sutta » sn » sn35 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.245

Kiṁsukopamasutta

The Simile of the Parrot Tree

Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:
Then one mendicant went up to another mendicant and asked,

“kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti?
“Reverend, at what point is a mendicant’s vision well purified?”

“Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti.
“When a mendicant truly understands the origin and ending of the six fields of contact, at that point their vision is well purified.”

Atha kho so bhikkhu asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:
Not content with that answer, that mendicant went up to a series of other mendicants and received the following answers:

“kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti?

“Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu pañcannaṁ upādānakkhandhānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti.
“When a mendicant truly understands the origin and ending of the five grasping aggregates, at that point their vision is well purified.”

Atha kho so bhikkhu asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:

“kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti?

“Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu catunnaṁ mahābhūtānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti.
“When a mendicant truly understands the origin and ending of the four principal states, at that point their vision is well purified.”

Atha kho so bhikkhu asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:

“kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti?

“Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu yaṁ kiñci samudayadhammaṁ, sabbaṁ taṁ nirodhadhammanti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti.
“When a mendicant truly understands that everything that has a beginning has an end, at that point their vision is well purified.”

Atha kho so bhikkhu asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “idhāhaṁ, bhante, yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkamiṁ; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavocaṁ:
Not content with any of those answers, that mendicant went up to the Buddha and told him what had happened. Then he asked,

‘kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī’ti?

Evaṁ vutte, bhante, so bhikkhu maṁ etadavoca:

‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī’ti.

Atha khvāhaṁ, bhante, asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkamiṁ; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavocaṁ:

‘kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī’ti?

Evaṁ vutte, bhante, so bhikkhu maṁ etadavoca:

‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu pañcannaṁ upādānakkhandhānaṁ …pe…

catunnaṁ mahābhūtānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti …pe…

yaṁ kiñci samudayadhammaṁ sabbaṁ taṁ nirodhadhammanti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī’ti.

Atha khvāhaṁ, bhante, asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁ (…).

Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti?
“Sir, at what point is a mendicant’s vision well purified?”

“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, purisassa kiṁsuko adiṭṭhapubbo assa.
“Mendicant, suppose a person had never seen a parrot tree.

So yenaññataro puriso kiṁsukassa dassāvī tenupasaṅkameyya. Upasaṅkamitvā taṁ purisaṁ evaṁ vadeyya:
They’d go up to someone who had seen a parrot tree and ask them,

‘kīdiso, bho purisa, kiṁsuko’ti?
‘Mister, what’s a parrot tree like?’

So evaṁ vadeyya:
They’d say,

‘kāḷako kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko—seyyathāpi jhāmakhāṇū’ti.
‘A parrot tree is blackish, like a charred stump.’

Tena kho pana, bhikkhu, samayena tādisovassa kiṁsuko yathāpi tassa purisassa dassanaṁ.
Now, at that time a parrot tree may well have been just as that person saw it.

Atha kho so, bhikkhu, puriso asantuṭṭho tassa purisassa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro puriso kiṁsukassa dassāvī tenupasaṅkameyya; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ purisaṁ evaṁ vadeyya:
Not content with that answer, that person would go up to a series of other people and receive the following answers:

‘kīdiso, bho purisa, kiṁsuko’ti?

So evaṁ vadeyya:

‘lohitako kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko—seyyathāpi maṁsapesī’ti.
‘A parrot tree is reddish, like a scrap of meat.’

Tena kho pana, bhikkhu, samayena tādisovassa kiṁsuko yathāpi tassa purisassa dassanaṁ.

Atha kho so bhikkhu puriso asantuṭṭho tassa purisassa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro puriso kiṁsukassa dassāvī tenupasaṅkameyya; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ purisaṁ evaṁ vadeyya:

‘kīdiso, bho purisa, kiṁsuko’ti?

So evaṁ vadeyya:

‘ocīrakajāto kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko ādinnasipāṭiko—seyyathāpi sirīso’ti.
‘A parrot tree has flaking bark and burst pods, like a sirisa.’

Tena kho pana, bhikkhu, samayena tādisovassa kiṁsuko, yathāpi tassa purisassa dassanaṁ.

Atha kho so bhikkhu puriso asantuṭṭho tassa purisassa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro puriso kiṁsukassa dassāvī tenupasaṅkameyya; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ purisaṁ evaṁ vadeyya:

‘kīdiso, bho purisa, kiṁsuko’ti?

So evaṁ vadeyya:

‘bahalapattapalāso sandacchāyo kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko—seyyathāpi nigrodho’ti.
‘A parrot tree has luxuriant, shady foliage, like a banyan.’

Tena kho pana, bhikkhu, samayena tādisovassa kiṁsuko, yathāpi tassa purisassa dassanaṁ.
Now, at each of those times a parrot tree may well have been just as those people saw them.

Evameva kho, bhikkhu, yathā yathā adhimuttānaṁ tesaṁ sappurisānaṁ dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hoti tathā tathā kho tehi sappurisehi byākataṁ.
In the same way, those true persons each answered according to what they were focused on when their vision was well purified.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, rañño paccantimaṁ nagaraṁ daḷhuddhāpaṁ daḷhapākāratoraṇaṁ chadvāraṁ.
Suppose there was a king’s frontier citadel with fortified embankments, ramparts, and arches, and six gates.

Tatrassa dovāriko paṇḍito byatto medhāvī, aññātānaṁ nivāretā, ñātānaṁ pavesetā.
And it has a gatekeeper who is astute, competent, and clever. He keeps strangers out and lets known people in.

Puratthimāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ taṁ dovārikaṁ evaṁ vadeyya:
A swift pair of messengers would arrive from the east and say to the gatekeeper,

‘kahaṁ, bho purisa, imassa nagarassa nagarassāmī’ti?
‘Mister, where is the lord of the city?’

So evaṁ vadeyya:
They’d say,

‘eso, bhante, majjhe siṅghāṭake nisinno’ti.
‘There he is, sirs, seated at the central square.’

Atha kho taṁ sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ nagarassāmikassa yathābhūtaṁ vacanaṁ niyyātetvā yathāgatamaggaṁ paṭipajjeyya.
Then that swift pair of messengers would deliver a message of truth to the lord of the city and depart the way they came.

Pacchimāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ …pe…
A swift pair of messengers would come from the west …

uttarāya disāya …
north …

dakkhiṇāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ taṁ dovārikaṁ evaṁ vadeyya:
south …

‘kahaṁ, bho purisa, imassa nagarassāmī’ti?

So evaṁ vadeyya:

‘eso, bhante, majjhe siṅghāṭake nisinno’ti.

Atha kho taṁ sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ nagarassāmikassa yathābhūtaṁ vacanaṁ niyyātetvā yathāgatamaggaṁ paṭipajjeyya.
deliver a message of truth to the lord of the city and depart the way they came.

Upamā kho myāyaṁ, bhikkhu, katā atthassa viññāpanāya.
I’ve made up this simile to make a point.

Ayañcettha attho:
And this is the point.

‘nagaran’ti kho, bhikkhu, imassetaṁ cātumahābhūtikassa kāyassa adhivacanaṁ mātāpettikasambhavassa odanakummāsūpacayassa aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammassa.
‘City’ is a term for this body made up of the four principal states, produced by mother and father, built up from rice and porridge, liable to impermanence, to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and destruction.

‘Cha dvārā’ti kho, bhikkhu, channetaṁ ajjhattikānaṁ āyatanānaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
‘Six gates’ is a term for the six interior sense fields.

‘Dovāriko’ti kho, bhikkhu, satiyā etaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
‘Gatekeeper’ is a term for mindfulness.

‘Sīghaṁ dūtayugan’ti kho, bhikkhu, samathavipassanānetaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
‘A swift pair of messengers’ is a term for serenity and discernment.

‘Nagarassāmī’ti kho, bhikkhu, viññāṇassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
‘The lord of the city’ is a term for consciousness.

‘Majjhe siṅghāṭako’ti kho, bhikkhu, catunnetaṁ mahābhūtānaṁ adhivacanaṁ—
‘The central square’ is a term for the four principal states:

pathavīdhātuyā, āpodhātuyā, tejodhātuyā, vāyodhātuyā.
the elements of earth, water, fire, and air.

‘Yathābhūtaṁ vacanan’ti kho, bhikkhu, nibbānassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ.
‘A message of truth’ is a term for extinguishment.

‘Yathāgatamaggo’ti kho, bhikkhu, ariyassetaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa adhivacanaṁ, seyyathidaṁ—
‘The way they came’ is a term for the noble eightfold path, that is,

sammādiṭṭhiyā …pe… sammāsamādhissā”ti.
right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.”

Aṭṭhamaṁ.