The Sheaf of BarleyYavakalāpisutta

“Mendicants, suppose a sheaf of barley was placed at a crossroads.“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, yavakalāpī cātumahāpathe nikkhittā assa. Then six people would come along carrying flails,Atha cha purisā āgaccheyyuṁ byābhaṅgihatthā. and start threshing the sheaf of barley.Te yavakalāpiṁ chahi byābhaṅgīhi haneyyuṁ. So that sheaf of barley would be thoroughly threshed by those six flails.Evañhi sā, bhikkhave, yavakalāpī suhatā assa chahi byābhaṅgīhi haññamānā. Then a seventh person would come along carrying a flail,Atha sattamo puriso āgaccheyya byābhaṅgihattho. and they’d give the sheaf of barley a seventh threshing.So taṁ yavakalāpiṁ sattamāya byābhaṅgiyā haneyya. So that sheaf of barley would be even more thoroughly threshed by that seventh flail.Evañhi sā bhikkhave, yavakalāpī suhatatarā assa, sattamāya byābhaṅgiyā haññamānā.

In the same way, an unlearned ordinary person is struck in the eye by both pleasant and unpleasant sights.Evameva kho, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano cakkhusmiṁ haññati manāpāmanāpehi rūpehi …pe… They’re struck in the ear … nose … tongue … body …jivhāya haññati manāpāmanāpehi rasehi …pe… mind by both pleasant and unpleasant ideas.manasmiṁ haññati manāpāmanāpehi dhammehi. And if that unlearned ordinary person intends to be reborn in a new state of existence in the future, that futile person is even more thoroughly struck, like that sheaf of barley threshed by the seventh person.Sace so, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano āyatiṁ punabbhavāya ceteti, evañhi so, bhikkhave, moghapuriso suhatataro hoti, seyyathāpi sā yavakalāpī sattamāya byābhaṅgiyā haññamānā.

Once upon a time, a battle was fought between the gods and the titans.Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, devāsurasaṅgāmo samupabyūḷho ahosi. Then Vepacitti, lord of titans, addressed the titans,Atha kho, bhikkhave, vepacitti asurindo asure āmantesi: ‘My good fellows, if the titans defeat the gods in this battle, bind Sakka, the lord of gods, by his limbs and neck and bring him to my presence in the citadel of the titans.’‘sace, mārisā, devāsurasaṅgāme samupabyūḷhe asurā jineyyuṁ devā parājineyyuṁ, yena naṁ sakkaṁ devānamindaṁ kaṇṭhapañcamehi bandhanehi bandhitvā mama santike āneyyātha asurapuran’ti.

Meanwhile, Sakka, lord of gods, addressed the gods of the thirty-three,Sakkopi kho, bhikkhave, devānamindo deve tāvatiṁse āmantesi: ‘My good fellows, if the gods defeat the titans in this battle, bind Vepacitti by his limbs and neck and bring him to my presence in the Hall of Clear Right of the gods.’‘sace, mārisā, devāsurasaṅgāme samupabyūḷhe devā jineyyuṁ asurā parājineyyuṁ, yena naṁ vepacittiṁ asurindaṁ kaṇṭhapañcamehi bandhanehi bandhitvā mama santike āneyyātha sudhammaṁ devasabhan’ti.

In that battle the gods won and the titans lost.Tasmiṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, saṅgāme devā jiniṁsu, asurā parājiniṁsu. So the gods of the thirty-three bound Vepacitti by his limbs and neck and brought him to Sakka’s presence in the Hall of Clear Right of the gods.Atha kho, bhikkhave, devā tāvatiṁsā vepacittiṁ asurindaṁ kaṇṭhapañcamehi bandhanehi bandhitvā sakkassa devānamindassa santike ānesuṁ sudhammaṁ devasabhaṁ.

And there Vepacitti remained bound by his limbs and neck.Tatra sudaṁ, bhikkhave, vepacitti asurindo kaṇṭhapañcamehi bandhanehi baddho hoti. That is, until he thought,Yadā kho, bhikkhave, vepacittissa asurindassa evaṁ hoti: ‘It’s the gods who are principled, while the titans are unprincipled. Now I belong right here in the castle of the gods.’‘dhammikā kho devā, adhammikā asurā, idheva dānāhaṁ devapuraṁ gacchāmī’ti. Then he found himself freed from the bonds on his limbs and neck. He amused himself, supplied and provided with the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation.Atha kaṇṭhapañcamehi bandhanehi muttaṁ attānaṁ samanupassati, dibbehi ca pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappito samaṅgībhūto paricāreti.

But when he thought,Yadā ca kho, bhikkhave, vepacittissa asurindassa evaṁ hoti: ‘It’s the titans who are principled, while the gods are unprincipled. Now I will go over there to the citadel of the titans,’‘dhammikā kho asurā, adhammikā devā, tattheva dānāhaṁ asurapuraṁ gamissāmī’ti. he found himself bound by his limbs and neck, and the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation fell away.atha kaṇṭhapañcamehi bandhanehi baddhaṁ attānaṁ samanupassati, dibbehi ca pañcahi kāmaguṇehi parihāyati.

That’s how subtly Vepacitti was bound.Evaṁ sukhumaṁ kho, bhikkhave, vepacittibandhanaṁ. But the bonds of Māra are even more subtle than that.Tato sukhumataraṁ mārabandhanaṁ. When you conceive, you’re bound by Māra. Not conceiving, you’re free from the Wicked One.Maññamāno kho, bhikkhave, baddho mārassa, amaññamāno mutto pāpimato.

These are what is conceived: ‘I am’, ‘I am this’, ‘I will be’, ‘I will not be’, ‘I will have form’, ‘I will be formless’, ‘I will be percipient’, ‘I will be non-percipient’, ‘I will be neither percipient nor non-percipient.’‘Asmī’ti, bhikkhave, maññitametaṁ, ‘ayamahamasmī’ti maññitametaṁ, ‘bhavissan’ti maññitametaṁ, ‘na bhavissan’ti maññitametaṁ, ‘rūpī bhavissan’ti maññitametaṁ, ‘arūpī bhavissan’ti maññitametaṁ, ‘saññī bhavissan’ti maññitametaṁ, ‘asaññī bhavissan’ti maññitametaṁ, ‘nevasaññīnāsaññī bhavissan’ti maññitametaṁ. What is conceived is a disease, a boil, a dart.Maññitaṁ, bhikkhave, rogo, maññitaṁ gaṇḍo, maññitaṁ sallaṁ. So mendicants, you should train yourselves like this: ‘We will live with a heart that does not conceive.’Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘amaññamānena cetasā viharissāmā’ti—

These are what is perturbed: ‘I am’, ‘I am this’, ‘I will be’, ‘I will not be’, ‘I will have form’, ‘I will be formless’, ‘I will be percipient’, ‘I will be non-percipient’, ‘I will be neither percipient nor non-percipient.’‘Asmī’ti, bhikkhave, iñjitametaṁ, ‘ayamahamasmī’ti iñjitametaṁ, ‘bhavissan’ti iñjitametaṁ, ‘na bhavissan’ti iñjitametaṁ, ‘rūpī bhavissan’ti iñjitametaṁ, ‘arūpī bhavissan’ti iñjitametaṁ, ‘saññī bhavissan’ti iñjitametaṁ, ‘asaññī bhavissan’ti iñjitametaṁ, ‘nevasaññīnāsaññī bhavissan’ti iñjitametaṁ. What is perturbed is a disease, a boil, a dart.Iñjitaṁ, bhikkhave, rogo, iñjitaṁ gaṇḍo, iñjitaṁ sallaṁ. So mendicants, you should train yourselves like this: ‘We will live with a heart free of perturbation.’Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘aniñjamānena cetasā viharissāmā’ti—

These are what is trembled: ‘I am’, ‘I am this’, ‘I will be’, ‘I will not be’, ‘I will have form’, ‘I will be formless’, ‘I will be percipient’, ‘I will be non-percipient’, ‘I will be neither percipient nor non-percipient.’‘Asmī’ti, bhikkhave, phanditametaṁ, ‘ayamahamasmī’ti phanditametaṁ, ‘bhavissan’ti …pe… ‘na bhavissan’ti … ‘rūpī bhavissan’ti … ‘arūpī bhavissan’ti … ‘saññī bhavissan’ti … ‘asaññī bhavissan’ti … ‘nevasaññīnāsaññī bhavissan’ti phanditametaṁ. What is trembled is a disease, a boil, a dart.Phanditaṁ, bhikkhave, rogo, phanditaṁ gaṇḍo, phanditaṁ sallaṁ. So mendicants, you should train yourselves like this: ‘We will live with a heart free of trembling.’Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘aphandamānena cetasā viharissāmā’ti—

These are what is proliferated: ‘I am’, ‘I am this’, ‘I will be’, ‘I will not be’, ‘I will have form’, ‘I will be formless’, ‘I will be percipient’, ‘I will be non-percipient’, ‘I will be neither percipient nor non-percipient.’‘Asmī’ti, bhikkhave, papañcitametaṁ, ‘ayamahamasmī’ti papañcitametaṁ, ‘bhavissan’ti …pe… ‘na bhavissan’ti … ‘rūpī bhavissan’ti … ‘arūpī bhavissan’ti … ‘saññī bhavissan’ti … ‘asaññī bhavissan’ti … ‘nevasaññīnāsaññī bhavissan’ti papañcitametaṁ. What is proliferated is a disease, a boil, a dart.Papañcitaṁ, bhikkhave, rogo, papañcitaṁ gaṇḍo, papañcitaṁ sallaṁ. So mendicants, you should train yourselves like this: ‘We will live with a heart free of proliferation.’Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘nippapañcena cetasā viharissāmā’ti—

These are states of conceit: ‘I am’, ‘I am this’, ‘I will be’, ‘I will not be’, ‘I will have form’, ‘I will be formless’, ‘I will be percipient’, ‘I will be non-percipient’, ‘I will be neither percipient nor non-percipient.’‘Asmī’ti, bhikkhave, mānagatametaṁ, ‘ayamahamasmī’ti mānagatametaṁ, ‘bhavissan’ti mānagatametaṁ, ‘na bhavissan’ti mānagatametaṁ, ‘rūpī bhavissan’ti mānagatametaṁ, ‘arūpī bhavissan’ti mānagatametaṁ, ‘saññī bhavissan’ti mānagatametaṁ, ‘asaññī bhavissan’ti mānagatametaṁ, ‘nevasaññīnāsaññī bhavissan’ti mānagatametaṁ. The state of conceit is a disease, a boil, a dart.Mānagataṁ, bhikkhave, rogo, mānagataṁ gaṇḍo, mānagataṁ sallaṁ. So mendicants, you should train yourselves like this: ‘We will live with a heart that has struck down conceit.’”Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘nihatamānena cetasā viharissāmā’ti—

The Linked Discourses on the six sense fields are complete.Saḷāyatanasaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ.