SN 12-21 The Group of Connected Discourses Beginning With Causation – Nidānavaggasaṁyutta > SN 20 Connected Discourses with Similes – Opammasaṁyutta > SN 20.7 The Drum Peg

Linked Discourses 20.7 – Saṁyutta Nikāya 20.7

1. Similes – 1. Opammavagga

SN 20.7 The Drum Peg – Āṇisutta

At Sāvatthī.

Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.

“Once upon a time, bhikkhū, the Dasārahas had a clay drum called the Commander.

“Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, dasārahānaṁ ānako nāma mudiṅgo ahosi.

Each time the Commander split they repaired it by inserting another peg.

Tassa dasārahā ānake ghaṭite aññaṁ āṇiṁ odahiṁsu.

But there came a time when the clay drum Commander’s original wooden rim disappeared

Ahu kho so, bhikkhave, samayo yaṁ ānakassa mudiṅgassa porāṇaṁ pokkharaphalakaṁ antaradhāyi.

and only a mass of pegs remained.

Āṇisaṅghāṭova avasissi.

In the same way, in a future time there will be bhikkhū who won’t want to listen when discourses spoken by the Realized One—deep, profound, transcendent, dealing with emptiness—are being recited. They won’t pay attention or apply their minds to understand them, nor will they think those teachings are worth learning and memorizing.

Evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhavissanti bhikkhū anāgatamaddhānaṁ, ye te suttantā tathāgatabhāsitā gambhīrā gambhīratthā lokuttarā suññatappaṭisaṁyuttā, tesu bhaññamānesu na sussūsissanti na sotaṁ odahissanti na aññā cittaṁ upaṭṭhāpessanti na ca te dhamme uggahetabbaṁ pariyāpuṇitabbaṁ maññissanti.

But when discourses composed by poets—poetry, with fancy words and phrases, composed by outsiders or spoken by disciples—are being recited they will want to listen. They’ll pay attention and apply their minds to understand them, and they’ll think those teachings are worth learning and memorizing.

Ye pana te suttantā kavikatā kāveyyā cittakkharā cittabyañjanā bāhirakā sāvakabhāsitā, tesu bhaññamānesu sussūsissanti, sotaṁ odahissanti, aññā cittaṁ upaṭṭhāpessanti, te ca dhamme uggahetabbaṁ pariyāpuṇitabbaṁ maññissanti.

And that is how the discourses spoken by the Realized One—deep, profound, transcendent, dealing with emptiness—will disappear.

Evametesaṁ, bhikkhave, suttantānaṁ tathāgatabhāsitānaṁ gambhīrānaṁ gambhīratthānaṁ lokuttarānaṁ suññatappaṭisaṁyuttānaṁ antaradhānaṁ bhavissati.

So you should train like this:

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ:

‘When discourses spoken by the Realized One—deep, profound, transcendent, dealing with emptiness—are being recited we will want to listen. We will pay attention and apply our minds to understand them, and we will think those teachings are worth learning and memorizing.’

‘ye te suttantā tathāgatabhāsitā gambhīrā gambhīratthā lokuttarā suññatappaṭisaṁyuttā, tesu bhaññamānesu sussūsissāma, sotaṁ odahissāma, aññā cittaṁ upaṭṭhāpessāma, te ca dhamme uggahetabbaṁ pariyāpuṇitabbaṁ maññissāmā’ti.

That’s how you should train.”

Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.