Majjhima Nikaya - Latukikopama Sutta

MN 66
Latukikopama Sutta
The Quail Simile
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro BhikkhuPTS: M i 447



Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.



Copyright © 2003 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 2003
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish,
however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available
to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
other derivative works be clearly marked as such.



I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying among the
Anguttarapans at an Anguttarapan town named Apana. Then, early in the morning,
having put on his robes and carrying his outer robe & bowl, went into Apana for
alms. Having wandered for alms in Apana and returning from his alms round after
his meal, he went to a certain forest grove for the day's abiding. Plunging into
the grove, he sat down for his day's abiding at the root of a certain tree.
Ven. Udayin, too, early in the morning, having put on his robes and carrying his
outer robe & bowl, went into Apana for alms. Having wandered for alms in Apana
and returning from his alms round after his meal, he went to that forest grove
for the day's abiding. Plunging into the grove, he sat down for his day's
abiding at the root of a certain tree. Then, as he was alone in seclusion, this
train of thought arose in his awareness: "So many painful things has the Blessed
One taken away from us! So many pleasant things has he brought us! So many
unskillful qualities has the Blessed One taken away from us! So many skillful
qualities has he brought us!"
Then, in the evening, Ven. Udayin left seclusion and went to the Blessed One. On
arrival, having bowed down to him, he sat to one side. As he was sitting there
he said to the Blessed One: "Just now, lord, as I was alone in seclusion, this
train of thought arose in my awareness: 'So many painful things has the Blessed
One taken away from us! So many pleasant things has he brought us! So many
unskillful qualities has the Blessed One taken away from us! So many skillful
qualities has he brought us!' For in the past, lord, we used to eat in the
morning, in the evening, and in the day at the wrong time (the afternoon). Then
there was the time when the Blessed One addressed the monks, saying, 'Monks,
please discontinue that daytime meal at the wrong time.' 1 At the time I was
upset, at the time I was sad, [thinking], 'The exquisite staple & non-staple
foods that faithful householders give us during the day at the wrong time: even
those the Blessed One has us abandon; even those the One Well-gone has us
relinquish!' But, out of consideration for our love & respect for the Blessed
One, out of consideration for shame & fear of wrongdoing, we abandoned that
daytime meal at the wrong time.
"So we ate both in the evening & in the morning. Then there was the time when
the Blessed One addressed the monks, saying, 'Monks, please discontinue that
evening meal at the wrong time.' At the time I was upset, at the time I was sad,
[thinking], 'The more exquisitely prepared of our two meals: even that the
Blessed One has us abandon; even that the One Well-gone has us relinquish! It
has happened, lord, that a man — obtaining some good curry ingredients during
the day — would say to his wife, 'Put this aside and we'll all eat it together
in the evening.' All fine cooking is done in the evening, and next to none
during the day. But, out of consideration for our love & respect for the Blessed
One, out of consideration for shame & fear of wrongdoing, we abandoned that
evening meal at the wrong time.
"It has happened, lord, that monks wandering for alms in the pitch dark of the
night have walked into a waste-water pool, fallen into a cesspool, stumbled over
a thorn patch, or stumbled over a sleeping cow. They have encountered young
hooligans on the way to or from a crime. They have been sexually propositioned
by women. Once I went for alms in the pitch dark of night. A woman washing a pot
saw me by a lightning flash and, on seeing me, screamed out: 'I'm done for! A
demon is after me!' When this was said, I said to her, 'I'm no demon, sister.
I'm a monk waiting for alms.' 'Then you're a monk whose daddy's dead and whose
momma's dead. Better for you, monk, that your belly be slit open with a sharp
butcher's knife than this prowling for alms for your belly's sake in the pitch
dark of night!" On recollecting that, lord, the thought occurred to me: 'So many
painful things has the Blessed One taken away from us! So many pleasant things
has he brought us! So many unskillful qualities has the Blessed One taken away
from us! So many skillful qualities has he brought us!'"
"In the same way, Udayin, there are some worthless men who, when I tell them,
'Abandon this,' say: 'Why this petty, elementary thing? He's too much of a
stickler, this contemplative.' They don't abandon it. They're rude to me and to
the monks keen on training. For them that's a strong snare, a thick snare, a
heavy snare, an unrotting snare, and a thick yoke.
" Suppose a quail were snared by a rotting creeper, by which it could expect
injury, capture, or death, and someone were to say, 'This rotting creeper by
which this quail is snared, and by which she could expect injury, capture, or
death, is for her a weak snare, a feeble snare, a rotting snare, an
insubstantial snare.' Would the person speaking that way be speaking rightly?"
"No, lord. That rotting creeper... is for her a strong snare, a thick snare, a
heavy snare, an unrotting snare, and a thick yoke.
"In the same way, Udayin, there are some worthless men who, when I tell them,
'Abandon this,' say: 'Why this petty, elementary thing? He's too much of a
stickler, this contemplative.' They don't abandon it. They're rude to me and to
the monks keen on training. For them that's a strong snare, a thick snare, a
heavy snare, an unrotting snare, and a thick yoke.
"Now there are some clansmen who, when I tell them, 'Abandon this,' say: 'Why
does the Blessed One have us abandon this? Why does the One Well-gone have us
relinquish this petty, elementary thing?' But they abandon it and are not rude
to me or to the monks keen on training. Having abandoned it, they live
unconcerned, unruffled, their wants satisfied, with their mind like a wild deer.
For them that's a weak snare, a feeble snare, a rotting snare, an insubstantial
snare.
" Suppose a royal elephant — immense, pedigreed, accustomed to battles, its
tusks like chariot poles — were snared with thick leather snares, but by
twisting its body a bit it could break & burst those snares and go off wherever
it liked. And suppose someone were to say, 'Those thick leather snares by which
the royal elephant... was snared, but which — by twisting its body a bit — it
could break & burst and go off wherever it liked: for him they were a strong
snare, a thick snare, a heavy snare, an unrotting snare, and a thick yoke.'
Would the person speaking that way be speaking rightly?'
"No, lord. Those thick leather snares... were for him a weak snare, a feeble
snare, a rotting snare, an insubstantial snare."
"In the same way, Udayin, there are some clansmen who, when I tell them,
'Abandon this,' say: 'Why does the Blessed One have us abandon this? Why does
the One Well-gone have us relinquish this petty, elementary thing?' But they
abandon it and are not rude to me or to the monks keen on training. Having
abandoned it, they live unconcerned, unruffled, their wants satisfied, with
their mind like a wild deer. For them that's a weak snare, a feeble snare, a
rotting snare, an insubstantial snare.
" Suppose there were a poor person, penniless & indigent, with a single little
shack — dilapidated, open to the crows, not the best sort; and a single bed —
dilapidated, not the best sort; and a single pot of rice & gourd seeds — not the
best sort; and a single wife — not the best sort. He would go to a park and see
a monk — his hands & feet washed after a delightful meal, sitting in the cool
shade, committed to the heightened mind. The thought would occur to him: 'How
happy the contemplative state! How free of disease the contemplative state! O
that I — shaving off my hair & beard and donning the ochre robe — might go forth
from the household life into homelessness!' But being unable to abandon his
single little shack — dilapidated, open to the crows, not the best sort; his
single bed — dilapidated, not the best sort; his single pot of rice & gourd
seeds — not the best sort; and his single wife — not the best sort — he wouldn't
be able to shave off his hair & beard, to don the ochre robe, or to go forth
from the household life into homelessness. And suppose someone were to say,
'That single little shack... that single bed... that single pot... and that
single wife — not the best sort — by which that man was snared, which he was
unable to abandon, and because of which he couldn't shave off his hair & beard,
don the ochre robe, and go forth from the household life into homelessness: for
him they were a weak snare, a feeble snare, a rotting snare, an insubstantial
snare.' Would the person speaking that way be speaking rightly?"
"No, lord. That single hut... that single bed... that single pot... that single
wife... were for that man a strong snare, a thick snare, a heavy snare, an
unrotting snare, and a thick yoke."
"In the same way, Udayin, there are some worthless men who, when I tell them,
'Abandon this,' say: 'Why this petty, elementary thing? He's too much of a
stickler, this contemplative.' They don't abandon it. They're rude to me and to
the monks keen on training. For them that's a strong snare, a thick snare, a
heavy snare, an unrotting snare, and a thick yoke.
"Now suppose, Udayin, that there were a householder or householder's son — rich,
prosperous, & wealthy — with vast amounts of gold ingots, vast amounts of grain,
a vast number of fields, a vast amount of land, a vast number of wives, and a
vast number of male & female slaves. He would go to a park and see a monk — his
hands & feet washed after a delightful meal, sitting in the cool shade,
committed to the heightened mind. The thought would occur to him: 'How happy the
contemplative state! How free of disease the contemplative state! O that I —
shaving off my hair & beard and donning the ochre robe — might go forth from the
household life into homelessness!' And being able to abandon his vast amounts of
gold ingots, his vast amounts of grain, his vast number of fields, his vast
amount of land, his vast number of wives, and his vast number of male & female
slaves, he would be able to shave off his hair & beard, to don the ochre robe,
and to go forth from the household life into homelessness. Now suppose someone
were to say, 'Those vast amounts of gold ingots... and a vast number of male &
female slaves by which that householder or householder's son was snared but
which he was able to abandon so that he could shave off his hair & beard, don
the ochre robe, and go forth from the household life into homelessness: for him
they were a strong snare, a thick snare, a heavy snare, an unrotting snare, and
a thick yoke.' Would the person speaking that way be speaking rightly?"
"No, lord. Those vast amounts of gold ingots... were for him a weak snare, a
feeble snare, a rotting snare, an insubstantial snare.'
"In the same way, Udayin, there are some clansmen who, when I tell them,
'Abandon this,' say: 'Why does the Blessed One have us abandon this? Why does
the One Well-gone have us relinquish this petty, elementary thing?' But they
abandon it and are not rude to me or to the monks keen on training. Having
abandoned it, they live unconcerned, unruffled, their wants satisfied, with
their mind like a wild deer. For them that's a weak snare, a feeble snare, a
rotting snare, an insubstantial snare.
"Udayin, there are these four types of people to be found existing in the world.
Which four? There is the case where a certain person is practicing for the
abandoning & relinquishing of acquisitions. As he is practicing for the
abandoning & relinquishing of acquisitions, memories & resolves associated with
acquisitions assail him. He acquiesces to them. He does not abandon them,
destroy them, dispel them, or wipe them out of existence. I tell you, Udayin,
that this sort of person is fettered, not unfettered. Why is that? Because I
have known the diversity of faculties with regard to this type of person.
"Then there is the case where a certain person is practicing for the abandoning
& relinquishing of acquisitions. As he is practicing for the abandoning &
relinquishing of acquisitions, memories & resolves associated with acquisitions
assail him. He does not acquiesce to them. He abandons them, destroys them,
dispels them, & wipes them out of existence. I tell you, Udayin, that this sort
of person is fettered, not unfettered. Why is that? Because I have known the
diversity of faculties with regard to this type of person.
"Then there is the case where a certain person is practicing for the abandoning
& relinquishing of acquisitions. As he is practicing for the abandoning &
relinquishing of acquisitions, then — from time to time, owing to lapses in
mindfulness — he is assailed by memories & resolves associated with
acquisitions. Slow is the arising of his mindfulness, but then he quickly
abandons [those memories & resolves], destroys them, dispels them, & wipes them
out of existence. Just as when two or three drops of water fall onto an iron pan
heated all day: Slow is the falling of the drops of water, but they quickly
vanish & disappear. In the same way, there is the case where a certain person is
practicing for the abandoning & relinquishing of acquisitions. As he is
practicing for the abandoning & relinquishing of acquisitions, then — from time
to time, owing to lapses in mindfulness — he is assailed by memories & resolves
associated with acquisitions. Slow is the arising of his mindfulness, but then
he quickly abandons [those memories & resolves], destroys them, dispels them, &
wipes them out of existence. I tell you, Udayin, that this sort of person is
fettered, not unfettered. Why is that? Because I have known the diversity of
faculties with regard to this type of person.
"Then there is the case where a certain person, realizing that acquisitions are
the root of suffering & stress, is without acquisitions, released in the ending
of acquisitions. I tell you, Udayin, that this sort of person is unfettered, not
fettered. Why is that? Because I have known the diversity of faculties with
regard to this type of person.
"There are these four types of people to be found existing in the world.
"And, Udayin, there are these five strings of sensuality. Which five? Forms
cognizable via the eye — agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering
desire, enticing. Sounds cognizable via the ear... Aromas cognizable via the
nose... Flavors cognizable via the tongue... Tactile sensations cognizable via
the body — agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering desire, enticing.
These are the five strings of sensuality. Now, any pleasure & happiness that
arises dependent on these five strings of sensuality is called sensual pleasure,
a filthy pleasure, a run-of-the-mill pleasure, an ignoble pleasure. And of this
pleasure I say that it is not to be cultivated, not to be developed, not to be
pursued, that it is to be feared.
"Now, there is the case where a monk — quite withdrawn from sensuality,
withdrawn from unskillful mental qualities — enters & remains in the first
jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought
& evaluation. With the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he enters &
remains in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of concentration,
unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation — internal
assurance. With the fading of rapture, he remains in equanimity, is mindful &
alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters & remains in the third
jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a
pleasurable abiding.' With the abandoning of pleasure & pain — as with the
earlier disappearance of elation & distress — he enters & remains in the fourth
jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. This is
called renunciation-pleasure, seclusion-pleasure, calm-pleasure,
self-awakening-pleasure. And of this pleasure I say that it is to be cultivated,
to be developed, to be pursued, that it is not to be feared.
"Now, there is the case where a monk — quite withdrawn from sensuality,
withdrawn from unskillful mental qualities — enters & remains in the first
jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought
& evaluation. That, I tell you, comes under the perturbable. And what comes
under the perturbable there? The directed thoughts & evaluations that haven't
ceased there: that's what comes under the perturbable there.
"There is the case where a monk, with the stilling of directed thoughts &
evaluations, enters & remains in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of
concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation
— internal assurance. That, I tell you, comes under the perturbable. And what
comes under the perturbable there? The rapture-pleasure that hasn't ceased
there: that's what comes under the perturbable there.
"There is the case where a monk, with the fading of rapture, he remains in
equanimity, is mindful & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters &
remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous &
mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding.' That, I tell you, comes under the
perturbable. And what comes under the perturbable there? The equanimity-pleasure
that hasn't ceased there: that's what comes under the perturbable there.
"There is the case where a monk, with the abandoning of pleasure & pain — as
with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress — enters & remains in the
fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. Now
that, I tell you, comes under the imperturbable.2
"Now there is the case where a monk... enters & remains in the first jhana:
rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought &
evaluation. That, I tell you, isn't enough. Abandon it, I tell you. Transcend
it, I tell you. And what is its transcending?
"There is the case where a monk... enters & remains in the second jhana... That
is its transcending. But that, too, I tell you, isn't enough. Abandon it, I tell
you. Transcend it, I tell you. And what is its transcending?
"There is the case where a monk... enters & remains in the third jhana... That
is its transcending. But that, too, I tell you, isn't enough. Abandon it, I tell
you. Transcend it, I tell you. And what is its transcending?
"There is the case where a monk...enters & remains in the fourth jhana... That
is its transcending. But that, too, I tell you, isn't enough. Abandon it, I tell
you. Transcend it, I tell you. And what is its transcending?
"Then there is the case where a monk, with the complete transcending of
perceptions of [physical] form, with the disappearance of perceptions of
resistance, and not heeding perceptions of diversity, [perceiving,] 'Infinite
space,' enters & remains in the dimension of the infinitude of space. That is
its transcending. But that, too, I tell you, isn't enough. Abandon it, I tell
you. Transcend it, I tell you. And what is its transcending?
"Then there is the case where a monk, with the complete transcending of the
dimension of the infinitude of space, [perceiving,] 'Infinite consciousness,'
enters & remains in the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness. That is
its transcending. But that, too, I tell you, isn't enough. Abandon it, I tell
you. Transcend it, I tell you. And what is its transcending?
"Then there is the case where a monk, with the complete transcending of the
dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, [perceiving,] 'There is nothing,'
enters & remains in the dimension of nothingness. That is its transcending. But
that, too, I tell you, isn't enough. Abandon it, I tell you. Transcend it, I
tell you. And what is its transcending?
"Then there is the case where a monk, with the complete transcending of the
dimension of nothingness, enters & remains in the dimension of neither
perception nor non-perception. That is its transcending. But that, too, I tell
you, isn't enough. Abandon it, I tell you. Transcend it, I tell you. And what is
its transcending?
"There is the case where a monk, with the complete transcending of the dimension
of neither perception nor non-perception, enters & remains in the cessation of
perception & feeling. That is its transcending.
"Thus, Udayin, I speak even of the abandoning of the dimension of neither
perception nor non-perception. Do you see any fetter, large or small, of whose
abandoning I don't speak?"
"No, lord."
That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Ven. Udayin delighted in the
Blessed One's words.



Notes
1. Ven. Udayin's account here bears no relation to the origin story to Pacittiya
37, the rule that forbids monks from eating in the wrong time. For some reason,
the Commentary does not explain the discrepancy. Perhaps the events reported
here occurred before the incident, reported in the origin story, that convinced
the Buddha that a training rule had to be formulated to deal with this kind of
behavior. In other words, he started out by saying please; when that wasn't
effective, he laid down the training rule.
2. See the note to MN 106.