{"collection":"Majjhima Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_mn28/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_mn28","id":"suttacentral_mn28","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/mn28/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Early Buddhist Texts","Majjhima Nikaya"],"text":"So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near S\u0101vatth\u012b in Jeta\u2019s Grove, An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika\u2019s monastery. There S\u0101riputta addressed the mendicants, \u201cReverends, mendicants!\u201d \u201cReverend,\u201d they replied. S\u0101riputta said this: \u201cThe footprints of all creatures that walk can fit inside an elephant\u2019s footprint, so an elephant\u2019s footprint is said to be the biggest of them all. In the same way, all skillful qualities are included in the four noble truths. What four? The noble truths of suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering. And what is the noble truth of suffering? Rebirth is suffering; old age is suffering; death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress are suffering; not getting what you wish for is suffering. In brief, the five grasping aggregates are suffering. And what are the five grasping aggregates? They are as follows: the grasping aggregates of form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness. And what is the grasping aggregate of form? The four principal states, and form derived from the four principal states. And what are the four principal states? The elements of earth, water, fire, and air. And what is the earth element? The earth element may be interior or exterior. And what is the interior earth element? Anything internal, personal, that\u2019s hard, solid, and appropriated. This includes: head hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, undigested food, feces; or anything else internal, personal, that\u2019s hard, solid, and appropriated. This is called the interior earth element. The interior earth element and the exterior earth element are just the earth element. This should be truly seen with right understanding like this: \u2018This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.\u2019 When you truly see with right understanding, you grow disillusioned with the earth element, detaching the mind from the earth element. There comes a time when the exterior water element flares up. At that time the exterior earth element vanishes. So for all its great age, the earth element will be revealed as impermanent, liable to end, vanish, and perish. What then of this ephemeral body appropriated by craving? Rather than \u2018I\u2019 or \u2018mine\u2019 or \u2018I am\u2019, they consider it to be none of these things. If others abuse, attack, harass, and trouble that mendicant, they understand: \u2018This painful feeling born of ear contact has arisen in me. That\u2019s dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on contact.\u2019 They see that contact, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness are impermanent. Based on that element alone, their mind leaps forth, gains confidence, settles down, and becomes decided. Others might treat that mendicant with disliking, loathing, and detestation, striking them with fists, stones, sticks, and swords. They understand: \u2018This body is such that fists, stones, sticks, and swords strike it. But the Buddha has said in the Advice on the Simile of the Saw: \u201cEven if low-down bandits were to sever you limb from limb with a two-handed saw, anyone who had a malevolent thought on that account would not be following my instructions.\u201d My energy shall be roused up and unflagging, my mindfulness established and lucid, my body tranquil and undisturbed, and my mind immersed and unified in sam\u0101dhi. Gladly now, let fists, stones, sticks, and swords strike this body! For this is how the instructions of the Buddhas are followed.\u2019 While recollecting the Buddha, the teaching, and the Sa\u1e45gha in this way, equanimity based on the skillful may not become stabilized in them. In that case they stir up a sense of urgency: \u2018It\u2019s my loss, my misfortune, that while recollecting the Buddha, the teaching, and the Sa\u1e45gha in this way, equanimity based on the skillful does not become stabilized in me.\u2019 They\u2019re like a daughter-in-law who stirs up a sense of urgency when they see their father-in-law. But if, while recollecting the Buddha, the teaching, and the Sa\u1e45gha in this way, equanimity based on the skillful does become stabilized in them, they\u2019re happy with that. At this point, much has been done by that mendicant. And what is the water element? The water element may be interior or exterior. And what is the interior water element? Anything internal, personal, that\u2019s water, watery, and appropriated. This includes: bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, snot, synovial fluid, urine; or anything else internal, personal, that\u2019s water, watery, and appropriated. This is called the interior water element. The interior water element and the exterior water element are just the water element. This should be truly seen with right understanding like this: \u2018This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.\u2019 When you truly see with right understanding, you grow disillusioned with the water element, detaching the mind from the water element. There comes a time when the exterior water element flares up. It sweeps away villages, towns, cities, countries, and regions. There comes a time when the water in the ocean sinks down a hundred leagues, or two, three, four, five, six, up to seven hundred leagues. There comes a time when the water in the ocean stands just seven palm trees deep, or six, five, four, three, two, or even just one palm tree deep. There comes a time when the water in the ocean stands just seven fathoms deep, or six, five, four, three, two, or even just one fathom deep. There comes a time when the water in the ocean stands just half a fathom deep, or waist deep, or knee deep, or even just ankle deep. There comes a time when there\u2019s not even enough water left in the great ocean to wet the tip of the toe. So for all its great age, the water element will be revealed as impermanent, liable to end, vanish, and perish. What then of this ephemeral body appropriated by craving? Rather than \u2018I\u2019 or \u2018mine\u2019 or \u2018I am\u2019, they consider it to be none of these things. \u2026 If, while recollecting the Buddha, the teaching, and the Sa\u1e45gha in this way, equanimity based on the skillful does become stabilized in them, they\u2019re happy with that. At this point, much has been done by that mendicant. And what is the fire element? The fire element may be interior or exterior. And what is the interior fire element? Anything internal, pertaining to an individual that\u2019s fire, fiery, and appropriated. This includes: that which warms, that which ages, that which heats you up when feverish, that which properly digests food and drink; or anything else internal, personal, that\u2019s fire, fiery, and appropriated. This is called the interior fire element. The interior fire element and the exterior fire element are just the fire element. This should be truly seen with right understanding like this: \u2018This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.\u2019 When you truly see with right understanding, you grow disillusioned with the fire element, detaching the mind from the fire element. There comes a time when the exterior fire element flares up. It burns up villages, towns, cities, countries, and regions until it reaches a green field, a roadside, a cliff\u2019s edge, a body of water, or cleared parkland, where it\u2019s extinguished due to not being fed. There comes a time when they go looking for a fire, taking just a chicken feather or a scrap of sinew as kindling. So for all its great age, the fire element will be revealed as impermanent, liable to end, vanish, and perish. What then of this ephemeral body appropriated by craving? Rather than \u2018I\u2019 or \u2018mine\u2019 or \u2018I am\u2019, they consider it to be none of these things. \u2026 If, while recollecting the Buddha, the teaching, and the Sa\u1e45gha in this way, equanimity based on the skillful does become stabilized in them, they\u2019re happy with that. At this point, much has been done by that mendicant. And what is the air element? The air element may be interior or exterior. And what is the interior air element? Anything internal, personal, that\u2019s air, airy, and appropriated. This includes: winds that go up or down, winds in the belly or the bowels, winds that flow through the limbs, in-breaths and out-breaths; or anything else internal, personal, that\u2019s air, airy, and appropriated. This is called the interior air element. The interior air element and the exterior air element are just the air element. This should be truly seen with right understanding like this: \u2018This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.\u2019 When you truly see with right understanding, you grow disillusioned with the air element, detaching the mind from the air element. There comes a time when the exterior air element flares up. It sweeps away villages, towns, cities, countries, and regions. There comes a time, in the last month of summer, when they look for wind by using a palm-leaf or fan, and even the grasses in the drip-fringe of a thatch roof don\u2019t stir. So for all its great age, the air element will be revealed as impermanent, liable to end, vanish, and perish. What then of this ephemeral body appropriated by craving? Rather than \u2018I\u2019 or \u2018mine\u2019 or \u2018I am\u2019, they consider it to be none of these things. If others abuse, attack, harass, and trouble that mendicant, they understand: \u2018This painful feeling born of ear contact has arisen in me. That\u2019s dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on contact.\u2019 They see that contact, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness are impermanent. Based on that element alone, their mind leaps forth, gains confidence, settles down, and becomes decided. Others might treat that mendicant with disliking, loathing, and detestation, striking them with fists, stones, sticks, and swords. They understand: \u2018This body is such that fists, stones, sticks, and swords strike it. But the Buddha has said in the Advice on the Simile of the Saw: \u201cEven if low-down bandits were to sever you limb from limb with a two-handed saw, anyone who had a thought of hate on that account would not be following my instructions.\u201d My energy shall be roused up and unflagging, my mindfulness established and lucid, my body tranquil and undisturbed, and my mind immersed and unified in sam\u0101dhi. Gladly now, let fists, stones, sticks, and swords strike this body! For this is how the instructions of the Buddhas are followed.\u2019 While recollecting the Buddha, the teaching, and the Sa\u1e45gha in this way, equanimity based on the skillful may not become stabilized in them. In that case they stir up a sense of urgency: \u2018It\u2019s my loss, my misfortune, that while recollecting the Buddha, the teaching, and the Sa\u1e45gha in this way, equanimity based on the skillful does not become stabilized in me.\u2019 They\u2019re like a daughter-in-law who stirs up a sense of urgency when they see their father-in-law. But if, while recollecting the Buddha, the teaching, and the Sa\u1e45gha in this way, equanimity based on the skillful does become stabilized in them, they\u2019re happy with that. At this point, much has been done by that mendicant. When a space is enclosed by sticks, creepers, grass, and mud it becomes known as a \u2018building\u2019. In the same way, when a space is enclosed by bones, sinews, flesh, and skin it becomes known as a \u2018form\u2019. Reverends, though the interior eye is intact, so long as exterior sights don\u2019t come into range and there\u2019s no corresponding engagement, there\u2019s no manifestation of the corresponding type of consciousness. Though the interior eye is intact and exterior sights come into range, so long as there\u2019s no corresponding engagement, there\u2019s no manifestation of the corresponding type of consciousness. But when the interior eye is intact and exterior sights come into range and there is corresponding engagement, there is the manifestation of the corresponding type of consciousness. The form produced in this way is included in the grasping aggregate of form. The feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness produced in this way are each included in the corresponding grasping aggregate. They understand: \u2018So this is how there comes to be inclusion, gathering together, and assimilation into these five grasping aggregates. But the Buddha has said: \u201cOne who sees dependent origination sees the teaching. One who sees the teaching sees dependent origination.\u201d And these five grasping aggregates are indeed dependently originated. The desire, clinging, attraction, and attachment for these five grasping aggregates is the origin of suffering. Giving up and getting rid of desire and greed for these five grasping aggregates is the cessation of suffering.\u2019 At this point, much has been done by that mendicant. Though the ear \u2026 nose \u2026 tongue \u2026 body \u2026 mind is intact internally, so long as exterior ideas don\u2019t come into range and there\u2019s no corresponding engagement, there\u2019s no manifestation of the corresponding type of consciousness. Though the mind is intact internally and exterior ideas come into range, so long as there\u2019s no corresponding engagement, there\u2019s no manifestation of the corresponding type of consciousness. But when the mind is intact internally and exterior ideas come into range and there is corresponding engagement, there is the manifestation of the corresponding type of consciousness. The form produced in this way is included in the grasping aggregate of form. The feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness produced in this way are each included in the corresponding grasping aggregate. They understand: \u2018So this is how there comes to be inclusion, gathering together, and assimilation into these five grasping aggregates. But the Buddha has also said: \u201cOne who sees dependent origination sees the teaching. One who sees the teaching sees dependent origination.\u201d And these five grasping aggregates are indeed dependently originated. The desire, clinging, attraction, and attachment for these five grasping aggregates is the origin of suffering. Giving up and getting rid of desire and greed for these five grasping aggregates is the cessation of suffering.\u2019 At this point, much has been done by that mendicant.\u201d That is what Venerable S\u0101riputta said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what S\u0101riputta said.","title":"The Longer Simile of the Elephant\u2019s Footprint","tradition":"Majjhima Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":2336}