Tipitaka » Sutta
Pitaka » Samyutta Nikaya » Context
of this sutta
- Samyutta Nikaya XX.6
- Dhanuggaha Sutta
- The Archer
- For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma
Staying at Savatthi. "Monks, suppose there were four strong archers --
well-trained, practiced, & drilled -- standing in the four directions, and a man were
to come along saying, 'I will catch & bring down the arrows let fly by these four
strong archers -- well-trained, practiced, & drilled -- before they have fallen to the
ground.' What do you think? Would that be enough to call him a swift man, endowed with the
foremost speed?"
"Even if he were to catch & bring down the arrows let fly by one archer --
well-trained, practiced, & drilled -- before they fell to the ground, lord, that would
be enough to call him a swift man, endowed with the foremost speed, to say nothing of four
such archers."
"Faster than the speed of that man, monks, is the speed of the sun & moon.
Faster than the speed of that man, faster than the speed of the sun & moon, is the
speed of the devas who rush ahead of the sun & moon. Faster than the speed of that
man, faster than the speed of the sun & moon, faster than the speed of the devas who
rush ahead of the sun & moon, the force of one's life span comes to an end. Thus you
should train yourselves: 'We will live heedfully.' That's how you should train
yourselves."
See also: SN II.19; Sn IV.6.