Mahāsāropamasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 29

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

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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, appamatto samāno samādhisampadaṁ ārādheti.

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. …

So tāya samādhisampadāya attamano hoti, no ca kho paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tāya samādhisampadāya na attānukkaṁseti, na paraṁ vambheti.
So tāya samādhisampadāya na majjati nappamajjati na pamādaṁ āpajjati appamatto samāno ñāṇadassanaṁ ārādheti.
So tena ñāṇadassanena attamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tena ñāṇadassanena attānukkaṁseti, paraṁ vambheti:
‘ahamasmi jānaṁ passaṁ viharāmi.
Ime panaññe bhikkhū ajānaṁ apassaṁ viharantī’ti.
So tena ñāṇadassanena majjati pamajjati pamādaṁ āpajjati, pamatto samāno dukkhaṁ viharati.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso sāratthiko sāragavesī sārapariyesanaṁ caramāno mahato rukkhassa tiṭṭhato sāravato atikkammeva sāraṁ phegguṁ chetvā ādāya pakkameyya ‘sāran’ti maññamāno.
Tamenaṁ cakkhumā puriso disvā evaṁ vadeyya:

Being diligent, they achieve knowledge and vision. 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 who meditates knowing and seeing. These other mendicants meditate without knowing and seeing.’ And so they become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding that knowledge and vision. 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, he’d cut out the softwood and leave imagining it was heartwood. If a person with clear eyes saw him they’d say,

‘na vatāyaṁ bhavaṁ puriso aññāsi sāraṁ na aññāsi phegguṁ na aññāsi tacaṁ na aññāsi papaṭikaṁ na aññāsi sākhāpalāsaṁ.
Tathā hayaṁ bhavaṁ puriso sāratthiko sāragavesī sārapariyesanaṁ caramāno mahato rukkhassa tiṭṭhato sāravato atikkammeva sāraṁ phegguṁ 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.

‘This gentleman doesn’t know what heartwood, softwood, bark, shoots, or branches and leaves are. That’s why he passed them over, cut out the softwood, and left imagining it was heartwood. Whatever he needs to make from heartwood, he won’t succeed.’ …

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, appamatto samāno samādhisampadaṁ ārādheti.
So tāya samādhisampadāya attamano hoti, no ca kho paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tāya samādhisampadāya na attānukkaṁseti, na paraṁ vambheti.
So tāya samādhisampadāya na majjati nappamajjati na pamādaṁ āpajjati, appamatto samāno ñāṇadassanaṁ ārādheti.
So tena ñāṇadassanena attamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tena ñāṇadassanena attānukkaṁseti, paraṁ vambheti:
‘ahamasmi jānaṁ passaṁ viharāmi, ime panaññe bhikkhū ajānaṁ apassaṁ viharantī’ti.

He is not intoxicated with that gain, honor, and fame; he does not become negligent; he does not fall into negligence. Being diligent, he achieves the accomplishment of virtue. He is satisfied with that accomplishment of virtue, but his intention is not fulfilled. He does not exalt himself or disparage another because of that accomplishment of virtue. He is not intoxicated with that accomplishment of virtue; he does not become negligent; he does not fall into negligence. Being diligent, he achieves the accomplishment of concentration. He is satisfied with that accomplishment of concentration, but his intention is not fulfilled. He does not exalt himself or disparage another because of that accomplishment of concentration. He is not intoxicated with that accomplishment of concentration; he does not become negligent; he does not fall into negligence. Being diligent, he achieves knowledge and vision. He is satisfied with that knowledge and vision, and his intention is fulfilled. Because of that knowledge and vision, he exalts himself and disparages others, saying: 'I dwell knowing and seeing, but these other monks dwell not knowing and not seeing.'

So tena ñāṇadassanena majjati pamajjati pamādaṁ āpajjati, pamatto samāno dukkhaṁ viharati.
Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, bhikkhu phegguṁ aggahesi brahmacariyassa;
tena ca vosānaṁ āpādi.

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

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, appamatto samāno samādhisampadaṁ ārādheti.

Next, take a gentleman who has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness, thinking, ‘I’m swamped by rebirth, old age, and death; by sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. I’m swamped by suffering, mired in suffering. Hopefully I can make an end to this entire mass of suffering.’ When they’ve gone forth they generate possessions, honor, and popularity. They’re not happy with that, and haven’t got all they wished for. They don’t glorify themselves and put others down on account of that. Nor do they become indulgent and fall into negligence on account of those possessions, honor, and popularity. Being diligent, they achieve accomplishment in ethics. They’re happy with that, but they haven’t got all they wished for. They don’t glorify themselves and put others down on account of that. Nor do they become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding that accomplishment in ethics. Being diligent, they achieve accomplishment in immersion.

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