Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.246

The Related Suttas Collection 35.246

19. Āsīvisavagga

19. The Simile of the Vipers

Vīṇopamasutta

The Simile of the Harp

“Yassa kassaci, bhikkhave, bhikkhussa vā bhikkhuniyā vā cakkhuviññeyyesu rūpesu uppajjeyya chando vā rāgo vā doso vā moho vā paṭighaṁ vāpi¹ cetaso, tato cittaṁ nivāreyya. Sabhayo ceso maggo sappaṭibhayo ca sakaṇṭako ca sagahano ca ummaggo ca kummaggo ca duhitiko ca. Asappurisasevito ceso maggo, na ceso maggo sappurisehi sevito. Na tvaṁ etaṁ arahasīti. Tato cittaṁ nivāraye cakkhuviññeyyehi rūpehi …pe…

“Bhikkhus, any monk or nun who has desire or greed or hate or delusion or repulsion come up for sights known by the eye should shield their mind from them: ‘This path is dangerous and perilous, thorny and tangled; it’s a wrong turn, a bad path, a harmful way. This path is frequented by bad people, not by good people. It’s not worthy of you.’ The mind should be shielded from this when it comes to sights known by the eye.

yassa kassaci, bhikkhave, bhikkhussa vā bhikkhuniyā vā jivhāviññeyyesu rasesu …pe… manoviññeyyesu dhammesu uppajjeyya chando vā rāgo vā doso vā moho vā paṭighaṁ vāpi cetaso tato cittaṁ nivāreyya. Sabhayo ceso maggo sappaṭibhayo ca sakaṇṭako ca sagahano ca ummaggo ca kummaggo ca duhitiko ca. Asappurisasevito ceso maggo, na ceso maggo sappurisehi sevito. Na tvaṁ etaṁ arahasīti. Tato cittaṁ nivāraye manoviññeyyehi dhammehi.

Any monk or nun who has desire or greed or hate or delusion or repulsion come up for sounds … smells … tastes … touches … thoughts known by the mind should shield their mind against them: ‘This path is dangerous and perilous, thorny and tangled; it’s a wrong turn, a bad path, a harmful way. This path is frequented by bad people, not by good people. It’s not worthy of you.’ The mind should be shielded from this when it comes to thoughts known by the mind.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kiṭṭhaṁ sampannaṁ. Kiṭṭhārakkho² ca pamatto, goṇo ca kiṭṭhādo aduṁ kiṭṭhaṁ otaritvā yāvadatthaṁ madaṁ āpajjeyya pamādaṁ āpajjeyya;

Suppose the crops have ripened, but the caretaker is negligent. If an ox fond of crops invades the crops they’d indulge themselves as much as they like.

evameva kho, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano chasu phassāyatanesu asaṁvutakārī pañcasu kāmaguṇesu yāvadatthaṁ madaṁ āpajjati pamādaṁ āpajjati.

In the same way, when an unlearned ordinary person doesn’t exercise restraint when it comes to the six fields of contact, they indulge themselves in the five kinds of sensual stimulation as much as they like.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kiṭṭhaṁ sampannaṁ kiṭṭhārakkho ca appamatto goṇo ca kiṭṭhādo aduṁ kiṭṭhaṁ otareyya. Tamenaṁ kiṭṭhārakkho nāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gaṇheyya. Nāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gahetvā uparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggaṇheyya. Uparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggahetvā daṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷeyya. Daṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷetvā osajjeyya. Dutiyampi kho, bhikkhave …pe… tatiyampi kho, bhikkhave, goṇo kiṭṭhādo aduṁ kiṭṭhaṁ otareyya. Tamenaṁ kiṭṭhārakkho nāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gaṇheyya. Nāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gahetvā uparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggaṇheyya. Uparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggahetvā daṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷeyya. Daṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷetvā osajjeyya. Evañhi so, bhikkhave, goṇo kiṭṭhādo gāmagato vā araññagato vā, ṭhānabahulo vā assa nisajjabahulo vā na taṁ kiṭṭhaṁ puna otareyya—tameva purimaṁ daṇḍasamphassaṁ samanussaranto.

Suppose the crops have ripened, and the caretaker is diligent. If an ox fond of crops invades the crops the caretaker would grab them firmly by the muzzle. Then they’d grab them above the hump and hold them fast there. Then they’d give them a good thrashing before driving them away. For a second time, and even a third time, the same thing might happen. As a result, no matter how long they stand or sit in a village or wilderness, that ox fond of crops would never invade that crop again, remembering the beating they got earlier.

Evameva kho, bhikkhave, yato kho bhikkhuno chasu phassāyatanesu cittaṁ udujitaṁ hoti sudujitaṁ, ajjhattameva santiṭṭhati, sannisīdati, ekodi hoti, samādhiyati.

In the same way, when a bhikkhu’s mind is subdued, well subdued when it comes to the six fields of contact, becomes stilled internally; it settles, unifies, and becomes immersed in samādhi.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, rañño vā rājamahāmattassa vā vīṇāya saddo assutapubbo assa. So vīṇāsaddaṁ suṇeyya. So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ambho, kassa³ nu kho eso saddo evaṁrajanīyo evaṅkamanīyo evaṁmadanīyo evaṁmucchanīyo evambandhanīyo’ti?

Suppose a king or their minister had never heard the sound of an arched harp. When he first hears the sound, he’d say, ‘My man, what is making this sound, so arousing, sensuous, intoxicating, infatuating, and captivating?’

Tamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyyuṁ: ‘esā, kho, bhante, vīṇā nāma, yassā eso saddo evaṁrajanīyo evaṅkamanīyo evaṁmadanīyo evaṁmucchanīyo evambandhanīyo’ti.

They’d say to him, ‘That, sir, is an arched harp.’

So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘gacchatha me, bho, taṁ vīṇaṁ āharathā’ti.

He’d say, ‘Go, my man, fetch me that arched harp.’

Tassa taṁ vīṇaṁ āhareyyuṁ. Tamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyyuṁ: ‘ayaṁ kho sā, bhante, vīṇā yassā eso saddo evaṁrajanīyo evaṅkamanīyo evaṁmadanīyo evaṁmucchanīyo evambandhanīyo’ti.

So they’d fetch it and say, ‘This, sir, is that arched harp.’

So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘alaṁ me, bho, tāya vīṇāya, tameva me saddaṁ āharathā’ti.

He’d say, ‘I’ve had enough of that arched harp! Just fetch me the sound.’

Tamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyyuṁ: ‘ayaṁ kho, bhante, vīṇā nāma anekasambhārā mahāsambhārā. Anekehi sambhārehi samāraddhā vadati, seyyathidaṁ—doṇiñca paṭicca cammañca paṭicca daṇḍañca paṭicca upadhāraṇe ca paṭicca tantiyo ca paṭicca koṇañca paṭicca purisassa ca tajjaṁ vāyāmaṁ paṭicca evāyaṁ, bhante, vīṇā nāma anekasambhārā mahāsambhārā. Anekehi sambhārehi samāraddhā vadatī’ti.

They’d say, ‘Sir, this arched harp is made of many components assembled together, which make a sound when they’re played. That is, it depends on the body, the skin, the neck, the head, the strings, the plectrum, and a person to play it properly. That’s how an arched harp is made of many components assembled together, which make a sound when they’re played.’

So taṁ vīṇaṁ dasadhā vā satadhā vā phāleyya, dasadhā vā satadhā vā taṁ phāletvā sakalikaṁ sakalikaṁ kareyya. Sakalikaṁ sakalikaṁ karitvā agginā ḍaheyya, agginā ḍahitvā masiṁ kareyya. Masiṁ karitvā mahāvāte vā ophuneyya, nadiyā vā sīghasotāya pavāheyya.

But he’d split that harp into ten pieces or a hundred pieces, then splinter it up. He’d burn the splinters with fire, and reduce them to ashes. Then he’d sweep away the ashes in a strong wind, or float them away down a swift stream.

So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘asatī kirāyaṁ, bho, vīṇā nāma, yathevaṁ yaṁ⁴ kiñci vīṇā nāma ettha ca panāyaṁ jano⁵ ativelaṁ pamatto palaḷito’ti.

Then he’d say, ‘It seems that there’s nothing to this thing called an arched harp or whatever’s called an arched harp! But people waste their time with it, negligent and heedless!’

Evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu rūpaṁ samanvesati⁶ yāvatā rūpassa gati, vedanaṁ samanvesati yāvatā vedanāya gati, saññaṁ samanvesati yāvatā saññāya gati, saṅkhāre samanvesati yāvatā saṅkhārānaṁ gati, viññāṇaṁ samanvesati yāvatā viññāṇassa gati. Tassa rūpaṁ samanvesato yāvatā rūpassa gati, vedanaṁ samanvesato …pe… saññaṁ … saṅkhāre … viññāṇaṁ samanvesato yāvatā viññāṇassa gati. Yampissa taṁ hoti ahanti vā mamanti vā asmīti vā tampi tassa na hotī”ti.

In the same way, a bhikkhu searches for form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness anywhere they might be reborn. As they search in this way, their thoughts of ‘I’ or ‘mine’ or ‘I am’ are no more.”

Navamaṁ.