sutta » an » an8 » Aṅguttara Nikāya 8.56

Bhayasutta

Danger

“‘Bhayan’ti, bhikkhave, kāmānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
“Mendicants, ‘danger’ is a term for sensual pleasures.

‘Dukkhan’ti, bhikkhave, kāmānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
‘Suffering’,

‘Rogo’ti, bhikkhave, kāmānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
‘disease’,

‘Gaṇḍo’ti, bhikkhave, kāmānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
‘boil’,

‘Sallan’ti, bhikkhave, kāmānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
‘dart’,

‘Saṅgo’ti, bhikkhave, kāmānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
‘snare’,

‘Paṅko’ti, bhikkhave, kāmānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
‘bog’,

‘Gabbho’ti, bhikkhave, kāmānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
and ‘womb’ are terms for sensual pleasures.

Kasmā ca, bhikkhave, ‘bhayan’ti kāmānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ?
And why is ‘danger’ a term for sensual pleasures?

Yasmā ca kāmarāgarattāyaṁ, bhikkhave, chandarāgavinibaddho diṭṭhadhammikāpi bhayā na parimuccati, samparāyikāpi bhayā na parimuccati, tasmā ‘bhayan’ti kāmānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
Someone who is besotted by sensual greed and shackled by lustful desire is not freed from dangers in the present life or in lives to come. That is why ‘danger’ is a term for sensual pleasures.

Kasmā ca, bhikkhave, ‘dukkhan’ti …pe…
And why are ‘suffering’,

‘rogo’ti …
‘disease’,

‘gaṇḍo’ti …
‘boil’,

‘sallan’ti …
‘dart’,

‘saṅgo’ti …
‘snare’,

‘paṅko’ti …
‘bog’,

‘gabbho’ti kāmānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ?
and ‘womb’ terms for sensual pleasures?

Yasmā ca kāmarāgarattāyaṁ, bhikkhave, chandarāgavinibaddho diṭṭhadhammikāpi gabbhā na parimuccati, samparāyikāpi gabbhā na parimuccati, tasmā ‘gabbho’ti kāmānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
Someone who is besotted by sensual greed and shackled by lustful desire is not freed from wombs in the present life or in lives to come. That is why ‘womb’ is a term for sensual pleasures.

Bhayaṁ dukkhañca rogo ca,
Danger, suffering, and disease,

gaṇḍo sallañca saṅgo ca;
boil, dart, and snare,

Paṅko gabbho ca ubhayaṁ,
and bogs and wombs both.

ete kāmā pavuccanti;
These describe the sensual pleasures

Yattha satto puthujjano.
to which ordinary people are attached.

Otiṇṇo sātarūpena,
Swamped by things that seem pleasant,

puna gabbhāya gacchati;
you go to another womb.

Yato ca bhikkhu ātāpī,
But when a mendicant is keen,

sampajaññaṁ na riccati.
and doesn’t forget awareness,

So imaṁ palipathaṁ duggaṁ,
in this way they transcend

atikkamma tathāvidho;
this grueling swamp.

Pajaṁ jātijarūpetaṁ,
They watch this population flounder,

phandamānaṁ avekkhatī”ti.
fallen into rebirth and old age.”

Chaṭṭhaṁ.