Mahāsāropamasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 29

The Longer Simile of the Heartwood · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco kulaputto saddhā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito hoti:
‘otiṇṇomhi jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi, dukkhotiṇṇo dukkhapareto,
appeva nāma imassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa antakiriyā paññāyethā’ti.
So evaṁ pabbajito samāno lābhasakkārasilokaṁ abhinibbatteti.
So tena lābhasakkārasilokena na attamano hoti na paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tena lābhasakkārasilokena na attānukkaṁseti, na paraṁ vambheti.
So tena lābhasakkārasilokena na majjati nappamajjati na pamādaṁ āpajjati.
Appamatto samāno sīlasampadaṁ ārādheti.
So tāya sīlasampadāya attamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tāya sīlasampadāya attānukkaṁseti, paraṁ vambheti:
‘ahamasmi sīlavā kalyāṇadhammo, ime panaññe bhikkhū dussīlā pāpadhammā’ti.
So tāya sīlasampadāya majjati pamajjati pamādaṁ āpajjati, pamatto samāno dukkhaṁ viharati.

Just so, monks, here some clansman goes forth from home into homelessness out of faith: 'I am submerged by birth, by aging, by death, by sorrows, by lamentations, by pains, by griefs, by despairs; submerged by suffering, overcome by suffering. Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering might be known.' Thus gone forth, he produces gain, honor, and fame. He is not satisfied with that gain, honor, and fame, nor is his intention fulfilled. He does not exalt himself or disparage another because of that gain, honor, and fame. He is not intoxicated by that gain, honor, and fame, nor is he negligent, nor does he fall into negligence. Being heedful, he achieves the attainment of virtue. He is satisfied with that attainment of virtue, his intention fulfilled. He exalts himself and disparages another because of that attainment of virtue: 'I am virtuous, of good character, but these other monks are immoral, of evil character.' Intoxicated by that attainment of virtue, he is negligent, falls into negligence, and being negligent he dwells in suffering.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, bhikkhu papaṭikaṁ aggahesi brahmacariyassa;
tena ca vosānaṁ āpādi.
Idha pana, bhikkhave, ekacco kulaputto saddhā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito hoti:
‘otiṇṇomhi jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi, dukkhotiṇṇo dukkhapareto,
appeva nāma imassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa antakiriyā paññāyethā’ti.
So evaṁ pabbajito samāno lābhasakkārasilokaṁ abhinibbatteti.
So tena lābhasakkārasilokena na attamano hoti na paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tena lābhasakkārasilokena na attānukkaṁseti, na paraṁ vambheti.
So tena lābhasakkārasilokena na majjati nappamajjati na pamādaṁ āpajjati, appamatto samāno sīlasampadaṁ ārādheti.
So tāya sīlasampadāya attamano hoti no ca kho paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tāya sīlasampadāya na attānukkaṁseti, na paraṁ vambheti.
So tāya sīlasampadāya na majjati nappamajjati na pamādaṁ āpajjati.

This is called a mendicant who has grabbed the shoots of the spiritual life and stopped short with that. Next, take a gentleman who has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness … When they’ve gone forth they generate possessions, honor, and popularity. …

Appamatto samāno samādhisampadaṁ ārādheti.
So tāya samādhisampadāya attamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tāya samādhisampadāya attānukkaṁseti, paraṁ vambheti:
‘ahamasmi samāhito ekaggacitto, ime panaññe bhikkhū asamāhitā vibbhantacittā’ti.
So tāya samādhisampadāya majjati pamajjati pamādaṁ āpajjati, pamatto samāno dukkhaṁ viharati.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso sāratthiko sāragavesī sārapariyesanaṁ caramāno mahato rukkhassa tiṭṭhato sāravato atikkammeva sāraṁ atikkamma phegguṁ tacaṁ chetvā ādāya pakkameyya ‘sāran’ti maññamāno.
Tamenaṁ cakkhumā puriso disvā evaṁ vadeyya ‘na vatāyaṁ bhavaṁ puriso aññāsi sāraṁ, na aññāsi phegguṁ, na aññāsi tacaṁ, na aññāsi papaṭikaṁ, na aññāsi sākhāpalāsaṁ.

Being diligent, they achieve accomplishment in immersion. They’re happy with that, and they’ve got all they wished for. And they glorify themselves and put others down on account of that: ‘I’m the one with immersion and unified mind. These other mendicants lack immersion, they have straying minds.’ And so they become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding that accomplishment in immersion. And being negligent they live in suffering. Suppose there was a person in need of heartwood. And while wandering in search of heartwood he’d come across a large tree standing with heartwood. But, passing over the heartwood and softwood, he’d cut off the bark and leave imagining it was heartwood. If a person with clear eyes saw him they’d say: ‘This gentleman doesn’t know what heartwood, softwood, bark, shoots, or branches and leaves are.

Tathā hayaṁ bhavaṁ puriso sāratthiko sāragavesī sārapariyesanaṁ caramāno mahato rukkhassa tiṭṭhato sāravato atikkammeva sāraṁ atikkamma phegguṁ tacaṁ chetvā ādāya pakkanto “sāran”ti maññamāno.
Yañcassa sārena sārakaraṇīyaṁ tañcassa atthaṁ nānubhavissatī’ti.
Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco kulaputto saddhā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito hoti:
‘otiṇṇomhi jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi, dukkhotiṇṇo dukkhapareto,
appeva nāma imassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa antakiriyā paññāyethā’ti.
So evaṁ pabbajito samāno lābhasakkārasilokaṁ abhinibbatteti.
So tena lābhasakkārasilokena na attamano hoti na paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tena lābhasakkārasilokena na attānukkaṁseti, na paraṁ vambheti.
So tena lābhasakkārasilokena na majjati nappamajjati na pamādaṁ āpajjati, appamatto samāno sīlasampadaṁ ārādheti.
So tāya sīlasampadāya attamano hoti no ca kho paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.

That’s why he passed them over, cut off the bark, and left imagining it was heartwood. Whatever he needs to make from heartwood, he won’t succeed.’ …

So tāya sīlasampadāya na attānukkaṁseti, na paraṁ vambheti.
So tāya sīlasampadāya na majjati nappamajjati na pamādaṁ āpajjati, appamatto samāno samādhisampadaṁ ārādheti.
So tāya samādhisampadāya attamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tāya samādhisampadāya attānukkaṁseti, paraṁ vambheti:
‘ahamasmi samāhito ekaggacitto, ime panaññe bhikkhū asamāhitā vibbhantacittā’ti.
So tāya samādhisampadāya majjati pamajjati pamādaṁ āpajjati, pamatto samāno dukkhaṁ viharati.
Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, bhikkhu tacaṁ aggahesi brahmacariyassa;
tena ca vosānaṁ āpādi.

This is called a mendicant who has grabbed the bark of the spiritual life and stopped short with that.

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