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Linked Discourses · SN 20.5

  • Linked Discourses 20.5Saṁyutta Nikāya 20.5
  • 1. Similes1. Opammavagga

A SpearSattisutta

At Sāvatthī.Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.

“Mendicants, suppose there was a sharp-pointed spear.“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, satti tiṇhaphalā. And a man came along and thought,Atha puriso āgaccheyya: ‘With my hand or fist I’ll fold this sharp spear over, crumple it, and bend it back!’‘ahaṁ imaṁ sattiṁ tiṇhaphalaṁ pāṇinā vā muṭṭhinā vā paṭileṇissāmi paṭikoṭṭissāmi paṭivaṭṭessāmī’ti.

What do you think, mendicants?Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, Is that man capable of doing so?”bhabbo nu kho so puriso amuṁ sattiṁ tiṇhaphalaṁ pāṇinā vā muṭṭhinā vā paṭileṇetuṁ paṭikoṭṭetuṁ paṭivaṭṭetun”ti?

“No, sir.“No hetaṁ, bhante”. Why not?“Taṁ kissa hetu”? Because it’s not easy to fold that sharp spear over, crumple it, and bend it back with the hand or fist.“Asu hi, bhante, satti tiṇhaphalā na sukarā pāṇinā vā muṭṭhinā vā paṭileṇetuṁ paṭikoṭṭetuṁ paṭivaṭṭetuṁ. That man will eventually get weary and frustrated.”Yāvadeva ca pana so puriso kilamathassa vighātassa bhāgī assā”ti.

“In the same way, suppose a mendicant has developed the heart’s release by love, has cultivated it, made it a vehicle and a basis, kept it up, consolidated it, and properly implemented it. Should any non-human think to overthrow their mind,“Evameva kho, bhikkhave, yassa kassaci bhikkhuno mettācetovimutti bhāvitā bahulīkatā yānīkatā vatthukatā anuṭṭhitā paricitā susamāraddhā, tassa ce amanusso cittaṁ khipitabbaṁ maññeyya; they’ll eventually get weary and frustrated.atha kho sveva amanusso kilamathassa vighātassa bhāgī assa.

So you should train like this:Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ: ‘We will develop the heart’s release by love. We’ll cultivate it, make it our vehicle and our basis, keep it up, consolidate it, and properly implement it.’‘mettā no cetovimutti bhāvitā bhavissati bahulīkatā yānīkatā vatthukatā anuṭṭhitā paricitā susamāraddhā’ti. That’s how you should train.”Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.

Similar passages elsewhere

Found by meaning, not by citation: the passages in other texts whose wording sits closest to a passage here.

  1. SN 20.4 Cauldrons 0.57near 0.1Linked Discourses 20.4 1. Similes Cauldrons At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, suppose one person was to give a gift of a hundred cauldrons of rice in the morning, at midday, and in the evening. And someone else was to develop a…
  2. SN 20.3 Families 0.50near 0.1Linked Discourses 20.3 1. Similes Families At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, those families with many women and few men are easy prey for bandits and grain-jar thieves. In the same way any mendicant who has not developed and cu…