The Simile of the Parrot TreeKiṁsukopamasutta

Then one mendicant went up to another mendicant and asked,Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: “Reverend, at what point is a mendicant’s vision well purified?”“kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti?

“When a mendicant truly understands the origin and disappearance of the six fields of contact, at that point their vision is well purified.”“Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti.

Not content with that answer, that mendicant went up to a series of other mendicants and received the following answers:Atha kho so bhikkhu asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:

“When a mendicant truly understands the origin and disappearance of the five grasping aggregates, at that point their vision is well purified.”“Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu pañcannaṁ upādānakkhandhānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti.

“When a mendicant truly understands the origin and disappearance of the four principal states, at that point their vision is well purified.”“Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu catunnaṁ mahābhūtānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti.

“When a mendicant truly understands that everything that is liable to arise is liable to cease, at that point their vision is well purified.”“Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu yaṁ kiñci samudayadhammaṁ, sabbaṁ taṁ nirodhadhammanti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti.

Not content with any of those answers, that mendicant went up to the Buddha and told him what had happened. Then he said to him,Atha kho so bhikkhu asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “idhāhaṁ, bhante, yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkamiṁ; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavocaṁ: “Sir, at what point is a mendicant’s vision well purified?”Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī”ti?

“Mendicant, suppose a person had never seen a parrot tree before.“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, purisassa kiṁsuko adiṭṭhapubbo assa. They’d go up to someone who had seen a parrot tree and ask them,So yenaññataro puriso kiṁsukassa dassāvī tenupasaṅkameyya. Upasaṅkamitvā taṁ purisaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘My man, what’s a parrot tree like?’‘kīdiso, bho purisa, kiṁsuko’ti?

They’d say,So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘A parrot tree is blackish, like a charred stump.’‘kāḷako kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko—seyyathāpi jhāmakhāṇū’ti. Now, at that time a parrot tree may well have been just as that person saw it.Tena kho pana, bhikkhu, samayena tādisovassa kiṁsuko yathāpi tassa purisassa dassanaṁ.

Not content with that answer, that person would go up to a series of other people and receive the following answers:Atha kho so, bhikkhu, puriso asantuṭṭho tassa purisassa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro puriso kiṁsukassa dassāvī tenupasaṅkameyya; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ purisaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘A parrot tree is reddish, like a scrap of meat.’‘lohitako kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko—seyyathāpi maṁsapesī’ti. ‘A parrot tree has flaking bark and burst pods, like a lebbeck tree.’‘ocīrakajāto kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko ādinnasipāṭiko—seyyathāpi sirīso’ti. ‘A parrot tree has luxuriant, shady foliage, like a banyan.’‘bahalapattapalāso sandacchāyo kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko—seyyathāpi nigrodho’ti. Now, at each of those times a parrot tree may well have been just as those people saw them.Tena kho pana, bhikkhu, samayena tādisovassa kiṁsuko, yathāpi tassa purisassa dassanaṁ.

In the same way, those true persons each answered according to what they were focused on when their vision was well purified.Evameva kho, bhikkhu, yathā yathā adhimuttānaṁ tesaṁ sappurisānaṁ dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hoti tathā tathā kho tehi sappurisehi byākataṁ.

Suppose there was a king’s frontier citadel with fortified embankments, ramparts, and arches, and six gates.Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, rañño paccantimaṁ nagaraṁ daḷhuddhāpaṁ daḷhapākāratoraṇaṁ chadvāraṁ. And it has a gatekeeper who is astute, competent, and intelligent. He keeps strangers out and lets known people in.Tatrassa dovāriko paṇḍito byatto medhāvī, aññātānaṁ nivāretā, ñātānaṁ pavesetā.

A swift pair of messengers would arrive from the east and say to the gatekeeper,Puratthimāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ taṁ dovārikaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘Worthy man, where is the lord of the city?’‘kahaṁ, bho purisa, imassa nagarassa nagarassāmī’ti?

They’d say,So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘There he is, sirs, seated at the central square.’‘eso, bhante, majjhe siṅghāṭake nisinno’ti.

Then that swift pair of messengers would deliver a message of truth to the lord of the city and depart the way they came.Atha kho taṁ sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ nagarassāmikassa yathābhūtaṁ vacanaṁ niyyātetvā yathāgatamaggaṁ paṭipajjeyya.

A swift pair of messengers would come from the west …Pacchimāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ …pe… north …uttarāya disāya … south …dakkhiṇāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ taṁ dovārikaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: deliver a message of truth to the lord of the city and depart the way they came.Atha kho taṁ sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ nagarassāmikassa yathābhūtaṁ vacanaṁ niyyātetvā yathāgatamaggaṁ paṭipajjeyya.

I’ve made up this simile to make a point.Upamā kho myāyaṁ, bhikkhu, katā atthassa viññāpanāya. And this is the point.Ayañcettha attho:

‘City’ is a term for this body made up of the four principal states, produced by mother and father, built up from rice and porridge, liable to impermanence, to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and destruction.‘nagaran’ti kho, bhikkhu, imassetaṁ cātumahābhūtikassa kāyassa adhivacanaṁ mātāpettikasambhavassa odanakummāsūpacayassa aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammassa.

‘Six gates’ is a term for the six interior sense fields.‘Cha dvārā’ti kho, bhikkhu, channetaṁ ajjhattikānaṁ āyatanānaṁ adhivacanaṁ.

‘Gatekeeper’ is a term for mindfulness.‘Dovāriko’ti kho, bhikkhu, satiyā etaṁ adhivacanaṁ.

‘A swift pair of messengers’ is a term for serenity and discernment.‘Sīghaṁ dūtayugan’ti kho, bhikkhu, samathavipassanānetaṁ adhivacanaṁ.

‘The lord of the city’ is a term for consciousness.‘Nagarassāmī’ti kho, bhikkhu, viññāṇassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ.

‘The central square’ is a term for the four principal states:‘Majjhe siṅghāṭako’ti kho, bhikkhu, catunnetaṁ mahābhūtānaṁ adhivacanaṁ— the elements of earth, water, fire, and air.pathavīdhātuyā, āpodhātuyā, tejodhātuyā, vāyodhātuyā.

‘A message of truth’ is a term for extinguishment.‘Yathābhūtaṁ vacanan’ti kho, bhikkhu, nibbānassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ.

‘The way they came’ is a term for the noble eightfold path, that is,‘Yathāgatamaggo’ti kho, bhikkhu, ariyassetaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa adhivacanaṁ, seyyathidaṁ— right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.”sammādiṭṭhiyā …pe… sammāsamādhissā”ti.