Mahāhatthipadopamasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 28

Mahāhatthipadopamasutta

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

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there isHoti indeedkho aso, friendāvuso, timesamayo whenyaṁ exteriorbāhirā fire elementtejodhātu flares uppakuppati.
itSā village toogāmampi burns updahati, town toonigamampi burns updahati, city toonagarampi burns updahati, country toojanapadampi burns updahati, region toojanapadapadesampi burns updahati.
itSā a green fieldharitantaṁ orvā a roadsidepanthantaṁ orvā a cliff's edgeselantaṁ orvā a body of waterudakantaṁ orvā cleared parklandramaṇīyaṁ orvā cleared parklandbhūmibhāgaṁ reachingāgamma not being fedanāhārā is extinguishednibbāyati.
there isHoti indeedkho aso, friendāvuso, timesamayo whenyaṁ with just a chicken featherkukkuṭapattenapi with a scrap of sinew as kindlingnhārudaddulenapi fireaggiṁ they go looking forgavesanti.
for all itsTassā indeedhi trulynāma, friendāvuso, exteriorbāhirāya fire elementtejodhātuyā for all itstāva great agemahallikāya impermanenceaniccatā will be revealedpaññāyissati, liability to endkhayadhammatā will be revealedpaññāyissati, liability to vanishvayadhammatā will be revealedpaññāyissati, liability to perishvipariṇāmadhammatā will be revealedpaññāyissati.
what thenKiṁ of thispanimassa ephemeralmattaṭṭhakassa bodykāyassa appropriated by cravingtaṇhupādinnassa 'I'‘ahanti orvā 'mine'mamanti orvā 'I am'asmī’ti orvā?

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. …

thenAtha and to himkhvāssa not herenotevettha it ishoti ……pe… for himtassa ifce, friendāvuso, for a mendicantbhikkhuno thusevaṁ the Buddhabuddhaṁ recollectinganussarato thusevaṁ the teachingdhammaṁ recollectinganussarato thusevaṁ the Saṅghasaṅghaṁ recollectinganussarato equanimityupekkhā based on the skillfulkusalanissitā becomes stabilizedsaṇṭhāti, heso with thattena happyattamano ishoti.
at this point tooEttāvatāpi indeedkho, friendāvuso, by a mendicantbhikkhuno muchbahukataṁ is donehoti.

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.

whichKatamā and, friend,cāvuso, air element?vāyodhātu?
air elementVāyodhātu may besiyā interiorajjhattikā, may besiyā exterior.bāhirā.
whichKatamā and, friend,cāvuso, interiorajjhattikā air element?vāyodhātu?
whateverYaṁ internalajjhattaṁ personalpaccattaṁ airvāyo airyvāyogataṁ appropriated,upādinnaṁ, that is:seyyathidaṁ—
going upuddhaṅgamā winds,vātā, going downadhogamā winds,vātā, in the bellykucchisayā winds,vātā, in the bowelskoṭṭhāsayā winds,vātā, flowing through the limbsaṅgamaṅgānusārino winds,vātā, in-breathassāso out-breathpassāso thus,iti, whateveryaṁ orvā also anything elsepanaññampi anythingkiñci internalajjhattaṁ personalpaccattaṁ airvāyo airyvāyogataṁ appropriated—upādinnaṁ—
thisayaṁ is called, friend,vuccatāvuso, interiorajjhattikā air element.vāyodhātu.
whichYā and indeedceva indeedkho andpana interiorajjhattikā air element,vāyodhātu, whichyā andca exteriorbāhirā air element,vāyodhātu, is just the air element.vāyodhāturevesā.
‘This‘Taṁ is not this:netaṁ minemama this I am notnesohamasmi notna this mymeso self’attā’ti thus thisevametaṁ as it truly isyathābhūtaṁ with right understandingsammappaññāya should be seen.daṭṭhabbaṁ.
Thus thisEvametaṁ as it truly isyathābhūtaṁ with right understandingsammappaññāya having seendisvā with the air elementvāyodhātuyā grows disillusionednibbindati from the air elementvāyodhātuyā the mindcittaṁ detaches.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.

there isHoti indeedkho thatso, friendāvuso, a timesamayo whenyaṁ the exteriorbāhirā air elementvāyodhātu flares uppakuppati.
itSā a village toogāmampi sweeps awayvahati, a town toonigamampi sweeps awayvahati, a city toonagarampi sweeps awayvahati, a country toojanapadampi sweeps awayvahati, a region toojanapadapadesampi sweeps awayvahati.
there isHoti indeedkho thatso, friendāvuso, a timesamayo whenyaṁ of summergimhānaṁ in the lastpacchime monthmāse by a palm-leaf tootālavaṇṭenapi by a fan toovidhūpanenapi windvātaṁ they look forpariyesanti, even in the drip-fringeossavanepi grassestiṇāni notna they desireicchanti.
of thatTassā forhi indeednāma, friendāvuso, exteriorbāhirāya air elementvāyodhātuyā so muchtāva of great agemahallikāya impermanenceaniccatā will be revealedpaññāyissati, liability to endkhayadhammatā will be revealedpaññāyissati, liability to vanishvayadhammatā will be revealedpaññāyissati, liability to perishvipariṇāmadhammatā will be revealedpaññāyissati.
whatKiṁ then of thispanimassa ephemeralmattaṭṭhakassa bodykāyassa appropriated by cravingtaṇhupādinnassa 'I'‘ahanti orvā 'mine'mamanti orvā 'I am'asmī’ti orvā? ratherAtha for them herekhvāssa none of these thingsnotevettha there ishoti.

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.

and if thatTañce, friendāvuso, that mendicantbhikkhuṁ otherspare abuseakkosanti attackparibhāsanti harassrosenti troublevihesenti.
heSo thusevaṁ understandspajānāti, has arisenuppannā indeedkho in meme thisayaṁ born of ear contactsotasamphassajā painfuldukkhā feelingvedanā.
thatSā andca indeedkho dependentpaṭicca, notno independentapaṭicca.
on whatKiṁ dependentpaṭicca?
on contactPhassaṁ dependentpaṭicca.
and thatSopi contactphasso impermanentaniccoti seespassati, feelingvedanā impermanentaniccāti seespassati, perceptionsaññā impermanentaniccāti seespassati, choicessaṅkhārā impermanentaniccāti seespassati, consciousnessviññāṇaṁ impermanentaniccanti seespassati.
based on thatTassa on that element alonedhātārammaṇameva mindcittaṁ leaps forthpakkhandati gains confidencepasīdati settles downsantiṭṭhati becomes decidedadhimuccati.

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.

and if thatTañce, friendsāvuso, mendicantbhikkhuṁ otherspare with dislikinganiṭṭhehi with loathingakantehi with detestationamanāpehi they treatsamudācaranti, with fistspāṇisamphassenapi with stonesleḍḍusamphassenapi with sticksdaṇḍasamphassenapi with swordssatthasamphassenapi.
heSo thusevaṁ he understandspajānāti such being‘tathābhūto indeedkho thisayaṁ bodykāyo as it has becomeyathābhūtasmiṁ in the bodykāye fistspāṇisamphassāpi they strikekamanti, stonesleḍḍusamphassāpi they strikekamanti, sticksdaṇḍasamphassāpi they strikekamanti, swordssatthasamphassāpi they strikekamanti.
saidVuttaṁ indeedkho and thispanetaṁ by the Blessed Onebhagavatā in the Advice on the Simile of the Sawkakacūpamovāde with a two-handed saw“ubhatodaṇḍakena even ifcepi, monksbhikkhave, with a sawkakacena thievescorā low-down banditsocarakā limb from limbaṅgamaṅgāni were to severokanteyyuṁ. there tooTatrāpi whoyo mindmano would arouse hatepadūseyya, notna myme heso on that accounttena following my instructionssāsanakaro”ti.
roused upĀraddhaṁ indeedkho andpana myme energyvīriyaṁ shall bebhavissati unflaggingasallīnaṁ, establishedupaṭṭhitā mindfulnesssati lucidasammuṭṭhā, tranquilpassaddho bodykāyo undisturbedasāraddho, immersedsamāhitaṁ mindcittaṁ unifiedekaggaṁ.
gladlyKāmaṁ nowdāni in thisimasmiṁ bodykāye fistspāṇisamphassāpi let them strikekamantu, stonesleḍḍusamphassāpi let them strikekamantu, sticksdaṇḍasamphassāpi let them strikekamantu, swordssatthasamphassāpi let them strikekamantu. is doneKarīyati thishidaṁ of the Buddhasbuddhānaṁ the instructionsāsanan’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.’

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.

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