{"id":"sn35.240","title":"The Simile of the Tortoise","languageCodes":["en","pi"],"languageNotes":{"en":"Bhikkhu Sujato · CC0","pi":"Mahāsaṅgīti edition · SuttaCentral"},"chapters":[{"id":"sn35.240","title":"The Simile of the Tortoise","units":[{"id":"sn35.240:0","sourceIds":["sn35.240:0.1","sn35.240:0.2","sn35.240:0.3"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.240\n19. Āsīvisavagga\nKummopamasutta","en":"Linked Discourses 35.240\n19. The Simile of the Vipers\nThe Simile of the Tortoise"}},{"id":"sn35.240:1","sourceIds":["sn35.240:1.1","sn35.240:1.2","sn35.240:1.3","sn35.240:1.4","sn35.240:1.5","sn35.240:1.6","sn35.240:1.7","sn35.240:1.8"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"“Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, kummo kacchapo sāyanhasamayaṁ anunadītīre gocarapasuto ahosi.\nSiṅgālopi kho, bhikkhave, sāyanhasamayaṁ anunadītīre gocarapasuto ahosi.\nAddasā kho, bhikkhave, kummo kacchapo siṅgālaṁ dūratova gocarapasutaṁ.\nDisvāna soṇḍipañcamāni aṅgāni sake kapāle samodahitvā appossukko tuṇhībhūto saṅkasāyati.\nSiṅgālopi kho, bhikkhave, addasa kummaṁ kacchapaṁ dūratova gocarapasutaṁ.\nDisvāna yena kummo kacchapo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā kummaṁ kacchapaṁ paccupaṭṭhito ahosi:\n‘yadāyaṁ kummo kacchapo soṇḍipañcamānaṁ aṅgānaṁ aññataraṁ vā aññataraṁ vā aṅgaṁ abhininnāmessati, tattheva naṁ gahetvā uddālitvā khādissāmī’ti.\nYadā kho, bhikkhave, kummo kacchapo soṇḍipañcamānaṁ aṅgānaṁ aññataraṁ vā aññataraṁ vā aṅgaṁ na abhininnāmi, atha siṅgālo kummamhā nibbijja pakkāmi, otāraṁ alabhamāno.","en":"“Once upon a time, mendicants, a tortoise was grazing along the bank of a river in the afternoon.\nAt the same time, a jackal was also hunting along the river bank.\nThe tortoise saw the jackal off in the distance hunting,\nso it drew its limbs and neck inside its shell, and kept passive and silent.\nBut the jackal also saw the tortoise off in the distance grazing.\nSo it went up to the tortoise and waited nearby, thinking,\n‘When that tortoise sticks one or other of its limbs or neck out from its shell, I’ll grab it right there, rip it out, and eat it!’\nBut when that tortoise didn’t stick one or other of its limbs or neck out from its shell, the jackal left disappointed, since it couldn’t find a vulnerability."}},{"id":"sn35.240:2","sourceIds":["sn35.240:2.1","sn35.240:2.2","sn35.240:2.3","sn35.240:2.4","sn35.240:2.5","sn35.240:2.6","sn35.240:2.7","sn35.240:2.8","sn35.240:2.9","sn35.240:2.10","sn35.240:2.11","sn35.240:2.12","sn35.240:2.13","sn35.240:2.14","sn35.240:2.15"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Evameva kho, bhikkhave, tumhepi māro pāpimā satataṁ samitaṁ paccupaṭṭhito:\n‘appeva nāmāhaṁ imesaṁ cakkhuto vā otāraṁ labheyyaṁ …pe…\njivhāto vā otāraṁ labheyyaṁ …pe…\nmanato vā otāraṁ labheyyan’ti.\nTasmātiha, bhikkhave, indriyesu guttadvārā viharatha.\nCakkhunā rūpaṁ disvā mā nimittaggāhino ahuvattha, mā anubyañjanaggāhino.\nYatvādhikaraṇamenaṁ cakkhundriyaṁ asaṁvutaṁ viharantaṁ abhijjhādomanassā pāpakā akusalā dhammā anvāssaveyyuṁ, tassa saṁvarāya paṭipajjatha, rakkhatha cakkhundriyaṁ, cakkhundriye saṁvaraṁ āpajjatha.\nSotena saddaṁ sutvā …\nghānena gandhaṁ ghāyitvā …\njivhāya rasaṁ sāyitvā …\nkāyena phoṭṭhabbaṁ phusitvā …\nmanasā dhammaṁ viññāya mā nimittaggāhino ahuvattha, mā anubyañjanaggāhino.\nYatvādhikaraṇamenaṁ manindriyaṁ asaṁvutaṁ viharantaṁ abhijjhādomanassā pāpakā akusalā dhammā anvāssaveyyuṁ, tassa saṁvarāya paṭipajjatha, rakkhatha manindriyaṁ, manindriye saṁvaraṁ āpajjatha.\nYato tumhe, bhikkhave, indriyesu guttadvārā viharissatha, atha tumhehipi māro pāpimā nibbijja pakkamissati, otāraṁ alabhamāno—\nkummamhāva siṅgāloti.","en":"In the same way, Māra the Wicked is always waiting nearby, thinking:\n‘Hopefully I can find a vulnerability in the eye,\near, nose, tongue, body, or\nmind.’\nThat’s why you should live with sense doors guarded.\nWhen you see a sight with your eyes, don’t get caught up in the features and details.\nIf the faculty of sight were left unrestrained, bad unskillful qualities of covetousness and displeasure would become overwhelming. For this reason, practice restraint, protecting the faculty of sight, and achieving its restraint.\nWhen you hear a sound with your ears …\nWhen you smell an odor with your nose …\nWhen you taste a flavor with your tongue …\nWhen you feel a touch with your body …\nWhen you know an idea with your mind, don’t get caught up in the features and details.\nIf the faculty of mind were left unrestrained, bad unskillful qualities of covetousness and displeasure would become overwhelming. For this reason, practice restraint, protecting the faculty of mind, and achieving its restraint.\nWhen you live with your sense doors guarded, Māra will leave you disappointed, since he can’t find a vulnerability,\njust like the jackal left the tortoise."}},{"id":"sn35.240:3","sourceIds":["sn35.240:3.1","sn35.240:3.2","sn35.240:3.3","sn35.240:3.4","sn35.240:3.5"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Kummova aṅgāni sake kapāle,\nSamodahaṁ bhikkhu manovitakke;\nAnissito aññamaheṭhayāno,\nParinibbuto nūpavadeyya kañcī”ti.\nTatiyaṁ.","en":"A mendicant should collect their thoughts\nas a tortoise draws its limbs into its shell.\nIndependent, not disturbing others,\nquenched: they wouldn’t blame anyone.”"}}]}],"sourceRevision":"afdafa92450cfe7573b280da50382888323666d2","sourceUrl":"https://suttacentral.net/sn35.240/en/sujato","licence":"CC0 1.0","licenceUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/","editionNote":"Full supplied source file; inherited abbreviations are preserved. Not a reconstructed expansion of every repetition. No Malay or Mandarin translation is implied."}