The Longer Heartwood Simile Discourse Mahṅ Sṅropama Sutta (MN 29)

- 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 29 The Longer Heartwood Simile Discourse ## Browse Suttas Go to Majjhima Nikṅya index MN index ## The Longer Heartwood Simile Discourse Mahṅ Sṅropama SuttaÂ Â (MNÂ 29) I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Rṅjagaha on Vulture Peak mountain, not long after Devadatta had left. Referring to Devadatta, the Blessed One addressed the monks: "Monks, there is the case where a certain son of good family, out of conviction, goes forth from the home life into homelessness, (thinking,) ), # Right single quote ('â', I am beset by birth, by aging-&-death, by sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs, beset by stress, overcome with stress. Perhaps the end of this entire mass of stress might be discerned!â Having thus gone forth, he encounters gain, offerings, & fame. He is gratified with that gain, offerings, & fame, his resolve fulfilled. Because of that gain, offerings, & fame he exalts himself and disparages others: ), # Right single quote ('â', I am a person with gain, offerings, & fame, but these other monks are unknown & of little influence.â He is intoxicated with that gain, offerings, & fame, heedless about it, and falls into heedlessness. Being heedless, he dwells in suffering & stress. "Just as if a man in need of heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood—passing over the heartwood of a great standing tree possessed of heartwood, passing over the sapwood, passing over the inner bark, passing over the outer bark—cutting away the twigs & leaves, were to go off carrying them, thinking, ), # Right single quote ('â', heartwood.â A man with good eyesight, seeing him, would say, ), # Right single quote ('â', Ah, how this good man didnât know heartwood, didnât know sapwood, didnât know inner bark, didnât know outer bark, didnât know twigs & leaves! Thatâs why he, in need of heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood—passing over the heartwood of a great standing tree possessed of heartwood, passing over the sapwood, passing over the inner bark, passing over the outer bark—cutting away the twigs & leaves, went off carrying them, thinking, "heartwood." Whatever heartwood-business he had with heartwood, his purpose wonât be served.â "In the same way, monks, there is the case where a certain son of good family, out of conviction, goes forth from the home life into homelessness, (thinking,) ), # Right single quote ('â', I am beset by birth, by aging-&-death, by sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs, beset by stress, overcome with stress. Perhaps the end of this entire mass of stress might be discerned!â Having thus gone forth, he encounters gain, offerings, & fame. He is gratified with that gain, offerings, & fame, his resolve fulfilled. Because of that gain, offerings, & fame he exalts himself and disparages others: ), # Right single quote ('â', I am a person with gain, offerings, & fame, but these other monks are unknown & of little influence.â He is intoxicated with that gain, offerings, & fame, heedless about it, and falls into heedlessness. Being heedless, he dwells in suffering & stress. This, monks, is called a monk who grasps the twigs & leaves of the holy life, and with that he falls short. "And further, there is the case where a certain son of good family, out of conviction, goes forth from the home life into homelessness, (thinking,) ), # Right single quote ('â', â¦ Perhaps the end of this entire mass of stress might be discerned!â Having thus gone forth, he encounters gain, offerings, & fame. He is not gratified with that gain, offerings, & fame, his resolve not fulfilled. He is not intoxicated with that gain, offerings, & fame, not heedless about it, and does not fall into heedlessness. Being heedful, he achieves consummation in virtue. He is gratified with that consummation in virtue, his resolve fulfilled. Because of that consummation in virtue he exalts himself and disparages others: ), # Right single quote ('â', I am a person of virtue, with fine qualities, but these other monks are unvirtuous, with evil qualities.â He is intoxicated with that consummation in virtue, heedless about it, and falls into heedlessness. Being heedless, he dwells in suffering & stress. "Just as if a man in need of heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood—passing over the heartwood of a great standing tree possessed of heartwood, passing over the sapwood, passing over the inner bark—cutting away the outer bark, were to go off carrying it, thinking, ), # Right single quote ('â', heartwood.â A man with good eyesight, seeing him, would say, ), # Right single quote ('â', Ah, how this good man didnât know heartwood, didnât know sapwood, didnât know inner bark, didnât know