SN17: Linked Discourses on Possessions, Honour, and Popularity
I. The First Chapter — SN17.5: A Dung Beetle
- © Translated from the Pali by Bhante Sujato. (More copyright information)
1At Sāvatthī.
“Possessions, honor, and popularity are brutal …
Suppose there was a dung-eating beetle full of dung, stuffed with dung, and before her was a huge pile of dung. She’d look down on other beetles, thinking: ‘For I am a dung-eating beetle full of dung, stuffed with dung, and before me is a huge pile of dung.’
In the same way, take a certain mendicant whose mind is overcome and overwhelmed by possessions, honor, and popularity. They robe up in the morning and, taking their bowl and robe, enter the village or town for alms. There they eat as much as they like, get invited back tomorrow, and have plenty of alms-food. When they get back to the monastery, they boast in the middle of a group of mendicants: ‘I ate as much as I liked, got invited back tomorrow, and had plenty of alms-food. I get robes, alms-food, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. But these other mendicants have little merit or significance, so they don’t get these things.’ With a mind overcome and overwhelmed by possessions, honor, and popularity, they look down on other good-hearted mendicants. This will be for their lasting harm and suffering.
So brutal are possessions, honor, and popularity. …”
1Sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati.
"Dāruṇo, bhikkhave, lābhasakkārasiloko … pe … adhigamāya.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, mīḷhakā gūthādī gūthapūrā puṇṇā gūthassa. Purato cassa mahāgūthapuñjo. Sā tena aññā mīḷhakā atimaññeyya: ‘ahamhi gūthādī gūthapūrā puṇṇā gūthassa, purato ca myāyaṁ mahāgūthapuñjo’ti.
Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco bhikkhu lābhasakkārasilokena abhibhūto pariyādiṇṇacitto pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya gāmaṁ vā nigamaṁ vā piṇḍāya pavisati. So tattha bhuttāvī ca hoti yāvadattho, nimantito ca svātanāya, piṇḍapāto cassa pūro. So ārāmaṁ gantvā bhikkhugaṇassa majjhe vikatthati: ‘bhuttāvī camhi yāvadattho, nimantito camhi svātanāya, piṇḍapāto ca myāyaṁ pūro, lābhī camhi cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārānaṁ, ime panaññe bhikkhū appapuññā appesakkhā na lābhino cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārānan’ti. So tena lābhasakkārasilokena abhibhūto pariyādiṇṇacitto aññe pesale bhikkhū atimaññati. Tañhi tassa, bhikkhave, moghapurisassa hoti dīgharattaṁ ahitāya dukkhāya.
Evaṁ dāruṇo kho, bhikkhave, lābhasakkārasiloko … pe … evañhi vo bhikkhave, sikkhitabban"ti.
Pañcamaṁ.