sutta » sn » sn20 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 20.11

Siṅgālasutta

A Jackal

Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.
At Sāvatthī.

“Assuttha no tumhe, bhikkhave, rattiyā paccūsasamayaṁ jarasiṅgālassa vassamānassā”ti?
“Mendicants, did you hear an old jackal howling at the crack of dawn?”

“Evaṁ, bhante”.
“Yes, sir.”

“Eso kho, bhikkhave, jarasiṅgālo ukkaṇḍakena nāma rogajātena phuṭṭho.
“That old jackal has the disease called mange.

So yena yena icchati tena tena gacchati;
Yet it still goes where it wants,

yattha yattha icchati tattha tattha tiṭṭhati;
stands where it wants,

yattha yattha icchati tattha tattha nisīdati;
sits where it wants,

yattha yattha icchati tattha tattha nipajjati;
and lies down where it wants.

sītakopi naṁ vāto upavāyati.
And the cool breeze still blows on it.

Sādhu khvassa, bhikkhave, yaṁ idhekacco sakyaputtiyapaṭiñño evarūpampi attabhāvapaṭilābhaṁ paṭisaṁvediyetha.
A certain person here who claims to be a follower of the Sakyan son would be lucky to experience even such an incarnation.

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ:
So you should train like this:

‘appamattā viharissāmā’ti.
‘We will stay diligent.’

Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.
That’s how you should train.”

Ekādasamaṁ.