TheravādaSN 17.5HOLYMAP · SACRED TEXTS
Sutta PiṭakaSN 17.5

Sutta Piṭaka

SN 17.5

Mīḷhakasutta

1
English · Bhikkhu Sujato

A Dung Beetle

At Sāvatthī. “Possessions, honor, and popularity are grim … Suppose there was a dung-eating beetle full of dung, stuffed with dung, and before her was a big pile of dung. She’d look down on other beetles, thinking: ‘For I am a dung-eating beetle full of dung, stuffed with dung, and before me is a big pile of dung.’ In the same way, take a certain mendicant whose mind is overcome and overwhelmed by possessions, honor, and popularity. They robe up in the morning and, taking their bowl and robe, enter the village or town for alms. There they eat as much as they like, get invited back tomorrow, and have plenty of almsfood. When they get back to the monastery, they boast in the middle of a group of mendicants: ‘I ate as much as I liked, got invited back tomorrow, and had plenty of almsfood. I get robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. But these other mendicants have little merit or significance, so they don’t get these things.’ With a mind overcome and overwhelmed by possessions, honor, and popularity, they look down on other good-hearted mendicants. This will be for their lasting harm and suffering. So grim are possessions, honor, and popularity. …”

1
SN 17.5English
2
SN 17.50%

Sutta Piṭaka

Find your chapter.

4801 chapters

Make yourself comfortable.

PAGE COLOUR

TEXT SIZE

100%

Your preferences stay with you on this device.

ORIGINALS & TRANSLATIONS

Choose your edition.

Select one edition for quiet reading, or several to compare the words.

Pāli text: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka Buddhavasse 2500 (M.L. Maniratana Bunnag Dhamma Society Fund), as published by SuttaCentral. Public domain. · Source ↗

Pāli text: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka, via SuttaCentral. Public domain.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato. SuttaCentral, dedicated to the public domain (CC0). · Source ↗

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato (SuttaCentral), dedicated to the public domain via CC0. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

↑
Explore the atlas
↑ ↓ to explore   ·   Enter to open   ·   Esc to close

PEOPLE · PLACES · HIGHER MEANING

Finding your place.

Preparing your experience…