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- Majjhima Nikaya 21
- Kakacupama Sutta
- The Simile of the Saw
- (excerpt)
- For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma
... "Once, monks, in this same Savatthi, there was a
lady of a household named Vedehika. This good report about Lady
Vedehika had circulated: 'Lady Vedehika is gentle. Lady Vedehika is even-tempered. Lady
Vedehika is calm.' Now, Lady Vedehika had a slave named Kali who was
diligent, deft, & neat in her work. The thought occurred to Kali the slave: 'This good
report about my Lady Vedehika has circulated: "Lady Vedehika is even-tempered. Lady
Vedehika is gentle. Lady Vedehika is calm." Now, is anger present in my lady without
showing, or is it absent? Or is it just because I'm diligent, deft, & neat in my work
that the anger present in my lady doesn't show? Why don't I test her?'
"So Kali the slave got up after daybreak. Then Lady Vedehika said to her: 'Hey,
Kali!'
"'Yes, madam?'
"'Why did you get up after daybreak?'
"'No reason, madam.'
"'No reason, you wicked slave, and yet you get up after daybreak?' Angered &
displeased, she scowled.
"Then the thought occurred to Kali the slave: 'Anger is present in my lady
without showing, and not absent. And it's just because I'm diligent, deft, & neat in
my work that the anger present in my lady doesn't show. Why don't I test her some more?'
"So Kali the slave got up later in the day. Then Lady Vedehika said to her: 'Hey,
Kali!'
"'Yes, madam?'
"'Why did you get up later in the day?'
"'No reason, madam.'
"'No reason, you wicked slave, and yet you get up later in the day?' Angered &
displeased, she grumbled.
"Then the thought occurred to Kali the slave: 'Anger is present in my lady
without showing, and not absent. And it's just because I'm diligent, deft, & neat in
my work that the anger present in my lady doesn't show. Why don't I test her some more?'
"So Kali the slave got up even later in the day. Then Lady Vedehika said to her:
'Hey, Kali!'
"'Yes, madam?'
"'Why did you get up even later in the day?'
"'No reason, madam.'
"'No reason, you wicked slave, and yet you get up even later in the day?' Angered
& displeased, she grabbed hold of a rolling pin and gave her a whack over the head,
cutting it open.
"Then Kali the slave, with blood streaming from her cut-open head, went and
denounced her mistress to the neighbors: 'See, ladies, the gentle one's handiwork? See the
even-tempered one's handiwork? See the calm one's handiwork? How could she, angered &
displeased with her only slave for getting up after daybreak, grab hold of a rolling pin
and give her a whack over the head, cutting it open?'
"After that this evil report about Lady Vedehika circulated: 'Lady Vedehika is
vicious. Lady Vedehika is foul-tempered. Lady Vedehika is violent.'
"In the same way, monks, a monk may be ever so gentle, ever
so even-tempered, ever so calm, as long as he is not touched by disagreeable aspects of
speech. But it is only when disagreeable aspects of speech touch him that he can truly be
known as gentle, even-tempered, & calm. I don't call a monk easy to admonish if he is
easy to admonish and makes himself easy to admonish only by reason of robes, almsfood,
lodging, & medicinal requisites for curing the sick. Why is that? Because if he
doesn't get robes, almsfood, lodging, & medicinal requisites for curing the sick, then
he isn't easy to admonish and doesn't make himself easy to admonish. But if a monk is easy
to admonish and makes himself easy to admonish purely out of esteem for the Dhamma,
respect for the Dhamma, reverence for the Dhamma, then I call him easy to admonish. Thus,
monks, you should train yourselves: 'We will be easy to admonish and make ourselves easy
to admonish purely out of esteem for the Dhamma, respect for the Dhamma, reverence for the
Dhamma.' That's how you should train yourselves.
"Monks, there are these five aspects of speech by which
others may address you: timely or untimely, true or false, affectionate or harsh,
beneficial or unbeneficial, with a mind of good-will or with inner hate. Others may
address you in a timely way or an untimely way. They may address you with what is true or
what is false. They may address you in an affectionate way or a harsh way. They may
address you in a beneficial way or an unbeneficial way. They may address you with a mind
of good-will or with inner hate. In any event, you should train yourselves: 'Our minds
will be unaffected and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic to that
person's welfare, with a mind of good will, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading
him with an awareness imbued with good will and, beginning with him, we will keep
pervading the all-encompassing world with an awareness imbued with good will -- abundant,
expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.' That's how you should
train yourselves.
"Suppose that a man were to come along carrying a hoe &
a basket, saying, 'I will make this great earth be without earth.' He would dig here &
there, scatter soil here & there, spit here & there, urinate here & there,
saying, 'Be without earth. Be without earth.' Now, what do you think -- would he make this
great earth be without earth?"
"No, lord. Why is that? Because this great earth is deep & enormous. It can't
easily be made to be without earth. The man would reap only a share of weariness &
disappointment."
"In the same way, monks, there are these five aspects of speech by which others
may address you: timely or untimely, true or false, affectionate or harsh, beneficial or
unbeneficial, with a mind of good-will or with inner hate. Others may address you in a
timely way or an untimely way. They may address you with what is true or what is false.
They may address you in an affectionate way or a harsh way. They may address you in a
beneficial way or an unbeneficial way. They may address you with a mind of good-will or
with inner hate. In any event, you should train yourselves: 'Our minds will be unaffected
and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic to that person's welfare, with a
mind of good will, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading him with an awareness
imbued with good will and, beginning with him, we will keep pervading the all-encompassing
world with an awareness imbued with good will equal to the great earth -- abundant,
expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.' That's how you should
train yourselves.
"Suppose that a man were to come along carrying lac, yellow
orpiment, indigo, or crimson, saying, 'I will draw pictures in space, I will make pictures
appear.' Now, what do you think -- would he draw pictures in space & make pictures
appear?"
"No, lord. Why is that? Because space is formless & featureless. It's not easy
to draw pictures there and to make them appear. The man would reap only a share of
weariness & disappointment."
"In the same way, monks, there are these five aspects of speech by which others
may address you: timely or untimely, true or false, affectionate or harsh, beneficial or
unbeneficial, with a mind of good-will or with inner hate. Others may address you in a
timely way or an untimely way. They may address you with what is true or what is false.
They may address you in an affectionate way or a harsh way. They may address you in a
beneficial way or an unbeneficial way. They may address you with a mind of good-will or
with inner hate. In any event, you should train yourselves: 'Our minds will be unaffected
and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic to that person's welfare, with a
mind of good will, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading him with an awareness
imbued with good will and, beginning with him, we will keep pervading the all-encompassing
world with an awareness imbued with good will equal to space -- abundant, expansive,
immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.' That's how you should train
yourselves.
"Suppose that a man were to come along carrying a burning
grass torch and saying, 'With this burning grass torch I will heat up the river Ganges and make it boil.' Now, what do you think -- would he, with that
burning grass torch, heat up the river Ganges and make it boil?"
"No, lord. Why is that? Because the river Ganges is deep & enormous. It's not
easy to heat it up and make it boil with a burning grass torch. The man would reap only a
share of weariness & disappointment."
"In the same way, monks, there are these five aspects of speech by which others
may address you: timely or untimely, true or false, affectionate or harsh, beneficial or
unbeneficial, with a mind of good-will or with inner hate. Others may address you in a
timely way or an untimely way. They may address you with what is true or what is false.
They may address you in an affectionate way or a harsh way. They may address you in a
beneficial way or an unbeneficial way. They may address you with a mind of good-will or
with inner hate. In any event, you should train yourselves: 'Our minds will be unaffected
and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic to that person's welfare, with a
mind of good will, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading him with an awareness
imbued with good will and, beginning with him, we will keep pervading the all-encompassing
world with an awareness imbued with good will equal to the river Ganges -- abundant,
expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.' That's how you should
train yourselves.
"Suppose there were a catskin bag -- beaten, well-beaten, beaten
through & through, soft, silky, free of rustling & crackling -- and a man were to
come along carrying a stick or shard and saying, 'With this stick or shard I will take
this catskin bag -- beaten, well-beaten, beaten through & through, soft, silky, free
of rustling & crackling -- and I will make it rustle & crackle.' Now, what do you
think -- would he, with that stick or shard, take that catskin bag -- beaten, well-beaten,
beaten through & through, soft, silky, free of rustling & crackling -- and make it
rustle & crackle?"
"No, lord. Why is that? Because the catskin bag is beaten, well-beaten, beaten
through & through, soft, silky, free of rustling & crackling. It's not easy to
make it rustle & crackle with a stick or shard. The man would reap only a share of
weariness & disappointment."
"In the same way, monks, there are these five aspects of speech by which others
may address you: timely or untimely, true or false, affectionate or harsh, beneficial or
unbeneficial, with a mind of good-will or with inner hate. Others may address you in a
timely way or an untimely way. They may address you with what is true or what is false.
They may address you in an affectionate way or a harsh way. They may address you in a
beneficial way or an unbeneficial way. They may address you with a mind of good-will or
with inner hate. In any event, you should train yourselves: 'Our minds will be unaffected
and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic to that person's welfare, with a
mind of good will, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading him with an awareness
imbued with good will and, beginning with him, we will keep pervading the all-encompassing
world with an awareness imbued with good will equal to a catskin bag -- abundant,
expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.' That's how you should
train yourselves.
"Monks, even if bandits were to carve you up savagely, limb by
limb, with a two-handled saw, he among you who let his heart get angered even at that
would not be doing my bidding. Even then you should train yourselves: 'Our minds will be
unaffected and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic, with a mind of good
will, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading these people with an awareness imbued
with good will and, beginning with them, we will keep pervading the all-encompassing world
with an awareness imbued with good will -- abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from
hostility, free from ill will.' That's how you should train yourselves.
"Monks, if you attend constantly to this admonition on the simile of the saw, do
you see any aspects of speech, slight or gross, that you could not endure?"
"No, lord."
"Then attend constantly to this admonition on the simile of the saw. That will be
for your long-term welfare & happiness."
That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted in the Blessed One's
words.