Mahāsāropamasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 29

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

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Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati gijjhakūṭe pabbate acirapakkante devadatte.
Tatra kho bhagavā devadattaṁ ārabbha bhikkhū āmantesi:

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, on the Vulture’s Peak Mountain, not long after Devadatta had left. There the Buddha spoke to the mendicants about Devadatta:

“Idha, 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 attamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.
So tena lābhasakkārasilokena attānukkaṁseti paraṁ vambheti:
‘ahamasmi lābhasakkārasilokavā, ime panaññe bhikkhū appaññātā appesakkhā’ti.
So tena lābhasakkārasilokena majjati pamajjati pamādaṁ āpajjati, pamatto samāno dukkhaṁ viharati.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso sāratthiko sāragavesī sārapariyesanaṁ caramāno mahato rukkhassa tiṭṭhato sāravato atikkammeva sāraṁ atikkamma phegguṁ atikkamma tacaṁ atikkamma papaṭikaṁ, sākhāpalāsaṁ chetvā ādāya pakkameyya ‘sāran’ti maññamāno.
Tamenaṁ cakkhumā puriso disvā evaṁ vadeyya:

“Mendicants, take the case of 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 happy with that, and they’ve got all they wished for. And they glorify themselves and put others down because of that: ‘I’m the one with possessions, honor, and popularity. These other mendicants are obscure and insignificant.’ And so they become indulgent and fall into negligence on account of those possessions, honor, and popularity. 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, softwood, bark, and shoots, he’d cut off the branches and leaves and leave imagining they were 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 atikkamma phegguṁ atikkamma tacaṁ atikkamma papaṭikaṁ, sākhāpalāsaṁ 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 attamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo.

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

So tena lābhasakkārasilokena attānukkaṁseti, paraṁ vambheti ‘ahamasmi lābhasakkārasilokavā, ime panaññe bhikkhū appaññātā appesakkhā’ti.
So tena lābhasakkārasilokena majjati pamajjati pamādaṁ āpajjati, pamatto samāno dukkhaṁ viharati.
Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sākhāpalāsaṁ aggahesi brahmacariyassa;
tena ca vosānaṁ āpādi.

This is called a mendicant who has grabbed the branches and leaves 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 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.

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. 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, 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 is ethical, of good character. These other mendicants are unethical, of bad character.’ And so they become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding their accomplishment in ethics. And being negligent they live in suffering.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso sāratthiko sāragavesī sārapariyesanaṁ caramāno mahato rukkhassa tiṭṭhato sāravato atikkammeva sāraṁ atikkamma phegguṁ atikkamma tacaṁ, papaṭikaṁ 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.
Tathā hayaṁ bhavaṁ puriso sāratthiko sāragavesī sārapariyesanaṁ caramāno mahato rukkhassa tiṭṭhato sāravato atikkammeva sāraṁ atikkamma phegguṁ atikkamma tacaṁ, papaṭikaṁ chetvā ādāya pakkanto “sāran”ti maññamāno;
yañcassa sārena sārakaraṇīyaṁ tañcassa atthaṁ nānubhavissatī’ti.

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, softwood, and bark, he’d cut off the shoots and leave imagining they were 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. That’s why he passed them over, cut off the shoots, and left imagining they were heartwood. Whatever he needs to make from heartwood, he won’t succeed.’ …

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