The Shorter Elephant Footprint Simile Cūḍa Hatthipadopama Sutta (MN 27)

- suttas - - evening talks - short morning talks - lectures - guided meditations - talk collections - other themes - chants - - - - à¹à¸à¸¢ - Franā§ais - Espaā±ol - - Portuguāªs - Ð ÑÑÑÐºÐ¸Ð¹ - - - Ð£ÐºÑÐ°ÑÐ½ÑÑÐºÐ° Submit Search - Home - Suttas - MN - MN 27 The Shorter Elephant Footprint Simile ## Browse Suttas Go to Majjhima Nikṅya index MN index Show outline show outline ## Outline - (Top) - Virtue - Sense Restraint - Mindfulness & Alertness - Abandoning the Hindrances - The Four Jhṅnas - The Three Knowledges const prefersTocHidden = window.sessionStorage.getItem('user-prefers-toc-hidden') ?? window.localStorage.getItem('user-prefers-toc-hidden') ?? false; if (prefersTocHidden) { const tocToggleButton = document.getElementById("tocToggle"); const bookToc = document.getElementById("bookToc"); bookToc.classList.remove("show"); tocToggleButton.setAttribute("aria-expanded", false); tocToggleButton.querySelectorAll("[data-show-text]").forEach(el => { el.setAttribute("data-hide-text", el.innerText); el.innerText = el.getAttribute("data-show-text"); }); } ## The Shorter Elephant Footprint Simile Cūḍa Hatthipadopama SuttaÂ Â (MNÂ 27) I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sṅvatthī in Jetaâs Grove, Anṅthapiṃṇikaâs monastery. Now at that time, Jṅṃussoṃin the brahman was driving out of Sṅvatthī in the middle of the day in a totally white roofed-chariot.1 He saw Pilotika the wanderer coming from afar and, on seeing him, said to him, "Now where is Master Vacchṅyana2 coming from in the middle of the day?" "Sir, I have come here from the presence of Gotama the contemplative." "And what does a wise person think about Gotama the contemplativeâs acuity of discernment?" "Sir, who am I to know Gotama the contemplativeâs acuity of discernment? Wouldnât one have to be his equal to know his acuity of discernment?" "Master Vacchṅyana praises Gotama the contemplative with lavish praise indeed!" "Sir, who am I to praise Gotama the contemplative. He is praised by the praised as the best of beings, human & divine." "Seeing what reasons does Master Vacchṅyana have such high confidence in Gotama the contemplative?" "Sir, suppose an elephant hunter were to enter an elephant forest and were to see there a large elephant footprint, long in extent and broad in width. He would come to the conclusion, ),

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('â', What a big bull elephant!â In the same way, when I saw four footprints in Gotama the contemplative, I came to the conclusion, ),

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('â', The Blessed One is rightly self-awakened, the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One, the Saṃgha of the Blessed Oneâs disciples has practiced rightly.â Which four? "There is the case where I see certain noble warriors who are pundits, subtle, skilled in debate, like hair-splitting marksmen. They prowl about, as it were, shooting philosophical positions to pieces with their dialectic. They hear, ),

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('â', Gotama the contemplative, they say, will visit that village or town.â They formulate a question thus: ),

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('â', Having gone to Gotama the contemplative, we will ask him this question of ours. If, having been asked like this, he answers like this, we will refute his teaching like this. And, if having been asked like this, he answers like that, we will refute his teaching like that.â "They hear, ),

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('â', The Blessed One is rightly self-awakened; the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One; the Saṃgha of the Blessed Oneâs disciples has practiced rightly.â "Then there is the case where I see certain brahmansâ¦ "Then there is the case where I see certain householdersâ¦ "Then there is the case where I see certain contemplatives who are pundits, subtle, skilled in debate, like hair-splitting marksmen. They prowl about, as it were, shooting philosophical positions to pieces with their dialectic. They hear, ),

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('â', Gotama the contemplative, they say, will visit that village or town.â They formulate a question thus: ),

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('â', Gotama the contemplative is visiting that village or town.â They go to him, and he instructs, urges, rouses, & encourages them with a talk on Dhamma. Having been instructed, urged, roused, & encouraged by him with a talk on Dhamma, they donât even ask him their question, so since when could they refute him? As it turns out, they ask him for the opportunity to go forth from the home life into homelessness. He gives them the Going-forth. Having gone forth there—dwelling alone, secluded, heedful, ardent, & resolute—they in no long time reach & remain in the supreme goal of the holy life, for which clansmen rightly go forth from home into homelessness, knowing & realizing it for themselves in the here & now. They say, ),

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('â', How near we were to being lost! How near we were to being lost! Before, though we werenât contemplatives, we claimed to be contemplatives. Though we werenât brahmans, we claimed to be brahmans. Though we werenât arahants, we claimed to be arahants. But now we are contemplatives, now we are brahmans, now we are arahants.â When I saw this fourth footprint in Gotama the contemplative, I came to the conclusion, ),

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('â', The Blessed One is rightly self-awakened; the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One; the Saṃgha of the Blessed Oneâs disciples has practiced rightly.â When this was said, Jṅṃussoṃin the brahman got down from his totally white roofed-chariot and—arranging his upper robe over one shoulder and extending his hands in reverent salutation in the direction of the Blessed One—exclaimed this exclamation three times: "Homage to the Blessed One, worthy & rightly self-awakened! "Homage to the Blessed One, worthy & rightly self-awakened! "Homage to the Blessed One, worthy & rightly self-awakened! "May I, at some time or another, meet with Master Gotama! May there be some conversation!" Then Jṅṃussoṃin the brahman went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, exchanged courteous greetings with him. After an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, he sat to one side. As he was sitting there, he told the Blessed One the entirety of his conversation with Pilotika the wanderer. When he was finished, the Blessed One said to him, "Itâs not to that extent, brahman, that the elephant footprint simile is complete in its details. As to how it is complete in its details, listen & pay close attention. I will speak." "As you say, sir," Jṅṃussoṃin the brahman responded. The Blessed One said: "Suppose an elephant hunter were to enter an elephant forest and were to see there a large elephant footprint, long in extent and broad in width. A skilled elephant hunter would not yet come to the conclusion, ),

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('â', What a big bull elephant!â Why is that? Because in an elephant forest there are dwarf female elephants with big feet. The footprint might be one of theirs. "So he follows along and sees in the elephant forest a large elephant footprint, long in extent and broad in width, and some scratch marks high up. A skilled elephant hunter would not yet come to the conclusion, ),

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('â', What a big bull elephant!â Why is that? Because in an elephant forest there are tall female elephants with prominent teeth & big feet. The footprint might be one of theirs. "So he follows along and sees in the elephant forest a large elephant footprint, long in extent and broad in width, with some scratch marks and tusk slashes high up. A skilled elephant hunter would not yet come to the conclusion, ),

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('â', What a big bull elephant!â Why is that? Because in an elephant forest there are tall female elephants with tusks & big feet. The footprint might be one of theirs. "So he follows along and sees in the elephant forest a large elephant footprint, long in extent and broad in width, with some scratch marks and tusk slashes high up and some broken-off branches. And he sees that bull elephant at the foot of the tree or in an open clearing, walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. He comes to the conclusion, ),

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('â', Thatâs the big bull elephant.â "In the same way, brahman, there is the case where a Tathṅgata appears in the world, worthy & rightly self-awakened. He teaches the Dhamma admirable in its beginning, admirable in its middle, admirable in its end. He proclaims the holy life both in its particulars and in its essence, entirely perfect, surpassingly pure. "A householder or householderâs son, hearing the Dhamma, gains conviction in the Tathṅgata and reflects: ),

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('â', Household life is confining, a dusty path. Life gone forth is the open air. It isnât easy, living at home, to practice the holy life totally perfect, totally pure, a polished shell. What if I, having shaved off my hair & beard and putting on the ochre robe, were to go forth from the household life into homelessness?â "So after some time he abandons his mass of wealth, large or small; leaves his circle of relatives, large or small; shaves off his hair and beard, puts on the ochre robes, and goes forth from the household life into homelessness. ## Virtue "When he has thus gone forth, endowed with the monksâ training & livelihood, then—abandoning the taking of life—he abstains from the taking of life. He dwells with his rod laid down, his knife laid down, scrupulous, merciful, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings. "Abandoning the taking of what is not given, he abstains from taking what is not given. He takes only what is given, accepts only what is given, lives not by stealth but by means of a self that has become pure. This, too, is part of his virtue. "Abandoning uncelibacy, he lives a celibate life, aloof, refraining from the sexual act that is the villagerâs way. "Abandoning false speech, he abstains from false speech. He speaks the truth, holds to the truth, is firm, reliable, no deceiver of the world. "Abandoning divisive speech he abstains from divisive speech. What he has heard here he does not tell there to break those people apart from these people here. What he has heard there he does not tell here to break these people apart from those people there. Thus reconciling those who have broken apart or cementing those who are united, he loves concord, delights in concord, enjoys concord, speaks things that create concord. "Abandoning abusive speech, he abstains from abusive speech. He speaks words that are soothing to the ear, that are affectionate, that go to the heart, that are polite, appealing and pleasing to people at large. "Abandoning idle chatter, he abstains from idle chatter. He speaks in season, speaks what is factual, what is in accordance with the goal, the Dhamma, and the Vinaya. He speaks words worth treasuring, seasonable, reasonable, circumscribed, connected with the goal. "He abstains from damaging seed & plant life. "He eats only once a day, refraining from the evening meal and from food at the wrong time of day. "He abstains from dancing, singing, instrumental music, and from watching shows. "He abstains from wearing garlands and from beautifying himself with scents & cosmetics. "He abstains from high and luxurious beds & seats. "He abstains from accepting gold & money. "He abstains from accepting uncooked grainâ¦ raw meatâ¦ women & girlsâ¦ male & female slavesâ¦ goats & sheepâ¦ fowl & pigsâ¦ elephants, cattle, steeds, & maresâ¦ fields & property. "He abstains from running messagesâ¦ from buying & sellingâ¦ from dealing with false scales, false metals, & false measuresâ¦ from bribery, deception, & fraud. "He abstains from mutilating, executing, imprisoning, highway robbery, plunder, and violence. "He is content with a set of robes to provide for his body and alms food to provide for his hunger. Just as a bird, wherever it goes, flies with its wings as its only burden; so too is he content with a set of robes to provide for his body and alms food to provide for his hunger. Wherever he goes, he takes only his barest necessities along. "Endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, he is inwardly sensitive to the pleasure of being blameless. ## Sense Restraint "On seeing a form with the eye, he doesnât grasp at any theme or details by which—if he were to dwell without restraint over the faculty of the eye—evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress might assail him. On hearing a sound with the earâ¦. On smelling an aroma with the noseâ¦. On tasting a flavor with the tongueâ¦. On touching a tactile sensation with the bodyâ¦. On cognizing an idea with the intellect, he doesnât grasp at any theme or details by which—if he were to dwell without restraint over the faculty of the intellect—evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress might assail him. Endowed with this noble restraint over the sense faculties, he is inwardly sensitive to the pleasure of being blameless. ## Mindfulness & Alertness "When going forward and returning, he makes himself alert. When looking toward and looking awayâ¦ when bending and extending his limbsâ¦ when carrying his outer cloak, his upper robe, and his bowlâ¦ when eating, drinking, chewing, and tastingâ¦ when urinating and defecatingâ¦ when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking, and remaining silent, he makes himself alert. ## Abandoning the Hindrances "Endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, this noble restraint over the sense faculties, this noble mindfulness & alertness, he seeks out a secluded dwelling: a wilderness, the shade of a tree, a mountain, a glen, a hillside cave, a charnel ground, a forest grove, the open air, a heap of straw. After his meal, returning from his alms round, he sits down, crosses his legs, holds his body erect, and brings mindfulness to the fore. "Abandoning covetousness with regard to the world, he dwells with an awareness devoid of covetousness. He cleanses his mind of covetousness. Abandoning ill will & anger, he dwells with an awareness devoid of ill will, sympathetic with the welfare of all living beings. He cleanses his mind of ill will & anger. Abandoning sloth & drowsiness, he dwells with an awareness devoid of sloth & drowsiness, mindful, alert, percipient of light. He cleanses his mind of sloth & drowsiness. Abandoning restlessness & anxiety, he dwells undisturbed, his mind inwardly stilled. He cleanses his mind of restlessness & anxiety. Abandoning uncertainty, he dwells having crossed over uncertainty, with no perplexity with regard to skillful qualities. He cleanses his mind of uncertainty. ## The Four Jhṅnas "Having abandoned these five hindrances—imperfections of awareness that weaken discernment—then, quite secluded from sensuality, secluded from unskillful qualities, he enters and remains in the first jhṅna: rapture & pleasure born of seclusion, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. "This, brahman, is called a footprint of the Tathṅgata, a scratch mark of the Tathṅgata, a tusk slash of the Tathṅgata, but a disciple of the noble ones would not yet come to the conclusion, ),

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('â', The Blessed One is rightly self-awakened; the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One; the Saṃgha of the Blessed Oneâs disciples has practiced rightly.â "Then, with the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he enters and remains in the second jhṅna: rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought and evaluation—internal assurance. "This, too, is called a footprint of the Tathṅgata, a scratch mark of the Tathṅgata, a tusk slash of the Tathṅgata, but a disciple of the noble ones would not yet come to the conclusion, ),

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('â', The Blessed One is rightly self-awakened; the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One; the Saṃgha of the Blessed Oneâs disciples has practiced rightly.â "Then, with the fading of rapture, he remains equanimous, mindful, & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters and remains in the third jhṅna, of which the noble ones declare, ),

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('â', Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding.â "This, too, is called a footprint of the Tathṅgata, a scratch mark of the Tathṅgata, a tusk slash of the Tathṅgata, but a disciple of the noble ones would not yet come to the conclusion, ),

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('â', The Blessed One is rightly self-awakened; the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One; the Saṃgha of the Blessed Oneâs disciples has practiced rightly.â "Then, with the abandoning of pleasure & pain—as with the earlier disappearance of joy & distress—he enters and remains in the fourth jhṅna: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain. "This, too, is called a footprint of the Tathṅgata, a scratch mark of the Tathṅgata, a tusk slash of the Tathṅgata, but a disciple of the noble ones would not yet come to the conclusion, ),

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('â', The Blessed One is rightly self-awakened; the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One; the Saṃgha of the Blessed Oneâs disciples has practiced rightly.â ## The Three Knowledges "With his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant, malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines it to knowledge of the recollection of past lives [lit: previous homes]. He recollects his manifold past lives, i.e., one birth, two births, three births, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, one hundred, one thousand, one hundred thousand, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion, many eons of cosmic contraction and expansion, (recollecting,) ),

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('â', There I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose there. There too I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose here.â Thus he recollects his manifold past lives in their modes and details. "This, too, is called a footprint of the Tathṅgata, a scratch mark of the Tathṅgata, a tusk slash of the Tathṅgata, but a disciple of the noble ones would not yet come to the conclusion, ),

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('â', The Blessed One is rightly self-awakened; the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One; the Saṃgha of the Blessed Oneâs disciples has practiced rightly.â "With his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant, malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines it to knowledge of the passing away and re-appearance of beings. He sees—by means of the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human—beings passing away and re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate in accordance with their kamma: ),

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('â', These beings—who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech, and mind, who reviled the noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views—with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in a plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, hell. But these beings—who were endowed with good conduct of body, speech, and mind, who did not revile the noble ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the influence of right views—with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in a good destination, a heavenly world.â Thus—by means of the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human—he sees beings passing away and re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate in accordance with their kamma. "This, too, is called a footprint of the Tathṅgata, a scratch mark of the Tathṅgata, a tusk slash of the Tathṅgata, but a disciple of the noble ones would not yet come to the conclusion, ),

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('â', This is stressâ¦ This is the origination of stressâ¦ This is the cessation of stressâ¦ This is the way leading to the cessation of stressâ¦ These are effluentsâ¦ This is the origination of effluentsâ¦ This is the cessation of effluentsâ¦ This is the way leading to the cessation of effluents.â "This, too, is called a footprint of the Tathṅgata, a scratch mark of the Tathṅgata, a tusk slash of the Tathṅgata. A disciple of the noble ones has not yet come to conclusion, but he comes to the conclusion,3 ),

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('â', The Blessed One is rightly self-awakened; the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One; the Saṃgha of the Blessed Oneâs disciples has practiced rightly.â4 "His heart, thus knowing, thus seeing, is released from the effluent of sensuality, released from the effluent of becoming, released from the effluent of ignorance. With release, there is the knowledge, ),

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('â', Released.â He discerns that ),

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('â', Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.â "This, too, is called a footprint of the Tathṅgata, a scratch mark of the Tathṅgata, a tusk slash of the Tathṅgata, and it is here that a disciple of the noble ones has come to conclusion: ),

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('â', The Blessed One is rightly self-awakened; the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One; the Saṃgha of the Blessed Oneâs disciples has practiced rightly.â" When this was said, Jṅṃussoṃin the brahman said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent, lord! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has the Blessed One—through many lines of reasoning—made the Dhamma clear. I go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the Saṃgha of monks. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for refuge, from this day forward, for life." Notes 1. The Thai version of the Canon here reads vaḍavṅbhirathena, which seems to be a mixture of two readings recognized in the PTS Dictionary: vaḍabhi-rathena, "in a roofed chariot"; and vaḍavṅ-rathena, "in a chariot drawn by mares." 2. Vacchṅyana is Pilotikaâs clan name. 3. This is a pun. For an explanation, see the next note. 4. This stage in the practice would seem to correspond to reaching stream-entry, inasmuch as one of the standard definitions of stream-entry is direct vision of the four noble truths. It is also the stage at which one reaches verified conviction in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṃgha. The sentence stating that the stream-enterer has come to a conclusion without coming to conclusion appears to be a pun. The idiomatic expression for coming to a conclusion—niṭṭhaṃ gacchati—can also mean coming to a finish, reaching completion, or coming to an end. To distinguish these two meanings, the text here uses the form niṭṭhaṃgato to mean having come to a finish, and niṭṭhaṃ gacchati to mean coming to a conclusion. This particular way of distinguishing the meanings, however, is not adhered to consistently across the Canon. On the one hand, DhpÂ 351—like this sutta—uses the word niṭṭhaṃgato to describe an arahant. On the other, in a series of suttas beginning at ANÂ 6:131 (ANÂ 6:124 in the Thai numbering), some lay disciples are each described as tathṅgate niṭṭhaṃgato, which could either mean that they have come to a definite conclusion about the Tathṅgata or that they have concluded their training under the Tathṅgata. Some of the disciples named in these suttas—such as Citta, Mahṅnṅma, Ugga, Anṅthapiṃṇika, and Jīvaka Komṅrabhacca—are, in other parts of the Canon, described as stream-winners or non-returners. However, the description of their attainment here contains a mixture of terms, some normally associated with stream-entry, some with arahantship. The pattern of the suttas is this: "Endowed with six qualities, Tapussa the householder has come to conclusion in the Tathṅgata, seen the deathless, and goes about having realized the deathless. Which six? Verified confidence in the Buddha, verified confidence in the Dhamma, verified confidence in the Saṃgha, noble virtue, noble knowledge, noble release." Of these six qualities, the first four are normally associated with stream-entry, the last two with arahantship. It may be that the last two are meant here in a non-technical sense, which would mean that niṭṭhaṃgato here means simply coming to a definite conclusion about the Tathṅgata. ANÂ 10:63 plays with the two meanings of niṭṭha in another way. The Buddha describes ten types of individuals, all of whom, he says, are "niṭṭhaṃgatṅ in me." In this case, niṭṭhaṃgato would simply mean having come to a definite conclusion. Of the ten types, he adds, the niṭṭhṅ—or conclusion of the training—of five occurs (or will occur) here in the human realm, the niṭṭhṅ of five occurs away from here. In the first five, he includes three types of stream-winners, once-returners (this item is omitted from the PTS translation), and those who attain arahantship in the present life. In the latter five, he includes five types of non-returners. Thus, as with the suttas in ANÂ 6, niṭṭhaṃgato here means simply coming to a definite conclusion about the Tathṅgata. And the lack of consistency surrounding this term in the suttas suggests that it is not a technical term. This would confirm the impression the two meanings of niṭṭha are used more as an opportunity for word play, a game in which inconsistency is not a vice. For more on word play in the Canon, see the introduction to SnÂ 4. See also: ANÂ 3:65; MNÂ 70; MNÂ 95 - --> - - - -

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The Shorter Elephant Footprint Simile Cūḍa Hatthipadopama Sutta (MN 27)

The Shorter Elephant Footprint Simile Cūḍa Hatthipadopama Sutta (MN 27)