’t show anger, even though she still has it inside. Why don’t I test my mistress further?’ So Kāḷī got up even later in the day. Vedehikā said to her, ‘Oi wench, Kāḷī!’ ‘What is it, ma’am?’ ‘You’re getting up even later in the day—what’s up with you, wench?’ ‘Nothing, ma’am.’ ‘Oh, so nothing’s up, you naughty maid, but you get up even later in the day!’ Angry and upset, she grabbed a door-pin and hit Kāḷī on the head, cracking it open.

thenAtha indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, Kāḷīkāḷī the maiddāsī with crackedbhinnena headsīsena with bloodlohitena pouringgalantena to the neighborspaṭivissakānaṁ denouncedujjhāpesi:
see, ladies‘passathayye, of the gentle onesoratāya the deedkammaṁ;
see, ladiespassathayye, of the placid onenivātāya the deedkammaṁ, see, ladiespassathayye, of the calm oneupasantāya the deedkammaṁ.
how indeedKathañhi possiblynāma to her only maidekadāsikāya during the daydivā she got up (quote)uṭṭhāsīti angrykupitā upsetanattamanā a door-pinaggaḷasūciṁ having grabbedgahetvā on the headsīse a blowpahāraṁ will givedassati, the headsīsaṁ will crack open (quote)vobhindissatī’ti.
thenAtha indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, about Vedehikāvedehikāya the housewifegahapatāniyā after someaparena timesamayena suchevaṁ a badpāpako reputationkittisaddo spreadabbhuggacchi:
fierce‘caṇḍī Vedehikāvedehikā the housewifegahapatānī, ill-temperedanivātā Vedehikāvedehikā the housewifegahapatānī, not calmanupasantā Vedehikāvedehikā the housewife (quote)gahapatānī’ti.

Then Kāḷī, with blood pouring from her cracked skull, denounced her mistress to the neighbors, ‘See, ladies, what the gentle one did! See what the placid one did! See what the calm one did! How on earth can she grab a door-pin and hit her only maid on the head, cracking it open, just for getting up late?’ Then after some time the housewife Vedehikā got this bad reputation: ‘The housewife Vedehikā is fierce, ill-tempered, and not calm at all.’

In the same way, a mendicant may be the gentlest of the gentle, the most placid of the placid, the calmest of the calm, so long as they don’t encounter any disagreeable criticism. But it’s when they encounter disagreeable criticism that you’ll know whether they’re really gentle, placid, and calm. I don’t say that a mendicant is easy to admonish if they make themselves easy to admonish only for the sake of robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. Why is that? Because when they don’t get robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick, they’re no longer easy to admonish. But when a mendicant is easy to admonish purely because they honor, respect, revere, worship, and venerate the teaching, then I say that they’re easy to admonish. So, mendicants, you should train yourselves: ‘We will be easy to admonish purely because we honor, respect, revere, worship, and venerate the teaching.’

thus indeedEvañhi by youvo, monksbhikkhave, should be trainedsikkhitabbaṁ.

That’s how you should train.

these fivePañcime, monksbhikkhave, courses of speechvacanapathā with whichyehi to youvo otherspare speakingvadamānā might addressvadeyyuṁ—
timelykālena orvā untimelyakālena orvā;
truebhūtena orvā falseabhūtena orvā;
gentlesaṇhena orvā harshpharusena orvā;
beneficialatthasaṁhitena orvā harmfulanatthasaṁhitena orvā;
with a heart of lovemettacittā orvā with secret hatedosantarā orvā.
timelyKālena orvā, monksbhikkhave, otherspare speakingvadamānā might addressvadeyyuṁ untimelyakālena orvā;
truebhūtena orvā, monksbhikkhave, otherspare speakingvadamānā might addressvadeyyuṁ falseabhūtena orvā;
gentlesaṇhena orvā, monksbhikkhave, otherspare speakingvadamānā might addressvadeyyuṁ harshpharusena orvā;
beneficialatthasaṁhitena orvā, monksbhikkhave, otherspare speakingvadamānā might addressvadeyyuṁ harmfulanatthasaṁhitena orvā;
with a heart of lovemettacittā orvā, monksbhikkhave, otherspare speakingvadamānā might addressvadeyyuṁ with secret hatedosantarā orvā.
even thenTatrāpi by youvo, monksbhikkhave, thusevaṁ should be trainedsikkhitabbaṁ:
not‘na andceva ourno mindcittaṁ degeneratevipariṇataṁ will becomebhavissati, notna andca badpāpikaṁ speechvācaṁ we will blurt outnicchāressāma, full of sympathyhitānukampī andca we will remainviharissāma with a heart of lovemettacittā, notna with secret hatedosantarā.

Mendicants, there are these five ways in which others might criticize you. Their speech may be timely or untimely, true or false, gentle or harsh, beneficial or harmful, from a heart of love or from secret hate. When others criticize you, they may do so in any of these ways. If that happens, you should train like this: ‘Our minds will not degenerate. We will blurt out no bad words. We will remain full of sympathy, with a heart of love and no secret hate.

and thatTañca personpuggalaṁ imbued with lovemettāsahagatena with a heartcetasā pervadingpharitvā we will remainviharissāma, and with that as basistadārammaṇañca the entiresabbāvantaṁ worldlokaṁ imbued with lovemettāsahagatena with a mindcittena abundantvipulena expansivemahaggatena limitlessappamāṇena free of enmityaverena free of ill willabyābajjhena pervadingpharitvā we will remain (quote)viharissāmā’ti.
thus indeedEvañhi by youvo, monksbhikkhave, should be trainedsikkhitabbaṁ.

We will meditate spreading a heart of love to that individual. And with them as a basis, we will meditate spreading a heart full of love to everyone in the world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.’ That’s how you should train.

just asSeyyathāpi, monksbhikkhave, a personpuriso would come alongāgaccheyya a spade and basketkudālapiṭakaṁ carryingādāya.
heSo thusevaṁ would sayvadeyya:
I‘ahaṁ thisimaṁ great earthmahāpathaviṁ without earthapathaviṁ will make (quote)karissāmī’ti.
heSo heretatra and theretatra would digvikhaṇeyya, heretatra and theretatra would scattervikireyya, heretatra and theretatra would spitoṭṭhubheyya, heretatra and theretatra would urinateomutteyya:
without earth‘apathavī be!bhavasi, without earthapathavī be! (quote)bhavasī’ti.
thatTaṁ whatkiṁ do you thinkmaññatha, monksbhikkhave,
couldapi reallynu thatso personpuriso thisimaṁ great earthmahāpathaviṁ without earthapathaviṁ make? (quote)kareyyā”ti?
no“No indeed thishetaṁ, venerable sirbhante”.
that“Taṁ of whatkissa reason?hetu”?
for this“Ayañhi, venerable sirbhante, great earthmahāpathavī is deepgambhīrā immeasurableappameyyā.
itSā notna easysukarā without earthapathavī to makekātuṁ;
only so faryāvadeva andca ratherpana thatso personpuriso of wearinesskilamathassa of frustrationvighātassa a partakerbhāgī would be (quote)assā”ti.

Suppose a person was to come along carrying a spade and basket and say, ‘I shall make this great earth be without earth!’ And they’d dig all over, scatter all over, spit all over, and urinate all over, saying, ‘Be without earth! Be without earth!’ What do you think, mendicants? Could that person make this great earth be without earth?” “No, sir. Why is that? Because this great earth is deep and limitless. It’s not easy to make it be without earth. That person will eventually get weary and frustrated.”

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