Dantabhūmisutta

Majjhima Nikāya 125

The Level of the Tamed · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Seyyathāpi, aggivessana, gāmassa vā nigamassa vā avidūre mahāpabbato.
Tamenaṁ dve sahāyakā tamhā gāmā vā nigamā vā nikkhamitvā hatthavilaṅghakena yena so pabbato tenupasaṅkameyyuṁ; upasaṅkamitvā eko sahāyako heṭṭhā pabbatapāde tiṭṭheyya, eko sahāyako uparipabbataṁ āroheyya.
Tamenaṁ heṭṭhā pabbatapāde ṭhito sahāyako uparipabbate ṭhitaṁ sahāyakaṁ evaṁ vadeyya:
‘yaṁ, samma, kiṁ tvaṁ passasi uparipabbate ṭhito’ti?
So evaṁ vadeyya:
‘passāmi kho ahaṁ, samma, uparipabbate ṭhito ārāmarāmaṇeyyakaṁ vanarāmaṇeyyakaṁ bhūmirāmaṇeyyakaṁ pokkharaṇīrāmaṇeyyakan’ti.
So evaṁ vadeyya:
‘aṭṭhānaṁ kho etaṁ, samma, anavakāso yaṁ tvaṁ uparipabbate ṭhito passeyyāsi ārāmarāmaṇeyyakaṁ vanarāmaṇeyyakaṁ bhūmirāmaṇeyyakaṁ pokkharaṇīrāmaṇeyyakan’ti.
Tamenaṁ uparipabbate ṭhito sahāyako heṭṭhimapabbatapādaṁ orohitvā taṁ sahāyakaṁ bāhāyaṁ gahetvā uparipabbataṁ āropetvā muhuttaṁ assāsetvā evaṁ vadeyya:

Suppose there was a big mountain not far from a town or village. And two friends set out from that village or town, lending each other a hand up to the mountain. Once there, one friend would remain at the foot of the mountain, while the other would climb to the peak. The one standing at the foot would say to the one at the peak, ‘My dear, what do you see, standing there at the peak?’ They’d reply, ‘Standing at the peak, I see delightful parks, woods, meadows, and lotus ponds!’ But the other would say, ‘It’s impossible, it cannot happen that, standing at the peak, you can see delightful parks, woods, meadows, and lotus ponds.’ So their friend would come down from the peak, take their friend by the arm, and make them climb to the peak. After giving them a while to catch their breath, they’d say,

‘yaṁ, samma, kiṁ tvaṁ passasi uparipabbate ṭhito’ti?
So evaṁ vadeyya:
‘passāmi kho ahaṁ, samma, uparipabbate ṭhito ārāmarāmaṇeyyakaṁ vanarāmaṇeyyakaṁ bhūmirāmaṇeyyakaṁ pokkharaṇīrāmaṇeyyakan’ti.
So evaṁ vadeyya:
‘idāneva kho te, samma, bhāsitaṁ—mayaṁ evaṁ ājānāma—
aṭṭhānaṁ kho etaṁ samma, anavakāso yaṁ tvaṁ uparipabbate ṭhito passeyyāsi ārāmarāmaṇeyyakaṁ vanarāmaṇeyyakaṁ bhūmirāmaṇeyyakaṁ pokkharaṇīrāmaṇeyyakan’ti.
Idāneva ca pana te bhāsitaṁ mayaṁ evaṁ ājānāma:
‘passāmi kho ahaṁ, samma, uparipabbate ṭhito ārāmarāmaṇeyyakaṁ vanarāmaṇeyyakaṁ bhūmirāmaṇeyyakaṁ pokkharaṇīrāmaṇeyyakan’ti.
So evaṁ vadeyya:
‘tathā hi panāhaṁ, samma, iminā mahatā pabbatena āvuto daṭṭheyyaṁ nāddasan’ti.

‘My dear, what do you see, standing here at the peak?’ They’d reply, ‘Standing at the peak, I see delightful parks, woods, meadows, and lotus ponds!’ They’d say, ‘Just now I understood you to say: “It’s impossible, it cannot happen that, standing at the peak, you can see delightful parks, woods, meadows, and lotus ponds.” But now you say: “Standing at the peak, I see delightful parks, woods, meadows, and lotus ponds!”’ They’d say, ‘But my dear, it was because I was obstructed by this big mountain that I didn’t see what could be seen.’

Ato mahantatarena, aggivessana, ‘avijjākhandhena jayaseno rājakumāro āvuto nivuto ophuṭo pariyonaddho.
So vata yaṁ taṁ nekkhammena ñātabbaṁ nekkhammena daṭṭhabbaṁ nekkhammena pattabbaṁ nekkhammena sacchikātabbaṁ taṁ vata jayaseno rājakumāro kāmamajjhe vasanto kāme paribhuñjanto kāmavitakkehi khajjamāno kāmapariḷāhena pariḍayhamāno kāmapariyesanāya ussuko ñassati vā dakkhati vā sacchi vā karissatī’ti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.

But bigger than that is the mass of ignorance by which Prince Jayasena is obstructed, hindered, engulfed, and enveloped. Prince Jayasena dwells in the midst of sensual pleasures, enjoying them, consumed by thoughts of them, burning with fever for them, and eagerly seeking more. It is quite impossible for him to know or see or realize what can only be known, seen, and realized by renunciation.

Sace kho taṁ, aggivessana, jayasenassa rājakumārassa imā dve upamā paṭibhāyeyyuṁ, anacchariyaṁ te jayaseno rājakumāro pasīdeyya, pasanno ca te pasannākāraṁ kareyyā”ti.
“Kuto pana maṁ, bhante, jayasenassa rājakumārassa imā dve upamā paṭibhāyissanti anacchariyā pubbe assutapubbā, seyyathāpi bhagavantan”ti?

It would be no wonder if, had these two similes occurred to you, Prince Jayasena would have gained confidence in you and shown his confidence.” “But sir, how could these two similes have occurred to me as they did to the Buddha, since they were neither supernaturally inspired, nor learned before in the past?”

“Seyyathāpi, aggivessana, rājā khattiyo muddhāvasitto nāgavanikaṁ āmanteti:
‘ehi tvaṁ, samma nāgavanika, rañño nāgaṁ abhiruhitvā nāgavanaṁ pavisitvā āraññakaṁ nāgaṁ atipassitvā rañño nāgassa gīvāyaṁ upanibandhāhī’ti.
‘Evaṁ, devā’ti kho, aggivessana, nāgavaniko rañño khattiyassa muddhāvasittassa paṭissutvā rañño nāgaṁ abhiruhitvā nāgavanaṁ pavisitvā āraññakaṁ nāgaṁ atipassitvā rañño nāgassa gīvāyaṁ upanibandhati.
Tamenaṁ rañño nāgo abbhokāsaṁ nīharati.
Ettāvatā kho, aggivessana, āraññako nāgo abbhokāsaṁ gato hoti.
Etthagedhā hi, aggivessana, āraññakā nāgā yadidaṁ—nāgavanaṁ.
Tamenaṁ nāgavaniko rañño khattiyassa muddhāvasittassa ārocesi:
‘abbhokāsagato kho, deva, āraññako nāgo’ti.
Atha kho aggivessana, tamenaṁ rājā khattiyo muddhāvasitto hatthidamakaṁ āmantesi:

“Suppose, Aggivessana, an anointed aristocratic king was to address his elephant tracker, ‘Please, my good elephant tracker, mount the royal bull elephant and enter the elephant wood. When you see a wild bull elephant, tether it by the neck to the royal elephant.’ ‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ replied the elephant tracker, and did as he was asked. The royal elephant leads the wild elephant out into the open; and it’s only then that it comes out into the open, for a wild bull elephant clings to the elephant wood. The elephant tracker informs the king, ‘Your Majesty, the wild elephant has come out into the open.’ Then the king addresses his elephant trainer,

‘ehi tvaṁ, samma hatthidamaka, āraññakaṁ nāgaṁ damayāhi āraññakānañceva sīlānaṁ abhinimmadanāya āraññakānañceva sarasaṅkappānaṁ abhinimmadanāya āraññakānañceva darathakilamathapariḷāhānaṁ abhinimmadanāya gāmante abhiramāpanāya manussakantesu sīlesu samādapanāyā’ti.
‘Evaṁ, devā’ti kho, aggivessana, hatthidamako rañño khattiyassa muddhāvasittassa paṭissutvā mahantaṁ thambhaṁ pathaviyaṁ nikhaṇitvā āraññakassa nāgassa gīvāyaṁ upanibandhati āraññakānañceva sīlānaṁ abhinimmadanāya āraññakānañceva sarasaṅkappānaṁ abhinimmadanāya āraññakānañceva darathakilamathapariḷāhānaṁ abhinimmadanāya gāmante abhiramāpanāya manussakantesu sīlesu samādapanāya.
Tamenaṁ hatthidamako yā sā vācā nelā kaṇṇasukhā pemanīyā hadayaṅgamā porī bahujanakantā bahujanamanāpā tathārūpāhi vācāhi samudācarati.
Yato kho, aggivessana, āraññako nāgo hatthidamakassa yā sā vācā nelā kaṇṇasukhā pemanīyā hadayaṅgamā porī bahujanakantā bahujanamanāpā tathārūpāhi vācāhi samudācariyamāno sussūsati, sotaṁ odahati, aññā cittaṁ upaṭṭhāpeti;
tamenaṁ hatthidamako uttari tiṇaghāsodakaṁ anuppavecchati.

‘Please, dear elephant trainer, tame the wild bull elephant. Subdue its wild behaviors, its wild memories and thoughts, and its wild stress, weariness, and fever. Make it happy to be within a village, and instill behaviors congenial to humans.’ ‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ replied the elephant trainer. He dug a large post into the earth and tethered the elephant to it by the neck, so as to subdue its wild behaviors, its wild memories and thoughts, and its wild stress, weariness, and fever, and to make it happy to be within a village, and instill behaviors congenial to humans. He spoke in a way that’s mellow, pleasing to the ear, endearing, going to the heart, polite, and likable and agreeable to the people. Spoken to in such a way by the elephant trainer, the wild elephant wanted to listen. It actively listened and tried to understand. So the elephant trainer rewards it with grass, fodder, and water.

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