Majjhima Nikāya
1. Mūla-Paṇṇāsa
3. Tatiya Vagga

The Middle Length Sayings
I. The First Fifty Discourses
3. The Third Division

Sutta 23

Vammīka Suttaɱ

Translated from the Pali by I.B. Horner, O.B.E., M.A.
Associate of Newham College, Cambridge
First Published in 1954

Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved

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[183]

[1][chlm][upal][swe[olds] Thus have I heard:

At one time the Lord was staying near Sāvatthi
in the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Now at that time the vellerable Kassapa the Boy^[1]
was staying in the Blind Men’s Grove.

Then, when the night was far spent^[2]
a certain deva^[3] with a glorious skin,^[4]
having illuminated the whole of the Blind Men’s Grove,
approached the venerable Kassapa the Boy;
and having approached
stood at one side.

While standing at one side
this deva spoke thus
to the venerable Kassapa the Boy:

[2][upal][swe[olds] “Monk, monk,^[5]
this ant-hill smokes by night,
blazes up by day.

A brahman speaks thus:

‘Bringing a tool, clever one,
dig it up.’

The clever one,
digging when he had brought a tool
saw a bolt and said:

‘A bolt, revered one.’

The brahman spoke thus:

‘Take out the bolt,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool’

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought a tool,
saw a frog,^[6]
and said:

‘A frog, revered one.’

The brahman spoke thus:

‘Take out the frog,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool.’

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought a tool,
saw a forked path,
and said:

‘A forked path, revered one.’

The brahman spoke thus:

‘Take out the forked path,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool.’

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought [184] a tool,
saw a strainer,^[7]
and said:

‘A strainer, revered one.’

The brahman spoke thus:

‘Take out the strainer,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool.’

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought a tool,
saw a tortoise,
and said:

‘A tortoise, revered one.’

The brahman spoke thus:

‘Take out the tortoise,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool.’

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought a tool,
saw a slaughter-house,^[8]
and said:

‘A slaughter-house, revered one.’

The brahman spoke thus:

‘Take out the slaughter-house,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool.’

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought a tool,
saw a piece of flesh,
and said:

‘A piece of flesh, revered one.’

The brahman spoke thus:

‘Take out the piece of flesh,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool.’

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought a tool,
saw a cobra,^[9]
and said:

‘A cobra, revered one.’

The brahman spoke thus:

‘Let the cobra be,
do not touch the cobra,
do reverence to the cobra.’

[3][upal][swe[olds] If you, monk,
having approached the Lord,
were to ask him about these questions,
then you could remember
as the Lord explains to you.

I, monk,
do not see anyone in the world
with its devas,
with its Māras,
with its Brahmās,
in creation,
with its recluses and brahmans,
its devas and men,
who could turn his mind
to expounding these questions
except a Tathāgata
or a Tathāgata’s disciple
or one who has heard (the teaching) from them.”

Thus spoke that deva;
and vanished then and there,
having said this.

[4][upal][swe[olds] Then the venerable Kassapa the Boy
approached the Lord
towards the end of that night;
having approached,
having greeted the Lord,
he sat down at a respectful distance.

As he was sitting down at a respectful distance,
the venerable Kassapa the Boy
spoke thus to the Lord:

“During this night, Lord,
when the night was far spent,
a certain deva
with a glorious skin,
having illumined the whole of the Blind Men’s Grove,
approached me;
and having approached,
stood at one side.

While standing to one side, Lord,
that deva spoke thus to me:

‘Monk, monk, this ant-hill smokes by night,
blazes up by day.

A brahman speaks thus:

“Bringing a tool, clever one,
dig it [185] up.”

The clever one,
digging when he had brought a tool
saw a bolt and said:

“A bolt, revered one.”

The brahman spoke thus:

“Take out the bolt,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool”

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought a tool,
saw a frog, and said:

“A frog, revered one.”

The brahman spoke thus:

“Take out the frog,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool.”

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought a tool,
saw a forked path,
and said:

“A forked path, revered one.”

The brahman spoke thus:

“Take out the forked path,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool.”

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought a tool,
saw a strainer,
and said:

“A strainer, revered one.”

The brahman spoke thus:

“Take out the strainer,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool.”

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought a tool,
saw a tortoise,
and said:

“A tortoise, revered one.”

The brahman spoke thus:

“Take out the tortoise,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool.”

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought a tool,
saw a slaughter-house,
and said:

“A slaughter-house, revered one.”

The brahman spoke thus:

“Take out the slaughter-house,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool.”

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought a tool,
saw a piece of flesh,
and said:

“A piece of flesh, revered one.”

The brahman spoke thus:

“Take out the piece of flesh,
dig on, clever one,
bringing a tool.”

The clever one,
digging on when he had brought a tool,
saw a cobra,
and said:

“A cobra, revered one.”

The brahman spoke thus:

“Let the cobra be,
do not touch the cobra,
do reverence to the cobra.”

If you, monk,
having approached the Lord,
were to ask him about these questions,
then you could remember
as the Lord explains to you.

I, monk, do not see anyone in the world
with its devas,
with its Māras,
with its Brahmās,
in creation,
with its recluses and brahmans,
its devas and men,
who could turn his mind
to expounding these questions
except a Tathāgata
or a Tathāgata’s disciple
or one who has heard (the teaching) from them.’

This is what the deva said, Lord,
and vanished then and there,
having said this.

[5][upal][swe[olds] Now what, Lord is the anthill,
what is smoking by night,
what is blazing up by day,
who is the brahman,
who the clever one,
what is the tool,
what the digging up,
what the bolt,
what the frog,
what the forked path,
what the strainer,
what the tortoise,
what the slaughterhouse,
what the piece of flesh,
what the cobra?”

[6][upal][swe[olds] “The anthill, monk,
this is a synonym for the body
made of the four great elements,
originated from mother and father,
nourished on gruel and sour milk,
of a nature to be constantly
rubbed away,
pounded away,
broken up
and scattered.^[10]

Whatever, monk, one thinks upon
and ponders upon
during the night
concerning the day’s affairs,
this is smoking by night.

Whatever affairs, monk,
one sets going by day,
whether by body,
speech
or thought,
having pondered
and reflected upon them
during the night,
this is blazing up by day.

‘Brahman’,^[11] monk,
this is a synonym for the Tathāgata,
perfected one,
fully self-awakened one.

‘Clever one’, monk,
this is a synonym for a monk who is a learner.^[12]

‘The tool’, monk,
this is a synonym for the Ariyan intuitive wisdom.

‘Digging’, monk,
this is a synonym for the output of energy.^[13]

‘The bolt’, monk,
this is a synonym for ignorance.

Take out the bolt,
get rid of ignorance,
dig, clever one,
bringing a tool.

This is the meaning of that.

‘The frog’, monk,
this is a synonym for the turbulence of wrath.

Take out the frog,
get rid of the turbulence of wrath,
dig, clever one,
bringing a tool.

This is the meaning of that.

‘The forked path’, monk,
this is a synonym for perplexity.

Take out the forked path,
get rid of perplexity,
dig, clever one,
bringing a tool.

This is the meaning of that.

‘The strainer’, monk,
this is a synonym for the five hindrances:

for the hindrance of desire for sense-pleasures,
for the hindrance of malevolence,
for the hindrance of sloth and torpor,
for the hindrance of restlessness and worry,
for the hindrance of perplexity.

Take out the strainer,
get rid of the five hindrances,
dig, clever one,
bringing a tool.

This is the meaning of that.

[186] ‘The tortoise’, monk,
this is a synonym for the five grasping groups,^[14] that is to say:

for the group of grasping after material shape,
for the group of grasping after feeling,
for the group of grasping after perception,
for the group of grasping after the habitual tendencies,
for the group of grasping after consciousness.

Take out the tortoise,
get rid of the five grasping groups,
dig, clever one,
bringing a tool.

This is the meaning of that.

‘The slaughter-house’, monk,
this is a synonym for the five strands of sense-pleasures:

for material shapes cognisable by the eye,
agreeable, pleasant, liked, enticing,
connected with sensual pleasures, alluring;

for sounds cognisable by the ear
agreeable, pleasant, liked, enticing,
connected with sensual pleasures, alluring;

for smells cognisable by the nose
agreeable, pleasant, liked, enticing,
connected with sensual pleasures, alluring;

for savours cognisable by the tongue
agreeable, pleasant, liked, enticing,
connected with sensual pleasures, alluring;

for touches cognisable by the body,
agreeable, pleasant, liked, enticing,
connected with sensual pleasures, [145] alluring.

Take out the slaughter-house,
get rid of the five strands of sense-pleasures,
dig, clever one,
bringing a tool.

This is the meaning of that.

‘The piece of flesh’, monk,
this is a synonym for the passion of delight.

Take out the piece of flesh,
get rid of the passion of delight,
dig, clever one,
bringing a tool.

This is the meaning of that.

‘The cobra’, monk,
this is a synonym for a monk
whose cankers are destroyed.^[15]

Let the cobra be,
do not touch the cobra,
do reverence to the cobra.

This is the meaning of that.”

Thus spoke the Lord.

Delighted the venerable Kassapa the Boy
rejoiced in what the Lord had said.

The Discourse on the Ant-hill

^[1] This is Kumāra-Kassapa, so called even when he was grown up, MA. ii. 120. He lived in Blind Men’s Grove fulfilling the course for learners, MA. ii. 124. He took this sutta as the subject of his meditations and so developed insight and won arahantship, MA. ii. 134. He was therefore not an arahant at the time when it was delivered.

^[2] This is the meaning attributed to abhikkantāya by MA. ii. 124 — the meaning of “waning” as against its other meaning of “lovely,” “beautiful” and “wonderful” (in the sense of assenting).

^[3] MA. ii. 124: “devatā” is the common (general or joint) appellation of devas, and daughters of devas. Here it means a deva.” Cf. SA. ii. 14, which says here it means devaputta.

^[4] abhikkantavaṇṇā. MA. ii. 125 says abhikkanta is here in its sense of “beautiful,” abhirūpa; and among seven meanings attributed to vaṇṇa, the first, that of “skin,” chavi, is meant.

^[5] The deva and Kassapa had been two of five friends in the time of the Buddha Kassapa. Therefore the deva did not greet him, MA. ii. 126.

^[6] uddhumāyikā = maṇḍūka, MA. ii. 128.

^[7] caṅgavāra, explained at MA. ii. 128 as khāraparissāvanna, strainer for potash? Cf. cangavāraka at Miln. 365, translated as “dyers’ straining cloth”; and Jā. v. 186, translated as “sieve.” Jā. Comy. says “as water placed in a dyers’ khāracaṅgavāra quickly runs out.” Neumann’s translation. Majjh., I 239, gives Geflecht, basket-work. Chalmers has “strainer.”

^[8] MA. ii. 128 say a large knife for cutting up meat as well as a block.

^[9] nāga.

^[10] This description of the body occurs also at M. i. 500, ii. 17; S. iv. 83; D. i. 76.

^[11] Cf. definition of brahman at A. iv. 144, quoted at MA. ii. 130.

^[12] Cf. definition of sikkhati … sikkhati … sekho at A. i. 231, quoted at MA. ii. 131.

^[13] MA. ii. 131, of bodily and mental energy.

^[14] MA. ii. 133 says that these are comparable to the four legs and the head of a tortoise.

^[15] See end of Sta. 5, where the two chief disciples are referred to as mahānāga.