Mahāsāropamasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 29

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

Parallels & more translations on SuttaCentral

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

Tap any word for its dictionary entry.

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, no ca kho paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tena ñāṇadassanena na attānukkaṁseti, na paraṁ vambheti.
So tena ñāṇadassanena na majjati nappamajjati na pamādaṁ āpajjati, appamatto samāno asamayavimokkhaṁ ārādheti.
Aṭṭhānametaṁ, bhikkhave, anavakāso yaṁ so bhikkhu tāya asamayavimuttiyā parihāyetha.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso sāratthiko sāragavesī sārapariyesanaṁ caramāno mahato rukkhassa tiṭṭhato sāravato sāraññeva chetvā ādāya pakkameyya ‘sāran’ti jānamāno.
Tamenaṁ cakkhumā puriso disvā evaṁ vadeyya:

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 immersion. Being diligent, they achieve knowledge and vision. 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 knowledge and vision. Being diligent, they achieve irreversible freedom. And it’s impossible for that mendicant to fall away from that irreversible freedom. 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. He’d cut out just the heartwood and leave knowing it was heartwood. If a person with clear eyes saw him they’d say,

‘aññāsi vatāyaṁ bhavaṁ puriso sāraṁ, aññāsi phegguṁ, aññāsi tacaṁ, aññāsi papaṭikaṁ, aññāsi sākhāpalāsaṁ.
Tathā hayaṁ bhavaṁ puriso sāratthiko sāragavesī sārapariyesanaṁ caramāno mahato rukkhassa tiṭṭhato sāravato sāraññeva chetvā ādāya pakkanto “sāran”ti jānamāno.
Yañcassa sārena sārakaraṇīyaṁ tañcassa atthaṁ anubhavissatī’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.

‘This gentleman knows what heartwood, softwood, bark, shoots, and branches and leaves are. That’s why he cut out just the heartwood and left knowing it was heartwood. Whatever he needs to make from heartwood, he will succeed.’ …

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, no ca kho paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tena ñāṇadassanena na attānukkaṁseti, na paraṁ vambheti.
So tena ñāṇadassanena na majjati nappamajjati na pamādaṁ āpajjati, appamatto samāno asamayavimokkhaṁ ārādheti.
Aṭṭhānametaṁ, bhikkhave, anavakāso yaṁ so bhikkhu tāya asamayavimuttiyā parihāyetha.

It’s impossible for that mendicant to fall away from that irreversible freedom.

Iti kho, bhikkhave, nayidaṁ brahmacariyaṁ lābhasakkārasilokānisaṁsaṁ, na sīlasampadānisaṁsaṁ, na samādhisampadānisaṁsaṁ, na ñāṇadassanānisaṁsaṁ.
Yā ca kho ayaṁ, bhikkhave, akuppā cetovimutti—
etadatthamidaṁ, bhikkhave, brahmacariyaṁ, etaṁ sāraṁ etaṁ pariyosānan”ti.
Idamavoca bhagavā.
Attamanā te bhikkhū bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandunti.
Mahāsāropamasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ navamaṁ.

And so, mendicants, this spiritual life is not lived for the sake of possessions, honor, and popularity, or for accomplishment in ethics, or for accomplishment in immersion, or for knowledge and vision. It is this unshakable freedom of heart that is the goal of the spiritual life, the core and the final end.” That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.

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