sutta » sn » sn35 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.246

Vīṇopamasutta

The Simile of the Harp

“Yassa kassaci, bhikkhave, bhikkhussa vā bhikkhuniyā vā cakkhuviññeyyesu rūpesu uppajjeyya chando vā rāgo vā doso vā moho vā paṭighaṁ vāpi cetaso, tato cittaṁ nivāreyya.
“Mendicants, any monk or nun who has desire or greed or hate or delusion or repulsion come up for sights known by the eye should shield their mind from them:

Sabhayo ceso maggo sappaṭibhayo ca sakaṇṭako ca sagahano ca ummaggo ca kummaggo ca duhitiko ca.
‘This path is dangerous and perilous, thorny and tangled; it’s a wrong turn, a bad path, a harmful way.

Asappurisasevito ceso maggo, na ceso maggo sappurisehi sevito.
This path is frequented by untrue persons, not by true persons.

Na tvaṁ etaṁ arahasīti.
It’s not worthy of you.’

Tato cittaṁ nivāraye cakkhuviññeyyehi rūpehi …pe…
The mind should be shielded from this when it comes to sights known by the eye.

yassa kassaci, bhikkhave, bhikkhussa vā bhikkhuniyā vā jivhāviññeyyesu rasesu …pe…
Any monk or nun who has desire or greed or hate or delusion or repulsion come up for sounds … smells … tastes … touches …

manoviññeyyesu dhammesu uppajjeyya chando vā rāgo vā doso vā moho vā paṭighaṁ vāpi cetaso tato cittaṁ nivāreyya.
ideas known by the mind should shield their mind against them:

Sabhayo ceso maggo sappaṭibhayo ca sakaṇṭako ca sagahano ca ummaggo ca kummaggo ca duhitiko ca.
‘This path is dangerous and perilous, thorny and tangled; it’s a wrong turn, a bad path, a harmful way.

Asappurisasevito ceso maggo, na ceso maggo sappurisehi sevito.
This path is frequented by untrue persons, not by true persons.

Na tvaṁ etaṁ arahasīti.
It’s not worthy of you.’

Tato cittaṁ nivāraye manoviññeyyehi dhammehi.
The mind should be shielded from this when it comes to ideas known by the mind.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kiṭṭhaṁ sampannaṁ.
Suppose the crops have ripened,

Kiṭṭhārakkho ca pamatto, goṇo ca kiṭṭhādo aduṁ kiṭṭhaṁ otaritvā yāvadatthaṁ madaṁ āpajjeyya pamādaṁ āpajjeyya;
but the caretaker is negligent. If an ox fond of crops invades the crops they’d indulge themselves as much as they like.

evameva kho, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano chasu phassāyatanesu asaṁvutakārī pañcasu kāmaguṇesu yāvadatthaṁ madaṁ āpajjati pamādaṁ āpajjati.
In the same way, when an unlearned ordinary person doesn’t exercise restraint when it comes to the six fields of contact, they indulge themselves in the five kinds of sensual stimulation as much as they like.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kiṭṭhaṁ sampannaṁ kiṭṭhārakkho ca appamatto goṇo ca kiṭṭhādo aduṁ kiṭṭhaṁ otareyya.
Suppose the crops have ripened, and the caretaker is diligent. If an ox fond of crops invades the crops

Tamenaṁ kiṭṭhārakkho nāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gaṇheyya.
the caretaker would grab them firmly by the muzzle.

Nāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gahetvā uparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggaṇheyya.
Then they’d grab them above the hump and hold them fast there.

Uparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggahetvā daṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷeyya.
Then they’d give them a good thrashing

Daṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷetvā osajjeyya.
before driving them away.

Dutiyampi kho, bhikkhave …pe…
For a second time,

tatiyampi kho, bhikkhave, goṇo kiṭṭhādo aduṁ kiṭṭhaṁ otareyya.
and even a third time, the same thing might happen.

Tamenaṁ kiṭṭhārakkho nāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gaṇheyya.

Nāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gahetvā uparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggaṇheyya.

Uparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggahetvā daṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷeyya.

Daṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷetvā osajjeyya.

Evañhi so, bhikkhave, goṇo kiṭṭhādo gāmagato vā araññagato vā, ṭhānabahulo vā assa nisajjabahulo vā na taṁ kiṭṭhaṁ puna otareyya—
As a result, no matter how long they stand or sit in a village or wilderness, that ox fond of crops would never invade that crop again,

tameva purimaṁ daṇḍasamphassaṁ samanussaranto.
remembering the beating they got earlier.

Evameva kho, bhikkhave, yato kho bhikkhuno chasu phassāyatanesu cittaṁ udujitaṁ hoti sudujitaṁ, ajjhattameva santiṭṭhati, sannisīdati, ekodi hoti, samādhiyati.
In the same way, when a mendicant’s mind is subdued, well subdued when it comes to the six fields of contact, becomes stilled internally; it settles, unifies, and becomes immersed in samādhi.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, rañño vā rājamahāmattassa vā vīṇāya saddo assutapubbo assa.
Suppose a king or their minister had never heard the sound of an arched harp.

So vīṇāsaddaṁ suṇeyya.
When he first hears the sound,

So evaṁ vadeyya:
he’d say,

‘ambho, kassa nu kho eso saddo evaṁrajanīyo evaṅkamanīyo evaṁmadanīyo evaṁmucchanīyo evambandhanīyo’ti?
‘My man, what is making this sound, so arousing, sensuous, intoxicating, infatuating, and captivating?’

Tamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyyuṁ:
They’d say to him,

‘esā, kho, bhante, vīṇā nāma, yassā eso saddo evaṁrajanīyo evaṅkamanīyo evaṁmadanīyo evaṁmucchanīyo evambandhanīyo’ti.
‘That, sir, is an arched harp.’

So evaṁ vadeyya:
He’d say,

‘gacchatha me, bho, taṁ vīṇaṁ āharathā’ti.
‘Go, my man, fetch me that arched harp.’

Tassa taṁ vīṇaṁ āhareyyuṁ.
So they’d fetch it

Tamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyyuṁ:
and say,

‘ayaṁ kho sā, bhante, vīṇā yassā eso saddo evaṁrajanīyo evaṅkamanīyo evaṁmadanīyo evaṁmucchanīyo evambandhanīyo’ti.
‘This, sir, is that arched harp.’

So evaṁ vadeyya:
He’d say,

‘alaṁ me, bho, tāya vīṇāya, tameva me saddaṁ āharathā’ti.
‘I’ve had enough of that arched harp! Just fetch me the sound.’

Tamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyyuṁ:
They’d say,

‘ayaṁ kho, bhante, vīṇā nāma anekasambhārā mahāsambhārā.
‘Sir, this arched harp is made of many components assembled together,

Anekehi sambhārehi samāraddhā vadati, seyyathidaṁ—
which make a sound when they’re played. That is,

doṇiñca paṭicca cammañca paṭicca daṇḍañca paṭicca upadhāraṇe ca paṭicca tantiyo ca paṭicca koṇañca paṭicca purisassa ca tajjaṁ vāyāmaṁ paṭicca evāyaṁ, bhante, vīṇā nāma anekasambhārā mahāsambhārā.
it depends on the body, the skin, the neck, the head, the strings, the plectrum, and a person to play it properly. That’s how an arched harp is made of many components assembled together,

Anekehi sambhārehi samāraddhā vadatī’ti.
which make a sound when they’re played.’

So taṁ vīṇaṁ dasadhā vā satadhā vā phāleyya, dasadhā vā satadhā vā taṁ phāletvā sakalikaṁ sakalikaṁ kareyya.
But he’d split that harp into ten pieces or a hundred pieces, then splinter it up.

Sakalikaṁ sakalikaṁ karitvā agginā ḍaheyya, agginā ḍahitvā masiṁ kareyya.
He’d burn the splinters with fire, and reduce them to ashes.

Masiṁ karitvā mahāvāte vā ophuneyya, nadiyā vā sīghasotāya pavāheyya.
Then he’d sweep away the ashes in a strong wind, or float them away down a swift stream.

So evaṁ vadeyya:
Then he’d say,

‘asatī kirāyaṁ, bho, vīṇā nāma, yathevaṁ yaṁ kiñci vīṇā nāma ettha ca panāyaṁ jano ativelaṁ pamatto palaḷito’ti.
‘It seems that there’s nothing to this thing called an arched harp or whatever’s called an arched harp! But people waste their time with it, negligent and heedless!’

Evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu rūpaṁ samanvesati yāvatā rūpassa gati, vedanaṁ samanvesati yāvatā vedanāya gati, saññaṁ samanvesati yāvatā saññāya gati, saṅkhāre samanvesati yāvatā saṅkhārānaṁ gati, viññāṇaṁ samanvesati yāvatā viññāṇassa gati.
In the same way, a mendicant searches for form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness anywhere they might be reborn.

Tassa rūpaṁ samanvesato yāvatā rūpassa gati, vedanaṁ samanvesato …pe…
As they search in this way,

saññaṁ …

saṅkhāre …

viññāṇaṁ samanvesato yāvatā viññāṇassa gati.

Yampissa taṁ hoti ahanti vā mamanti vā asmīti vā tampi tassa na hotī”ti.
their ideas of ‘I’ or ‘mine’ or ‘I am’ are no more.”

Navamaṁ.