The Simile of the HarpVīṇopamasutta

“Mendicants, any monk or nun who has desire or greed or hate or delusion or aversion come up for sights known by the eye should shield their mind from them:“Yassa kassaci, bhikkhave, bhikkhussa vā bhikkhuniyā vā cakkhuviññeyyesu rūpesu uppajjeyya chando vā rāgo vā doso vā moho vā paṭighaṁ vāpi cetaso, tato cittaṁ nivāreyya. ‘This path is dangerous and perilous, thorny and tangled; it’s a wrong turn, a bad path, in poor condition.Sabhayo ceso maggo sappaṭibhayo ca sakaṇṭako ca sagahano ca ummaggo ca kummaggo ca duhitiko ca. This path is frequented by untrue persons, not by true persons.Asappurisasevito ceso maggo, na ceso maggo sappurisehi sevito. It’s not worthy of you.’Na tvaṁ etaṁ arahasīti. The mind should be shielded from this when it comes to sights known by the eye.Tato cittaṁ nivāraye cakkhuviññeyyehi rūpehi …pe…

Any monk or nun who has desire or greed or hate or delusion or repulsion come up for sounds … smells … tastes … touches …yassa kassaci, bhikkhave, bhikkhussa vā bhikkhuniyā vā jivhāviññeyyesu rasesu …pe… ideas known by the mind should shield their mind against them:manoviññeyyesu dhammesu uppajjeyya chando vā rāgo vā doso vā moho vā paṭighaṁ vāpi cetaso tato cittaṁ nivāreyya. ‘This path is dangerous and perilous, thorny and tangled; it’s a wrong turn, a bad path, a sorry state.Sabhayo ceso maggo sappaṭibhayo ca sakaṇṭako ca sagahano ca ummaggo ca kummaggo ca duhitiko ca. This path is frequented by untrue persons, not by true persons.Asappurisasevito ceso maggo, na ceso maggo sappurisehi sevito. It’s not worthy of you.’Na tvaṁ etaṁ arahasīti. The mind should be shielded from this when it comes to ideas known by the mind.Tato cittaṁ nivāraye manoviññeyyehi dhammehi.

Suppose the crops have ripened,Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kiṭṭhaṁ sampannaṁ. but the caretaker is negligent. If an ox fond of crops invades the crops they’d indulge themselves as much as they like.Kiṭṭhārakkho ca pamatto, goṇo ca kiṭṭhādo aduṁ kiṭṭhaṁ otaritvā yāvadatthaṁ madaṁ āpajjeyya pamādaṁ āpajjeyya;

In the same way, when an unlearned ordinary person doesn’t exercise restraint when it comes to the six fields of contact, they indulge themselves in the five kinds of sensual stimulation as much as they like.evameva kho, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano chasu phassāyatanesu asaṁvutakārī pañcasu kāmaguṇesu yāvadatthaṁ madaṁ āpajjati pamādaṁ āpajjati.

Suppose the crops have ripened, and the caretaker is diligent. If an ox fond of crops invades the cropsSeyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kiṭṭhaṁ sampannaṁ kiṭṭhārakkho ca appamatto goṇo ca kiṭṭhādo aduṁ kiṭṭhaṁ otareyya. the caretaker would grab them firmly by the muzzle.Tamenaṁ kiṭṭhārakkho nāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gaṇheyya. Then they’d grab them above the hump and hold them fast there.Nāsāyaṁ suggahitaṁ gahetvā uparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggaṇheyya. Then they’d give them a good thrashingUparighaṭāyaṁ suniggahitaṁ niggahetvā daṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷeyya. before driving them away.Daṇḍena sutāḷitaṁ tāḷetvā osajjeyya. For a second time,Dutiyampi kho, bhikkhave …pe… and even a third time, the same thing might happen.tatiyampi kho, bhikkhave, goṇo kiṭṭhādo aduṁ kiṭṭhaṁ otareyya. As a result, no matter how often they might stand or sit in a village or wilderness, that ox fond of crops would never invade that crop again,Evañhi so, bhikkhave, goṇo kiṭṭhādo gāmagato vā araññagato vā, ṭhānabahulo vā assa nisajjabahulo vā na taṁ kiṭṭhaṁ puna otareyya— remembering the beating they got earlier.tameva purimaṁ daṇḍasamphassaṁ samanussaranto.

In the same way, when a mendicant’s mind is straightened up, well straightened up when it comes to the six fields of contact, becomes stilled internally; it settles, unifies, and becomes immersed in samādhi.Evameva kho, bhikkhave, yato kho bhikkhuno chasu phassāyatanesu cittaṁ udujitaṁ hoti sudujitaṁ, ajjhattameva santiṭṭhati, sannisīdati, ekodi hoti, samādhiyati.

Suppose a king or their chief minister had never heard the sound of an arched harp.Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, rañño vā rājamahāmattassa vā vīṇāya saddo assutapubbo assa. When he first hears the sound,So vīṇāsaddaṁ suṇeyya. he’d say,So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘Oh my, what is making this sound, so arousing, sensuous, intoxicating, infatuating, and captivating?’‘ambho, kassa nu kho eso saddo evaṁrajanīyo evaṅkamanīyo evaṁmadanīyo evaṁmucchanīyo evambandhanīyo’ti?

They’d say to him,Tamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyyuṁ: ‘That, sir, is an arched harp.’‘esā, kho, bhante, vīṇā nāma, yassā eso saddo evaṁrajanīyo evaṅkamanīyo evaṁmadanīyo evaṁmucchanīyo evambandhanīyo’ti.

He’d say,So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘Go, worthy sir, fetch me that arched harp.’‘gacchatha me, bho, taṁ vīṇaṁ āharathā’ti.

So they’d fetch itTassa taṁ vīṇaṁ āhareyyuṁ. and say,Tamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyyuṁ: ‘This, sir, is that arched harp.’‘ayaṁ kho sā, bhante, vīṇā yassā eso saddo evaṁrajanīyo evaṅkamanīyo evaṁmadanīyo evaṁmucchanīyo evambandhanīyo’ti.

He’d say,So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘I’ve had enough of that arched harp! Just fetch me the sound.’‘alaṁ me, bho, tāya vīṇāya, tameva me saddaṁ āharathā’ti.

They’d say,Tamenaṁ evaṁ vadeyyuṁ: ‘Sir, this arched harp is made of many components assembled together,‘ayaṁ kho, bhante, vīṇā nāma anekasambhārā mahāsambhārā. which make a sound when they’re played. That is,Anekehi sambhārehi samāraddhā vadati, seyyathidaṁ— it depends on the soundbox, the leather resonator, the neck, the tuning cords, the strings, the plectrum, and a person to play it properly. That’s how an arched harp is made of many components assembled together,doṇiñca paṭicca cammañca paṭicca daṇḍañca paṭicca upadhāraṇe ca paṭicca tantiyo ca paṭicca koṇañca paṭicca purisassa ca tajjaṁ vāyāmaṁ paṭicca evāyaṁ, bhante, vīṇā nāma anekasambhārā mahāsambhārā. which make a sound when they’re played.’Anekehi sambhārehi samāraddhā vadatī’ti.

But he’d split that harp into ten pieces or a hundred pieces, then splinter it up.So taṁ vīṇaṁ dasadhā vā satadhā vā phāleyya, dasadhā vā satadhā vā taṁ phāletvā sakalikaṁ sakalikaṁ kareyya. He’d burn the splinters with fire, and reduce them to ashes.Sakalikaṁ sakalikaṁ karitvā agginā ḍaheyya, agginā ḍahitvā masiṁ kareyya. Then he’d whisk away the ashes in a strong wind, or glide them down a swift stream.Masiṁ karitvā mahāvāte vā ophuneyya, nadiyā vā sīghasotāya pavāheyya.

Then he’d say,So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘It seems that there’s nothing to this thing called an arched harp or whatever’s called an arched harp! But people waste their time with it, negligent and heedless!’‘asatī kirāyaṁ, bho, vīṇā nāma, yathevaṁ yaṁ kiñci vīṇā nāma ettha ca panāyaṁ jano ativelaṁ pamatto palaḷito’ti.

In the same way, a mendicant searches for form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness anywhere they might be reborn.Evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu rūpaṁ samanvesati yāvatā rūpassa gati, vedanaṁ samanvesati yāvatā vedanāya gati, saññaṁ samanvesati yāvatā saññāya gati, saṅkhāre samanvesati yāvatā saṅkhārānaṁ gati, viññāṇaṁ samanvesati yāvatā viññāṇassa gati. As they search in this way,Tassa rūpaṁ samanvesato yāvatā rūpassa gati, vedanaṁ samanvesato …pe… their ideas of ‘I’ or ‘mine’ or ‘I am’ are no more.”Yampissa taṁ hoti ahanti vā mamanti vā asmīti vā tampi tassa na hotī”ti.