sutta » sn » sn17 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 17.9

Verambhasutta

Gale-force Winds

Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.
At Sāvatthī.

“Dāruṇo, bhikkhave, lābhasakkārasiloko …pe… adhigamāya.
“Possessions, honor, and popularity are brutal …

Upari, bhikkhave, ākāse verambhā nāma vātā vāyanti.
High in the atmosphere there are gale-force winds blowing.

Tattha yo pakkhī gacchati tamenaṁ verambhā vātā khipanti.
Any bird that flies there is flung about by those gale-force winds.

Tassa verambhavātakkhittassa aññeneva pādā gacchanti, aññena pakkhā gacchanti, aññena sīsaṁ gacchati, aññena kāyo gacchati.
Their feet go one way, their wings another, their head another, and their body another.

Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco bhikkhu lābhasakkārasilokena abhibhūto pariyādiṇṇacitto pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya gāmaṁ vā nigamaṁ vā piṇḍāya pavisati arakkhiteneva kāyena arakkhitāya vācāya arakkhitena cittena, anupaṭṭhitāya satiyā, asaṁvutehi indriyehi.
In the same way, take a certain monk whose mind is overcome and overwhelmed by possessions, honor, and popularity. He robes up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, enters the village or town for alms without guarding body, speech, and mind, without establishing mindfulness, and without restraining the sense faculties.

So tattha passati mātugāmaṁ dunnivatthaṁ vā duppārutaṁ vā.
There he sees a female scantily clad, with revealing clothes.

Tassa mātugāmaṁ disvā dunnivatthaṁ vā duppārutaṁ vā rāgo cittaṁ anuddhaṁseti.
Lust infects his mind.

So rāgānuddhaṁsitena cittena sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati.
He rejects the training and returns to a lesser life.

Tassa aññe cīvaraṁ haranti, aññe pattaṁ haranti, aññe nisīdanaṁ haranti, aññe sūcigharaṁ haranti, verambhavātakkhittasseva sakuṇassa.
Some take his robe, others his bowl, others his sitting cloth, others his needle case, just like the bird flung about by the gale-force winds.

Evaṁ dāruṇo kho, bhikkhave, lābhasakkārasiloko …pe…
So brutal are possessions, honor, and popularity. …”

evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.

Navamaṁ.