Biḷārasutta

Saṁyutta Nikāya 20.10

Linked Discourses 20.10

1. Opammavagga

1. Similes

Biḷārasutta

A Cat

Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.

At Sāvatthī.

Tena kho pana samayena aññataro bhikkhu ativelaṁ kulesu cārittaṁ āpajjati.

Now at that time a certain mendicant had relations with families too often.

Tamenaṁ bhikkhū evamāhaṁsu:

The mendicants said to him,

“māyasmā ativelaṁ kulesu cārittaṁ āpajjī”ti.

“Venerable, don’t have relations with families too often.”

So bhikkhu bhikkhūhi vuccamāno na viramati.

But that mendicant, when spoken to by the mendicants, did not stop.

Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ:

And then several mendicants went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and told him what had happened. The Buddha said:

“idha, bhante, aññataro bhikkhu ativelaṁ kulesu cārittaṁ āpajjati.

Tamenaṁ bhikkhū evamāhaṁsu:

‘māyasmā ativelaṁ kulesu cārittaṁ āpajjī’ti.

So bhikkhu bhikkhūhi vuccamāno na viramatī”ti.

“Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, biḷāro sandhisamalasaṅkaṭīre ṭhito ahosi mudumūsiṁ maggayamāno:

“Once upon a time, mendicants, a cat was standing by an alley or a drain or a dustbin hunting a little mouse, thinking,

‘yadāyaṁ mudumūsi gocarāya pakkamissati, tattheva naṁ gahetvā khādissāmī’ti.

‘When that little mouse comes out to feed, I’ll catch it right there and eat it!’

Atha kho so, bhikkhave, mudumūsi gocarāya pakkāmi.

And then that little mouse came out to feed.

Tamenaṁ biḷāro gahetvā sahasā saṅkhāditvā ajjhohari.

The cat caught it and hastily swallowed it without chewing.

Tassa so mudumūsi antampi khādi, antaguṇampi khādi.

But that little mouse ate its intestines and mesentery,

So tatonidānaṁ maraṇampi nigacchi maraṇamattampi dukkhaṁ.

resulting in death and deadly pain.

Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco bhikkhu pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya gāmaṁ vā nigamaṁ vā piṇḍāya pavisati arakkhiteneva kāyena arakkhitāya vācāya arakkhitena cittena, anupaṭṭhitāya satiyā, asaṁvutehi indriyehi.

In the same way, take a certain monk who robes up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, enters the village or town for alms without guarding body, speech, and mind, without establishing mindfulness, and without restraining the sense faculties.

So tattha passati mātugāmaṁ dunnivatthaṁ vā duppārutaṁ vā.

There he sees a lady scantily clad, with revealing clothes.

Tassa mātugāmaṁ disvā dunnivatthaṁ vā duppārutaṁ vā rāgo cittaṁ anuddhaṁseti.

Lust infects his mind,

So rāgānuddhaṁsena cittena maraṇaṁ vā nigacchati maraṇamattaṁ vā dukkhaṁ.

resulting in death or deadly pain.

Maraṇañhetaṁ, bhikkhave, ariyassa vinaye yo sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati.

For it is death in the training of the Noble One to resign the training and return to a lesser life.

Maraṇamattañhetaṁ, bhikkhave, dukkhaṁ yadidaṁ aññataraṁ saṅkiliṭṭhaṁ āpattiṁ āpajjati.

And it is deadly pain to commit one of the corrupt offenses

Yathārūpāya āpattiyā vuṭṭhānaṁ paññāyati.

for which rehabilitation is possible.

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ:

So you should train like this:

‘rakkhiteneva kāyena rakkhitāya vācāya rakkhitena cittena, upaṭṭhitāya satiyā, saṁvutehi indriyehi gāmaṁ vā nigamaṁ vā piṇḍāya pavisissāmā’ti.

‘We will enter the village or town for alms guarding body, speech, and mind, establishing mindfulness, and restraining the sense faculties.’

Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.

That’s how you should train.”

Dasamaṁ.