Mahāsāropamasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 29

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

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thusEvaṁ by meme heardsutaṁ—
oneekaṁ timesamayaṁ the Blessed Onebhagavā at Rājagaharājagahe was stayingviharati on Vulture's Peakgijjhakūṭe on the mountainpabbate not long after he had leftacirapakkante Devadattadevadatte.
thereTatra indeedkho the Blessed Onebhagavā Devadattadevadattaṁ concerningārabbha the mendicantsbhikkhū addressedāmantesi:

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:

here“Idha, mendicantsbhikkhave, some personekacco good family sonkulaputto out of faithsaddhā from homeagārasmā to homelessnessanagāriyaṁ gone forthpabbajito ishoti:
I am swamped‘otiṇṇomhi by rebirthjātiyā by old agejarāya by deathmaraṇena by sorrowsokehi by lamentationparidevehi by paindukkhehi by sadnessdomanassehi by distressupāyāsehi, swamped by sufferingdukkhotiṇṇo mired in sufferingdukkhapareto,
hopefullyappeva indeednāma of thisimassa entirekevalassa mass of sufferingdukkhakkhandhassa making an endantakiriyā would be knownpaññāyethā’ti.
heSo thusevaṁ gone forthpabbajito beingsamāno possessions, honor, and popularitylābhasakkārasilokaṁ generatesabhinibbatteti.
heSo with thattena with possessions, honor, and popularitylābhasakkārasilokena satisfiedattamano ishoti with fulfilled intentionparipuṇṇasaṅkappo.
heSo with thattena with possessions, honor, and popularitylābhasakkārasilokena glorifies himselfattānukkaṁseti anotherparaṁ puts downvambheti:
I am‘ahamasmi possessor of possessions, honor, and popularitylābhasakkārasilokavā, theseime but otherpanaññe mendicantsbhikkhū obscureappaññātā insignificantappesakkhā’ti.
heSo with thattena with possessions, honor, and popularitylābhasakkārasilokena becomes intoxicatedmajjati becomes negligentpamajjati negligencepamādaṁ falls intoāpajjati, negligentpamatto beingsamāno in sufferingdukkhaṁ livesviharati.
supposeSeyyathāpi, mendicantsbhikkhave, personpuriso needing heartwoodsāratthiko seeking heartwoodsāragavesī search for heartwoodsārapariyesanaṁ wanderingcaramāno greatmahato treerukkhassa standingtiṭṭhato with heartwoodsāravato passing overatikkammeva heartwoodsāraṁ passing overatikkamma softwoodphegguṁ passing overatikkamma barktacaṁ passing overatikkamma shootspapaṭikaṁ, branches and leavessākhāpalāsaṁ having cutchetvā having takenādāya would leavepakkameyya 'heartwood'‘sāran’ti imaginingmaññamāno.
himTamenaṁ with clear eyescakkhumā personpuriso having seendisvā thusevaṁ would sayvadeyya:

“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,

not‘na indeed, thisvatāyaṁ gentlemanbhavaṁ personpuriso knewaññāsi heartwoodsāraṁ, notna knewaññāsi softwoodphegguṁ, notna knewaññāsi barktacaṁ, notna knewaññāsi shootspapaṭikaṁ, notna knewaññāsi branches and leavessākhāpalāsaṁ.
thusTathā indeed, thishayaṁ gentlemanbhavaṁ personpuriso needing heartwoodsāratthiko seeking heartwoodsāragavesī search for heartwoodsārapariyesanaṁ walking aboutcaramāno greatmahato treerukkhassa standingtiṭṭhato with heartwoodsāravato just passing overatikkammeva heartwoodsāraṁ passing overatikkamma softwoodphegguṁ passing overatikkamma barktacaṁ passing overatikkamma shootspapaṭikaṁ, branches and leavessākhāpalāsaṁ having cut offchetvā having takenādāya departedpakkanto heartwood, thinking“sāran”ti imaginingmaññamāno.
whatever for himYañcassa with heartwoodsārena to be made from heartwoodsārakaraṇīyaṁ that for himtañcassa purposeatthaṁ will not experiencenānubhavissatī’ti.
even soEvameva indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, here someidhekacco son of good familykulaputto from faithsaddhā from homeagārasmā homelessnessanagāriyaṁ has gone forthpabbajito ishoti:
I am submerged‘otiṇṇomhi by birthjātiyā by agingjarāya by deathmaraṇena by sorrowssokehi by lamentationsparidevehi by painsdukkhehi by sadnessesdomanassehi by distressesupāyāsehi, submerged in sufferingdukkhotiṇṇo overcome by sufferingdukkhapareto,
perhapsappeva indeednāma thisimassa entirekevalassa mass of sufferingdukkhakkhandhassa endingantakiriyā might be discernedpaññāyethā’ti.
heSo thusevaṁ has gone forthpabbajito beingsamāno gain, honor, famelābhasakkārasilokaṁ producesabhinibbatteti.
heSo by thattena gain, honor, famelābhasakkārasilokena satisfiedattamano ishoti with fulfilled intentionparipuṇṇasaṅkappo.

‘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.’ …

heSo with thattena with gain, honor, and famelābhasakkārasilokena praises himselfattānukkaṁseti, anotherparaṁ disparagesvambheti 'I am‘ahamasmi one with gain, honor, and famelābhasakkārasilokavā, theseime but otherpanaññe monksbhikkhū unknownappaññātā of little influence'appesakkhā’ti.
heSo with thattena with gain, honor, and famelābhasakkārasilokena is intoxicatedmajjati is negligentpamajjati negligencepamādaṁ falls intoāpajjati, negligentpamatto beingsamāno sufferingdukkhaṁ dwellsviharati.
thisAyaṁ is calledvuccati, monksbhikkhave, a monkbhikkhu branches and leavessākhāpalāsaṁ grabbedaggahesi of the spiritual lifebrahmacariyassa;
with thattena andca stopping shortvosānaṁ attainedāpādi.

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

hereIdha thenpana, monksbhikkhave, someekacco clansmankulaputto out of faithsaddhā from homeagārasmā to homelessnessanagāriyaṁ gone forthpabbajito ishoti:
I am submerged‘otiṇṇomhi by birthjātiyā by old agejarāya by deathmaraṇena by sorrowssokehi by lamentationsparidevehi by painsdukkhehi by griefsdomanassehi by tribulationsupāyāsehi, submerged in sufferingdukkhotiṇṇo overcome by sufferingdukkhapareto,
surelyappeva indeednāma of thisimassa entirekevalassa of mass of sufferingdukkhakkhandhassa endingantakiriyā might be knownpaññāyethā’ti.
heSo thusevaṁ gone forthpabbajito beingsamāno possessions honor popularitylābhasakkārasilokaṁ generatesabhinibbatteti.
heSo with thattena by possessions honor popularitylābhasakkārasilokena notna satisfiedattamano ishoti notna full of intentionparipuṇṇasaṅkappo.
heSo with thattena by possessions honor popularitylābhasakkārasilokena notna exalts himselfattānukkaṁseti, notna otherparaṁ despisesvambheti.
heSo with thattena by possessions honor popularitylābhasakkārasilokena notna becomes intoxicatedmajjati is not negligentnappamajjati notna negligencepamādaṁ falls intoāpajjati.
diligentAppamatto beingsamāno accomplishment in ethicssīlasampadaṁ achievesārādheti.
heSo with thattāya by accomplishment in ethicssīlasampadāya satisfiedattamano ishoti full of intentionparipuṇṇasaṅkappo.
heSo with thattāya by accomplishment in ethicssīlasampadāya exalts himselfattānukkaṁseti, otherparaṁ despisesvambheti:
I am‘ahamasmi ethicalsīlavā of good characterkalyāṇadhammo, theseime but otherpanaññe monksbhikkhū unethicaldussīlā of bad characterpāpadhammā’ti.
heSo with thattāya by accomplishment in ethicssīlasampadāya becomes intoxicatedmajjati is negligentpamajjati negligencepamādaṁ falls intoāpajjati, negligentpamatto beingsamāno in sufferingdukkhaṁ livesviharati.

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.

suppose, just asSeyyathāpi, monksbhikkhave, a personpuriso needing heartwoodsāratthiko seeking heartwoodsāragavesī search for heartwoodsārapariyesanaṁ wanderingcaramāno of a largemahato of a treerukkhassa standingtiṭṭhato with heartwoodsāravato passing over justatikkammeva the heartwoodsāraṁ passing overatikkamma the softwoodphegguṁ passing overatikkamma the bark,tacaṁ, shootspapaṭikaṁ having cutchetvā having takenādāya would leavepakkameyya heartwood‘sāran’ti imaginingmaññamāno.
himTamenaṁ with eyescakkhumā personpuriso having seendisvā thusevaṁ would sayvadeyya:
not‘na indeed thisvatāyaṁ gentlemanbhavaṁ personpuriso knewaññāsi heartwood,sāraṁ, notna knewaññāsi softwood,phegguṁ, notna knewaññāsi bark,tacaṁ, notna knewaññāsi shoots,papaṭikaṁ, notna knewaññāsi branches and leaves.sākhāpalāsaṁ.
soTathā because thishayaṁ gentlemanbhavaṁ personpuriso needing heartwoodsāratthiko seeking heartwoodsāragavesī search for heartwoodsārapariyesanaṁ wanderingcaramāno of a largemahato of a treerukkhassa standingtiṭṭhato with heartwoodsāravato passing over justatikkammeva the heartwoodsāraṁ passing overatikkamma the softwoodphegguṁ passing overatikkamma the bark,tacaṁ, shootspapaṭikaṁ having cutchetvā having takenādāya leftpakkanto heartwood“sāran”ti imagining;maññamāno;
and whatever for himyañcassa with heartwoodsārena needs to make from heartwoodsārakaraṇīyaṁ that for himtañcassa the purposeatthaṁ will not achieve.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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