SN 35-44 The Group of Connected Discourses Beginning With the Six Sense Fields – Saḷāyatanavaggasaṁyutta > SN 35 Connected Discourses on the Six Sense Fields – Saḷāyatanasaṁyutta > SN 35.245 The Simile of the Parrot Tree

Linked Discourses 35.245 – Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.245

19. The Simile of the Vipers – 19. Āsīvisavagga

SN 35.245 The Simile of the Parrot Tree – Kiṁsukopamasutta

Then one bhikkhu went up to another bhikkhu and asked,

Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:

“Reverend, at what point is a bhikkhu’s vision well purified?”

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

“When a bhikkhu truly understands the origin and ending of the six sense fields, at that point their vision is well purified.”

“Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti.

Not content with that answer, that bhikkhu went up to a series of other bhikkhū and received the following answers:

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

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

“When a bhikkhu truly understands the origin and ending of the five grasping aggregates, at that point their vision is well purified.”

“Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu pañcannaṁ upādānakkhandhānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti.

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

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

“When a bhikkhu truly understands the origin and ending of the four primary elements, at that point their vision is well purified.”

“Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu catunnaṁ mahābhūtānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti.

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

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

“When a bhikkhu truly understands that everything that has a beginning has an end, at that point their vision is well purified.”

“Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu yaṁ kiñci samudayadhammaṁ, sabbaṁ taṁ nirodhadhammanti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti.

Not content with any of those answers, that bhikkhu went up to the Buddha and told him what had happened. Then he asked,

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 (…).

“Sir, at what point is a bhikkhu’s vision well purified?”

Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti?

“Bhikkhu, suppose a person had never seen a parrot tree.

“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, purisassa kiṁsuko adiṭṭhapubbo assa.

They’d go up to someone who had seen a parrot tree and ask them,

So yenaññataro puriso kiṁsukassa dassāvī tenupasaṅkameyya. Upasaṅkamitvā taṁ purisaṁ evaṁ vadeyya:

‘Mister, what’s a parrot tree like?’

‘kīdiso, bho purisa, kiṁsuko’ti?

They’d say,

So evaṁ vadeyya:

‘A parrot tree is blackish, like a charred stump.’

‘kāḷako kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko—seyyathāpi jhāmakhāṇū’ti.

Now, at that time a parrot tree may well have been just as that person saw it.

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

Not content with that answer, that person would go up to a series of other people and receive the following answers:

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:

‘A parrot tree is reddish, like a lump of meat.’

‘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:

‘A parrot tree has flaking bark and burst pods, like an acacia.’

‘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:

‘A parrot tree has luxuriant, shady foliage, like a banyan.’

‘bahalapattapalāso sandacchāyo kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko—seyyathāpi nigrodho’ti.

Now, at each of those times a parrot tree may well have been just as those people saw them.

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

In the same way, those good people each answered according to what they were focused on when their vision was well purified.

Evameva kho, bhikkhu, yathā yathā adhimuttānaṁ tesaṁ sappurisānaṁ dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hoti tathā tathā kho tehi sappurisehi byākataṁ.

Suppose there was a king’s frontier citadel with fortified embankments, ramparts, and arches, and six gates.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, rañño paccantimaṁ nagaraṁ daḷhuddhāpaṁ daḷhapākāratoraṇaṁ chadvāraṁ.

And it has a gatekeeper who is astute, competent, and clever. He keeps strangers out and lets known people in.

Tatrassa dovāriko paṇḍito byatto medhāvī, aññātānaṁ nivāretā, ñātānaṁ pavesetā.

A swift pair of messengers would arrive from the east and say to the gatekeeper,

Puratthimāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ taṁ dovārikaṁ evaṁ vadeyya:

‘Mister, where is the lord of the city?’

‘kahaṁ, bho purisa, imassa nagarassa nagarassāmī’ti?

They’d say,

So evaṁ vadeyya:

‘There he is, sirs, seated at the central square.’

‘eso, bhante, majjhe siṅghāṭake nisinno’ti.

Then that swift pair of messengers would deliver a message of truth to the lord of the city and depart the way they came.

Atha kho taṁ sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ nagarassāmikassa yathābhūtaṁ vacanaṁ niyyātetvā yathāgatamaggaṁ paṭipajjeyya.

A swift pair of messengers would come from the west …

Pacchimāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ …pe…

north …

uttarāya disāya …

south …

dakkhiṇāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ taṁ dovārikaṁ evaṁ vadeyya:

‘kahaṁ, bho purisa, imassa nagarassāmī’ti?

So evaṁ vadeyya:

‘eso, bhante, majjhe siṅghāṭake nisinno’ti.

deliver a message of truth to the lord of the city and depart the way they came.

Atha kho taṁ sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ nagarassāmikassa yathābhūtaṁ vacanaṁ niyyātetvā yathāgatamaggaṁ paṭipajjeyya.

I’ve made up this simile to make a point.

Upamā kho myāyaṁ, bhikkhu, katā atthassa viññāpanāya.

And this is the point.

Ayañcettha attho:

‘City’ is a term for this body made up of the four primary elements, produced by mother and father, built up from rice and porridge, liable to anicca, to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and destruction.

‘nagaran’ti kho, bhikkhu, imassetaṁ cātumahābhūtikassa kāyassa adhivacanaṁ mātāpettikasambhavassa odanakummāsūpacayassa aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammassa.

‘Six gates’ is a term for the six interior sense fields.

‘Cha dvārā’ti kho, bhikkhu, channetaṁ ajjhattikānaṁ āyatanānaṁ adhivacanaṁ.

‘Gatekeeper’ is a term for mindfulness.

‘Dovāriko’ti kho, bhikkhu, satiyā etaṁ adhivacanaṁ.

‘A swift pair of messengers’ is a term for serenity and discernment.

‘Sīghaṁ dūtayugan’ti kho, bhikkhu, samathavipassanānetaṁ adhivacanaṁ.

‘The lord of the city’ is a term for consciousness.

‘Nagarassāmī’ti kho, bhikkhu, viññāṇassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ.

‘The central square’ is a term for the four primary elements:

‘Majjhe siṅghāṭako’ti kho, bhikkhu, catunnetaṁ mahābhūtānaṁ adhivacanaṁ—

the elements of earth, water, fire, and air.

pathavīdhātuyā, āpodhātuyā, tejodhātuyā, vāyodhātuyā.

‘A message of truth’ is a term for extinguishment.

‘Yathābhūtaṁ vacanan’ti kho, bhikkhu, nibbānassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ.

‘The way they came’ is a term for the noble eightfold path, that is,

‘Yathāgatamaggo’ti kho, bhikkhu, ariyassetaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa adhivacanaṁ, seyyathidaṁ—

right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samādhi.”

sammādiṭṭhiyā …pe… sammāsamādhissā”ti.