Mahāhatthipadopamasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 28

Mahāhatthipadopamasutta

The Longer Simile of the Elephant’s Footprint · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

Parallels & more translations on SuttaCentral

Glosses: Fluent · Literal · Off
Translation: Hide · Show

Tap any word for its dictionary entry.

Hoti kho so, āvuso, samayo yaṁ bāhirā tejodhātu pakuppati.
Sā gāmampi dahati, nigamampi dahati, nagarampi dahati, janapadampi dahati, janapadapadesampi dahati.
Sā haritantaṁ vā panthantaṁ vā selantaṁ vā udakantaṁ vā ramaṇīyaṁ vā bhūmibhāgaṁ āgamma anāhārā nibbāyati.
Hoti kho so, āvuso, samayo yaṁ kukkuṭapattenapi nhārudaddulenapi aggiṁ gavesanti.
Tassā hi nāma, āvuso, bāhirāya tejodhātuyā tāva mahallikāya aniccatā paññāyissati, khayadhammatā paññāyissati, vayadhammatā paññāyissati, vipariṇāmadhammatā paññāyissati.
Kiṁ panimassa mattaṭṭhakassa kāyassa taṇhupādinnassa ‘ahanti vā mamanti vā asmī’ti vā?

There comes a time when the exterior fire element flares up. It burns up villages, towns, cities, countries, and regions until it reaches a green field, a roadside, a cliff’s edge, a body of water, or cleared parkland, where it’s extinguished due to not being fed. There comes a time when they go looking for a fire, taking just a chicken feather or a scrap of sinew as kindling. So for all its great age, the fire element will be revealed as impermanent, liable to end, vanish, and perish. What then of this ephemeral body appropriated by craving? Rather than ‘I’ or ‘mine’ or ‘I am’, they consider it to be none of these things. …

Atha khvāssa notevettha hoti …pe… tassa ce, āvuso, bhikkhuno evaṁ buddhaṁ anussarato evaṁ dhammaṁ anussarato evaṁ saṅghaṁ anussarato upekkhā kusalanissitā saṇṭhāti, so tena attamano hoti.
Ettāvatāpi kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno bahukataṁ hoti.

If, while recollecting the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha in this way, equanimity based on the skillful does become stabilized in them, they’re happy with that. At this point, much has been done by that mendicant.

Katamā cāvuso, vāyodhātu?
Vāyodhātu siyā ajjhattikā, siyā bāhirā.
Katamā cāvuso, ajjhattikā vāyodhātu?
Yaṁ ajjhattaṁ paccattaṁ vāyo vāyogataṁ upādinnaṁ, seyyathidaṁ—
uddhaṅgamā vātā, adhogamā vātā, kucchisayā vātā, koṭṭhāsayā vātā, aṅgamaṅgānusārino vātā, assāso passāso iti, yaṁ vā panaññampi kiñci ajjhattaṁ paccattaṁ vāyo vāyogataṁ upādinnaṁ—
ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, ajjhattikā vāyodhātu.
Yā ceva kho pana ajjhattikā vāyodhātu, yā ca bāhirā vāyodhātu, vāyodhāturevesā.
‘Taṁ netaṁ mama nesohamasmi na meso attā’ti evametaṁ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya daṭṭhabbaṁ.
Evametaṁ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya disvā vāyodhātuyā nibbindati vāyodhātuyā cittaṁ virājeti.

And what is the air element? The air element may be interior or exterior. And what is the interior air element? Anything internal, personal, that’s air, airy, and appropriated. This includes: winds that go up or down, winds in the belly or the bowels, winds that flow through the limbs, in-breaths and out-breaths; or anything else internal, personal, that’s air, airy, and appropriated. This is called the interior air element. The interior air element and the exterior air element are just the air element. This should be truly seen with right understanding like this: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’ When you truly see with right understanding, you grow disillusioned with the air element, detaching the mind from the air element.

Hoti kho so, āvuso, samayo yaṁ bāhirā vāyodhātu pakuppati.
Sā gāmampi vahati, nigamampi vahati, nagarampi vahati, janapadampi vahati, janapadapadesampi vahati.
Hoti kho so, āvuso, samayo yaṁ gimhānaṁ pacchime māse tālavaṇṭenapi vidhūpanenapi vātaṁ pariyesanti, ossavanepi tiṇāni na icchanti.
Tassā hi nāma, āvuso, bāhirāya vāyodhātuyā tāva mahallikāya aniccatā paññāyissati, khayadhammatā paññāyissati, vayadhammatā paññāyissati, vipariṇāmadhammatā paññāyissati.
Kiṁ panimassa mattaṭṭhakassa kāyassa taṇhupādinnassa ‘ahanti vā mamanti vā asmī’ti vā? Atha khvāssa notevettha hoti.

There comes a time when the exterior air element flares up. It sweeps away villages, towns, cities, countries, and regions. There comes a time, in the last month of summer, when they look for wind by using a palm-leaf or fan, and even the grasses in the drip-fringe of a thatch roof don’t stir. So for all its great age, the air element will be revealed as impermanent, liable to end, vanish, and perish. What then of this ephemeral body appropriated by craving? Rather than ‘I’ or ‘mine’ or ‘I am’, they consider it to be none of these things.

Tañce, āvuso, bhikkhuṁ pare akkosanti paribhāsanti rosenti vihesenti.
So evaṁ pajānāti, uppannā kho me ayaṁ sotasamphassajā dukkhā vedanā.
Sā ca kho paṭicca, no apaṭicca.
Kiṁ paṭicca?
Phassaṁ paṭicca.
Sopi phasso aniccoti passati, vedanā aniccāti passati, saññā aniccāti passati, saṅkhārā aniccāti passati, viññāṇaṁ aniccanti passati.
Tassa dhātārammaṇameva cittaṁ pakkhandati pasīdati santiṭṭhati adhimuccati.

If others abuse, attack, harass, and trouble that mendicant, they understand: ‘This painful feeling born of ear contact has arisen in me. That’s dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on contact.’ They see that contact, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness are impermanent. Based on that element alone, their mind leaps forth, gains confidence, settles down, and becomes decided.

Tañce, āvuso, bhikkhuṁ pare aniṭṭhehi akantehi amanāpehi samudācaranti, pāṇisamphassenapi leḍḍusamphassenapi daṇḍasamphassenapi satthasamphassenapi.
So evaṁ pajānāti ‘tathābhūto kho ayaṁ kāyo yathābhūtasmiṁ kāye pāṇisamphassāpi kamanti, leḍḍusamphassāpi kamanti, daṇḍasamphassāpi kamanti, satthasamphassāpi kamanti.
Vuttaṁ kho panetaṁ bhagavatā kakacūpamovāde “ubhatodaṇḍakena cepi, bhikkhave, kakacena corā ocarakā aṅgamaṅgāni okanteyyuṁ. Tatrāpi yo mano padūseyya, na me so tena sāsanakaro”ti.
Āraddhaṁ kho pana me vīriyaṁ bhavissati asallīnaṁ, upaṭṭhitā sati asammuṭṭhā, passaddho kāyo asāraddho, samāhitaṁ cittaṁ ekaggaṁ.
Kāmaṁ dāni imasmiṁ kāye pāṇisamphassāpi kamantu, leḍḍusamphassāpi kamantu, daṇḍasamphassāpi kamantu, satthasamphassāpi kamantu. Karīyati hidaṁ buddhānaṁ sāsanan’ti.

Others might treat that mendicant with disliking, loathing, and detestation, striking them with fists, stones, sticks, and swords. They understand: ‘This body is such that fists, stones, sticks, and swords strike it. But the Buddha has said in the Advice on the Simile of the Saw: “Even if low-down bandits were to sever you limb from limb with a two-handed saw, anyone who had a thought of hate on that account would not be following my instructions.” My energy shall be roused up and unflagging, my mindfulness established and lucid, my body tranquil and undisturbed, and my mind immersed and unified in samādhi. Gladly now, let fists, stones, sticks, and swords strike this body! For this is how the instructions of the Buddhas are followed.’

Tassa ce, āvuso, bhikkhuno evaṁ buddhaṁ anussarato, evaṁ dhammaṁ anussarato, evaṁ saṅghaṁ anussarato upekkhā kusalanissitā na saṇṭhāti.
So tena saṁvijjati saṁvegaṁ āpajjati:
‘alābhā vata me, na vata me lābhā; dulladdhaṁ vata me, na vata me suladdhaṁ.
Yassa me evaṁ buddhaṁ anussarato, evaṁ dhammaṁ anussarato, evaṁ saṅghaṁ anussarato upekkhā kusalanissitā na saṇṭhātī’ti.
Seyyathāpi, āvuso, suṇisā sasuraṁ disvā saṁvijjati saṁvegaṁ āpajjati;
evameva kho, āvuso, tassa ce bhikkhuno evaṁ buddhaṁ anussarato, evaṁ dhammaṁ anussarato, evaṁ saṅghaṁ anussarato, upekkhā kusalanissitā na saṇṭhāti.
So tena saṁvijjati saṁvegaṁ āpajjati:
‘alābhā vata me, na vata me lābhā; dulladdhaṁ vata me, na vata me suladdhaṁ.

While recollecting the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha in this way, equanimity based on the skillful may not become stabilized in them. In that case they stir up a sense of urgency: ‘It’s my loss, my misfortune, that while recollecting the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha in this way, equanimity based on the skillful does not become stabilized in me.’ They’re like a daughter-in-law who stirs up a sense of urgency when they see their father-in-law.

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version