Dhamma Principles › The Log Discourse: A Log Floating to the Sea
The Log Discourse: A Log Floating to the Sea
Practice

The Log Discourse: A Log Floating to the Sea

ทารุกฺขนฺธสุตฺตํ

A log carried down the Ganges will reach the sea if it doesn't catch on either bank, sink midstream, run aground, get taken by humans or non-humans, get caught in a whirlpool, or rot inside — so too a practitioner flows toward nibbāna.

8 points

In the Dārukkhandha Sutta of the Saḷāyatana Saṃyutta, the Buddha, staying by the Ganges, saw a great log carried along by the current. He said that if the log does not go to the near shore or the far shore, does not sink midstream, is not stranded on dry ground, is not taken by humans or non-humans, is not caught in a whirlpool and does not rot inside, it will flow to the sea — because the Ganges flows toward the sea.

In the same way, a monk who does not get stuck in these eight obstacles will incline toward nibbāna, because right view inclines toward nibbāna.

Nanda the cowherd, standing nearby, said he would not get stuck in any of the eight and asked to go forth. The Buddha told him first to return the cows to their owners. He later went forth and attained arahantship.

  1. 1

    Not catching on the near shore: the internal sense bases โอริมํ ตีรํ

    The near shore is the six internal sense bases: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. Catching on this shore can be understood as clinging to the one who experiences.

    Applying it in daily life

    Notice clinging to "I'm this kind of person, I like it this way", which makes the mind rigid and unwilling to change.

  2. 2

    Not catching on the far shore: the external sense bases ปาริมํ ตีรํ

    The far shore is the six external sense bases: forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches and mental objects. Catching on it can be understood as getting carried away by what is experienced.

    Applying it in daily life

    If your hand reaches for your phone every idle moment, that's a sign you've drifted onto the far shore.

  3. 3

    Not sinking midstream: delight and lust มชฺเฌ สํสีทโน

    Sinking midstream is delight and lust (nandirāga) — the relish that weighs the mind down into what it likes.

    Applying it in daily life

    Happiness isn't wrong, but if you feel you can't do without something, you are already sinking.

  4. 4

    Not running aground: the conceit "I am" ถเล อุสฺสาโท

    Being stranded on dry ground is the conceit "I am" (asmimāna), which leaves one stuck with an image of oneself — even the image of a good practitioner.

    Applying it in daily life

    Beware the feeling "I've been practising for years", which makes it hard to hear warnings from others.

  5. 5

    Not taken by humans: entangled until the way is lost มนุสฺสคฺคาโห

    A monk who mixes with householders, rejoicing and grieving with them and busying himself with their affairs, is like a log pulled out of the water by people.

    Applying it in daily life

    For lay people: check whether you're sinking into other people's affairs, drama or social expectations, with no time left to look after your own mind.

  6. 6

    Not taken by non-humans: practising to become a deva อมนุสฺสคฺคาโห

    Living the holy life with the wish, "By this virtue or observance may I become some deva," is like being taken by non-humans, because the goal is caught on a better existence rather than freedom from suffering.

    Applying it in daily life

    Doing good and wanting a better life are fine, but don't let the reward become the only reason you practise.

  7. 7

    Not caught in the whirlpool: the five cords of sensual pleasure อาวฏฺฏคฺคาโห

    The whirlpool is the five cords of sensual pleasure — desirable forms, sounds, smells, tastes and touches — which pull one round and round to the same place.

    Applying it in daily life

    Notice loops you repeat, such as bored, then eat, then watch clips, then bored again. Seeing the loop is the first step out of the whirlpool.

  8. 8

    Not rotten inside: hidden immorality อนฺโตปูติ

    Rotten inside means one who is immoral, of bad character, impure and suspect in conduct, secretive in deeds, not a true recluse yet claiming to be one. Outwardly it looks like an ordinary log, but inside it has decayed.

    Applying it in daily life

    Secrets that contradict the values we profess erode the mind from within. The remedy starts with admitting it honestly to yourself.

Try it in daily life

This simile suits people who have practised for a while and feel they're going nowhere. Rather than blaming yourself in general, check point by point where you're stuck: comfort of the senses, delight, self-image, social life, or something hidden inside.

Note that the current carries the log by itself when nothing blocks it. Practice isn't only a matter of pushing hard; it also means not clinging to what makes you stuck.

The detail about monks mixing with householders was written for renunciants. Lay people can apply it as not getting so absorbed in others' affairs that they lose their own way.

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