SN 35.245

Kiṁsukopamasutta

Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: “kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti? “Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti.

The Simile of the Parrot Tree

Then one mendicant went up to another mendicant and asked, “Reverend, at what point is a mendicant’s vision well purified?” “When a mendicant truly understands the origin and disappearance 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: “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.

Not content with that answer, that mendicant went up to a series of other mendicants and received the following answers: “When a mendicant truly understands the origin and disappearance 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 disappearance 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 is liable to arise is liable to cease, 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: ‘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?

Not content with any of those answers, that mendicant went up to the Buddha and told him what had happened. Then he said to him, “Sir, at what point is a mendicant’s vision well purified?”

“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, purisassa kiṁsuko adiṭṭhapubbo assa. So yenaññataro puriso kiṁsukassa dassāvī tenupasaṅkameyya. Upasaṅkamitvā taṁ purisaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘kīdiso, bho purisa, kiṁsuko’ti? So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘kāḷako kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko—seyyathāpi jhāmakhāṇū’ti. Tena kho pana, bhikkhu, samayena tādisovassa kiṁsuko yathāpi tassa purisassa dassanaṁ.

“Mendicant, suppose a person had never seen a parrot tree before. They’d go up to someone who had seen a parrot tree and ask them, ‘My man, what’s a parrot tree like?’ They’d say, ‘A parrot tree is blackish, like a charred stump.’ 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: ‘kīdiso, bho purisa, kiṁsuko’ti? So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘lohitako kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko—seyyathāpi maṁsapesī’ti. 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. 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. Tena kho pana, bhikkhu, samayena tādisovassa kiṁsuko, yathāpi tassa purisassa dassanaṁ. Evameva kho, bhikkhu, yathā yathā adhimuttānaṁ tesaṁ sappurisānaṁ dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hoti tathā tathā kho tehi sappurisehi byākataṁ.

Not content with that answer, that person would go up to a series of other people and receive the following answers: ‘A parrot tree is reddish, like a scrap of meat.’ ‘A parrot tree has flaking bark and burst pods, like a lebbeck tree.’ ‘A parrot tree has luxuriant, shady foliage, like a banyan.’ Now, at each of those times a parrot tree may well have been just as those people saw them. 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. Tatrassa dovāriko paṇḍito byatto medhāvī, aññātānaṁ nivāretā, ñātānaṁ pavesetā. Puratthimāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ taṁ dovārikaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘kahaṁ, bho purisa, imassa nagarassa nagarassāmī’ti? So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘eso, bhante, majjhe siṅghāṭake nisinno’ti. Atha kho taṁ sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ nagarassāmikassa yathābhūtaṁ vacanaṁ niyyātetvā yathāgatamaggaṁ paṭipajjeyya. Pacchimāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ …pe… uttarāya disāya … dakkhiṇāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ taṁ dovārikaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘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.

Suppose there was a king’s frontier citadel with fortified embankments, ramparts, and arches, and six gates. And it has a gatekeeper who is astute, competent, and intelligent. He keeps strangers out and lets known people in. A swift pair of messengers would arrive from the east and say to the gatekeeper, ‘Worthy man, where is the lord of the city?’ They’d say, ‘There he is, sirs, seated at the central square.’ Then that swift pair of messengers would deliver a message of truth to the lord of the city and depart the way they came. A swift pair of messengers would come from the west … north … south … deliver a message of truth to the lord of the city and depart the way they came.

Upamā kho myāyaṁ, bhikkhu, katā atthassa viññāpanāya. Ayañcettha attho: ‘nagaran’ti kho, bhikkhu, imassetaṁ cātumahābhūtikassa kāyassa adhivacanaṁ mātāpettikasambhavassa odanakummāsūpacayassa aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammassa. ‘Cha dvārā’ti kho, bhikkhu, channetaṁ ajjhattikānaṁ āyatanānaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Dovāriko’ti kho, bhikkhu, satiyā etaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Sīghaṁ dūtayugan’ti kho, bhikkhu, samathavipassanānetaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Nagarassāmī’ti kho, bhikkhu, viññāṇassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Majjhe siṅghāṭako’ti kho, bhikkhu, catunnetaṁ mahābhūtānaṁ adhivacanaṁ— pathavīdhātuyā, āpodhātuyā, tejodhātuyā, vāyodhātuyā. ‘Yathābhūtaṁ vacanan’ti kho, bhikkhu, nibbānassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Yathāgatamaggo’ti kho, bhikkhu, ariyassetaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa adhivacanaṁ, seyyathidaṁ— sammādiṭṭhiyā …pe… sammāsamādhissā”ti.

I’ve made up this simile to make a point. And this is the point. ‘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. ‘Six gates’ is a term for the six interior sense fields. ‘Gatekeeper’ is a term for mindfulness. ‘A swift pair of messengers’ is a term for serenity and discernment. ‘The lord of the city’ is a term for consciousness. ‘The central square’ is a term for the four principal states: the elements of earth, water, fire, and air. ‘A message of truth’ is a term for extinguishment. ‘The way they came’ is a term for the noble eightfold path, that is, right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.”