English
when the external element of wind flares up. It burns villages It carries villages, it carries towns, it carries cities, it carries districts, it carries regions of districts. There comes a time, friends, in the last month of summer, when people seek wind with a palm-leaf fan and with a whisk, and they do not want grass even for thatch. Of that external wind element, so mighty, impermanence will be discerned, the nature of decay will be discerned, the nature of passing away will be discerned, the nature of change will be discerned. What then of this small body, grasped by craving, that one should think, 'I am' or 'mine' or 'I exist'? Indeed, it is not so. If, friends, others revile, abuse, anger, and harass that monk, he understands thus: "This painful feeling born of contact with sound has arisen in me. And it is dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on contact." He sees that contact is impermanent, he sees that feeling is impermanent, he sees that perception is impermanent, he sees that formations are impermanent, he sees that consciousness is impermanent. His mind then leaps into, is calmed by, stands firm in, and is liberated by the element of space. If, friends, others treat that monk with disagreeable, unpleasant, displeasing things, with contact of hand, with contact of clod, with contact of stick, with contact of knife, he understands thus: "Such is this body, in such a body contact of hand occurs, contact of clod occurs, contact of stick occurs, contact of knife occurs. And it was said by the Blessed One in the Simile of the Saw: 'Even if, monks, bandits and rogues were to saw off your limbs with a two-handled saw, whoever there would defile his mind, he would not be one who carries out my teaching.' My energy will be aroused, not slack; mindfulness will be established, not confused; the body will be calm, not agitated; the mind will be concentrated, one-pointed. Let now, in this body, contact of hand Let them come, Let even clod-touches come, Let even stick-touches come, Let even weapon-touches come. For this is the teaching of the Buddhas. If, friends, for a monk thus recollecting the Buddha, thus recollecting the Dhamma, thus recollecting the Saṅgha, equanimity based on wholesome states does not become established, he is thereby agitated, he enters into a sense of urgency: ‘Alas, my loss! Not my gain! Alas, my ill-gotten gain! Not my well-gotten gain! For whom, thus recollecting the Buddha, thus recollecting the Dhamma, thus recollecting the Saṅgha, equanimity based on wholesome states does not become established!’ Just as, friends, a daughter-in-law, seeing her father-in-law, is agitated, enters into a sense of urgency; even so, friends, if for that monk thus recollecting the Buddha, thus recollecting the Dhamma, thus recollecting the Saṅgha, equanimity based on wholesome states does not become established, he is thereby agitated, he enters into a sense of urgency: ‘Alas, my loss! Not my gain! Alas, my ill-gotten gain! Not my well-gotten gain! For whom, thus recollecting the Buddha, thus recollecting the Dhamma, thus recollecting the Saṅgha, equanimity based on wholesome states does not become established!’ But if, friends, for that monk thus recollecting the Buddha, thus recollecting the Dhamma, thus recollecting the Saṅgha, equanimity based on wholesome states becomes established, he is thereby gladdened. Even by this much, friends, much is done for the monk. 306. Just as, friends, space enclosed, dependent on wood, dependent on creepers, dependent on grass, dependent on clay, is reckoned as a house; even so, friends, space enclosed, dependent on bones, dependent on sinews, dependent on flesh, dependent on skin, is reckoned as a form. If, friends, the internal eye is intact, but external forms do not come into its range, and there is no corresponding attention, then there is not yet a corresponding part of consciousness... An appearance occurs. And, friend, the internal eye is unimpaired, and external forms come into range, but there is no corresponding attention, then there is not yet the appearance of that corresponding consciousness-part. But when, friend, the internal eye is unimpaired, and external forms come into range, and there is corresponding attention. Thus there is the appearance of that corresponding consciousness-part. Whatever form is like that, that goes into the aggregate of clinging to form. Whatever feeling is like that, that goes into the aggregate of clinging to feeling. Whatever perception is like that, that goes into the aggregate of clinging to perception. Whatever volitional formations are like that, those go into the aggregate of clinging to volitional formations. Whatever consciousness is like that, that goes into the aggregate of clinging to consciousness. He thus understands: 'Indeed, this is how there is the collection, convergence, and coming together of these five aggregates of clinging. And this was said by the Blessed One: 'Whoever sees dependent origination sees the Dhamma; whoever sees the Dhamma sees dependent origination.' And these five aggregates of clinging are dependently originated. Whatever desire, attachment, inclination, and clinging there is in these five aggregates of clinging, that is the origin of suffering. Whatever removal of desire and lust, abandonment of desire and lust there is in these five aggregates of clinging, that is the cessation of suffering.' To this extent, friend, much has been done by the bhikkhu. And, friend, the internal ear is unimpaired... the nose is unimpaired... the tongue is unimpaired... the body is unimpaired... the mind is unimpaired, and external phenomena do not come into range, and there is no corresponding attention, then there is not yet the appearance of that corresponding consciousness-part. And, friend, the internal mind is unimpaired, and external phenomena do not come into range, and there is no corresponding attention, then the corresponding part of consciousness does not appear. But when, friends, the internal mind is unimpaired, and external phenomena come into range, and there is corresponding attention, then the corresponding part of consciousness appears. Whatever form there is of such a one, that is included in the aggregate of clinging to form. Whatever feeling there is of such a one, that is included in the aggregate of clinging to feeling. Whatever perception there is of such a one, that is included in the aggregate of clinging to perception. Whatever formations there are of such a one, those are included in the aggregate of clinging to formations. Whatever consciousness there is of such a one, that is included in the aggregate of clinging to consciousness. He understands thus: ‘Indeed, this is the inclusion, the coming together, the convergence of these five aggregates of clinging. And this was said by the Blessed One: ‘‘Whoever sees dependent origination sees the Dhamma; whoever sees the Dhamma sees dependent origination.’’ And these five aggregates of clinging are dependently originated. Whatever desire, attachment, inclination, or adherence there is to these five aggregates of clinging, that is the origin of suffering. Whatever removal of desire and lust, abandonment of desire and lust there is for these five aggregates of clinging, that is the cessation of suffering.’ To this extent, friends, a bhikkhu has done much.’ Venerable Sāriputta said this. Those bhikkhus were delighted and rejoiced in Venerable Sāriputta’s words. The Great Discourse on the Simile of the Elephant’s Footprint, the eighth, is finished. 9. The Great Discourse on the Simile of the Heartwood 307. Thus have I heard: On one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Rājagaha, on Vulture Peak, not long after Devadatta had departed. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus concerning Devadatta: ‘‘Here, bhikkhus, some young man of good family, out of faith, goes forth from the home life into homelessness, thinking: ‘I am overwhelmed by birth, old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain... with sorrows, with lamentations, with pains, with displeasures, with despairs, overwhelmed by suffering, overcome by suffering, oh, that an end to this entire mass of suffering might be discerned! Having thus gone forth, he generates gain, honor, and renown. He is pleased with that gain, honor, and renown, his aspiration fulfilled. With that gain, honor, and renown, he extols himself and disparages others: 'I am one with gain, honor, and renown; these other monks are unknown, of little influence.' With that gain, honor, and renown, he becomes intoxicated, heedless, falls into heedlessness, and being heedless, he dwells in suffering. Just as, monks, a man in search of heartwood, seeking heartwood, looking for heartwood, from a great standing tree with heartwood, would pass over the heartwood, pass over the sapwood, pass over the inner bark, pass over the outer bark, and cutting off the branches and leaves, would take them away, thinking 'this is heartwood.' A sharp-eyed man seeing him would say this: 'Indeed, this good man did not know the heartwood, did not know the sapwood, did not know the inner bark, did not know the outer bark, did not know the branches and leaves. Just so, this good man, in search of heartwood, seeking heartwood, looking for heartwood, from a great standing tree with heartwood, would pass over the heartwood, pass over the sapwood, pass over the inner bark, pass over the outer bark, and cutting off the branches and leaves, would take them away, thinking 'this is heartwood.' And whatever is to be done with heartwood, that purpose he will not experience.' Even so, monks, here some young man of good family, out of faith, goes forth from the home life into homelessness, thinking: 'I am overwhelmed by birth, by old age, by death, by sorrows, by lamentations, by pains, by displeasures, by despairs, overwhelmed by suffering, overcome by suffering,