Linked Discourses: The Chapter with Verses

ฉบับแปลอังกฤษ · Sutta Piṭaka — The Basket of Discourses · Volume 15 · 351 pages

Summarized by AI from the full volume (273 topics) — click to jump to where each topic begins.

Page 1 SN 1.1 Crossing the Flood A radiant deity asks the Buddha how he managed to cross the flood of samsara. He answers paradoxically: neither by standing still nor by swimming. Standing represents complacent indulgence, which causes one to sink; swimming represents restless struggle, which sweeps one away. The middle way of crossing avoids both extremes, and the deity affirms this as the mark of a brahmin who has become fully quenched, no longer clinging to anything in the world.
Page 1–3 SN 1.2 Liberation Another deity asks the Buddha whether he understands the liberation, emancipation, and seclusion of sentient beings. The Buddha confirms that he does, explaining that this knowledge comes through the ending of relish for future rebirth, the exhausting of perception and consciousness that fuel becoming, and the cessation and stilling of feeling. In short, freedom is found by seeing through and letting go of the very processes - craving, perception, feeling - that keep beings bound to repeated exi
Page 3 SN 1.3 Led On A deity recites a verse lamenting how short life is and how it inexorably leads toward old age, which offers no shelter; seeing this danger in death, one should do good deeds that bring joy. The Buddha repeats the same verse but changes its conclusion: rather than simply urging ordinary merit-making, he says a true seeker of peace would drop the world's "bait" altogether, meaning the sensual attachments that keep beings tied to samsara. The exchange contrasts conventional piety with the deeper r
Page 3–4 SN 1.4 Time Flies A deity observes that time flies and nights pass, with the stages of life falling away one after another, and urges doing good deeds in light of this peril. As in the previous discourse, the Buddha echoes the verse but replaces the final line, teaching that a genuine seeker of peace drops the world's bait rather than merely accumulating merit. The pairing of these two suttas underscores impermanence as a spur first to ethical living and ultimately to full renunciation.
Page 4 SN 1.5 Cut How Many? A deity poses a riddle in verse: how many things must be cut, how many dropped, how many more developed, for a mendicant to be said to have crossed the flood? The Buddha answers with a formula of fives: five things to cut (the five lower fetters that bind to the sensual realm), five to drop (the five higher fetters that bind to subtler realms), and five more to develop (the five spiritual faculties such as faith and wisdom). Mastering this fivefold program is what it means to have slipped free o
Page 4–5 SN 1.6 Awake Continuing the riddle format, a deity asks how many "sleep" among the waking, how many "wake" among the sleeping, and by how many one gathers or is cleansed of dust. The Buddha explains that five things (the five hindrances, such as sensual desire and ill will) keep a person spiritually asleep even while physically awake, while five other qualities (the spiritual faculties) represent true wakefulness. The same five hindrances are what defile a person, and their removal is what purifies them - a
Page 5 SN 1.7 Undeciphered A deity notes that those who have not properly deciphered the Buddha's teaching are vulnerable to being led astray by rival doctrines, remaining spiritually asleep when it is time to wake up. The Buddha's answering verse affirms that those who have well understood the teaching are immune to being misled; having awakened and rightly known the truth, they move smoothly even through what is rough for others. The sutta emphasizes that genuine comprehension of the Dhamma, not mere exposure to it, is
Page 5–6 SN 1.8 Very Confused This discourse restates the theme of the previous one using "confusion" instead of "undeciphered": those confused about the teaching can be swayed by other doctrines and remain asleep to the truth. The Buddha's reply again affirms that the unconfused, having awakened, are not led astray and walk smoothly through hardship. Together with SN 1.7, it stresses that clarity of understanding - not merely hearing the teaching - is what secures a practitioner against wrong views.
Page 6 SN 1.9 Fond of Conceit A deity observes that a person who is fond of conceit cannot be tamed, and that no sage lacks meditative composure; living carelessly alone in the wilderness does not by itself let one cross beyond the domain of death. The Buddha's answering verse teaches that it is only by giving up conceit, becoming serene within oneself and free everywhere, that solitary forest dwelling truly leads one across Death's domain. The point is that outward renunciation (living alone in the wild) is worthless withou
Page 6–7 SN 1.10 Wilderness A deity asks why forest-dwelling ascetics who eat only one meal a day still have such a clear, radiant complexion. The Buddha explains that their peace comes from not grieving over the past and not yearning for the future; they simply live on whatever comes to them each day, and this freedom from regret and anxiety is what keeps them radiant. By contrast, those who pine for the future and grieve the past wither away like a green reed cut down, illustrating how mental clinging to time itself is a
Page 7–8 SN 1.11 The Garden of Delight The Buddha tells a story of a deity of the Thirty-Three enjoying the heavenly Garden of Delight, surrounded by nymphs and the five kinds of sensual stimulation, who exclaims that no one truly knows pleasure without seeing this garden, the abode of the glorious gods. Another deity rebukes this view, quoting the perfected ones' teaching that all conditioned things are impermanent, arising and passing away, and that it is the settling (cessation) of these conditions, not their heavenly enjoyment, t
Page 8–9 SN 1.12 Delight A deity offers the conventional view that children and cattle bring delight, since attachments are what make a man happy, and without attachments there is no delight. The Buddha inverts this claim: children and cattle actually bring sorrow, because attachments are the very source of a man's grief, and it is precisely the absence of attachment that removes sorrow. The verse challenges the ordinary assumption that possessions and family ties are simply sources of joy, revealing their hidden cost i
Page 9 SN 1.13 There's Nothing Like a Child A deity praises worldly attachments in superlative terms: nothing compares to fondness for a child, wealth like cattle, light like the sun, or a body of water like the ocean. The Buddha reframes each claim toward spiritual value: nothing compares to fondness for oneself (self-respect/self-care rightly understood), wealth like grain (that which actually sustains life), light like wisdom, and among flowing waters, rain (which gives life to all) is paramount. The verse gently redirects conventional
Page 9–10 SN 1.14 Aristocrats A deity states the conventional social hierarchy: an aristocrat is the best of bipeds, an ox the best of quadrupeds, a maiden the best of wives, and a first-born son the best of sons. The Buddha replaces each worldly ideal with a spiritual one: a Buddha is the best of bipeds, a thoroughbred the best of quadrupeds, a good and attentive listener the best of wife, and a loyal son the best of sons. The teaching subtly critiques caste and birth-based status in favor of qualities of character and spir
Page 10 SN 1.15 Resounding A deity describes the eerie stillness of high noon in the forest, when the birds have gone quiet and the mighty forest itself seems to resound, calling this scary. The Buddha responds with the identical verse but changes the final word: to him, that same resounding silence is delightful rather than frightening. The tiny variation illustrates how the same experience is perceived through fear by an unliberated mind and through delight by an awakened one.
Page 10 SN 1.16 Sleepiness and Sloth A deity observes that sleepiness, sloth, yawning, discontent, and grogginess after eating are obstacles that prevent the noble path from shining forth in living beings. The Buddha's answering verse affirms that when these hindrances are energetically fended off, the noble path becomes purified and clear. The teaching is a compact reminder that physical torpor and overindulgence in food are direct impediments to spiritual clarity, requiring active effort to overcome.
Page 10–11 SN 1.17 Hard to Do A deity observes that the ascetic life is hard to undertake and hard to endure for the inept, since it is full of narrow passes where fools founder. The Buddha agrees that without controlling the mind, an ascetic would founder at every step, dominated by thoughts, and teaches the well-known simile that a mendicant should draw in their thoughts the way a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell. Such a person, independent and not disturbing others, becomes fully quenched and blames no one - il
Page 11 SN 1.18 Conscience A deity asks whether a person can be found in the world who is restrained by conscience, sensitive to blame like a fine horse responding to the whip. The Buddha replies that such people, constrained by conscience and always mindful, are rare - but having reached the end of suffering, they move smoothly even through what is difficult for others. Conscience (hiri), the inner sense of shame at wrongdoing, is presented as a rare and valuable safeguard on the path.
Page 11–12 SN 1.19 Little Hut A deity questions a mendicant with a series of metaphors: don't you have a little hut, a little nest, any networks, aren't you free of shackles? The mendicant denies having any of these, and when pressed to explain the riddle, reveals that "hut" means mother, "nest" means wife, "network" means children, and "shackle" means craving. The deity praises the mendicant for being free of all these entanglements, framing family ties and craving as the true bonds a renunciate has left behind.
Page 12–17 SN 1.20 With Samiddhi Venerable Samiddhi, bathing at dawn near the Hot Springs Monastery, is approached by a deity who urges him to enjoy sensual pleasures now, while young, rather than chase the delayed and uncertain rewards of ascetic practice. Samiddhi refuses, explaining that the Buddha teaches sensual pleasures bring suffering over time while the Dhamma is immediately visible and beneficial, though as a junior monk he cannot elaborate and directs the deity to ask the Buddha directly. When the deity and Samiddhi
Page 18–19 SN 1.21 A Sword A deity urges that a mendicant should go forth with the urgency of someone struck by a sword or whose head is on fire, in order to give up sensual desire. The Buddha's answering verse repeats the same urgent imagery but redirects it toward giving up substantialist view - the deeply held belief in a fixed, independent self. Together the two halves teach that both craving and wrong view require the same burning urgency to abandon.
Page 19 SN 1.22 Impact A deity states that harm does not "impact" one who does not impact others; it only impacts someone because they have impacted others first, so it is the aggressor who impacts one who has done no wrong. The Buddha confirms this with the simile of throwing fine dust upwind: whoever wrongs a pure, blameless person finds the evil backfiring on themselves, just as dust thrown against the wind blows back into the thrower's face. The teaching illustrates the natural moral consequence of harming the inn
Page 19–20 SN 1.23 A Tangle A deity poses the famous riddle of the "tangle": people are tangled within and tangled without, entangled in tangles, and asks who can untangle this snarl. The Buddha answers that a wise person grounded in ethics, who develops mind and wisdom and stays keen and alert, is capable of untangling it; those in whom greed, hatred, and delusion have faded away - the perfected ones - have already untangled it completely. He concludes that the tangle is finally cut at the point where name-and-form ceases
Page 20 SN 1.24 Shielding the Mind A deity proposes that whatever one has shielded the mind from cannot cause suffering, so one should shield the mind from everything in order to be free of all suffering. The Buddha corrects this: it is neither necessary nor possible to shield the mind from everything, nor does the mind gain self-control that way; instead, the mind needs only to be shielded specifically from wherever unwholesome states actually arise. The teaching favors targeted, discerning restraint over an impossible blanket s
Page 20–21 SN 1.25 A Perfected One A deity asks whether a perfected mendicant, one whose defilements are ended and who bears their final body, would still say "I speak" or "they speak to me." The Buddha affirms that such a person would indeed use these expressions, being skillful and understanding the world's conventions, using them as mere labels rather than as claims of a real self. Pressed further on whether this brings the arahant close to conceit, the Buddha explains that having fully given up conceit and its ties, such a pe
Page 21–22 SN 1.26 Lamps A deity asks how many lamps there are that light up the world. The Buddha answers that there are four: the sun blazing by day, the moon radiating at night, and fire illuminating both day and night - but declares that a Buddha is the best of all these blazes, the supreme radiance beyond compare. The verse elevates the Buddha's liberating wisdom above even the greatest natural sources of light.
Page 22 SN 1.27 Streams A deity asks from where the streams of craving recoil, where the cycle of rebirth spins no more, and where name-and-form ceases without residue. The Buddha answers that it is where the four elements - water, earth, fire, and air - find no footing: there the streams recoil, the cycle stops, and name-and-form ceases completely. This points to nibbana as the unconditioned state beyond the reach of the material elements that constitute ordinary existence.
Page 22–23 SN 1.28 Affluent A deity observes that even the affluent, the wealthy, and ruling aristocrats are jealous of one another and insatiable in their pursuit of sensual pleasure, and asks who in the world, amid this avid grasping, has actually given up craving. The Buddha answers that it is those who have given up home, children, cattle, and everything they love to go forth, and who have abandoned desire and hatred and dispelled ignorance - the perfected ones with defilements ended - who are truly free of avid cravin
Page 23 SN 1.29 Four Wheels A deity describes the body/existence as a cart with four wheels and nine doors (the bodily orifices), stuffed full and bound with greed, born from a bog, and asks the Buddha how one is to keep going. The Buddha answers that by cutting the strap and harness - wicked desire and greed - and plucking out craving root and all, one is able to keep going freely. The imagery casts craving as the very mechanism binding a being to the vehicle of continued existence.
Page 23 SN 1.30 Antelope Calves A deity addresses an ascetic figure with admiring imagery - lean like an antelope, not greedy, eating little, wandering alone like a lion, unconcerned for sensual pleasures - and asks how one is released from all suffering. The Buddha answers concisely: the world has five kinds of sensual stimulation, with the mind counted as a sixth, and release from all suffering comes from discarding desire for these six. This closes the "A Sword" chapter with a summary formula tying liberation to letting go
Page 23–25 SN 1.31 Virtuous A group of deities from the "host of a hundred felicities" each recite a verse praising association with virtuous people, listing different specific benefits: things get better, wisdom is gained from no one else, one grieves less, one dazzles among relatives, and one is reborn well and lives happily. When asked who has spoken best, the Buddha affirms that they have all spoken well in their own way, then adds the ultimate benefit: associating with the virtuous and understanding their true teachin
Page 25–28 SN 1.32 Stinginess A succession of deities recite verses on the theme of generosity: stinginess and negligence prevent giving, a miser's fear of poverty ironically brings about the very hardship they fear, and even a small gift given readily is said to be "multiplied a thousand times" compared to withheld abundance. One deity contrasts the difficulty of virtuous giving with the wicked's inability to act well, noting that this moral difference determines whether one is bound for heaven or hell after death. The Budd
Page 28–31 SN 1.33 Good A series of deities build up a cumulative refrain praising giving, adding new qualifications one at a time in the Buddha's presence: giving is good even from little, giving out of faith is good, giving legitimate (honestly earned) wealth is good, giving intelligently (to worthy recipients) is good, and being restrained from harming living creatures is also good. Each addition is illustrated with a supporting verse, such as legitimate wealth allowing one to cross Yama's river to celestial fields,
Page 31–33 SN 1.34 There Are None A deity declares that among humankind there are no sensual pleasures that last, and that those intoxicated and bound to sensuality do not return from Death's dominion; the Buddha responds that gloom and suffering are born of desire, and both cease when desire is removed. Further verses clarify that it is not external "pretty things" that constitute sensual pleasure but the greedy intention toward them, and that giving up anger, conceit, and all fetters frees one from torment even while possessin
Page 33–35 SN 1.35 Fault-Finding Deities A group of contentious "fault-finding" deities approach the Buddha in the air and accuse him, in verse, of being like a cheating gambler who merely talks without acting on his words. The Buddha calmly replies that mere speaking or listening does not itself constitute the path; rather, the attentive who practice meditative absorption understand the way of the world and are released through genuine understanding. The deities, humbled, land and apologize for their presumption, but then resume their
Page 35–36 SN 1.36 Faith A deity declares that faith is a person's true partner: when faithlessness does not linger, fame and renown follow, and after death one goes to heaven. Another deity adds that giving up anger, conceit, and the fetters removes torment for one who clings to nothing, and a further verse contrasts fools who devote themselves to negligence with the wise who guard diligence as their finest treasure, warning against indulging in erotic intimacy and urging diligent meditative practice as the path to ult
Page 36–37 SN 1.37 The Congregation While the Buddha stays in the Great Wood near Kapilavatthu with five hundred arahant mendicants, deities from ten thousand world systems gather to witness the assembly. Four deities of the pure abodes appear before the Buddha and, in turn, praise the grandeur of the gathering, describe the mendicants as immersed in composure with senses well-guarded like a skilled charioteer, celebrate their having broken through Mara's stronghold ("snapped the post," "tore out Indra's pillar") to live pure and
Page 37–40 SN 1.38 A Splinter After a wooden splinter cuts the Buddha's foot near Rajagaha, causing him harrowing pain, he endures it unbothered with full mindfulness, lying down in the lion's posture. Seven hundred deities arrive and, one after another, praise his fortitude by comparing him to an elephant, lion, thoroughbred, boss bull, and behemoth enduring pain unshaken, culminating in praise of his deep, unshakeable immersion and well-freed mind that no one could hope to overcome. The Buddha responds with verses criticiz
Page 40–41 SN 1.39 With Pajjunna's Daughter (1st) The deity Kokanadā, daughter of Pajjunna, visits the Buddha at the Great Wood near Vesālī and recites verses of devotion, describing how she once only heard the teaching secondhand but now knows it as a direct witness while the Buddha himself teaches. She contrasts two destinies: fools who denounce the teaching of the noble ones fall into the terrible Hell of Screams and suffer long, while those who find acceptance and peace in that same teaching, after death, swell the ranks of the heavenly hos
Page 41–42 SN 1.40 With Pajjunna's Daughter (2nd) Kokanadā the Younger, also identified as Pajjunna's daughter, appears before the Buddha at the same location and recites verses praising him, noting that although the teaching could be analyzed in countless ways, she will state its meaning briefly as she has learned it by heart. She then recites the well-known summary verse: never do anything bad by speech, mind, or body in all the world; having given up sensual pleasures, mindful and aware, one should not keep doing what is painful and pointles
Page 42–44 SN 1.41 On Fire A deity offers the simile of rescuing useful vessels from a burning house rather than those already ruined, applying it to the world's constant burning with old age and death: one should "rescue" one's wealth through generosity, since whatever is given is thereby saved from loss. What is not given, by contrast, brings no lasting happiness and risks being seized by bandits or rulers, consumed by fire, or simply lost, while the body itself is eventually cast off along with all possessions. The tea
Page 44 SN 1.42 Giving What? A deity asks what kind of gift gives strength, what gives beauty, what gives happiness, what gives vision, and who is the giver of "all." The Buddha answers point by point - food gives strength, clothes give beauty, a vehicle gives happiness, a lamp gives vision - and identifies the one who gives monastic quarters as the giver of "all," while reserving the highest honor for the one who teaches the Dhamma, since that person gives the gift of freedom from death itself.
Page 44–45 SN 1.43 Food A deity notes that both gods and humans enjoy the food offered to them, and asks what spirit is excluded from enjoying such offerings. The Buddha explains that it is those given with faith and a clear, confident heart that allow the recipients to partake of the offering both in this world and the next, implying that offerings given stingily or without sincerity fail to reach or benefit the departed. The teaching closes with an exhortation to dispel stinginess and give generously, since one's goo
Page 45 SN 1.44 One Root This short, famously cryptic verse encodes core Buddhist psychology in numerical riddle form: "one" the root (craving), "two" the loops (conceit and views), "three" the stains (greed, hatred, delusion), "five" the spreads (the five senses), and the ocean as the "twelfth" whirlpool (the twelve sense fields) - together forming the abyss that only a seer (an awakened one) manages to cross. Though terse, the verse functions as a compressed map of the causes of suffering and the depth of insight need
Page 45 SN 1.45 Peerless This brief verse extols the Buddha as one of peerless name who perceives the subtlest truths, gives the gift of wisdom, remains unattached to the realm of sensuality, and stands as the all-knowing, supremely intelligent great seer walking the noble road. It functions as a short hymn of praise rather than a dialogue or teaching narrative.
Page 45 SN 1.46 Nymphs A deity describes a grove haunted by nymphs and goblins, called "Deluding," and asks how one is to navigate it (a metaphor for the perilous world). The Buddha answers with an extended chariot simile: the path is called "the direct way," heading toward the "fearless" destination, riding in a chariot called "unswerving" fitted with wheels of the teaching, with conscience as its backrest, mindfulness as its upholstery, the teaching as its driver, and right view running out in front - any woman or m
Page 45–46 SN 1.47 Planters A deity asks whose merit continually grows, day and night, and which people, firm in principle and accomplished in conduct, are headed for heaven. The Buddha answers that those who plant parks or groves, build bridges, dig wells and drinking places, and provide monastic lodging generate merit that keeps growing continuously, securing them a heavenly rebirth. The teaching highlights public-spirited, infrastructure-building generosity as a source of ongoing, self-renewing merit.
Page 46 SN 1.48 Jeta's Grove A deity praises Jeta's Grove as a place frequented by the community of seers, where the King of Dhamma himself stayed, expressing the joy this brings. The verse then teaches that people are purified through their deeds, knowledge, ethical conduct, and livelihood - not through clan or wealth - so a wise person examines the teaching rationally in order to become purified through it, and singles out Sariputta as an exemplar of wisdom, ethics, and peace whom even an accomplished mendicant might at b
Page 46–48 SN 1.49 Stingy Deities ask about the fate of stingy, miserly, and abusive people who set up obstacles for others who wish to give. The Buddha describes their grim outcome: rebirth in hell, the animal realm, or Yama's world, or if human, birth into poverty where basic needs are hard to meet and even hoped-for help from others does not come. Asked the converse question about generous, faithful people confident in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Sangha, the Buddha describes their bright destiny: illuminating th
Page 48–49 SN 1.50 With Ghaṭīkāra A deity announces that seven mendicants reborn in the pure abode of Aviha have been freed, having fully ended greed and hatred, and in dialogue reveals their names, including Upaka and Pukkusāti, who crossed Death's dominion by understanding the teaching that name-and-form ceases without residue. When the Buddha, impressed by the depth of this understanding, asks whose teaching led the deity to such insight, the deity reveals himself as Ghatikara, a potter who in a past life was a devoted lay fo
Page 49–50 SN 1.51 Old Age A deity asks what remains good even in old age, what is good when firmly grounded, what constitutes a person's real treasure, and what thieves cannot take. The Buddha answers with a compact formula: ethics remain good in old age, faith is good when firmly grounded, wisdom is a person's true treasure, and merit is what thieves cannot steal - values that endure where physical youth, possessions, and security do not.
Page 50 SN 1.52 Getting Old This near-identical companion to the previous sutta rephrases the riddle slightly: what is good because it never grows old, what is good when firmly committed to, what is people's treasure, and what can thieves never take. The Buddha gives the same essential answer - ethics, faith, wisdom, and merit - reinforcing through repetition that these four qualities are uniquely resistant to time, loss, and theft.
Page 50–51 SN 1.53 A Friend A deity asks who is one's friend while journeying, at home, in a time of need, and in lives to come. The Buddha answers that a caravan is a friend on the road, a mother is a friend at home, a reliable ally is a friend in times of need, but it is one's own good deeds that serve as a friend across future lives - shifting the notion of "friendship" from external relationships to the enduring support of one's own kamma.
Page 51 SN 1.54 Grounds A deity asks what is the true "site" or foundation for human beings, what is the best companion, and what sustains creatures that live off the earth. The Buddha answers that children are the foundation people build their lives around, a wife is the best comrade, and all earthly creatures ultimately depend on rain for their sustenance - grounding human concerns in these basic, universally recognized supports.
Page 51 SN 1.55 Gives Birth (1st) The first of three closely related riddle-verses asks what gives birth to a person, what is it that "runs about" within them, what enters the cycle of rebirth, and what is their greatest fear. The Buddha answers that craving gives birth to a being, the mind is what restlessly runs about, a sentient being is what enters transmigration, and suffering is what beings fear most - laying out the basic causal chain from craving to continued rebirth.
Page 51 SN 1.56 Gives Birth (2nd) This companion verse repeats the same first three questions - what gives birth to a person, what runs about, what enters transmigration - but changes the final question to ask what beings are never free from. The Buddha's answer is unchanged for the first three (craving, the mind, a sentient being) and adds that beings are never free from suffering, reinforcing that suffering is both the great fear and the inescapable condition tied to the craving-driven cycle of rebirth.
Page 51–52 SN 1.57 Gives Birth (3rd) The third variant in this trio again repeats the opening questions but asks, finally, what constitutes a being's destiny. The Buddha answers as before with craving, the mind, and a sentient being, and concludes that deeds (kamma) are what ultimately determine a being's final destination - completing the sequence's teaching that craving initiates rebirth, the wandering mind drives it, and one's own actions determine where it leads.
Page 52 SN 1.58 Deviation A deity asks what is called a deviation, what constitutes the ending of day and night, what is the stain upon chastity, and what serves as a "waterless" bath. The Buddha answers that lust is the deviation, youth itself is what wears away with each day and night, women (or more broadly, sensual attachment) are the stain this generation clings to, and spiritual fervor combined with chastity is the true bath that cleanses without water - contrasting physical purification with inner discipline.
Page 52 SN 1.59 A Partner A deity asks what serves as a person's true partner, what instructs them, and by delighting in what a mortal is released from all suffering. The Buddha answers that faith is a person's partner, wisdom is what instructs them, and it is by delighting in extinguishment (nibbana) that a mortal finds release from all suffering - tying together faith, wisdom, and the aspiration for liberation as the essential supports of the path.
Page 52 SN 1.60 A Poet A deity asks a more playful, technical question: what is the source of verses, what constitutes their phrasing, what do verses depend on, and what underlies them. The Buddha answers that metre is their source, syllables constitute their phrasing, verses depend on names (words), and a poet is what underlies them - a lighter, almost linguistic riddle closing out this run of terse catechetical verses before the next chapter shifts to more abstract themes.
Page 53–54 SN 1.61 Name Opening the "Overcome" chapter, a deity asks what overcomes everything, what nothing excels, and what single thing holds everything under its sway. The Buddha answers simply: "name" (naming, or the conceptual designation of things) overcomes everything, nothing excels it, and it is the one thing that holds all else under its power - pointing to how conceptual labeling shapes and dominates all experience.
Page 54 SN 1.62 Mind A deity asks what leads the world on, what drags it around, and what single thing has everything under its sway. The Buddha answers that the mind leads the world on, the mind drags it around, and the mind is the one thing that has everything under its power - identifying the mind, rather than external circumstance, as the true director of experience.
Page 54 SN 1.63 Craving Using the identical question as the previous sutta, a deity asks what leads the world on, what drags it around, and what holds everything under its sway. This time the Buddha answers that craving leads the world on, craving drags it around, and craving is the one thing that has everything under its sway - shifting the focus from the general faculty of mind to the specific driving force of craving within it.
Page 54–55 SN 1.64 Fetter A deity asks what fetters the world, how it travels about, and with the giving up of what extinguishment is spoken of. The Buddha answers that delight (nandi) fetters the world, it travels about by means of thought, and it is with the giving up of craving that extinguishment (nibbana) is spoken of - locating delight and craving as the operative bonds that keep beings circling in existence.
Page 55 SN 1.65 Bonds Repeating the pattern with slightly different wording, a deity asks what binds the world, how it travels about, and with the giving up of what all bonds are severed. The Buddha answers that delight binds the world, it travels by means of thought, and it is with the giving up of craving that all bonds are severed - reinforcing the previous sutta's teaching with the language of "binding" rather than "fettering."
Page 55 SN 1.66 Beaten Down A deity asks by what the world is beaten down, by what it is surrounded, what dart has laid it low, and with what it is constantly fuming. The Buddha answers that the world is beaten down by death, surrounded by old age, laid low by the dart of craving, and constantly fuming with desire - a stark summary of the human condition as besieged on all sides by impermanence and craving.
Page 55 SN 1.67 Ensnared A deity asks by what the world is ensnared, surrounded, fastened shut, and grounded. The Buddha answers that craving has ensnared the world, old age surrounds it, mortality fastens it shut, and suffering is what the world is grounded upon - another compressed statement of how craving, aging, death, and suffering define the human predicament.
Page 55–56 SN 1.68 Fastened Shut This companion verse reorders the same four questions from the previous sutta - by what is the world fastened shut, grounded, ensnared, and surrounded - and the Buddha gives the identical set of answers (mortality, suffering, craving, old age) in matching order. The repetition with reordered questions functions as a mnemonic reinforcement of the same core teaching on what binds beings to the world.
Page 56 SN 1.69 Desire A deity asks what binds the world, by removing what it is freed, and with the giving up of what all bonds are severed. The Buddha answers that desire is what binds the world, and it is by removing desire that the world is freed, with the giving up of desire severing all its bonds - naming desire directly as the binding force, complementing the earlier verses on craving and delight.
Page 56 SN 1.70 The World Closing the "Overcome" chapter, a deity asks in what the world has arisen, with what it becomes intimate, and by grasping what the world is troubled. The Buddha answers that the world has arisen "in six," becomes intimate with six, and is troubled by grasping the six - a compact reference to the six sense bases (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind) as the origin point of the entire experienced world.
Page 56–57 SN 1.71 Slain Opening the "Slain" chapter, a deity asks what one must slay to sleep at ease and be free of sorrow, and what single thing the Buddha approves of killing. The Buddha answers that it is anger whose slaying brings ease and freedom from sorrow, describing anger as having a poisonous root but a deceptively sweet tip; the noble ones praise its killing precisely because its elimination removes sorrow - reframing the theme of "slaying" away from violence toward the destruction of a harmful inner state.
Page 57 SN 1.72 A Chariot A deity asks what identifies a chariot, what identifies fire, what identifies a nation, and what identifies a woman. The Buddha gives conventional social answers: a chariot is known by its banner, fire by its smoke, a nation by its ruler, and a woman by her husband - a straightforward, non-doctrinal riddle reflecting everyday markers of identity in the ancient social context, rather than a deep teaching on liberation.
Page 58 SN 1.73 The Best Wealth (concluding verses) This is the closing exchange of a riddle-verse discourse in which a deity questions the Buddha about what is best in various categories of life, and the Buddha answers in kind. The deity asks what is a person's best wealth, what brings happiness, what is the sweetest taste, and what makes for the best life. The Buddha replies that faith is the best wealth, the teaching (Dhamma) brings the truest happiness, truth is the sweetest of tastes, and wisdom makes for the best kind of life. The short ver
Page 58 SN 1.74 Rain A deity poses riddle questions asking what is the best of things that rise, the finest thing to fall, the finest thing that goes forth, and who is the finest speaker, offering worldly answers of a seed, rain, cattle, and a child. The Buddha reframes each riddle in spiritual terms: knowledge is the best thing that rises, ignorance the worst thing to fall, the Saṅgha the finest thing that goes forth, and the Buddha himself the finest speaker. The verse plays on the double meaning of "rising" and "
Page 58–59 SN 1.75 Afraid A deity asks the Buddha why so many people live in fear despite the Buddha having taught a path with many dimensions, and what one must stand on to not fear the next life. The Buddha answers that fearlessness comes from right speech and right intention, avoiding bodily wrongdoing even while living at home amid comfort, and from cultivating faith, gentleness, generosity, and open-handed charity. Standing firmly on these four qualities and on the Dhamma itself, a person need not fear death or the
Page 59–60 SN 1.76 Getting Old A deity poses riddle questions about aging, deviation, obstacles to virtue, the erosion of time, the stain of celibacy, and the "holes" through which wealth leaks away. The Buddha answers that while the body ages, one's name and reputation do not; lust is the deviation, greed the roadblock to virtue, and youth itself is what erodes with each passing day and night, while religious fervor and celibacy are likened to a purifying bath. Finally he lists six "holes" that drain away a person's wealth a
Page 60 SN 1.77 Authority The deity asks what constitutes authority in the world, what is the finest valuable, what functions like a rusty sword, and who is a pest to society, also asking who gets arrested versus praised for "taking things away." The Buddha answers that worldly sway is authority, a woman is deemed the finest valuable, anger corrodes like a rusty blade, and a bandit is a public pest; a bandit is arrested for theft, while an ascetic who takes away people's craving through teaching is loved and praised by t
Page 60 SN 1.78 Desire In this brief riddle-exchange, the deity asks what a person who wants the best should never give away, what a mortal should never forsake, and what should be relinquished only when appropriate. The Buddha replies that one should never give away or forsake oneself, and that speech should be released only when it is good, withheld when it would be harmful. The teaching is a compact statement on self-respect and right speech, guarding one's integrity while exercising discretion in what one says.
Page 60–61 SN 1.79 Provisions The deity asks what binds a person's provisions for life's journey, what constitutes the vault of wealth, what drags a person around, and what binds ordinary beings like birds caught in a snare. The Buddha answers that faith binds one's provisions, majesty is the vault of true wealth, and desire is what drags people around, comparing craving to a snare that ensnares birds. The verse uses the image of a life-journey to teach that unchecked desire is what fundamentally imprisons unawakened beings.
Page 61 SN 1.80 Lamp The deity's riddle asks what serves as a lamp for the world, what is wakeful, who are one's true co-workers, and what nurtures both the diligent and the lazy like a mother nurtures her child. The Buddha gives paired literal and figurative answers: wisdom is the lamp that illuminates the world and mindfulness is what stays wakeful, while on the mundane level cattle are farmers' work-companions and rain sustains all living creatures regardless of effort. The verse draws a parallel between the natu
Page 61–62 SN 1.81 Free of Strife The deity asks who in the world lives free of conflict, whose life is never wasted, who fully understands desire, and who commands respect even from family and aristocrats despite low birth. The Buddha answers that ascetics fulfill all these descriptions: free from strife, their lives never wasted, understanding and overcoming desire, living as their own masters. Even parents and siblings bow to genuine ascetics, and those born into low social status earn the respect of the highest classes throu
Page 62–63 SN 2.1 With Kassapa (1st) This opening discourse of the chapter on godlings has the deity Kassapa visit the Buddha at night and point out that the Buddha has described what a mendicant is, but not given explicit instructions for how one should train. Invited by the Buddha to clarify the point himself, Kassapa states that mendicants should train to learn well-spoken words, attend closely to ascetics, sit alone in secluded places, and settle the mind. The Buddha silently concurs, and Kassapa bows and departs, illustrating
Page 63–64 SN 2.2 With Kassapa (2nd) In this short companion verse, the godling Kassapa returns to speak in the Buddha's presence, praising the mendicant who meditates with a mind fully freed and who desires the fulfillment of the heart. Such a person, having directly seen how phenomena arise and pass away in the world, becomes good-hearted and independent, and this insight itself is described as their true reward. The verse emphasizes that liberation of mind, gained through observing impermanence, is its own recompense.
Page 64 SN 2.3 With Māgha The godling Māgha asks the Buddha what one must "slay" in order to sleep at ease and be free of sorrow, and what killing the noble ones themselves approve of. The Buddha answers that it is anger which, once slain, brings untroubled sleep and freedom from sorrow. He describes anger as having a poisonous root but a deceptively sweet tip, meaning it feels gratifying at first but leads to harm, which is why the noble ones praise its eradication.
Page 64–65 SN 2.4 With Maghada The godling Maghada asks the Buddha how many "lamps" exist that illuminate the world. The Buddha answers that there are four -- the sun by day, the moon by night, and fire which shines both day and night -- but declares that the Buddha himself, as the "best of blazes," provides the supreme and unmatched radiance. The verse elevates the Buddha's liberating wisdom above even the greatest natural sources of light.
Page 65–66 SN 2.5 With Dāmali The godling Dāmali suggests to the Buddha that a brahmin should strive relentlessly and give up sensual pleasures so as not to hope for future rebirth. The Buddha responds that the true brahmin (the arahant) has already completed the task, offering the simile of someone struggling to swim before finding footing in a river: once they reach solid ground, they need not keep swimming. In the same way, an alert meditator who has fully ended their defilements has already reached the far shore and need
Page 66 SN 2.6 With Kāmada The godling Kāmada repeatedly complains that the spiritual path is "too hard" -- contentment is hard to find, immersing the mind in samādhi is difficult, and the path itself is rough. Each time, the Buddha acknowledges the difficulty but insists that stable, disciplined practitioners nevertheless succeed: those who love to settle the mind find contentment, those who love calming their faculties attain samādhi, and the noble ones travel the rough path skillfully, becoming smooth themselves amid t
Page 66–67 SN 2.7 With Pañcālacaṇḍa The godling Pañcālacaṇḍa praises the Buddha for discovering an "opening amid confinement" -- a way out of suffering -- through his vast intelligence and awakening to deep absorption. The Buddha affirms that even amid the confinement of ordinary existence, those with true understanding grasp the principle that leads to nirvana, and that those who cultivate mindfulness attain deep and settled serenity in meditative concentration.
Page 67–69 SN 2.8 With Tāyana The godling Tāyana, once a religious founder in a former life, visits the Buddha and recites verses urging spiritual seekers to cut through their attachments and strive vigorously, warning that a lax, half-hearted spiritual life is unproductive and dangerous, likened to grasping sharp kusa grass the wrong way and cutting one's hand. He teaches that bad deeds are best left undone since they cause future regret, while good deeds bring lasting benefit. After Tāyana departs, the Buddha repeats the v
Page 69–70 SN 2.9 The Moon When the Moon God is seized (eclipsed) by Rāhu, lord of the titans, he recollects the Buddha and calls out for refuge. The Buddha commands Rāhu to release the Moon, declaring that the Moon God has taken refuge in the Realized One and that the Buddhas have compassion for the world. Rāhu immediately complies and, shaken, reports to his own lord Vepacitti that he feared his head would have split into seven pieces had he defied the Buddha's utterance. The story functions as an etiological myth expla
Page 70–71 SN 2.10 The Sun This companion piece to the Moon discourse recounts the same eclipse narrative applied to the Sun God, who is seized by Rāhu and calls upon the Buddha for refuge. The Buddha again commands Rāhu to release his "offspring," describing the sun as a beacon that should not be swallowed as it crosses the sky, and Rāhu obeys, again reporting his fear of dire consequences had he ignored the Buddha's words. Together the two suttas illustrate solar and lunar eclipses as instances of the Buddha's spiritual
Page 71–72 SN 2.11 With Candimasa The godling Candimasa offers the Buddha two similes for liberated meditators: like deer reaching a marsh free of biting insects, those who enter deep meditative absorption -- unified, alert, and mindful -- reach a place of safety; and like fish escaping through a cut net, diligent meditators who have discarded inner conflict reach the far shore of liberation. Both images depict meditation as an escape route from danger and entanglement into safety and freedom.
Page 72–73 SN 2.12 With Vishnu The godling Vishnu praises those who pay homage to the Buddha and diligently apply themselves to his instructions, calling such people fortunate. The Buddha affirms this, adding that those who practice meditative absorption in line with the training he has taught, remaining diligent while there is still time, will not fall under the power of death, underscoring urgency in spiritual practice given life's uncertainty.
Page 73 SN 2.13 With Dīghalaṭṭhi Set near Rājagaha rather than Sāvatthī, this brief discourse has the godling Dīghalaṭṭhi repeat nearly verbatim the verse already given by Kassapa in SN 2.2, praising the mendicant who meditates with a freed mind and who, through seeing the arising and passing of the world, becomes good-hearted, independent, and rewarded by that very insight. Its near-identical repetition shows how certain praise-verses recur across different deities and locations in this collection.
Page 73–74 SN 2.14 With Nandana The godling Nandana asks the Buddha what qualities define someone as truly ethical, truly wise, someone who "lives on" even after transcending suffering, and someone worthy of the deities' worship. The Buddha answers with a composite portrait: someone who is ethical, wise, spiritually mature, serene, devoted to meditative absorption, mindful, who has let go of all sorrow, and who has ended defilements while bearing their final body embodies all of these qualities at once.
Page 74–75 SN 2.15 With Candana The godling Candana asks who is able to cross the "flood" (the metaphorical torrent of craving and ignorance) tirelessly, without gaining a footing yet without sinking either. The Buddha explains that someone endowed with ethical conduct, wisdom, serenity, energy, and resolve crosses this difficult flood, and specifically that one who has let go of sensual perception, moved beyond attachment to physical form, and finished with relishing and greed does not sink into the depths. The imagery of cro
Page 75 SN 2.16 With Vāsudatta The godling Vāsudatta urges that a mendicant should live as mindfully and urgently as someone struck by a sword or whose head is on fire, in order to give up sensual desire. The Buddha echoes the same vivid simile but redirects its object: such urgency should be applied to giving up the more fundamental problem of substantialist (self) view, suggesting that wrong view is an even deeper root of suffering than sensual craving itself.
Page 75–76 SN 2.17 With Subrahmā The godling Subrahmā describes the mind as perpetually anxious and stressed, both about troubles that have already arisen and those that have not yet come, and asks the Buddha whether there is any state free of such anxiety. The Buddha responds that safety for living beings cannot be found without wisdom and spiritual fervor, without restraining the senses, and without letting go of everything -- indicating that true security comes only through renunciation and mental discipline, not through avo
Page 76–77 SN 2.18 With Kakudha The godling Kakudha questions the Buddha in a probing dialogue about whether he delights or sorrows, and the Buddha replies that having nothing to gain or lose, he does neither. Pressed further, the Buddha explains in verse that delight is born from gloom and gloom is born from delight, so a mendicant free of both has transcended the very cycle that produces them. Kakudha responds with admiration, recognizing in the Buddha a fully quenched being who has crossed over all clinging to the world.
Page 77 SN 2.19 With Uttara The godling Uttara reflects that life is very short and inevitably leads to old age with no shelter from this peril, initially concluding that one should do good deeds that bring joy. The Buddha corrects the emphasis: seeing the same peril of death, a true seeker of peace would instead drop "the world's bait" altogether, favoring renunciation over merely accumulating pleasant merit.
Page 77–79 SN 2.20 With Anāthapiṇḍika A radiant deity visits the Buddha at Jeta's Grove and recites verses praising the grove itself and declaring that people are purified through their deeds, knowledge, ethical conduct, and livelihood -- not through birth into a particular clan or through wealth. The deity singles out Sāriputta as an exemplar of wisdom, ethics, and peace, saying even an enlightened mendicant would at best only equal him. The next morning the Buddha recounts the visit to the assembly, and Venerable Ānanda deduces th
Page 79–81 SN 2.21 With Shiva The godling Shiva recites a repeating refrain praising the value of associating with virtuous people and grasping the true teaching of the good, listing multiple benefits: things improve rather than worsen, wisdom is gained from no other source, grief is avoided even amid grieving people, one shines among relatives, beings go to a good rebirth, and beings live happily. The Buddha affirms and caps the refrain by adding that such association ultimately leads to release from all suffering, making a
Page 81–82 SN 2.22 With Khema The godling Khema observes that fools behave as their own worst enemies by doing wicked deeds that ripen into bitter results, contrasting deeds that bring later regret with those that bring lasting gladness. The Buddha extends this with the simile of a cart driver who recklessly leaves a smooth, well-compacted highway for a rough road and then frets when the axle breaks -- just as a foolish person abandons the good path for what opposes it and later frets, caught in the jaws of death, like one w
Page 82–85 SN 2.23 With Serī The godling Serī asks why some spirits enjoy human food-offerings while others reportedly do not, and the Buddha explains that those who give with faith and a clear heart benefit from their generosity both in this life and the next, so people should overcome stinginess and give. Delighted, Serī recounts his own past life as a generous king who progressively handed over each of his four charitable gates to his harem, vassals, troops, and then brahmins and householders as each group asked to share
Page 85–86 SN 2.24 With Ghaṭīkāra The godling Ghaṭīkāra announces that seven mendicants reborn in the Aviha heaven have attained liberation, having fully ended greed and hatred, and names them. Questioned about the source of his own deep knowledge, Ghaṭīkāra reveals that in a past life he was the potter Ghaṭīkāra, a devoted lay follower of the previous Buddha Kassapa and a former close friend of the present Buddha in that same lifetime, faithfully caring for his parents and observing celibacy. The Buddha confirms every detail of
Page 86–87 SN 2.25 With Jantu A group of mendicants living in a Himalayan wilderness hut have grown lax, arrogant, and undisciplined, neglecting mindfulness and restraint. On the sabbath, the godling Jantu approaches and rebukes them in verse, contrasting their former disciplined life as desireless alms-seekers who understood impermanence with their present indulgent behavior of eating heavily and lounging in others' homes like village chiefs. Jantu declares that such negligent people are like the already dead, while he pays
Page 87–89 SN 2.26 With Rohitassa The godling Rohitassa asks whether it is possible to reach the literal end of the physical universe by traveling, in order to escape birth, aging, and death, and the Buddha says it is not. Rohitassa recounts his own past life as a swift, psychically powerful seer who tried exactly this, traveling at tremendous speed for a full hundred-year lifespan without ever reaching the world's edge, dying along the way. The Buddha then reframes the question philosophically, explaining that he describes the
Page 89–90 SN 2.27 With Nanda The godling Nanda observes that time flies and life's stages pass by one after another, initially suggesting that seeing the peril of death should motivate one to do good deeds for future happiness. As in the parallel verse with Uttara, the Buddha reframes the conclusion: a true seeker of peace, seeing this same peril, would instead let go of the world's enticements altogether, favoring renunciation over merely accumulating merit.
Page 90 SN 2.28 With Nandivisāla The godling Nandivisāla uses the image of a four-wheeled, nine-doored cart (representing the body) stuffed full and bound by greed, born out of a "bog," asking the Buddha how one is to keep going amid such burdens. The Buddha answers that by cutting the strap and harness of wicked desire and greed, and uprooting craving entirely, one is able to move forward freely -- turning a metaphor of a heavily loaded cart into a teaching on releasing the burdens of craving.
Page 90–94 SN 2.29 With Susīma The Buddha asks Ānanda whether he endorses Sāriputta, and Ānanda delivers an extended eulogy praising Sāriputta's wisdom, contentment, energy, and willingness to accept correction, which the Buddha wholeheartedly confirms. During this praise, the godling Susīma arrives with a large retinue of deities and echoes the same admiration, adding that he frequently hears identical praise of Sāriputta whenever he visits assemblies of gods. The assembled godlings become so uplifted that they radiate a daz
Page 94–97 SN 2.30 Disciples of Various Monastics of Other Religions Several deities who are followers of rival ascetic teachers visit the Buddha and each recite a verse praising their own teacher -- including Pūraṇa Kassapa (who denied moral consequence even for killing), the ascetic Gosāla, a Jain ascetic, and others -- claiming these teachers are blameless and worthy of trust. One deity, Veṭambarī, objects that a "nude liar with suspicious conduct" who leads a community cannot compare to the truly good, likening false teachers to a jackal that can never equal
Page 97–101 SN 3.1 Young King Pasenadi of Kosala visits the Buddha and directly asks whether he claims to have reached supreme awakening, noting that other famous religious founders of the era -- including Pūraṇa Kassapa, Gosāla, the Jain ascetic, Sañjaya Belaṭṭhiputta, Pakudha Kaccāyana, and Ajita -- made no such claim despite leading large followings, and questions why the young and newly-ordained Buddha would claim so much. The Buddha responds that four things should never be looked down upon merely for being young:
Page 101–102 SN 3.2 A Person King Pasenadi asks the Buddha how many things arise within a person that lead to their own harm, suffering, and discomfort. The Buddha identifies three: greed, hatred, and delusion, explaining in verse that when these three arise from within, they destroy a person of wicked heart just as a bamboo plant is destroyed by its own fruit -- a striking image of self-generated destruction, since bamboo famously dies after flowering and fruiting.
Page 102 SN 3.3 Old Age and Death King Pasenadi asks whether anyone who has been born can be exempt from old age and death. The Buddha answers firmly that no one is exempt -- not wealthy aristocrats, brahmins, or householders regardless of their riches, and not even fully awakened arahants who have ended all defilements, since even their bodies remain subject to breaking up and dying. The closing verse notes that while royal chariots wear out and even the body ages, the truth of the good (the Dhamma) never grows old.
Page 102–104 SN 3.4 Loved King Pasenadi shares a private reflection with the Buddha: that people who do bad things through body, speech, and mind do not truly love themselves, even if they claim to, because they treat themselves like an enemy; conversely, those who act well truly love themselves, even if they deny it, because they treat themselves like someone dear. The Buddha strongly affirms this insight, adding in verse that at death a person can only carry with them the good and bad they have done, which follows them
Page 104–106 SN 3.5 Self-Protected King Pasenadi reflects that those who act badly by body, speech, and mind fail to protect themselves even when surrounded by armies of elephants, cavalry, and infantry, since such protection is merely external; those who act well protect themselves genuinely even without any military guard, because their protection is internal. The Buddha affirms this and adds in verse that restraint of body, speech, and mind is universally good, and that a sincere person who is restrained in every respect is ri
Page 106–107 SN 3.6 Few King Pasenadi observes that only a few people, upon acquiring luxury and possessions, avoid becoming indulgent, negligent, and greedy for sensual pleasure at others' expense, while the majority succumb to exactly these faults. The Buddha affirms this observation and adds a verse comparing such indulgent people to deer caught in a trap who fail to notice they have gone too far, warning that the eventual result of unchecked greed for wealth and pleasure will be bitter.
Page 107–108 SN 3.7 Judgment While presiding over court cases, King Pasenadi notices that even wealthy and respected aristocrats, brahmins, and householders tell deliberate lies for the sake of sensual pleasure, prompting him to resolve to judge people by their conduct rather than status. The Buddha confirms that such lying by the wealthy leads to their own lasting harm, and repeats a verse -- with the image changed to fish swiftly caught in a net -- warning that those blinded by greed for possessions and pleasure fail to n
Page 108–109 SN 3.8 With Queen Mallikā King Pasenadi asks his queen Mallikā whether there is anyone she loves more than herself, and she turns the question back on him; both conclude that neither loves anyone more than themselves. When the king relays this exchange to the Buddha, he responds with a verse affirming that no matter how thoroughly one searches, one finds nothing dearer than oneself, and since this is equally true for everyone, a person who truly understands self-love should refrain from harming others -- turning self-lov
Page 109–111 SN 3.9 Sacrifice King Pasenadi has arranged a grand animal sacrifice involving hundreds of bulls, goats, and rams, with his servants and workers forced under threat to carry out the preparations in tearful distress. When mendicants report this to the Buddha after their almsround, he recites verses condemning such violent, large-scale sacrifices (including horse and human sacrifice) as fruitless and avoided by truly wise sages, who instead only attend non-violent, harmless sacrifices where no creatures are killed
Page 111–112 SN 3.10 Shackles King Pasenadi has imprisoned a large number of people in ropes, manacles, and chains, and when mendicants report this after almsround, the Buddha responds with verses reflecting on the nature of true bondage. He teaches that the "attentive" (the wise) do not consider shackles made of iron, wood, or rope to be the strongest binds; rather, obsession with jewelry and attachment to one's partners and children constitute a far stronger shackle that drags the indulgent down and is difficult to escape.
Page 113–116 SN 3.11 The Ascetics King Pasenadi encounters a group of matted-hair, Jain, naked, and one-cloth ascetics and reverently announces his own name to them, later telling the Buddha he believes these men are perfected or close to it. The Buddha cautions that a layman enjoying luxury and pleasure is poorly placed to judge who is spiritually accomplished, since a person's ethics, purity, resilience, and wisdom can only be known through long, attentive association, not casual observation. Pasenadi then reveals the twist: t
Page 116–118 SN 3.12 Five Kings Five kings led by Pasenadi argue over which sense pleasure - sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or touches - is the best, unable to reach agreement among themselves. They bring the question to the Buddha, who explains that the "best" sensual stimulation is simply whichever one most satisfies a given person's particular taste at a given time; there is no objectively superior sense pleasure, only subjective agreeableness. A lay follower present, Candanaṅgalika, is moved to praise the Buddha in verse
Page 119–120 SN 3.13 A Bucketful of Rice King Pasenadi arrives before the Buddha huffing and puffing after overeating a huge meal of rice. The Buddha teaches a verse on the benefits of mindful, moderate eating: a person who knows moderation suffers less discomfort and ages more slowly, safeguarding their own life. The king has his student Sudassana memorize the verse and recite it at every meal as a reminder, and over time Pasenadi's body visibly slims down, leading him to express gratitude that the Buddha cares for his wellbeing both
Page 120–122 SN 3.14 Battle (1st) King Ajātasattu of Magadha invades Kāsi to attack Pasenadi, and in the ensuing battle Ajātasattu wins, forcing Pasenadi to retreat to Sāvatthī in defeat. When mendicants report the outcome to the Buddha, he observes that Ajātasattu keeps bad companions while Pasenadi keeps good ones, yet on this particular night it is the defeated Pasenadi who will sleep poorly. The accompanying verse teaches that victory breeds enmity and the defeated sleep badly, while the truly peaceful person has let go of b
Page 123–124 SN 3.15 Battle (2nd) In a rematch, Ajātasattu again invades, but this time Pasenadi defeats him and captures him alive; reflecting that Ajātasattu is still his nephew despite the betrayal, Pasenadi spares his life and releases him after stripping him of his army. The Buddha's verse teaches the karmic logic behind this cycle of aggression: a plunderer eventually gets plundered in turn, and wickedness that seems to go unpunished simply hasn't ripened yet - killers create killers and conquerors create conquerors, so de
Page 125 SN 3.16 A Daughter Pasenadi is visibly disappointed when told that Queen Mallikā has given birth to a daughter rather than a son. Sensing his disappointment, the Buddha responds with a verse challenging the king's bias, teaching that a wise and virtuous woman can be superior to a man - such a devoted wife may become the family's guiding figure, and the son she raises could grow into a hero capable of ruling the whole realm. The teaching subtly critiques the assumption that daughters are less valuable than sons.
Page 125–126 SN 3.17 Diligence Pasenadi asks the Buddha whether there is a single quality that secures benefit both in this life and in lives to come. The Buddha answers that diligence is that one quality, illustrating the point with the simile of an elephant's footprint, which is so large that the footprints of all other creatures can fit inside it - just as diligence encompasses and supports every other skillful quality a person might cultivate. The closing verse reinforces that the astute praise diligence in merit-making b
Page 127–130 SN 3.18 Good Friends Pasenadi shares an insight from private reflection: the Buddha's teaching truly benefits only those who have good friends, companions, and associates. The Buddha strongly affirms this and recounts an earlier exchange in which he corrected Ānanda, who had claimed good friendship was "half" of the spiritual life - the Buddha insists it is the whole of the spiritual life, since reliance on a good friend (namely himself) enables a person to develop the noble eightfold path and become free from rebir
Page 130–132 SN 3.19 Childless (1st) A wealthy financier in Sāvatthī dies without an heir, and despite possessing millions in gold he had lived miserably, eating poor food and wearing rags, so his entire fortune reverts to the crown. The Buddha explains that wealth gained but not properly used - not enjoyed by oneself, not shared with family and dependents, not given in religious donation - is ultimately wasted, comparing it to a clean, sweet lotus pond in an uninhabited region that no one ever drinks from or bathes in. By contrast
Page 133–135 SN 3.20 Childless (2nd) A second, even wealthier childless financier dies in Sāvatthī, and the Buddha reveals his karmic backstory: long ago he gave alms to an independent Buddha named Tagarasikhī but then regretted the generous act, and he also murdered his own nephew to seize an inheritance. As a result he was reborn in heaven and as a financier seven times over, yet his mind never took full pleasure in his wealth because of the regretted gift, and the murder eventually condemned him to a long stretch in hell, where
Page 136–140 SN 3.21 Individuals The Buddha describes four types of people to Pasenadi, defined by the combination of the circumstances they are born into and how they act: dark-and-bound-for-darkness (born poor and behaves badly, heading for a bad rebirth), dark-and-bound-for-light (born poor but behaves well, heading for a good rebirth), light-and-bound-for-darkness (born wealthy but behaves badly, heading for a bad rebirth), and light-and-bound-for-light (born wealthy and behaves well, heading for a good rebirth). Through vi
Page 141–142 SN 3.22 Grandmother Grieving the death of his beloved 120-year-old grandmother, Pasenadi tells the Buddha he would give away his most prized treasures - his elephants, horses, even his whole kingdom - if it could bring her back. The Buddha responds that all beings without exception are subject to death, comparing living creatures to pots made by a potter: whether fired or unfired, all such vessels are destined to break, and breaking is simply their nature. The closing verse urges that since death spares no one, the
Page 143 SN 3.23 The World In a brief exchange, Pasenadi asks how many things arise in the world causing harm, suffering, and discomfort, and the Buddha answers that there are exactly three: greed, hatred, and delusion. The closing verse compares these three poisons to a bamboo plant that is destroyed by its own fruit - when greed, hatred, and delusion originate within a person, they end up harming that very person who harbors them.
Page 144–146 SN 3.24 Archery Pasenadi asks the Buddha where a gift should be given and where it is most fruitful; the Buddha distinguishes the two, explaining that a gift may be given anywhere one's heart is moved, but it is most fruitful when given to an ethical recipient. Using the simile of a king choosing only trained, brave soldiers for battle regardless of their caste, the Buddha teaches that spiritual worth - having abandoned the five hindrances and possessing the qualities of ethics, immersion, wisdom, freedom, and
Page 146–149 SN 3.25 The Simile of the Mountain Pasenadi describes being consumed by the duties of kingship - managing territory, authority, and the affairs of powerful, sensuality-obsessed rulers. The Buddha poses a vivid hypothetical: what would the king do if massive mountains, reaching the clouds and crushing all living things, were advancing from all four directions? Pasenadi admits he could only practice the teaching and live ethically, at which point the Buddha reveals that old age and death are exactly such an unstoppable force bearin
Page 150–151 SN 4.1 Mortification Shortly after his awakening, the Buddha reflects with relief on having freed himself from the pointless ordeal of extreme ascetic mortification. Māra the Wicked appears and accuses him of abandoning the true path of purification through self-torment, claiming the Buddha is impure while thinking himself pure. The Buddha rebuts this, declaring that endless mortification is as futile as rowing a boat on dry land, and that genuine purity comes instead through developing ethics, immersion, and wisdom
Page 151–152 SN 4.2 In the Form of an Elephant King While the newly awakened Buddha meditates outdoors during a nighttime drizzle, Māra tries to frighten him by manifesting as a towering, menacing elephant with a head like soapstone and tusks like silver. Recognizing the illusion for what it is, the Buddha calmly declares that across his long history of transmigration he has already taken on countless beautiful and ugly forms, and he is now unmoved by such displays. Defeated, Māra disappears.
Page 152 SN 4.3 Beautiful Māra again attempts to unsettle the meditating Buddha, this time by displaying a shifting rainbow of both beautiful and ugly colors nearby. The Buddha responds as before that he has already exhausted every possible transformation across his long history of rebirth, and adds that those who are well restrained in body, speech, and mind simply do not fall under Māra's power or become his servants. Māra departs defeated.
Page 153 SN 4.4 Māra's Snares (1st) The Buddha tells the assembled mendicants that he has attained supreme freedom through rational application of mind and rational effort, and that they too can attain it the same way. Māra confronts him, insisting he remains bound by Māra's snares, both human and heavenly, and cannot escape. The Buddha firmly counters that he is entirely freed from all of Māra's snares and bonds, at which Māra, realizing he has been recognized, vanishes.
Page 153–154 SN 4.5 Māra's Snares (2nd) The Buddha declares to the mendicants that both he and they are now completely free from every snare, human and heavenly, and instructs them to wander forth and teach the Dhamma widely for the welfare and happiness of gods and humans, urging that no two should travel the same road together so the teaching can spread as far as possible. Māra again insists the Buddha remains bound by "the great bond," and the Buddha again firmly denies it, declaring himself fully freed. Māra, recognizing he has be
Page 154–156 SN 4.6 A Cobra While the Buddha meditates outdoors on a rainy night, Māra tries to terrify him by manifesting as a monstrous cobra with a body like a hollowed canoe and eyes like bronze cups, hissing like a blacksmith's bellows. The Buddha responds that a self-restrained sage who dwells in solitary, empty places lives fearlessly even among dangerous creatures, and that such a sage can face any catastrophe - an earthquake, the sky splitting apart, even an arrow aimed at the heart - without seeking refuge in wor
Page 156–157 SN 4.7 Sleeping After a night spent walking mindfully, the Buddha lies down at dawn in the mindful lion's posture to rest, and Māra mocks him for sleeping in like a loser after the sun has already risen. The Buddha replies that his rest is not indulgence but the peace of one who has ended all craving - described as a "weaver" that would otherwise bind him to further existence - so that with every attachment ended, the awakened one can simply sleep in peace, unbothered by Māra's taunts.
Page 157 SN 4.8 Delighting Māra claims that children and cattle - the ordinary attachments of family life - are what bring a person delight, and that without such attachments there can be no joy. The Buddha reverses the claim entirely, teaching that children and cattle in fact bring sorrow, since attachment itself is the source of sorrow, and it is freedom from attachment that removes sorrow altogether. Defeated, Māra vanishes.
Page 158 SN 4.9 Lifespan (1st) The Buddha teaches the mendicants that human life is short and that one should live as urgently as though one's own head were on fire, diligently practicing the spiritual life rather than growing complacent. Māra counters that human life is actually long and that one should live leisurely, like a suckling infant unconcerned about death. The Buddha insists that the wise recognize life's brevity and scorn any complacent view of it, since death comes for everyone regardless of belief.
Page 158–159 SN 4.10 Lifespan (2nd) In a parallel exchange, the Buddha again teaches that human life is short and that one must practice diligently. Māra objects, comparing the passage of life to a chariot wheel rolling steadily and evenly around its hub, implying nothing is truly lost. The Buddha corrects this image, teaching that days and nights actually rush by swiftly and life wastes away like water trickling from a tiny stream, underscoring the urgency of spiritual practice.
Page 160 SN 4.11 Boulders While the Buddha meditates outdoors during a nighttime rain near Vulture's Peak, Māra tries to frighten him by crushing large boulders close by, creating a violent noise nearby. The Buddha responds calmly that even if the entirety of Vulture's Peak were shaken, one who is rightly released and awakened remains completely unshaken by such external threats.
Page 161 SN 4.12 Lion As the Buddha teaches Dhamma to a large assembly with confident authority, Māra challenges his "lion's roar," suggesting it is arrogant since someone might still defeat him in argument or contest. The Buddha replies that great heroes speak with self-assurance precisely because the Realized One has already attained full power and crossed beyond all clinging to the world, so there is nothing left to lose or defend.
Page 162–163 SN 4.13 A Splinter The Buddha suffers severe, sharp pain after his foot is cut by a wooden splinter, yet he endures it with unwavering mindfulness and lies down calmly in the lion's posture. Māra mocks him as lazy or drunk on poetry for resting, but the Buddha explains that his repose comes from having reached the goal and being free of sorrow - like someone whose piercing dart of suffering has finally been removed, he can rest at ease, undisturbed by time, lying down full of compassion for all living beings.
Page 163 SN 4.14 Appropriate As the Buddha teaches Dhamma to a large lay assembly, Māra suggests it is inappropriate for him to instruct others and warns him against becoming caught up in favoring some and opposing others. The Buddha replies that he teaches purely out of compassion for people's welfare, and that the Realized One is already fully liberated from any bias of favoring or opposing.
Page 164 SN 4.15 A Mental Snare Māra boasts of possessing a mental snare wandering invisibly through the air with which he will bind the Buddha, taunting that escape is impossible. The Buddha replies simply that his desire for the five kinds of sensual delight - sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touches - has been entirely eliminated, so Māra's snare has nothing left to catch hold of.
Page 164–165 SN 4.16 The Alms Bowls While the Buddha teaches the mendicants about the five grasping aggregates, Māra disguises himself as a menacing ox and approaches a set of alms bowls left in the open, threatening to smash them. The Buddha exposes the trick to the alarmed mendicants and teaches that true freedom comes from not identifying with the five aggregates - form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness - recognizing "I am not this, this is not mine," which places a person beyond the reach of Māra's pursuit no ma
Page 165–166 SN 4.17 The Six Fields of Contact While the Buddha teaches on the six sense fields to an attentive audience of mendicants, Māra tries to disrupt the teaching by producing a terrifying noise that sounds like the earth itself shattering. The Buddha reveals the deception and teaches that sights, sounds, tastes, smells, touches, and ideas together form the alluring bait by which the world becomes infatuated and trapped, but a mindful disciple who transcends this bait slips free of Māra's dominion entirely and shines like the sun.
Page 167 SN 4.18 Alms Food Māra possesses the brahmins and householders of the village of Pañcasālā so that none of them will offer the Buddha alms during his almsround, and he leaves the village with an empty bowl. When Māra gloats and offers to guarantee alms if the Buddha tries again, the Buddha declines, declaring that he and his fellow renunciants live happily even without any possessions, sustaining themselves instead on the rapture of meditative absorption, just as the radiant gods do.
Page 168–169 SN 4.19 The Farmer Māra disguises himself as a dishevelled farmer searching for lost oxen and confronts the Buddha, claiming ownership over the six sense faculties and their objects as his domain from which no one can escape. The Buddha rebuts him, declaring that wherever there is no eye, no sights, and no eye-consciousness, Māra has no foothold - reframing liberation as freedom from the very field of sensory experience Māra claims to rule. When Māra presses further, insisting that whoever still says "mine" remain
Page 169–171 SN 4.20 Ruling While living in a Himalayan wilderness hut, the Buddha wonders in private whether it is possible to rule as a king without killing, conquering, or causing sorrow. Sensing this thought, Māra appears and urges him to become such a benevolent ruler, flattering him that his mastery of psychic power could even turn the Himalayas to gold. The Buddha rejects the temptation outright, declaring that even a mountain of solid gold doubled would not satisfy one person's craving, and that true wisdom lies in
Page 171–174 SN 4.21 Several Mendicants Māra takes the form of an old, decrepit brahmin and approaches a group of young mendicants meditating near Silāvatī, urging them to enjoy sensual pleasures while young rather than chase a distant spiritual goal. The mendicants respond that it is sensual pleasure, not the teaching, that only bears fruit "over time" and brings suffering, whereas the Dhamma is immediately visible and verifiable for oneself. Unable to shake their conviction, Māra departs in a huff, shaking his head and scowling. Whe
Page 174–176 SN 4.22 With Samiddhi Venerable Samiddhi, meditating alone, reflects with joy on his good fortune in having the Buddha as teacher and virtuous companions on the path. Māra, sensing this contented mind-state, tries to unsettle him by producing a terrifying noise that sounds like the earth splitting apart. Samiddhi reports the incident to the Buddha, who explains it was merely Māra's illusion and sends him back to the same spot to continue meditating; when the trick is repeated, Samiddhi, now recognizing Māra, calmly d
Page 176–179 SN 4.23 With Godhika Venerable Godhika repeatedly attains and then falls away from a temporary liberation of heart six times in succession; on the cusp of a seventh attainment, he considers suicide rather than risk falling away again, and Māra, hoping to save Godhika for future torment, begs the Buddha to intervene. By the time the Buddha responds, Godhika has already died having secured lasting freedom, and the Buddha declares that one who has uprooted craving entirely does not fear death, and Godhika is truly quen
Page 179–181 SN 4.24 Seven Years of Pursuit After following the Buddha for seven years without finding any opening to tempt or unsettle him, Māra confronts him directly, mockingly asking if he is grieving a loss or hiding from some crime, since he keeps such distance from people. The Buddha replies that he has entirely uprooted the root of sorrow, and when Māra tries the classic "mine" trap and then challenges him to keep his liberating path secret rather than teach others, the Buddha explains that he teaches out of compassion for those w
Page 181–187 SN 4.25 Māra's Daughters Dejected after his failed pursuit, Māra sits scratching the ground in despair until his daughters Craving, Malignancy, and Lust offer to seduce the man who has upset him, comparing the task to catching an elephant with a snare of desire; Māra warns them that the Buddha has already slipped free of his dominion. Undeterred, the daughters approach the Buddha and try to entice him by manifesting as women of every age and type, but he ignores them entirely, being fully freed from attachment. Recogniz
Page 187–189 SN 5.1 Nuns With Āḷavikā The nun Āḷavikā withdraws to the Dark Forest seeking solitude for meditation, and Māra, wanting to frighten her out of seclusion, appears and tells her there is no true escape in the world so she may as well enjoy sensual pleasure now. Recognizing him as Māra, she retorts that she has personally realized the escape through wisdom and that sensual pleasures are like swords and spears applied to the "chopping block" of the aggregates - what he calls delight is no longer delightful to her. Defeated
Page 189–190 SN 5.2 Nuns With Somā The nun Somā, deep in meditation in the Dark Forest, is approached by Māra who tries to demoralize her by claiming that the sublime state she seeks is reserved for sages, and that a woman's "two-inch wisdom" cannot attain it. Somā calmly dismantles this gendered insult, replying that womanhood or manhood is irrelevant when the mind is serene and rightly discerns the Dhamma - only someone still caught in the notion of being "a woman," "a man," or "a self" is vulnerable to such taunts. Recognizing
Page 190–191 SN 5.3 Nuns With Kisāgotamī While meditating alone, the nun Kisāgotamī is confronted by Māra, who mocks her as a grieving, husbandless woman crying alone in the woods as if searching for a man. She replies that she has already gotten over the loss of her children and finished with the concerns of ordinary domestic life; darkness has been shattered and she has defeated the army of death, living free of defilements. Recognizing her insight, Māra departs miserable. The verses draw on Kisāgotamī's well-known history of grief o
Page 191–192 SN 5.4 Nuns With Vijayā Māra approaches the meditating nun Vijayā in the guise of a flattering suitor, praising her youth and beauty and inviting her to enjoy music and pleasure with him. Vijayā rejects the offer, declaring that she hands sensory delights straight back to him since she has no use for them, seeing the body as rotting and repellent and having eradicated sensual craving entirely; she adds that she has dispelled all confusion even about the more subtle heavenly and formless states of being. Recognizing her
Page 192–194 SN 5.5 Nuns With Uppalavaṇṇā Standing beneath a flowering sal tree, the nun Uppalavaṇṇā is warned by Māra that her beauty and solitude make her an easy target for predatory men. She answers fearlessly that even a hundred thousand such rascals could not shake her, boasting of her mastery of psychic powers - she could vanish, enter his belly, or stand invisible between his eyebrows - because she is fully in control of her own mind and free from every bond. Māra, recognizing she has seen through him, vanishes in misery. Her co
Page 194 SN 5.6 Nuns With Cālā Māra questions the nun Cālā about why she disapproves of rebirth, suggesting that being born brings the enjoyment of sensual pleasures. Cālā replies that birth inevitably brings death and suffering - killing, imprisonment, misery - and that the Buddha taught her the Dhamma precisely to transcend rebirth and end all suffering, adding that even beings reborn in the exalted realms of form and formlessness return again and again because they have not understood cessation. Recognizing her understandi
Page 194–195 SN 5.7 Nuns With Upacālā Māra asks the nun Upacālā where she wishes to be reborn, tempting her with the various heavenly realms of pleasure-loving gods. She replies that all of these realms, however exalted, remain bound by the fetters of sensuality and fall back under Māra's sway, declaring that the whole world is "on fire," smoldering and ablaze, while her mind is set instead on the one place - unconditioned freedom - that Māra can never reach. Realizing she knows him, Māra vanishes in dismay. The verses use the image
Page 195–196 SN 5.8 Nuns With Sīsupacālā Māra questions the nun Sīsupacālā about whose religious creed she follows, implying that a shaven-headed ascetic wandering without allegiance to any teacher looks lost. She responds that other sectarian teachers are merely confident in views without real expertise in the Dhamma, whereas she follows the unrivaled Buddha of the Sakyan clan, who has vanquished Māra, attained complete freedom, and sees all things clearly. Recognizing her firm confidence, Māra vanishes defeated. The sutta affirms tha
Page 196–197 SN 5.9 Nuns With Selā Meditating alone, the nun Selā is challenged by Māra with a riddle about who fashioned "this puppet" - a veiled reference to the illusion of a constructed self - and where it arose and ceases. Selā answers that the puppet is neither self-made nor made by another but arises dependent on causes and ceases when those causes break up, comparing it to a seed that only grows relying on soil and moisture; in the same way the aggregates, elements, and six sense fields arise and cease through conditions.
Page 197–199 SN 5.10 Nuns With Vajirā Māra poses a similar riddle to the nun Vajirā, asking who created "this sentient being" and where it arises and ceases. Vajirā sharply rejects the premise of the question itself, telling Māra that "sentient being" is merely a conventional label applied to a pile of conditions, just as the word "chariot" is used once its parts are assembled - there is no independently existing being to be found. She concludes that ultimately only suffering arises, persists a while, and passes away; nothing more s
Page 199–203 SN 6.1 The Appeal of the Divinity Shortly after his awakening, the Buddha privately doubts whether he should teach at all, reasoning that the truth he has realized - dependent origination and the stilling of all conditioned activity - is too subtle and counter to worldly clinging for people mired in greed and hatred to understand, and that teaching would only bring him weariness. Sensing the world is at risk of being lost, the divinity Brahmā Sahampati appears before him and pleads for him to teach, arguing that there are beings
Page 203–206 SN 6.2 Respect In the period just after his awakening, the Buddha reflects that living without anyone to honor and rely on is itself a kind of suffering, and searches for any ascetic or brahmin more accomplished than himself in ethics, immersion, wisdom, freedom, or the knowledge and vision of freedom whom he could honor - finding none, he resolves instead to honor and rely upon the very Dhamma to which he awakened. Brahmā Sahampati appears to affirm this resolution, declaring that all Buddhas of the past, pre
Page 206–208 SN 6.3 With Brahmadeva The mendicant Brahmadeva, son of a brahmin woman, quickly attains full awakening after going forth, and while on almsround happens to visit his own mother's house, where she is in the midst of making a ritual offering to the Hindu god Brahmā. The divinity Sahampati, seeing this, wishes to rouse a sense of urgency in her and appears in the air to explain that the distant heavenly Brahmā does not actually eat such offerings, but that her own son, now free of attachment and worthy of veneration, ha
Page 208–211 SN 6.4 With Baka the Divinity The high god Baka wrongly believes his heavenly realm is permanent, eternal, and beyond birth, aging, and death, with no other escape possible. The Buddha travels to that realm to correct him, declaring that what Baka calls permanent is actually impermanent and subject to change, and that another escape - liberation - does exist beyond it. When Baka boasts of his vast lifespan and status as an unsurpassed being, the Buddha reveals that he actually knows the true, ultimately finite length of that
Page 211–215 SN 6.5 A Certain Divinity A proud divinity holds the view that no ascetic or brahmin could ever reach his heavenly abode, so the Buddha travels there and sits cross-legged in the air above him, manifesting mastery of the fire element, and is soon joined - one from each cardinal direction - by four of his great disciples: Mahāmoggallāna, Mahākassapa, Mahākappina, and Anuruddha, each displaying the same power. Moggallāna questions the divinity, who admits that seeing this display of radiance has already shattered his forme
Page 215–217 SN 6.6 The Negligent Divinity Two non-returner divinities, Subrahmā and Suddhāvāsa, notice a fellow god living in a prosperous heavenly realm who has grown negligent and forgotten to pay respects to the Buddha, and decide to shake him out of his complacency. When they urge him to attend on the Buddha, the negligent divinity instead boasts of his own psychic power, multiplying himself a thousand times to prove he need not defer to anyone; Subrahmā then multiplies himself twice as many times and points out that the Buddha's po
Page 217–218 SN 6.7 About Kokālika While the Buddha is in seclusion, the divinities Subrahmā and Suddhāvāsa stand watch at his door, and Subrahmā recites a short verse criticizing the mendicant Kokālika for presuming to judge the spiritual attainments of others - the "immeasurable" - as though such judgments were within an ordinary person's competence. The single verse serves as an implicit rebuke of Kokālika's slanderous accusations against the Buddha's chief disciples, foreshadowing the fuller narrative of his downfall told in
Page 218 SN 6.8 About Katamorakatissaka In an almost identical scene, with the Buddha again in seclusion and the same two divinities standing watch, Suddhāvāsa recites a matching verse - this time directed at the mendicant Katamorakatissaka - criticizing anyone who presumes to weigh and judge the immeasurable qualities of accomplished practitioners, calling such a person an ignoramus still shrouded in delusion. Paired with the previous sutta, this brief verse reinforces the warning against arrogant, ill-informed criticism of spiritual
Page 218–219 SN 6.9 With the Divinity Tudu The mendicant Kokālika falls gravely ill, and the independent divinity Tudu visits him at night, urging him to have confidence in the chief disciples Sāriputta and Moggallāna rather than continue his hostility toward them. Kokālika, suspicious, asks who is speaking and then dismisses Tudu's advice by pointing out that the Buddha had already declared him a non-returner, so he has no business meddling here. Tudu responds with verses warning that a fool wounds himself with his own mouth by praising
Page 219–222 SN 6.10 With Kokālika Ignoring all warnings, Kokālika goes directly to the Buddha and insists three times that Sāriputta and Moggallāna have fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes, and each time the Buddha firmly tells him not to say that and to have confidence in the two chief disciples instead. Soon after leaving, Kokālika's body erupts in boils that grow progressively from mustard-seed to full wood-apple size before bursting with pus and blood, and he dies and is reborn in the "Pink Lotus" hell as a direct result
Page 223 SN 6.10 Kokālika (concluding verses on hell and slander) This passage concludes the story of the mendicant Kokālika, who slandered the chief disciples Sāriputta and Moggallāna. The Buddha uses the famous image of a "Kosalan load of sesame seeds" - an inconceivably vast unit of time measured by removing one seed every century - to describe a chain of successively longer hells reserved for those who slander noble ones, culminating in the Pink Lotus hell where Kokālika was reborn. Accompanying verses warn that a person is "born with an axe in their mouth
Page 224–225 SN 6.11 With Sanaṅkumāra The divinity Sanaṅkumāra visits the Buddha by night on the bank of the Serpentine River and recites a verse declaring that while lineage marks the best among those who take clan as the standard, the person accomplished in true knowledge and conduct is best among gods and humans alike. The Buddha silently concurs with the verse, and the divinity, recognizing this agreement, bows and departs. The brief exchange reaffirms that genuine spiritual accomplishment outranks birth-based status, even from
Page 225–226 SN 6.12 About Devadatta Not long after Devadatta has left the community, the divinity Sahampati appears at night on Vulture's Peak and speaks a brief cautionary verse: just as the banana plant, bamboo, and reed are destroyed by their own fruit, and a mule is destroyed by pregnancy, so too does honor and gain destroy a person of poor character. The verse functions as an oblique commentary on Devadatta's downfall, suggesting that the very success and respect he sought became the cause of his ruin. No dialogue or resoluti
Page 226–227 SN 6.13 At Andhakavinda While the Buddha meditates outdoors in a light nighttime drizzle, the divinity Sahampati again appears and offers verses urging mendicants to seek out secluded lodgings and practice for release from the fetters, or, if solitude proves too difficult, to live within the Saṅgha, self-protected and mindful. The verses praise the fearless mendicant who meditates undisturbed even amid thunder and slithering reptiles in the dark. Sahampati then testifies from direct experience that within this teaching
Page 227–231 SN 6.14 About Aruṇavatī The Buddha recounts a story from the time of a past Buddha, Sikhī, whose chief disciple Abhibhū displayed extraordinary psychic power at Sikhī's request: teaching Dhamma to an astonished divine assembly, appearing and vanishing his body in various visible and invisible combinations, and finally, while standing in a Brahmā realm, making his voice heard throughout an entire thousandfold galaxy. Abhibhū's ringing verse exhorts beings to rouse themselves, devote themselves to the Buddha's teaching,
Page 231–233 SN 6.15 Full Extinguishment (the Buddha's parinibbāna) This account narrates the Buddha's final passing between the twin sal trees at Kusinārā, opening with his last words: "Conditions fall apart. Persist with diligence." It then describes his systematic passage through the four absorptions and the formless attainments up to the cessation of perception and feeling, then back down and up again through the jhānas, until he passes away immediately upon emerging from the fourth absorption. As he dies, the divinities Sahampati and Sakka, and the disciple
Page 234–237 SN 7.1 With Dhanañjānī The devout brahmin lady Dhanañjānī stumbles while carrying her husband's meal and spontaneously cries homage to the Buddha three times, provoking her brahmin husband's anger; he vows to go refute the Buddha's teaching himself. Confronting the Buddha, he asks what one thing, when slain, brings peaceful sleep and freedom from sorrow; the Buddha answers that it is anger, which has "a poisonous root and a sweet tip," and whose killing the noble ones praise. Deeply moved, the brahmin of the Bhāradvāj
Page 237–239 SN 7.2 With Bhāradvāja the Rude Angry that a kinsman has gone forth under the Buddha, the brahmin Bhāradvāja the Rude arrives and hurls abuse. The Buddha responds with the simile of a host offering food that a guest declines to accept: the food, like the abuse, still belongs to the one who offered it, since the Buddha refuses to "eat" the anger or react to it. He teaches that meeting anger with anger only worsens matters, while calm restraint in the face of anger is a hard-won victory that benefits both parties, even though th
Page 239–240 SN 7.3 With Bhāradvāja the Fiend Bhāradvāja the Fiend likewise arrives angry and hurls abuse at the Buddha, who simply stays silent; when the brahmin taunts, "You're beaten, ascetic!" the Buddha replies in verse that only a fool thinks he has won by speaking harshly, since true victory belongs to the one who endures. He repeats the teaching that meeting anger with anger only worsens matters, while calm restraint heals both parties even though the unwise consider it foolish. Persuaded, Bhāradvāja the Fiend requests ordination an
Page 240–241 SN 7.4 With Bhāradvāja the Bitter This brahmin arrives angry but stands silently rather than speaking. Reading his hostile thoughts, the Buddha addresses him directly with a short verse: wronging an innocent, blameless person only backfires on the wrongdoer, like fine dust thrown against the wind. The image conveys that unprovoked malice ultimately recoils on its own source. Won over, Bhāradvāja the Bitter is ordained and becomes one of the perfected.
Page 241–242 SN 7.5 With Bhāradvāja the Harmless A brahmin who calls himself "Harmless" introduces himself to the Buddha by that name alone. The Buddha replies that a name does not make the description true - a genuinely harmless person causes no harm through body, speech, or mind to anyone else. The brief exchange makes the point that ethical conduct, not self-designation, defines a person's true character. The brahmin is inspired to request ordination and later attains awakening.
Page 242–243 SN 7.6 With Bhāradvāja of the Matted Hair The brahmin asks who can untangle the "tangle" of confusion and entanglement that binds people both within and without. The Buddha answers that it is the wise person grounded in ethics, developing mind and wisdom, who can untangle it; those in whom greed, hatred, and delusion have faded away - the perfected ones - have already done so, at the very point where name-and-form and sensory impingement cease without remainder. The tangle serves as a metaphor for the web of craving and views binding be
Page 243 SN 7.7 With Bhāradvāja the Pure This brahmin claims that no one in the world is truly purified merely through ethical observance or self-mortification, only one accomplished in knowledge and conduct. The Buddha agrees that mere ritual muttering does not make one a brahmin if one remains inwardly corrupt and self-serving, and teaches that purity is available to anyone - regardless of caste, even a corpse-worker or scavenger - who is energetic, resolute, and consistently vigorous. This radically levels caste-based notions of pur
Page 243–245 SN 7.8 With Bhāradvāja the Fire-Worshiper While a brahmin prepares milk-rice for a fire sacrifice, believing only someone with the "three knowledges" and good birth deserves to eat it, the Buddha arrives on alms round and is invited to eat as a worthy "brahmin." The Buddha explains that true mastery of the three knowledges consists in recollecting one's own past lives, seeing beings' rebirths according to karma, and attaining the ending of rebirth - not birth or ritual recitation. He then declines the offered food because it was "enchan
Page 245–249 SN 7.9 With Bhāradvāja of Sundarikā After performing a fire sacrifice, Bhāradvāja of Sundarikā seeks a worthy recipient for the leftover oblation and finds the meditating Buddha, questioning him about his birth. The Buddha replies that one should ask about conduct rather than birth, since fire arises from sticks regardless of their origin, and a steadfast, truthful sage is a thoroughbred even from a lowly family. He again declines to eat verse-enchanted food, and when the brahmin discards the leftovers in lifeless water, they sizz
Page 249–252 SN 7.10 Many Daughters A brahmin who has lost his oxen finds the Buddha meditating and needles him with verses suggesting that the Buddha's evident happiness must stem from having, unlike the brahmin, no oxen to lose, no ruined crops, no debts, no troublesome wife, and no widowed daughters to burden him. The Buddha agrees with each point in matching verses, affirming that freedom from these worldly entanglements and possessions is indeed the source of his contentment. Charmed by this witty, self-deprecating exchange,
Page 252–255 SN 7.11 With Bhāradvāja the Farmer A wealthy brahmin farmer, busy sowing with five hundred plows, challenges the Buddha, who owns no plow or oxen, to justify calling himself a farmer too. In an extended agricultural metaphor, the Buddha describes his own spiritual "farming": faith is the seed, austerity the rain, wisdom the plough and yoke, conscience the pole, mindfulness the plowshare, truth the scythe, and energy the draft animal carrying him without turning back to the sorrow-free state - a harvest of freedom from death. Deep
Page 255–256 SN 7.12 With Udaya The brahmin Udaya, weary of the Buddha's repeated visits for alms over three days, complains that the ascetic is "such a drag" for coming again and again. The Buddha responds with a cascading verse showing that repetition pervades all existence - seeds are sown again and again, rain falls again and again, farmers plough again and again - including the repeated cycle of birth, death, and rebirth that traps the unwise, from which only the wise, having found the path, finally escape. Udaya becomes
Page 256–258 SN 7.13 With Devahita When the Buddha is ill with wind-sickness, his attendant Upavāṇa seeks hot water from the brahmin Devahita, who questions him in verse and, learning it is for the ailing Buddha, gladly provides hot water and molasses that relieve the Buddha's illness. Devahita then asks the Buddha where a gift is most fruitfully given; the Buddha explains that the most worthy recipient is one who has directly seen the workings of karma and rebirth and has ended rebirth altogether, implicitly describing arahants
Page 258–260 SN 7.14 A Well-to-Do Brahmin An elderly brahmin, reduced to shabby poverty after his sons expel him from his own home at their wives' urging, is taught verses by the Buddha to recite before his family and the assembled community, lamenting how the sons he raised with love and hope turned into "monsters in the shape of sons." Shamed by the public recitation, the sons take their father back, bathe him, and clothe him well; he later offers the Buddha a "tutor's fee" out of gratitude, which the Buddha accepts out of compassion,
Page 260–262 SN 7.15 Stuck-Up A conceited brahmin named Stuck-Up, who refuses to bow even to his parents, teacher, or elder brother, resolves to visit the Buddha but stay silent unless spoken to first; when the Buddha does not initiate conversation, Stuck-Up assumes ignorance and prepares to leave, only for the Buddha to address his very thoughts directly, teaching that conceit should be set aside in pursuit of one's true goal. Overwhelmed that his mind was read, Stuck-Up prostrates himself and reveals his name; the Buddha t
Page 262–263 SN 7.16 The Contraphile A brahmin nicknamed "Contraphile," who delights in contradicting others, approaches the Buddha intending to dispute everything he says, and asks him to teach the Dhamma. The Buddha observes that fine words are not easily grasped by someone whose mind is contentious, suspicious, and full of aggression, but once such hostility and resentment are dispelled, genuine understanding becomes possible. The brahmin is won over and becomes a lifelong lay follower, the exchange itself demonstrating the very
Page 263–264 SN 7.17 The Builder A brahmin engaged in construction work in a forest encounters the Buddha meditating nearby and, curious what "work" an ascetic does, asks what the Buddha enjoys doing alone in the wilderness. The Buddha answers that he has no more work left to do, because his inner "jungle" of craving has been cut off at the root and withered away, leaving him free to enjoy solitude without entanglement. The brahmin becomes a lay follower for life.
Page 264–266 SN 7.18 Collecting Firewood Students gathering firewood report seeing the Buddha meditating serenely in a forest grove to their teacher Bhāradvāja, who goes to see for himself and, awestruck, questions in verse whether the Buddha seeks rebirth in a heavenly realm through his solitary ascetic practice. The Buddha replies that he has eliminated all wishes and hopes rooted in ignorance and is now wishless, unattached, and clear-sighted, having attained the supreme awakening rather than pursuing any further heavenly rebirth. B
Page 266–267 SN 7.19 The Brahmin Who Provided for His Mother A brahmin who supports his aging parents through legitimately-earned alms asks the Buddha whether he is fulfilling his duty in doing so. The Buddha affirms strongly that supporting one's mother and father through honest means is meritorious, praised by the wise in this life, and leads to a heavenly rebirth after death. The brahmin becomes a lay follower for life.
Page 267–268 SN 7.20 An Almsman A brahmin who also lives by begging alms asks the Buddha what distinguishes the two of them, since both are technically "almsmen." The Buddha clarifies that merely begging for food does not make one a true mendicant; rather, a genuine mendicant is one who lives the spiritual life having renounced both merit-making and evil deeds, wandering with a full understanding of the nature of the world. The brahmin becomes a lay follower for life.
Page 268–269 SN 7.21 With Saṅgārava The brahmin Saṅgārava practices ritual purification, bathing in water at dawn and dusk in the belief that this washes away the day's and night's bad deeds. At Ānanda's request, the Buddha visits him and, confirming this belief, offers a verse recasting the "lake" of true purification as the teaching itself, whose entry stairway is ethical conduct, where the wise bathe and safely cross to the far shore. Saṅgārava becomes a lay follower for life, the sutta reprising a verse used earlier with Bhāra
Page 269–271 SN 7.22 At Khomadussa As the Buddha approaches a public council meeting in the rain, the assembled brahmins and householders mock him and his fellow mendicants as "shavelings" and "fake ascetics" who do not understand council etiquette. The Buddha responds in verse that a gathering is not a true council, nor are its speakers truly good people, if it lacks those who speak in accordance with principle - genuine goodness lies in having abandoned greed, hatred, and delusion, not in outward status or manner. Struck by thi
Page 271–273 SN 8.1 With Vaṅgīsa Renounced The junior monk Vaṅgīsa, left alone to guard the monastery, becomes overwhelmed by lust when finely dressed women arrive to visit; recognizing his own affliction, he resolves to dispel it himself rather than seek outside help. He composes verses declaring his commitment to the holy life, vowing that not even an army of warriors or a multitude of women could shake his resolve, since he has heard directly from the Buddha the path leading to liberation and will not let Māra, the Wicked One, glimpse
Page 273–275 SN 8.2 With Vaṅgīsa Dissatisfaction Left alone again while his mentor Nigrodhakappa remains secluded in his dwelling for days at a time, Vaṅgīsa is once more troubled by lust and again resolves to dispel his own discontent through self-composed verse. He reflects that all form, wherever found, is impermanent and must be seen as such by the self-examined, that people become bound through attachment to what is seen, heard, and thought, and that a true mendicant avoids the many entrenched wrong views and joins no sect, ultimately rea
Page 275–276 SN 8.3 With Vaṅgīsa Good-Hearted Vaṅgīsa notices that he has been looking down on other well-meaning mendicants out of pride in his own eloquence, and feeling remorse, composes verses rebuking himself for harboring the different forms of conceit that lead people, when "slain" by pride, to grieve for a long time after falling into hell. He resolves instead to practice rightly as one who, energetic and free of hindrances, gives up conceit entirely and thereby attains true peace through knowledge, earning the title "Seer of Truth.
Page 276–277 SN 8.4 With Vaṅgīsa With Ānanda While accompanying Ānanda on alms round, Vaṅgīsa is again overcome by burning lust and asks Ānanda how to quench the flames of desire. Ānanda replies that the fire arises from a distorted perception, and instructs Vaṅgīsa to turn away from the alluring features of things, see all conditioned phenomena as alien, suffering, and not-self, meditate on the body's unattractive aspects with mindfulness, and contemplate the signless while abandoning the underlying tendency to conceit, so as to find last
Page 277 SN 8.5 With Vaṅgīsa Well-Spoken Words (opening, continues in next chunk) The Buddha teaches the mendicants that speech qualifies as well spoken, blameless, and beyond criticism only when it has four qualities together: it is spoken well rather than poorly, it accords with the teaching rather than being unprincipled, it is pleasant rather than harsh, and it is truthful rather than false. This sets out a concise ethical standard for right speech as one of the practical dimensions of the path. The chunk breaks off just as the Buddha begins to restate this same teaching
Page 278 SN 8.5 Well Spoken (concluding verses) The Buddha states the four marks of well-spoken speech: it must be principled rather than unprincipled, pleasant rather than unpleasant, and truthful rather than false. Venerable Vaṅgīsa, moved to speak, then extols the Buddha in spontaneous verse, praising words that harm neither oneself nor others, words that are gladly welcomed, and truth as the ancient foundation of good speech. He concludes that the Buddha's own teaching aimed at finding sanctuary and ending suffering is the very best kind
Page 278–280 SN 8.6 With Sāriputta Venerable Sāriputta teaches the assembly of mendicants in the assembly hall with polished, clear, and meaningful speech, holding the monks' rapt attention. Inspired by this display of eloquence, Vaṅgīsa asks permission to speak and then praises Sāriputta in verse as deeply wise, expert in what is and is not the path, and capable of teaching briefly or at length with an eloquence like the call of a myna bird. The verses describe the listeners' hearts becoming elated as they hear his sweet, clear
Page 280–282 SN 8.7 The Invitation to Admonish On the full-moon uposatha, the Buddha sits before a Saṅgha of five hundred arahants and formally invites any criticism of his conduct in body or speech. Sāriputta replies that there is nothing to criticize, honoring the Buddha as the one who discovered, revealed, and now embodies the path; the Buddha in turn praises Sāriputta's penetrating wisdom, comparing him to a wheel-turning monarch's son who rightly keeps rolling the wheel his father set in motion. Asked further, the Buddha confirms none o
Page 282–284 SN 8.8 Over a Thousand As the Buddha teaches 1,250 mendicants a Dhamma talk on extinguishment (nibbāna), Vaṅgīsa is inspired to praise him in verse, describing the assembly's rapt attention and the Buddha's fearless teaching from every quarter. When the Buddha asks whether these verses were composed beforehand or arose spontaneously, Vaṅgīsa says they came to him in the moment, and at the Buddha's invitation improvises further verses praising him as the one who pierced the truth, taught the path beyond Māra's grip, an
Page 284–286 SN 8.9 With Koṇḍañña Venerable Koṇḍañña Who Understood, the first disciple to awaken after the Buddha, returns to see him after a very long absence, bowing and covering the Buddha's feet with kisses while joyfully announcing his own name. Moved by this devoted reunion, Vaṅgīsa praises Koṇḍañña in verse as keenly energetic, a master of the meditative seclusion open to the Buddha's disciples, and one who has attained everything achievable through diligent training. The verses honor him as the Buddha's spiritual heir,
Page 286–287 SN 8.10 With Moggallāna While Venerable Mahāmoggallāna uses his mental powers to survey the minds of five hundred perfected monks and confirm they are liberated and free of attachment, Vaṅgīsa is inspired to praise him in verse. The verses celebrate Moggallāna's great psychic power and his ability to encompass and scrutinize others' minds, and note that such accomplished disciples in turn revere the Buddha as the perfected sage who has gone entirely beyond suffering.
Page 287–288 SN 8.11 At Gaggarā At a great assembly by the Gaggarā Lotus Pond attended by five hundred mendicants, hundreds of lay followers, and thousands of deities, the Buddha's radiance outshines everyone present. Vaṅgīsa is moved to praise this splendor in verse, likening the Buddha's glory to the moon on a cloudless night and the shining, immaculate sun, declaring that his brilliance surpasses the entire world.
Page 288–289 SN 8.12 With Vaṅgīsa (self-reflection) Having recently attained full awakening himself, Vaṅgīsa reflects in verse on his own spiritual journey: once a wandering poet intoxicated with verse-making, he found faith upon meeting the Buddha, whose teaching on the aggregates, sense fields, and elements led him to go forth into homelessness. He recounts how the Buddha's awakening benefits monks and nuns alike, and describes his own attainment of the three knowledges, purified clairvoyance, and psychic mastery. This verse closes the chapter
Page 289–291 SN 9.1 Seclusion Opening the "In the Woods" chapter of forest-deity discourses, a mendicant meditating alone lets his mind stray toward worldly, unskillful thoughts about domestic life despite having gone forth for seclusion. A sympathetic forest deity, wanting what is best for him, rouses him with verses urging him to dispel his desire for people and shed the "dust" of sensuality just as a bird shakes dirt from its feathers with a single motion. Struck by the deity's words, the monk is filled with a renewed sen
Page 291–292 SN 9.2 Application A mendicant who should be meditating instead falls asleep during his day's retreat in the forest. The resident deity chides him in verse to get up, asking what use there is in sleeping when one is like a person wounded by an arrow, and urges him to strengthen the faith that led him to renounce lay life rather than fall under sleep's sway. The monk replies that having gone beyond desire, greed, and ignorance, and having purified his knowledge, there is nothing left that can trouble a true renunci
Page 292 SN 9.3 With Kassapagotta Venerable Kassapagotta, withdrawn for his day's meditation, tries unsuccessfully to teach the Dhamma to an unreceptive hunter (nimrod). A forest deity remarks in verse that advising such a dull, unthinking person is a waste of time, comparing him to someone who listens without understanding and looks without seeing, so blind to the truth that even ten lit lamps would show him nothing. The episode leaves Kassapagotta struck with a sense of urgency about the limits of teaching those unwilling to u
Page 292–293 SN 9.4 Several Mendicants Set Out Wandering After completing the three-month rains retreat, a group of mendicants who had stayed in a particular forest depart to wander elsewhere. The resident forest deity, seeing their seats now empty, cries out in verse lamenting the loss of such learned and eloquent companions, wondering where these disciples of the Buddha have gone. A second deity answers that they have simply dispersed across Magadha, Kosala, and the Vajjian lands, living without fixed abode like free-roaming deer.
Page 293–294 SN 9.5 With Ānanda Venerable Ānanda spends excessive time persuading and instructing lay people, drawing him away from meditative practice. A forest deity, wishing him well, urges him in verse to retreat to the jungle and the root of a tree, holding extinguishment in his heart, and to meditate without negligence rather than being caught up in social bustle. The rebuke strikes Ānanda with a renewed sense of spiritual urgency.
Page 294–295 SN 9.6 With Anuruddha A goddess named Penelope (Jālinī), who had been Anuruddha's companion in a former celestial life, tries to entice him back to the pleasures of the heaven of the thirty-three gods, promising a retinue of divine maidens. Anuruddha rebuffs her, declaring that divine maidens and those attached to them remain in a "sorry state" bound to conditioned existence. When she persists, he recites the classic teaching that all conditions are impermanent, rise and fall, and that their cessation is true bliss,
Page 295 SN 9.7 With Nāgadatta The monk Nāgadatta has fallen into the habit of entering the village too early and returning too late, becoming overly entangled in lay families' joys and sorrows. The forest deity, concerned for his welfare, warns him in verse that such reckless familiarity with lay life risks placing him under the power of Death. The warning strikes Nāgadatta with a sense of spiritual urgency about correcting his conduct.
Page 295–296 SN 9.8 The Mistress of the House A monk has become too closely involved in the affairs of a particular lay family, prompting gossip among villagers. A forest deity, taking on the appearance of the family's mistress to stir him up, confronts him in verse about the rumors circulating regarding their relationship. The monk replies calmly that a fervent ascetic must simply endure such talk without being unsettled by it, since being easily startled by rumor, like a skittish forest deer, only earns one a reputation for flightiness an
Page 296–297 SN 9.9 A Vajji A lonely mendicant staying near Vesālī during a noisy all-night festival complains in verse about his solitary, log-like existence in the wilderness, wondering who could be worse off than him. A sympathetic forest deity replies that far from being pitiable, his solitude is in fact envied by many, comparing those who envy him to hell-beings who envy those bound for heaven. The exchange leaves the mendicant struck with a sense of spiritual urgency about the true value of his seclusion.
Page 297–298 SN 9.10 Recitation A mendicant who once diligently recited passages of the teaching later lapses into silence and passivity. The forest deity, missing the sound of Dhamma recitation, prods him in verse to resume reciting with fellow mendicants, since hearing the teaching builds confidence and earns praise. The monk explains that he has moved beyond zealous recitation into genuine dispassion, having fully understood and let go of everything seen, heard, and thought.
Page 298–299 SN 9.11 Unskillful Thoughts A meditating mendicant is beset by sensual, malicious, and cruel thoughts arising from irrational attention. The resident forest deity advises him in verse that irrationality is the cause of being consumed by such thoughts, and that redirecting the mind rationally toward the Teacher, the teaching, the Saṅgha, and one's own ethical conduct naturally produces gladness, rapture, and bliss, which in turn leads toward the ending of suffering. The teaching strikes the monk with a sense of urgency to c
Page 299 SN 9.12 Midday In the stillness of high noon, when the birds have fallen silent and the forest itself seems to resonate loudly, a deity remarks in verse that this eerie stillness strikes him as frightening. The mendicant replies with a matching verse that the very same silence strikes him instead as delightful, illustrating how differing inner dispositions shape one's experience of solitude and stillness.
Page 299–300 SN 9.13 Undisciplined Faculties A group of mendicants staying together in a forest grow haughty, insolent, careless, and undisciplined, indulging themselves like village chiefs rather than practicing as true disciples should. The forest deity, concerned for them, rebukes them in verse, contrasting their former contentment and diligence—seeking little, living simply, understanding impermanence—with their present laxity and self-indulgence. The deity honors only those who remain diligent while condemning the negligent as "dregs,
Page 300–302 SN 9.14 The Thief of Scent A monk who has merely smelled a pink lotus without picking it is accused by a forest deity of being a "thief of scent," since the flower was not given to him. The monk protests that smelling from afar is not theft compared to genuine vandals who uproot roots or break off flowers, prompting the deity to explain that for one who seeks purity, even a hair-tip of fault looms as large as a stormcloud, while it has nothing to say to an actual wrongdoer. Grateful for the correction, the monk asks to be
Page 302–303 SN 10.1 With Indaka Opening the chapter on native spirits (yakkhas), the spirit Indaka questions the Buddha on how a being can come to have a physical body if form is not the soul. The Buddha answers with an early account of embryonic development—zygote, blastocyst, gastrula, and the gradual formation of limb buds, hair, and nails—nourished by whatever food and drink the mother consumes, illustrating that the body arises through a natural causal process rather than from any unchanging self.
Page 303–304 SN 10.2 Sakka In Name Only A minor spirit who merely goes by the name "Sakka" challenges the Buddha, arguing that having given up all worldly ties, it is not fitting for him to go on instructing others. The Buddha replies that whatever the social reasoning behind why people gather, it is never unworthy for a wise person to act with sympathy for others, and that teaching offered with a clear, compassionate mind creates no harmful attachment for the teacher.
Page 304–305 SN 10.3 With Spiky The hostile spirit Spiky, egged on by his companion Shaggy who suspects the Buddha of being a fraud, tests him by leaning menacingly against his body and threatening violence—driving him insane, exploding his heart, or hurling him across the Ganges—unless his riddle is answered. Unafraid, the Buddha calmly answers Spiky's question about the origin of greed, hatred, discontent, and mental turmoil, explaining that they spring from self-centered affection like prop roots sprouting from a banyan tre
Page 305–306 SN 10.4 With Maṇibhadda The spirit Maṇibhadda recites a saying that mindfulness always brings good fortune, prosperity, and freedom from enmity. The Buddha corrects him, teaching that mindfulness alone does not guarantee freedom from enmity—only a heart that delights in harmlessness and holds loving-kindness for all living creatures day and night truly has no enmity toward anyone.
Page 306–308 SN 10.5 With Sānu A lay woman's son Sānu, seized by a native spirit, is mourned by his weeping mother, who recalls having heard that spirits will not trouble anyone who properly keeps the sabbath observance. A spirit voice confirms this teaching is correct and, through her, warns Sānu against doing bad deeds openly or in secret. When Sānu revives and asks why she weeps for someone alive, she explains that abandoning the spiritual path to return to sensual life is itself a kind of death, using the vivid image of s
Page 308 SN 10.6 With Piyaṅkara As Venerable Anuruddha rises at dawn to recite passages of the teaching, the spirit-mother of the child Piyaṅkara hushes her baby so she can listen, reflecting that understanding even a single passage of the teaching benefits one's welfare. She resolves in verse that she and her child should restrain themselves from harming living creatures and speaking lies, training well in ethics in hopes of being freed from the goblin (spirit) realm.
Page 308–310 SN 10.7 With Punabbasu While the Buddha teaches the mendicants a Dhamma talk on extinguishment, the spirit-mother of the children Uttarā and Punabbasu hushes them so she can listen, declaring in verse that her love for this teaching exceeds even her love for her own child or husband, since only the Dhamma can free beings from suffering, old age, and death. Her son Punabbasu reassures her that he too is being quiet because he wants to understand, praising the Buddha as a beacon for those lost among gods and humans. Mov
Page 310–312 SN 10.8 With Sudatta The wealthy householder Anāthapiṇḍika (called Sudatta), eager to meet the newly arisen Buddha, sets out for the monastery before dawn but is repeatedly overcome by fear and darkness on the road. Three times the invisible spirit Sivaka calls out to encourage him onward, declaring that a single forward step toward the Buddha outweighs a hundred elephants, horses, chariots, and jeweled maidens. Reaching the Cool Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika is greeted warmly by the Buddha, who calls him by name; deeply mov
Page 312–313 SN 10.9 With the Nun Sukkā (1st) While the nun Sukkā teaches the Dhamma to a large assembly in Rājagaha, a spirit devoted to her wanders from street to street reciting verses that chide the townspeople for sleeping through her teaching as if drunk on mead. The spirit contrasts them with the wise, who drink in her words as eagerly and gratefully as travelers enjoying a cool cloud on a hot day, valuing the Dhamma above worldly distraction.
Page 313 SN 10.10 With the Nun Sukkā (2nd) When a lay follower offers food to the liberated nun Sukkā, the same spirit devoted to her again wanders the streets reciting verses in praise of the donor's wisdom and the great merit earned by giving to one who is released from all ties.
Page 313–314 SN 10.11 With the Nun Cīrā In a near-identical episode, when a lay follower gives a robe to the nun Cīrā, a devoted spirit again wanders the streets reciting verses praising the donor's wisdom and the merit earned by supporting a nun who is released from all yokes, echoing the pattern of merit-through-giving found in the Sukkā discourses.
Page 314–316 SN 10.12 With Āḷavaka The fierce ogre Āḷavaka repeatedly orders the Buddha in and out of his lair to test him, then threatens to drive him insane or hurl him across the Ganges unless his riddle-questions are answered. Unshaken, the Buddha calmly answers a long series of questions covering the best wealth (faith), the sweetest taste (truth), how to cross the flood of suffering (through faith, diligence, energy, and wisdom), and how to gain wisdom, wealth, good reputation, and freedom from grief at death (through eager
Page 316–319 SN 11.1 With Suvīra Opening the Sakka Saṁyutta, the Buddha tells how, when the titans marched against the gods, the godling Suvīra was ordered three times by Sakka to go and fight them, but fell into negligence each time instead. In an exchange of verses, Sakka wryly wishes for a place of effortless happiness, and Suvīra admits he too longs for reward without work or duty, until Sakka observes that such a place—if it existed—would only be the path of extinguishment itself. The Buddha draws the lesson that even Sakk
Page 319–320 SN 11.2 With Susīma In a close parallel to the Suvīra discourse, the Buddha recounts how the godling Susīma was likewise summoned three times by Sakka to fight the invading titans but fell into negligence each time. The same verse exchange about a place of effortless happiness follows, ending in Sakka's observation that such a place would be nothing other than the path to extinguishment. The Buddha again concludes that even Sakka's praise of initiative should spur the monks to strive for what they have not yet achi
Page 320–323 SN 11.3 The Banner's Crest During a mythic battle between gods and titans, Sakka tells his fellow gods that looking up at his banner's crest (or, failing that, the crests of other divine kings) will dispel their fear in battle. The Buddha notes that this only sometimes works, since Sakka himself is not free of greed, hatred, and delusion, and so remains capable of fear. He then offers the monks a more reliable refuge: whenever fear arises in the wilderness, they should recollect the qualities of the Buddha, the Dhamma, or
Page 323–326 SN 11.4 With Vepacitti After the gods defeat the titans and bind their captured lord Vepacitti, he verbally abuses Sakka with rude, harsh words as Sakka passes by, yet Sakka responds only with patience rather than retaliation. When his charioteer Mātali suggests that such leniency will only embolden a fool to attack harder, Sakka replies in an extended verse dialogue that enduring an angry fool without becoming angry oneself is the highest form of strength, heals both parties, and constitutes the truest victory even t
Page 326–328 SN 11.5 Victory by Good Speech The patience-versus-provocation verses from the Vepacitti episode are restaged here as a formal contest, with gods and titans appointing a panel of judges to decide whose recited verses are superior. Vepacitti's verses, which endorse forcefully punishing fools, win applause from the titans, while Sakka's verses on patience and staying composed win applause from the gods; the judges rule that Sakka's words lead away from fights and quarrels while Vepacitti's provoke them, and so Sakka is declared
Page 328–329 SN 11.6 Bird Nests Fleeing north after a battlefield defeat by the titans, Sakka orders his charioteer Mātali not to ram the nests of birds in the Red Silk-Cotton Woods with the chariot's draft-pole, saying he would rather give up his life to the pursuing titans than deprive the birds of their homes. Seeing Sakka's chariot suddenly turn back toward them, the titans mistake this act of compassion for a renewed assault and flee in terror to their citadel, so that Sakka wins victory through principled kindness rather
Page 329–330 SN 11.7 Not Betray While reflecting in private retreat that he should never betray even a sworn enemy, Sakka is approached by his rival Vepacitti, who has somehow read his thoughts. Sakka catches him out and demands that he swear never to betray him; Vepacitti responds in verse, invoking upon himself all the misfortunes that befall liars, slanderers of the noble ones, and betrayers of friends, should he ever break faith with Sakka.
Page 330 SN 11.8 Verocana, Lord of Titans Sakka and the titan lord Verocana approach the meditating Buddha and station themselves at either doorpost, debating in verse whether achieving one's goal through sheer determined effort (Verocana's position) or through patience (Sakka's position) is the higher value. The Buddha sides with Sakka's view, affirming twice over that "for the goal that's splendid when accomplished, naught better than patience is found," even while acknowledging that hard work and need have their own place.
Page 331–332 SN 11.9 Seers in the Wilderness Sakka and Vepacitti separately visit a community of ethical seers living in leaf huts in the wilderness. Vepacitti arrives arrogantly in full regalia—sandals, sword, and sunshade—brushing past the seers at arm's length, while Sakka humbly removes his sandals, hands off his sword, puts away his sunshade, and stands respectfully downwind of them. The seers then address Sakka in verse, explaining that the natural bodily "odor" of long-practicing ascetics, which others might find unclean, is to them
Page 333–334 SN 11.10 The Seers and Sambara's Curse Ascetic seers of good character live in leaf huts on the ocean shore during a war between the gods and the titans. Fearing they may be harmed by the titan lord Sambara, they magically travel to him and beg for a pledge of safety, but he refuses and threatens them with fear instead. In response the seers curse him, declaring that whatever seed one sows is the fruit one reaps: a doer of good gets good, a doer of bad gets bad. After being cursed, Sambara wakes in terror three times that night, show
Page 335–336 SN 11.11 Vows The Buddha explains that in a former human life, Sakka undertook seven personal vows: to support his parents, honor family elders, speak gently, avoid backbiting, live generously without stinginess, speak the truth, and quickly let go of anger whenever it arose. It was by keeping these ordinary ethical commitments that he later attained the exalted status of Sakka, lord of the gods. The teaching closes with a verse praising the child who respects parents and elders, speaks gently and truthfully,
Page 336–337 SN 11.12 Sakka's Names The Buddha explains to the mendicants the origins of Sakka's many epithets, showing each one records a virtuous deed from his past human life. He was called Maghavā because he was once a student named Magha, Purindada because he was first to give gifts, Sakka because he gave gifts ably, Vāsava because he gave the gift of a guest house, Sahassakkha because he considers a thousand matters in an hour, Sujampati as the husband of the titan maiden Sujā, and Devānaminda as lord of the gods of the thir
Page 338–339 SN 11.13 With Mahāli The Licchavi Mahāli asks the Buddha whether he has truly seen Sakka, lord of the gods, since Sakka is said to be hard to see. The Buddha affirms that he has seen and understands Sakka, and explains the deeds behind each of his epithets - Maghavā, Sakka, Purindada, Vāsava, Sahassakkha, Sujampati, and Devānaminda - tracing them to virtuous actions from his former human life. The account culminates in the recitation of Sakka's seven vows of ethical conduct, showing that even a being as exalted and
Page 339–341 SN 11.14 Poor The Buddha tells of a poor, destitute person who nonetheless took up faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom in line with the teaching, and upon death was reborn among the gods of the thirty-three, outshining the other gods in beauty and glory. The resident gods grumble in disbelief that a former pauper could surpass them, until Sakka intervenes and explains that this godling's radiance is the direct fruit of their spiritual practice as a human being, not of birth or wealth. Sakka then r
Page 341 SN 11.15 Delightful Sakka asks the Buddha what makes a place delightful. The Buddha answers with a short verse contrasting elaborate shrines, parks, and lotus ponds with the presence of a truly delightful person, saying such places are not worth a sixteenth part of a virtuous human being's company. He concludes that wherever the perfected ones live, whether village or wilderness, valley or upland, that place becomes delightful. The teaching relocates the idea of a sacred or pleasant place from physical beauty to th
Page 342 SN 11.16 Sponsoring Sacrifice Sakka asks the Buddha where a gift given by merit-seeking humans who sponsor sacrifices becomes most fruitful. The Buddha answers that it is the Saṅgha - the four types of noble persons practicing the path and the four established in its fruit, endowed with wisdom, ethics, and immersion - that constitutes the truly fruitful field for offerings. The exchange redirects the traditional practice of sacrificial giving toward supporting the ethical, spiritually accomplished monastic community rather t
Page 342–343 SN 11.17 Homage to the Buddha While the Buddha is in solitary meditation, Sakka and the divinity Sahampati come to pay respects, stationing themselves at the doorposts. Sakka offers a verse urging the Buddha, as a victorious hero free of every burden, to rise from his liberated repose. The Buddha corrects him, explaining that the proper way to honor a Realized One is not merely to praise his personal liberation but to entreat him to rise and teach the Dhamma so that others may come to understand it. The exchange teaches that
Page 344 SN 11.18 Homage of Householders Sakka instructs his charioteer Mātali to harness the chariot for an outing, then descends and reverently pays homage to the various directions. When Mātali asks whom he worships, given that Vedic experts, aristocrats, and even great gods worship Sakka himself, Sakka explains that he reveres those accomplished in ethics and immersion who have rightly gone forth for spiritual life, as well as virtuous lay householders who provide for their families in a principled way. Mātali resolves to worship w
Page 345 SN 11.19 Homage of the Teacher In a parallel episode, Sakka again has Mātali harness his chariot, but this time descends to pay homage directly to the Buddha. When Mātali asks whom he worships, Sakka identifies the fully awakened Buddha as the peerless Teacher, along with the perfected ones who have ended greed, hatred, and delusion, and the trainees diligently working to eliminate these defilements. Mātali declares he will worship the same objects of veneration, and Sakka proceeds on his outing after paying homage to the Bud
Page 346–347 SN 11.20 Homage of the Saṅgha Once more Sakka has his chariot readied, but this time pays homage to the mendicant Saṅgha. Mātali questions why a god would revere those who seem to be mere suffering humans trapped in bodies prone to hunger and thirst, and asks about the ascetics' way of life. Sakka explains that he envies the homeless mendicants because they travel without attachment, hoard no possessions, and live simply on what is offered, remaining peaceful and unattached even while gods and mortals fight each other. He de
Page 348 SN 11.21 Slain Sakka asks the Buddha what one thing, when eliminated, allows a person to sleep at ease and be free from sorrow, and whose killing the noble ones would praise. The Buddha answers that it is anger: when anger is slain one sleeps at ease and there is no sorrow. He describes anger as having a poisonous root but a deceptively sweet tip, which is why the noble ones praise its destruction. The image conveys that the momentary satisfaction of venting anger conceals a far more damaging aftermath.
Page 349–350 SN 11.22 Ugly An ugly, deformed spirit sits upon Sakka's own throne, provoking the gods of the thirty-three to complain at the impropriety - but the more they complain, the more attractive the spirit becomes, revealing it to be an "anger-eating" spirit that feeds on hostility. When Sakka approaches it with humility, kneeling and respectfully announcing his own name rather than reacting with anger, the spirit grows uglier and eventually vanishes. Sakka then teaches a verse describing how his mind is not easily
Page 351 SN 11.23 The Sambari Sorcery When Vepacitti, lord of the titans, falls gravely ill, Sakka visits to inquire after his health. Vepacitti begs to be healed, and Sakka asks in exchange to be taught the Sambari sorcery, but Vepacitti must first consult the other titans, who forbid him from sharing it with their divine rival. Vepacitti then warns Sakka in verse that anyone who practices sorcery like Sambara falls into a terrible hell for a full century. The brief exchange functions as a warning against the pursuit of magical or
Page 351–352 SN 11.24 Transgression Two mendicants have quarreled, and although the one at fault confesses, the other refuses to accept the apology. When the matter is brought to the Buddha, he identifies two kinds of fools - one who fails to recognize their own wrongdoing, and one who will not properly accept another's confession - contrasting them with two kinds of astute people who handle these situations well. The Buddha then recites a verse attributed to Sakka urging restraint of anger, preservation of friendship, and avoidan
Page 352–353 SN 11.25 Don't Be Angry The Buddha recounts another verse spoken by Sakka to the gods of the thirty-three, teaching that one should never let anger become one's master and should not return anger with anger. He praises kindness and harmlessness as qualities constantly present in the noble ones, again closing with the image that anger crushes bad people like a falling mountain. This short verse concludes the entire Sakka-saṃyutta, reinforcing patience and non-retaliation as the central ethical thread running through its