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- Sutta Nipata III.8
- Salla Sutta
- The Arrow
- Translated from the Pali by John D. Ireland
- For free distribution only,
by arrangement with the Buddhist Publication Society
- From The Discourse Collection: Selected Texts from the Sutta Nipata (WH 82),
translated by John D. Ireland (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1983).
"Unindicated and unknown is the length of life of those subject to death. Life is
difficult and brief and bound up with suffering. There is no means by which those who are
born will not die. Having reached old age, there is death. This is the natural course for
a living being. With ripe fruits there is the constant danger that they will fall. In the
same way, for those born and subject to death, there is always the fear of dying. Just as the pots made by a potter all end by being broken, so death is
(the breaking up) of life.
"The young and old, the foolish and the wise, all are stopped short by the power
of death, all finally end in death. Of those overcome by death and passing to another
world, a father cannot hold back his son, nor relatives a relation. See! While the
relatives are looking on and weeping, one by one each mortal is led away like
an ox to slaughter.
"In this manner the world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not
grieve, having realized the nature of the world. You do not know the path by which they
came or departed. Not seeing either end you lament in vain. If any benefit is gained by
lamenting, the wise would do it. Only a fool would harm himself. Yet through weeping and
sorrowing the mind does not become calm, but still more suffering is produced, the body is
harmed and one becomes lean and pale, one merely hurts oneself. One cannot protect a
departed one (peta) by that means. To grieve is in vain.
"By not abandoning sorrow a being simply undergoes more suffering. Bewailing the
dead he comes under the sway of sorrow. See other men faring according to their deeds!
Hence beings tremble here with fear when they come into the power of death. Whatever they
imagine, it (turns out) quite different from that. This is the sort of disappointment that
exists. Look at the nature of the world! If a man lives for an hundred years, or even
more, finally, he is separated from his circle of relatives and gives up his life in the
end. Therefore, having listened to the Arahant,[1] one should
give up lamenting. Seeing a dead body, one should know, "He will not be met by me
again." As the fire in a burning house is extinguished with water, so a wise,
discriminating, learned and sensible man should quickly drive away the sorrow that arises,
as the wind (blows off) a piece of cotton. He who seeks happiness should withdraw the
arrow: his own lamentations, longings and grief.
"With the arrow withdrawn, unattached, he would attain to peace of mind; and when
all sorrow has been transcended he is sorrow-free and has realized Nibbana.
-- vv. 574-593
Note
1. The Perfect One, i.e., the Buddha. [Go back]