35. Saḷāyatanasaṁyutta: On the Six Sense Fields
XIX. The Simile of the Vipers — SN35.243: The Explanation on the Corrupt
- © Translated from the Pali by Bhante Sujato. (More copyright information)
1At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Sakyans, near Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Tree Monastery. Now at that time a new town hall had recently been constructed for the Sakyans of Kapilavatthu. It had not yet been occupied by an ascetic or brahmin or any person at all.
Then the Sakyans of Kapilavatthu went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:
“Sir, a new town hall has recently been constructed for the Sakyans of Kapilavatthu. It has not yet been occupied by an ascetic or brahmin or any person at all. May the Buddha be the first to use it, and only then will the Sakyans of Kapilavatthu use it. That would be for the lasting welfare and happiness of the Sakyans of Kapilavatthu.”
The Buddha consented in silence.
2Knowing that the Buddha had consented, the Sakyans got up from their seat, bowed, and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on their right. Then they went to the new town hall, where they spread carpets all over, prepared seats, set up a water jar, and placed a lamp. Then they went back to the Buddha and told him of their preparations, saying: “Please, sir, come at your convenience.”
Then the Buddha robed up and, taking his bowl and robe, went to the new town hall together with the Saṅgha of mendicants. Having washed his feet he entered the town hall and sat against the central column facing east. The Saṅgha of mendicants also washed their feet, entered the town hall, and sat against the west wall facing east, with the Buddha right in front of them. The Sakyans of Kapilavatthu also washed their feet, entered the town hall, and sat against the east wall facing west, with the Buddha right in front of them.
The Buddha spent most of the night educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the Sakyans with a Dhamma talk. Then he dismissed them, saying: “The night is getting late, Gotamas. Please go at your convenience.”
“Yes, sir,” replied the Sakyans. They got up from their seat, bowed, and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on their right, before leaving.
3And then, soon after the Sakyans had left, the Buddha addressed Venerable Mahāmoggallāna: “Moggallāna, the Saṅgha of mendicants is rid of dullness and drowsiness. Give them some Dhamma talk as you feel inspired. My back is sore, I’ll stretch it.”
“Yes, sir,” Mahāmoggallāna replied.
And then the Buddha spread out his outer robe folded in four and laid down in the lion’s posture — on the right side, placing one foot on top of the other — mindful and aware, and focused on the time of getting up.
There Venerable Mahāmoggallāna addressed the mendicants: “Reverends, mendicants!”
“Reverend,” they replied.
Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said this:
“I will teach you the explanation of the corrupt and the uncorrupted. Listen and pay close attention, I will speak.”
“Yes, reverend,” they replied.
Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said this:
4“And how is someone corrupt?
Take a mendicant who sees a sight with the eye. If it’s pleasant they hold on to it, but if it’s unpleasant they dislike it. They live with mindfulness of the body unestablished and their heart restricted. And they don’t truly understand the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where those arisen bad, unskillful qualities cease without anything left over. They hear a sound … smell an odor … taste a flavor … feel a touch … know a thought with the mind. If it’s pleasant they hold on to it, but if it’s unpleasant they dislike it. They live with mindfulness of the body unestablished and a limited heart. And they don’t truly understand the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where those arisen bad, unskillful qualities cease without anything left over.
This is called a mendicant who is corrupt when it comes to sights known by the eye, sounds … smells … tastes … touches … thoughts known by the mind.
When a mendicant lives like this, if Māra comes at them through the eye he finds a vulnerability and gets hold of them. If Māra comes at them through the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind he finds a vulnerability and gets hold of them.
5Suppose there was a house made of reeds or straw that was dried up, withered, and decrepit. If a person came to it with a burning grass torch from the east, west, north, south, below, above, or from anywhere, the fire would find a vulnerability, it would get a foothold.
In the same way, when a mendicant lives like this, if Māra comes at them through the eye he finds a vulnerability and gets hold of them. If Māra comes at them through the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind he finds a vulnerability and gets hold of them.
When a mendicant lives like this, they’re mastered by sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and thoughts, they don’t master these things.
This is called a mendicant who has been mastered by sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and thoughts. They’re mastered, not a master. Bad, unskillful qualities have mastered them, which are defiled, leading to future lives, hurtful, and resulting in suffering and future rebirth, old age, and death.
That’s how someone is corrupt.
6And how is someone uncorrupted?
Take a mendicant who sees a sight with the eye. If it’s pleasant they don’t hold on to it, and if it’s unpleasant they don’t dislike it. They live with mindfulness of the body established and a limitless heart. And they truly understand the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where those arisen bad, unskillful qualities cease without anything left over. They hear a sound … smell an odor … taste a flavor … feel a touch … know a thought with the mind. If it’s pleasant they don’t hold on to it, and if it’s unpleasant they don’t dislike it. They live with mindfulness of the body established and a limitless heart. And they truly understand the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where those arisen bad, unskillful qualities cease without anything left over.
This is called a mendicant who is uncorrupted when it comes to sights known by the eye, sounds … smells … tastes … touches … thoughts known by the mind.
When a mendicant lives like this, if Māra comes at them through the eye he doesn’t find a vulnerability or get hold of them. If Māra comes at them through the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind he doesn’t find a vulnerability or get hold of them.
7Suppose there was a bungalow or hall made of thick clay with its plaster still wet. If a person came to it with a burning grass torch from the east, west, north, south, below, above, or from anywhere, the fire wouldn’t find a vulnerability, it would get no foothold.
In the same way, when a mendicant lives like this, if Māra comes at them through the eye he doesn’t find a vulnerability or get hold of them. If Māra comes at them through the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind he doesn’t find a vulnerability or get hold of them.
When a mendicant lives like this, they master sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and thoughts, they’re not mastered by these things.
This is called a mendicant who has mastered sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and thoughts. They’re a master, not mastered. Bad, unskillful qualities have been mastered by them, which are defiled, leading to future lives, hurtful, and resulting in suffering and future rebirth, old age, and death.
That’s how someone is uncorrupted.”
8Then the Buddha got up and said to Venerable Mahāmoggallāna:
“Good, good, Moggallāna! It’s good that you’ve taught this explanation of the corrupt and the uncorrupted.”
9This is what Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said, and the teacher approved. Satisfied, the mendicants were happy with what Mahāmoggallāna said.
1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sakkesu vihārati kapilavatthusmiṁ nigrodhārāme. Tena kho pana samayena kāpilavatthavānaṁ sakyānaṁ navaṁ santhāgāraṁ acirakāritaṁ hoti anajjhāvuṭṭhaṁ samaṇena vā brāhmaṇena vā kenaci vā manussabhūtena.
Atha kho kāpilavatthavā sakyā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho kāpilavatthavā sakyā bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ:
"idha, bhante, kāpilavatthavānaṁ sakyānaṁ navaṁ santhāgāraṁ acirakāritaṁ anajjhāvuṭṭhaṁ samaṇena vā brāhmaṇena vā kenaci vā manussabhūtena. Taṁ, bhante, bhagavā paṭhamaṁ paribhuñjatu. Bhagavatā paṭhamaṁ paribhuttaṁ pacchā kāpilavatthavā sakyā paribhuñjissanti. Tadassa kāpilavatthavānaṁ sakyānaṁ dīgharattaṁ hitāya sukhāyā"ti.
Adhivāsesi bhagavā tuṇhībhāvena.
2Atha kho kāpilavatthavā sakyā bhagavato adhivāsanaṁ viditvā uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā yena navaṁ santhāgāraṁ tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā sabbasanthariṁ santhāgāraṁ santharitvā āsanāni paññāpetvā udakamaṇikaṁ patiṭṭhāpetvā telappadīpaṁ āropetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ: "sabbasantharisanthataṁ, bhante, santhāgāraṁ, āsanāni paññattāni, udakamaṇiko patiṭṭhāpito, telappadīpo āropito. Yassadāni, bhante, bhagavā kālaṁ maññatī"ti.
Atha kho bhagavā nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya saddhiṁ bhikkhusaṅghena yena navaṁ santhāgāraṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā pāde pakkhāletvā santhāgāraṁ pavisitvā majjhimaṁ thambhaṁ nissāya puratthābhimukho nisīdi. Bhikkhusaṅghopi kho pāde pakkhāletvā santhāgāraṁ pavisitvā pacchimaṁ bhittiṁ nissāya puratthābhimukho nisīdi bhagavantaṁyeva purakkhatvā. Kāpilavatthavā sakyā pāde pakkhāletvā santhāgāraṁ pavisitvā puratthimaṁ bhittiṁ nissāya pacchimābhimukhā nisīdiṁsu bhagavantaṁyeva purakkhatvā.
Atha kho bhagavā kāpilavatthave sakye bahudeva rattiṁ dhammiyā kathāya sandassetvā samādapetvā samuttejetvā sampahaṁsetvā uyyojesi: "abhikkantā kho, gotamā, ratti. Yassadāni kālaṁ maññathā"ti.
"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho kāpilavatthavā sakyā bhagavato paṭissutvā uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkamiṁsu.
3Atha kho bhagavā acirapakkantesu kāpilavatthavesu sakyesu āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ āmantesi: "vigatathinamiddho kho, moggallāna, bhikkhusaṅgho. Paṭibhātu taṁ, moggallāna, bhikkhūnaṁ dhammī kathā. Piṭṭhi me āgilāyati; tamahaṁ āyamissāmī"ti.
"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno bhagavato paccassosi.
Atha kho bhagavā catugguṇaṁ saṅghāṭiṁ paññapetvā dakkhiṇena passena sīhaseyyaṁ kappesi, pāde pādaṁ accādhāya, sato sampajāno uṭṭhānasaññaṁ manasi karitvā.
Tatra kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno bhikkhū āmantesi: "āvuso bhikkhave"ti.
"Āvuso"ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa paccassosuṁ.
Āyasmā mahāmoggallāno etadavoca:
"avassutapariyāyañca vo, āvuso, desessāmi, anavassutapariyāyañca. Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī"ti.
"Evamāvuso"ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa paccassosuṁ.
Āyasmā mahāmoggallāno etadavoca:
4"Kathaṁ, āvuso, avassuto hoti?
Idhāvuso, bhikkhu cakkhunā rūpaṁ disvā piyarūpe rūpe adhimuccati, appiyarūpe rūpe byāpajjati, anupaṭṭhitakāyassatī vihārati parittacetaso, tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti … pe … jivhāya rasaṁ sāyitvā … pe … manasā dhammaṁ viññāya piyarūpe dhamme adhimuccati, appiyarūpe dhamme byāpajjati, anupaṭṭhitakāyassatī ca vihārati parittacetaso, tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti.
Ayaṁ vuccati, āvuso, bhikkhu avassuto cakkhuviññeyyesu rūpesu … pe … avassuto jivhāviññeyyesu rasesu … pe … avassuto manoviññeyyesu dhammesu.
Evaṁvihāriñcāvuso, bhikkhuṁ cakkhuto cepi naṁ māro upasaṅkamati labhateva māro otāraṁ, labhati māro ārammaṇaṁ … pe … jivhāto cepi naṁ māro upasaṅkamati, labhateva māro otāraṁ, labhati māro ārammaṇaṁ … pe … manato cepi naṁ māro upasaṅkamati, labhateva māro otāraṁ, labhati māro ārammaṇaṁ.
5Seyyathāpi, āvuso, naḷāgāraṁ vā tiṇāgāraṁ vā sukkhaṁ kolāpaṁ terovassikaṁ. Puratthimāya cepi naṁ disāya puriso ādittāya tiṇukkāya upasaṅkameyya, labhetheva aggi otāraṁ, labhetha aggi ārammaṇaṁ; pacchimāya cepi naṁ disāya puriso ādittāya tiṇukkāya upasaṅkameyya … pe … uttarāya cepi naṁ disāya … pe … dakkhiṇāya cepi naṁ disāya … pe … heṭṭhimato cepi naṁ … pe … uparimato cepi naṁ … yato kutoci cepi naṁ puriso ādittāya tiṇukkāya upasaṅkameyya, labhetheva aggi otāraṁ labhetha aggi ārammaṇaṁ.
Evameva kho, āvuso, evaṁvihāriṁ bhikkhuṁ cakkhuto cepi naṁ māro upasaṅkamati, labhateva māro otāraṁ, labhati māro ārammaṇaṁ … pe … jivhāto cepi naṁ māro upasaṅkamati … pe … manato cepi naṁ māro upasaṅkamati, labhateva māro otāraṁ, labhati māro ārammaṇaṁ.
Evaṁvihāriñcāvuso, bhikkhuṁ rūpā adhibhaṁsu, na bhikkhu rūpe adhibhosi; saddā bhikkhuṁ adhibhaṁsu, na bhikkhu sadde adhibhosi; gandhā bhikkhuṁ adhibhaṁsu, na bhikkhu gandhe adhibhosi; rasā bhikkhuṁ adhibhaṁsu, na bhikkhu rase adhibhosi; phoṭṭhabbā bhikkhuṁ adhibhaṁsu, na bhikkhu phoṭṭhabbe adhibhosi; dhammā bhikkhuṁ adhibhaṁsu, na bhikkhu dhamme adhibhosi.
Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, bhikkhu rūpādhibhūto, saddādhibhūto, gandhādhibhūto, rasādhibhūto, phoṭṭhabbādhibhūto, dhammādhibhūto, adhibhūto, anadhibhū, adhibhaṁsu naṁ pāpakā akusalā dhammā saṅkilesikā ponobhavikā sadarā dukkhavipākā āyatiṁ jātijarāmaraṇiyā.
Evaṁ kho, āvuso, avassuto hoti.
6Kathañcāvuso, anavassuto hoti?
Idhāvuso, bhikkhu cakkhunā rūpaṁ disvā piyarūpe rūpe nādhimuccati, appiyarūpe rūpe na byāpajjati, upaṭṭhitakāyassati ca vihārati appamāṇacetaso, tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti … pe … jivhāya rasaṁ sāyitvā … pe … manasā dhammaṁ viññāya piyarūpe dhamme nādhimuccati, appiyarūpe dhamme na byāpajjati, upaṭṭhitakāyassati ca vihārati appamāṇacetaso, tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti yatthassa te uppannā pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhanti.
Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, bhikkhu anavassuto cakkhuviññeyyesu rūpesu … pe … anavassuto manoviññeyyesu dhammesu.
Evaṁvihāriñcāvuso, bhikkhuṁ cakkhuto cepi naṁ māro upasaṅkamati, neva labhati māro otāraṁ, na labhati māro ārammaṇaṁ … pe … jivhāto cepi naṁ māro upasaṅkamati … pe … manato cepi naṁ māro upasaṅkamati, neva labhati māro otāraṁ, na labhati māro ārammaṇaṁ.
7Seyyathāpi, āvuso, kūṭāgāraṁ vā sālā vā bahalamattikā addāvalepanā. Puratthimāya cepi naṁ disāya puriso ādittāya tiṇukkāya upasaṅkameyya, neva labhetha aggi otāraṁ, na labhetha aggi ārammaṇaṁ … pe … pacchimāya cepi naṁ … uttarāya cepi naṁ … dakkhiṇāya cepi naṁ … heṭṭhimato cepi naṁ … uparimato cepi naṁ … yato kutoci cepi naṁ puriso ādittāya tiṇukkāya upasaṅkameyya, neva labhetha aggi otāraṁ, na labhetha aggi ārammaṇaṁ.
Evameva kho, āvuso, evaṁvihāriṁ bhikkhuṁ cakkhuto cepi naṁ māro upasaṅkamati, neva labhati māro otāraṁ, na labhati māro ārammaṇaṁ … pe … manato cepi naṁ māro upasaṅkamati, neva labhati māro otāraṁ, na labhati māro ārammaṇaṁ.
Evaṁvihārī cāvuso, bhikkhu rūpe adhibhosi, na rūpā bhikkhuṁ adhibhaṁsu; sadde bhikkhu adhibhosi, na saddā bhikkhuṁ adhibhaṁsu; gandhe bhikkhu adhibhosi, na gandhā bhikkhuṁ adhibhaṁsu; rase bhikkhu adhibhosi, na rasā bhikkhuṁ adhibhaṁsu; phoṭṭhabbe bhikkhu adhibhosi, na phoṭṭhabbā bhikkhuṁ adhibhaṁsu; dhamme bhikkhu adhibhosi, na dhammā bhikkhuṁ adhibhaṁsu.
Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso, bhikkhu rūpādhibhū, saddādhibhū, gandhādhibhū, rasādhibhū, phoṭṭhabbādhibhū, dhammādhibhū, adhibhū, anadhibhūto, adhibhosi te pāpake akusale dhamme saṅkilesike ponobhavike sadare dukkhavipāke āyatiṁ jātijarāmaraṇiye.
Evaṁ kho, āvuso, anavassuto hotī"ti.
8Atha kho bhagavā uṭṭhahitvā āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ āmantesi:
"sādhu sādhu, moggallāna. Sādhu kho tvaṁ, moggallāna, bhikkhūnaṁ avassutapariyāyañca anavassutapariyāyañca abhāsī"ti.
9Idamavoca āyasmā mahāmoggallāno. Samanuñño satthā ahosi. Attamanā te bhikkhū āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa bhāsitaṁ abhinandunti.
Chaṭṭhaṁ.