{"id":"sn35.246","title":"The Simile of the Harp","languageCodes":["en","pi"],"languageNotes":{"en":"Bhikkhu Sujato · CC0","pi":"Mahāsaṅgīti edition · SuttaCentral"},"chapters":[{"id":"sn35.246","title":"The Simile of the Harp","units":[{"id":"sn35.246:0","sourceIds":["sn35.246:0.1","sn35.246:0.2","sn35.246:0.3"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.246\n19. Āsīvisavagga\nVīṇopamasutta","en":"Linked Discourses 35.246\n19. The Simile of the Vipers\nThe Simile of the Harp"}},{"id":"sn35.246:1","sourceIds":["sn35.246:1.1","sn35.246:1.2","sn35.246:1.3","sn35.246:1.4","sn35.246:1.5","sn35.246:1.6","sn35.246:1.7","sn35.246:1.8","sn35.246:1.9","sn35.246:1.10","sn35.246:1.11"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"“Yassa kassaci, bhikkhave, bhikkhussa vā bhikkhuniyā vā cakkhuviññeyyesu rūpesu uppajjeyya chando vā rāgo vā doso vā moho vā paṭighaṁ vāpi cetaso, tato cittaṁ nivāreyya.\nSabhayo ceso maggo sappaṭibhayo ca sakaṇṭako ca sagahano ca ummaggo ca kummaggo ca duhitiko ca.\nAsappurisasevito ceso maggo, na ceso maggo sappurisehi sevito.\nNa tvaṁ etaṁ arahasīti.\nTato cittaṁ nivāraye cakkhuviññeyyehi rūpehi …pe…\nyassa kassaci, bhikkhave, bhikkhussa vā bhikkhuniyā vā jivhāviññeyyesu rasesu …pe…\nmanoviññeyyesu dhammesu uppajjeyya chando vā rāgo vā doso vā moho vā paṭighaṁ vāpi cetaso tato cittaṁ nivāreyya.\nSabhayo ceso maggo sappaṭibhayo ca sakaṇṭako ca sagahano ca ummaggo ca kummaggo ca duhitiko ca.\nAsappurisasevito ceso maggo, na ceso maggo sappurisehi sevito.\nNa tvaṁ etaṁ arahasīti.\nTato cittaṁ nivāraye manoviññeyyehi dhammehi.","en":"“Mendicants, any monk or nun who has desire or greed or hate or delusion or aversion come up for sights known by the eye should shield their mind from them:\n‘This path is dangerous and perilous, thorny and tangled; it’s a wrong turn, a bad path, in poor condition.\nThis path is frequented by untrue persons, not by true persons.\nIt’s not worthy of you.’\nThe mind should be shielded from this when it comes to sights known by the eye.\nAny monk or nun who has desire or greed or hate or delusion or repulsion come up for sounds … smells … tastes … touches …\nideas known by the mind should shield their mind against them:\n‘This path is dangerous and perilous, thorny and tangled; it’s a wrong turn, a bad path, a sorry state.\nThis path is frequented by untrue persons, not by true persons.\nIt’s not worthy of you.’\nThe mind should be shielded from this when it comes to ideas known by the mind."}},{"id":"sn35.246:2","sourceIds":["sn35.246:2.1","sn35.246:2.2","sn35.246:2.3"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kiṭṭhaṁ sampannaṁ.\nKiṭṭhārakkho ca pamatto, goṇo ca kiṭṭhādo aduṁ kiṭṭhaṁ otaritvā yāvadatthaṁ madaṁ āpajjeyya pamādaṁ āpajjeyya;\nevameva kho, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano chasu phassāyatanesu asaṁvutakārī pañcasu kāmaguṇesu yāvadatthaṁ madaṁ āpajjati pamādaṁ āpajjati.","en":"Suppose the crops have ripened,\nbut the caretaker is negligent. If an ox fond of crops invades the crops they’d indulge themselves as much as they like.\nIn the same way, when an unlearned ordinary person doesn’t exercise restraint when it comes to the six fields of contact, they indulge themselves in the five kinds of sensual stimulation as much as they like."}},{"id":"sn35.246:3","sourceIds":["sn35.246:3.1","sn35.246:3.2","sn35.246:3.3","sn35.246:3.4","sn35.246:3.5","sn35.246:3.6","sn35.246:3.7","sn35.246:3.8","sn35.246:3.9","sn35.246:3.10","sn35.246:3.11","sn35.246:3.12","sn35.246:3.13","sn35.246:3.14"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kiṭṭhaṁ sampannaṁ kiṭṭhārakkho ca appamatto goṇo ca kiṭṭhādo aduṁ kiṭṭhaṁ otareyya.\nTamenaṁ kiṭṭhārakkho nāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gaṇheyya.\nNāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gahetvā uparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggaṇheyya.\nUparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggahetvā daṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷeyya.\nDaṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷetvā osajjeyya.\nDutiyampi kho, bhikkhave …pe…\ntatiyampi kho, bhikkhave, goṇo kiṭṭhādo aduṁ kiṭṭhaṁ otareyya.\nTamenaṁ kiṭṭhārakkho nāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gaṇheyya.\nNāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gahetvā uparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggaṇheyya.\nUparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggahetvā daṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷeyya.\nDaṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷetvā osajjeyya.\nEvañhi so, bhikkhave, goṇo kiṭṭhādo gāmagato vā araññagato vā, ṭhānabahulo vā assa nisajjabahulo vā na taṁ kiṭṭhaṁ puna otareyya—\ntameva purimaṁ daṇḍasamphassaṁ samanussaranto.\nEvameva kho, bhikkhave, yato kho bhikkhuno chasu phassāyatanesu cittaṁ udujitaṁ hoti sudujitaṁ, ajjhattameva santiṭṭhati, sannisīdati, ekodi hoti, samādhiyati.","en":"Suppose the crops have ripened, and the caretaker is diligent. If an ox fond of crops invades the crops\nthe caretaker would grab them firmly by the muzzle.\nThen they’d grab them above the hump and hold them fast there.\nThen they’d give them a good thrashing\nbefore driving them away.\nFor a second time,\nand even a third time, the same thing might happen.\nAs a result, no matter how often they might stand or sit in a village or wilderness, that ox fond of crops would never invade that crop again,\nremembering the beating they got earlier.\nIn the same way, when a mendicant’s mind is straightened up, well straightened up when it comes to the six fields of contact, becomes stilled internally; it settles, unifies, and becomes immersed in samādhi."}},{"id":"sn35.246:4","sourceIds":["sn35.246:4.1","sn35.246:4.2","sn35.246:4.3","sn35.246:4.4","sn35.246:4.5","sn35.246:4.6","sn35.246:4.7","sn35.246:4.8","sn35.246:4.9","sn35.246:4.10","sn35.246:4.11","sn35.246:4.12","sn35.246:4.13","sn35.246:4.14","sn35.246:4.15","sn35.246:4.16","sn35.246:4.17","sn35.246:4.18","sn35.246:4.19","sn35.246:4.20","sn35.246:4.21","sn35.246:4.22","sn35.246:4.23","sn35.246:4.24","sn35.246:4.25","sn35.246:4.26","sn35.246:4.27","sn35.246:4.28","sn35.246:4.29","sn35.246:4.30"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, rañño vā rājamahāmattassa vā vīṇāya saddo assutapubbo assa.\nSo vīṇāsaddaṁ suṇeyya.\nSo evaṁ vadeyya:\n‘ambho, kassa nu kho eso saddo evaṁrajanīyo evaṅkamanīyo evaṁmadanīyo evaṁmucchanīyo evambandhanīyo’ti?\nTamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyyuṁ:\n‘esā, kho, bhante, vīṇā nāma, yassā eso saddo evaṁrajanīyo evaṅkamanīyo evaṁmadanīyo evaṁmucchanīyo evambandhanīyo’ti.\nSo evaṁ vadeyya:\n‘gacchatha me, bho, taṁ vīṇaṁ āharathā’ti.\nTassa taṁ vīṇaṁ āhareyyuṁ.\nTamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyyuṁ:\n‘ayaṁ kho sā, bhante, vīṇā yassā eso saddo evaṁrajanīyo evaṅkamanīyo evaṁmadanīyo evaṁmucchanīyo evambandhanīyo’ti.\nSo evaṁ vadeyya:\n‘alaṁ me, bho, tāya vīṇāya, tameva me saddaṁ āharathā’ti.\nTamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyyuṁ:\n‘ayaṁ kho, bhante, vīṇā nāma anekasambhārā mahāsambhārā.\nAnekehi sambhārehi samāraddhā vadati, seyyathidaṁ—\ndoṇiñca paṭicca cammañca paṭicca daṇḍañca paṭicca upadhāraṇe ca paṭicca tantiyo ca paṭicca koṇañca paṭicca purisassa ca tajjaṁ vāyāmaṁ paṭicca evāyaṁ, bhante, vīṇā nāma anekasambhārā mahāsambhārā.\nAnekehi sambhārehi samāraddhā vadatī’ti.\nSo taṁ vīṇaṁ dasadhā vā satadhā vā phāleyya, dasadhā vā satadhā vā taṁ phāletvā sakalikaṁ sakalikaṁ kareyya.\nSakalikaṁ sakalikaṁ karitvā agginā ḍaheyya, agginā ḍahitvā masiṁ kareyya.\nMasiṁ karitvā mahāvāte vā ophuneyya, nadiyā vā sīghasotāya pavāheyya.\nSo evaṁ vadeyya:\n‘asatī kirāyaṁ, bho, vīṇā nāma, yathevaṁ yaṁ kiñci vīṇā nāma ettha ca panāyaṁ jano ativelaṁ pamatto palaḷito’ti.\nEvameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu rūpaṁ samanvesati yāvatā rūpassa gati, vedanaṁ samanvesati yāvatā vedanāya gati, saññaṁ samanvesati yāvatā saññāya gati, saṅkhāre samanvesati yāvatā saṅkhārānaṁ gati, viññāṇaṁ samanvesati yāvatā viññāṇassa gati.\nTassa rūpaṁ samanvesato yāvatā rūpassa gati, vedanaṁ samanvesato …pe…\nsaññaṁ …\nsaṅkhāre …\nviññāṇaṁ samanvesato yāvatā viññāṇassa gati.\nYampissa taṁ hoti ahanti vā mamanti vā asmīti vā tampi tassa na hotī”ti.\nNavamaṁ.","en":"Suppose a king or their chief minister had never heard the sound of an arched harp.\nWhen he first hears the sound,\nhe’d say,\n‘Oh my, what is making this sound, so arousing, sensuous, intoxicating, infatuating, and captivating?’\nThey’d say to him,\n‘That, sir, is an arched harp.’\nHe’d say,\n‘Go, worthy sir, fetch me that arched harp.’\nSo they’d fetch it\nand say,\n‘This, sir, is that arched harp.’\nHe’d say,\n‘I’ve had enough of that arched harp! Just fetch me the sound.’\nThey’d say,\n‘Sir, this arched harp is made of many components assembled together,\nwhich make a sound when they’re played. That is,\nit depends on the soundbox, the leather resonator, the neck, the tuning cords, the strings, the plectrum, and a person to play it properly. That’s how an arched harp is made of many components assembled together,\nwhich make a sound when they’re played.’\nBut he’d split that harp into ten pieces or a hundred pieces, then splinter it up.\nHe’d burn the splinters with fire, and reduce them to ashes.\nThen he’d whisk away the ashes in a strong wind, or glide them down a swift stream.\nThen he’d say,\n‘It seems that there’s nothing to this thing called an arched harp or whatever’s called an arched harp! But people waste their time with it, negligent and heedless!’\nIn the same way, a mendicant searches for form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness anywhere they might be reborn.\nAs they search in this way,\ntheir ideas of ‘I’ or ‘mine’ or ‘I am’ are no more.”"}}]}],"sourceRevision":"afdafa92450cfe7573b280da50382888323666d2","sourceUrl":"https://suttacentral.net/sn35.246/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."}