{"collection":"Anguttara Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_an9.40/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_an9.40","id":"suttacentral_an9.40","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/an9.40/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Anguttara Nikaya","Early Buddhist Texts"],"text":"\u201cMendicants, when a wild bull elephant is engrossed in the pasture, but other elephants\u2014males, females, younglings, or cubs\u2014got there first and trampled the grass, the wild bull elephant is horrified, repelled, and disgusted by that. When the wild bull elephant is engrossed in the pasture, but other elephants\u2014males, females, younglings, or cubs\u2014eat the broken branches that he has dragged down, the wild bull elephant is horrified, repelled, and disgusted by that. When a wild bull elephant has plunged into the pool, but other elephants\u2014males, females, younglings, or cubs\u2014got there first and stirred up the water with their trunks, the wild bull elephant is horrified, repelled, and disgusted by that. When a wild bull elephant has come out of the pool and the female elephants bump into him, the wild bull elephant is horrified, repelled, and disgusted by that. At that time the wild bull elephant thinks: \u2018These days I live crowded by other males, females, younglings, and cubs. I eat the grass they\u2019ve trampled, and they eat the broken branches I\u2019ve dragged down. I drink muddy water, and after my bath the female elephants bump into me. Why don\u2019t I live alone, withdrawn from the herd?\u2019 After some time he lives alone, withdrawn from the herd, and he eats untrampled grass, and other elephants don\u2019t eat the broken branches he has dragged down. He doesn\u2019t drink muddy water, and the female elephants don\u2019t bump into him after his bath. At that time the wild bull elephant thinks: \u2018Formerly I lived crowded by other males, females, younglings, and cubs. I ate the grass they\u2019d trampled, and they ate the broken branches I\u2019d dragged down. I drank muddy water, and after my bath the female elephants bumped into me. Now I live alone, and I\u2019m free of all these things.\u2019 He breaks off a branch and scratches his body, happily relieving his itches. In the same way, when a mendicant lives crowded by monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen; by rulers and their chief ministers, and by monastics of other religions and their disciples, they think: \u2018These days I live crowded by monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen; by rulers and their chief ministers, and monastics of other religions and their disciples. Why don\u2019t I live alone, withdrawn from the group?\u2019 They frequent a secluded lodging\u2014a wilderness, the root of a tree, a hill, a ravine, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a forest, the open air, a heap of straw. Gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, they sit down cross-legged, set their body straight, and bring mindfulness to the present. Giving up covetousness for the world, they meditate with a heart rid of covetousness, cleansing the mind of covetousness. Giving up ill will and malevolence, they meditate with a mind rid of ill will, full of sympathy for all living beings, cleansing the mind of ill will. Giving up dullness and drowsiness, they meditate with a mind rid of dullness and drowsiness, perceiving light, mindful and aware, cleansing the mind of dullness and drowsiness. Giving up restlessness and remorse, they meditate without restlessness, their mind settled internally, cleansing the mind of restlessness and remorse. Giving up doubt, they meditate having gone beyond doubt, not undecided about skillful qualities, cleansing the mind of doubt. They give up these five hindrances, corruptions of the heart that weaken wisdom. Then, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, they enter and remain in the first absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, while placing the mind and keeping it connected. They happily relieve their itches. As the placing of the mind and keeping it connected are stilled, they enter and remain in the second absorption \u2026 third absorption \u2026 fourth absorption. They happily relieve their itches. Going totally beyond perceptions of form, with the disappearance of perceptions of impingement, not focusing on perceptions of diversity, aware that \u2018space is infinite\u2019, they enter and remain in the dimension of infinite space. They happily relieve their itches. Going totally beyond the dimension of infinite space, aware that \u2018consciousness is infinite\u2019, they enter and remain in the dimension of infinite consciousness. \u2026 Going totally beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness, aware that \u2018there is nothing at all\u2019, they enter and remain in the dimension of nothingness. \u2026 Going totally beyond the dimension of nothingness, they enter and remain in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. \u2026 Furthermore, take a mendicant who, going totally beyond the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, enters and remains in the cessation of perception and feeling. And, having seen with wisdom, their defilements come to an end. They happily relieve their itches.\u201d","title":"The Simile of the Bull Elephant in the Forest","tradition":"Anguttara Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":783}