Alagaddūpamasutta

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Majjhima Nikāya 22

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

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So evaṁ samanupassanto asati na paritassatī”ti.

Seeing in this way they’re not anxious about what doesn’t exist.”

Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“siyā nu kho, bhante, bahiddhā asati paritassanā”ti?
“Siyā, bhikkhū”ti—bhagavā avoca.
“Idha bhikkhu ekaccassa evaṁ hoti:
‘ahu vata me, taṁ vata me natthi;
siyā vata me, taṁ vatāhaṁ na labhāmī’ti.
So socati kilamati paridevati urattāḷiṁ kandati sammohaṁ āpajjati.
Evaṁ kho, bhikkhu, bahiddhā asati paritassanā hotī”ti.

When he said this, one of the mendicants said to the Buddha, “Sir, can there be anxiety about what doesn’t exist externally?” “There can, mendicant,” said the Buddha. “It’s when someone thinks, ‘Oh, it once was mine but is mine no more. Oh, it could be mine but I do not get it.’ They sorrow and wail and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion. That’s how there is anxiety about what doesn’t exist externally.”

“Siyā pana, bhante, bahiddhā asati aparitassanā”ti?
“Siyā, bhikkhū”ti—bhagavā avoca.
“Idha bhikkhu ekaccassa na evaṁ hoti:
‘ahu vata me, taṁ vata me natthi;
siyā vata me, taṁ vatāhaṁ na labhāmī’ti.
So na socati na kilamati na paridevati na urattāḷiṁ kandati na sammohaṁ āpajjati.
Evaṁ kho, bhikkhu, bahiddhā asati aparitassanā hotī”ti.

“But can there be no anxiety about what doesn’t exist externally?” “There can, mendicant,” said the Buddha. “It’s when someone doesn’t think, ‘Oh, it once was mine but is mine no more. Oh, it could be mine but I do not get it.’ They don’t sorrow and wail and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion. That’s how there is no anxiety about what doesn’t exist externally.”

“Siyā nu kho, bhante, ajjhattaṁ asati paritassanā”ti?
“Siyā, bhikkhū”ti—bhagavā avoca.
“Idha, bhikkhu, ekaccassa evaṁ diṭṭhi hoti:
‘so loko so attā, so pecca bhavissāmi nicco dhuvo sassato avipariṇāmadhammo, sassatisamaṁ tatheva ṭhassāmī’ti.
So suṇāti tathāgatassa vā tathāgatasāvakassa vā sabbesaṁ diṭṭhiṭṭhānādhiṭṭhānapariyuṭṭhānābhinivesānusayānaṁ samugghātāya sabbasaṅkhārasamathāya sabbūpadhipaṭinissaggāya taṇhākkhayāya virāgāya nirodhāya nibbānāya dhammaṁ desentassa.
Tassa evaṁ hoti:
‘ucchijjissāmi nāmassu, vinassissāmi nāmassu, nassu nāma bhavissāmī’ti.
So socati kilamati paridevati urattāḷiṁ kandati sammohaṁ āpajjati.
Evaṁ kho, bhikkhu, ajjhattaṁ asati paritassanā hotī”ti.

“But can there be anxiety about what doesn’t exist internally?” “There can, mendicant,” said the Buddha. “It’s when someone has such a view: ‘The cosmos and the self are one and the same. After death I will be that, permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, and will last forever and ever.’ They hear the Realized One or their disciple teaching Dhamma for the uprooting of all grounds, fixations, obsessions, insistences, and underlying tendencies regarding views; for the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, cessation, extinguishment. They think, ‘Whoa, I’m going to be annihilated and destroyed! I won’t even exist any more!’ They sorrow and wail and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion. That’s how there is anxiety about what doesn’t exist internally.”

“Siyā pana, bhante, ajjhattaṁ asati aparitassanā”ti?
“Siyā, bhikkhū”ti bhagavā avoca.
“Idha, bhikkhu, ekaccassa na evaṁ diṭṭhi hoti:
‘so loko so attā, so pecca bhavissāmi nicco dhuvo sassato avipariṇāmadhammo, sassatisamaṁ tatheva ṭhassāmī’ti.
So suṇāti tathāgatassa vā tathāgatasāvakassa vā sabbesaṁ diṭṭhiṭṭhānādhiṭṭhānapariyuṭṭhānābhinivesānusayānaṁ samugghātāya sabbasaṅkhārasamathāya sabbūpadhipaṭinissaggāya taṇhākkhayāya virāgāya nirodhāya nibbānāya dhammaṁ desentassa.
Tassa na evaṁ hoti:
‘ucchijjissāmi nāmassu, vinassissāmi nāmassu, nassu nāma bhavissāmī’ti.
So na socati na kilamati na paridevati na urattāḷiṁ kandati na sammohaṁ āpajjati.
Evaṁ kho, bhikkhu, ajjhattaṁ asati aparitassanā hoti.

“But can there be no anxiety about what doesn’t exist internally?” “There can,” said the Buddha. “It’s when someone doesn’t have such a view: ‘The cosmos and the self are one and the same. After death I will be that, permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, and will last forever and ever.’ They hear the Realized One or their disciple teaching Dhamma for the uprooting of all grounds, fixations, obsessions, insistences, and underlying tendencies regarding views; for the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, cessation, extinguishment. They don’t think, ‘Whoa, I’m going to be annihilated and destroyed! I won’t even exist any more!’ They don’t sorrow and wail and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion. That’s how there is no anxiety about what doesn’t exist internally.

Taṁ, bhikkhave, pariggahaṁ pariggaṇheyyātha, yvāssa pariggaho nicco dhuvo sassato avipariṇāmadhammo, sassatisamaṁ tatheva tiṭṭheyya.
Passatha no tumhe, bhikkhave, taṁ pariggahaṁ yvāssa pariggaho nicco dhuvo sassato avipariṇāmadhammo, sassatisamaṁ tatheva tiṭṭheyyā”ti?
“No hetaṁ, bhante”.
“Sādhu, bhikkhave.
Ahampi kho taṁ, bhikkhave, pariggahaṁ na samanupassāmi yvāssa pariggaho nicco dhuvo sassato avipariṇāmadhammo sassatisamaṁ tatheva tiṭṭheyya.

Mendicants, it would make sense to be possessive about something that’s permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, and will last forever and ever. But do you see any such possession?” “No, sir.” “Good, mendicants! I also can’t see any such possession.

Taṁ, bhikkhave, attavādupādānaṁ upādiyetha, yaṁsa attavādupādānaṁ upādiyato na uppajjeyyuṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā.
Passatha no tumhe, bhikkhave, taṁ attavādupādānaṁ yaṁsa attavādupādānaṁ upādiyato na uppajjeyyuṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā”ti?
“No hetaṁ, bhante”.
“Sādhu, bhikkhave.
Ahampi kho taṁ, bhikkhave, attavādupādānaṁ na samanupassāmi yaṁsa attavādupādānaṁ upādiyato na uppajjeyyuṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā.

It would make sense to grasp at a theory of self that didn’t give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. But do you see any such theory of self?” “No, sir.” “Good, mendicants! I also can’t see any such theory of self.

Taṁ, bhikkhave, diṭṭhinissayaṁ nissayetha yaṁsa diṭṭhinissayaṁ nissayato na uppajjeyyuṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā.
Passatha no tumhe, bhikkhave, taṁ diṭṭhinissayaṁ yaṁsa diṭṭhinissayaṁ nissayato na uppajjeyyuṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā”ti?
“No hetaṁ, bhante”.
“Sādhu, bhikkhave.
Ahampi kho taṁ, bhikkhave, diṭṭhinissayaṁ na samanupassāmi yaṁsa diṭṭhinissayaṁ nissayato na uppajjeyyuṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā.

It would make sense to rely on a view that didn’t give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. But do you see any such view to rely on?” “No, sir.” “Good, mendicants! I also can’t see any such view to rely on.

Attani vā, bhikkhave, sati ‘attaniyaṁ me’ti assā”ti?
“Evaṁ, bhante”.
“Attaniye vā, bhikkhave, sati ‘attā me’ti assā”ti?
“Evaṁ, bhante”.
“Attani ca, bhikkhave, attaniye ca saccato thetato anupalabbhamāne, yampi taṁ diṭṭhiṭṭhānaṁ:
‘so loko so attā, so pecca bhavissāmi nicco dhuvo sassato avipariṇāmadhammo, sassatisamaṁ tatheva ṭhassāmī’ti—
nanāyaṁ, bhikkhave, kevalo paripūro bāladhammo”ti?
“Kiñhi no siyā, bhante, kevalo hi, bhante, paripūro bāladhammo”ti.

Mendicants, were a self to exist, would there be the thought, ‘Belonging to my self’?” “Yes, sir.” “Were what belongs to a self to exist, would there be the thought, ‘My self’?” “Yes, sir.” “But since a self and what belongs to a self are not found as a genuine fact, is not the following a totally foolish teaching: ‘The cosmos and the self are one and the same. After death I will be that, permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, and will last forever and ever’?” “How could it not, sir? It’s a totally foolish teaching.”

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