{"collection":"Majjhima Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_mn29/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_mn29","id":"suttacentral_mn29","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/mn29/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Early Buddhist Texts","Majjhima Nikaya"],"text":"So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near R\u0101jagaha, on the Vulture\u2019s Peak Mountain, not long after Devadatta had left. There the Buddha spoke to the mendicants about Devadatta: \u201cMendicants, take the case of a gentleman who has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness, thinking, \u2018I\u2019m swamped by rebirth, old age, and death; by sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. I\u2019m swamped by suffering, mired in suffering. Hopefully I can make an end to this entire mass of suffering.\u2019 When they\u2019ve gone forth they generate possessions, honor, and popularity. They\u2019re happy with that, and they\u2019ve got all they wished for. And they glorify themselves and put others down because of that: \u2018I\u2019m the one with possessions, honor, and popularity. These other mendicants are obscure and insignificant.\u2019 And so they become indulgent and fall into negligence on account of those possessions, honor, and popularity. And being negligent they live in suffering. Suppose there was a person in need of heartwood. And while wandering in search of heartwood he\u2019d come across a large tree standing with heartwood. But, passing over the heartwood, softwood, bark, and shoots, he\u2019d cut off the branches and leaves and leave imagining they were heartwood. If a person with clear eyes saw him they\u2019d say, \u2018This gentleman doesn\u2019t know what heartwood, softwood, bark, shoots, or branches and leaves are. That\u2019s why he passed them over, cut off the branches and leaves, and left imagining they were heartwood. Whatever he needs to make from heartwood, he won\u2019t succeed.\u2019 \u2026 This is called a mendicant who has grabbed the branches and leaves of the spiritual life and stopped short with that. Next, take a gentleman who has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness \u2026 When they\u2019ve gone forth they generate possessions, honor, and popularity. They\u2019re not happy with that, and haven\u2019t got all they wished for. They don\u2019t glorify themselves and put others down on account of that. Nor do they become indulgent and fall into negligence on account of those possessions, honor, and popularity. Being diligent, they achieve accomplishment in ethics. They\u2019re happy with that, and they\u2019ve got all they wished for. And they glorify themselves and put others down on account of that: \u2018I\u2019m the one who is ethical, of good character. These other mendicants are unethical, of bad character.\u2019 And so they become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding their accomplishment in ethics. And being negligent they live in suffering. Suppose there was a person in need of heartwood. And while wandering in search of heartwood he\u2019d come across a large tree standing with heartwood. But, passing over the heartwood, softwood, and bark, he\u2019d cut off the shoots and leave imagining they were heartwood. If a person with clear eyes saw him they\u2019d say, \u2018This gentleman doesn\u2019t know what heartwood, softwood, bark, shoots, or branches and leaves are. That\u2019s why he passed them over, cut off the shoots, and left imagining they were heartwood. Whatever he needs to make from heartwood, he won\u2019t succeed.\u2019 \u2026 This is called a mendicant who has grabbed the shoots of the spiritual life and stopped short with that. Next, take a gentleman who has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness \u2026 When they\u2019ve gone forth they generate possessions, honor, and popularity. \u2026 Being diligent, they achieve accomplishment in immersion. They\u2019re happy with that, and they\u2019ve got all they wished for. And they glorify themselves and put others down on account of that: \u2018I\u2019m the one with immersion and unified mind. These other mendicants lack immersion, they have straying minds.\u2019 And so they become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding that accomplishment in immersion. And being negligent they live in suffering. Suppose there was a person in need of heartwood. And while wandering in search of heartwood he\u2019d come across a large tree standing with heartwood. But, passing over the heartwood and softwood, he\u2019d cut off the bark and leave imagining it was heartwood. If a person with clear eyes saw him they\u2019d say: \u2018This gentleman doesn\u2019t know what heartwood, softwood, bark, shoots, or branches and leaves are. That\u2019s why he passed them over, cut off the bark, and left imagining it was heartwood. Whatever he needs to make from heartwood, he won\u2019t succeed.\u2019 \u2026 This is called a mendicant who has grabbed the bark of the spiritual life and stopped short with that. Next, take a gentleman who has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness \u2026 When they\u2019ve gone forth they generate possessions, honor, and popularity. \u2026 Being diligent, they achieve knowledge and vision. They\u2019re happy with that, and they\u2019ve got all they wished for. And they glorify themselves and put others down on account of that, \u2018I\u2019m the one who meditates knowing and seeing. These other mendicants meditate without knowing and seeing.\u2019 And so they become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding that knowledge and vision. And being negligent they live in suffering. Suppose there was a person in need of heartwood. And while wandering in search of heartwood he\u2019d come across a large tree standing with heartwood. But, passing over the heartwood, he\u2019d cut out the softwood and leave imagining it was heartwood. If a person with clear eyes saw him they\u2019d say, \u2018This gentleman doesn\u2019t know what heartwood, softwood, bark, shoots, or branches and leaves are. That\u2019s why he passed them over, cut out the softwood, and left imagining it was heartwood. Whatever he needs to make from heartwood, he won\u2019t succeed.\u2019 \u2026 This is called a mendicant who has grabbed the softwood of the spiritual life and stopped short with that. Next, take a gentleman who has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness, thinking, \u2018I\u2019m swamped by rebirth, old age, and death; by sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. I\u2019m swamped by suffering, mired in suffering. Hopefully I can make an end to this entire mass of suffering.\u2019 When they\u2019ve gone forth they generate possessions, honor, and popularity. They\u2019re not happy with that, and haven\u2019t got all they wished for. They don\u2019t glorify themselves and put others down on account of that. Nor do they become indulgent and fall into negligence on account of those possessions, honor, and popularity. Being diligent, they achieve accomplishment in ethics. They\u2019re happy with that, but they haven\u2019t got all they wished for. They don\u2019t glorify themselves and put others down on account of that. Nor do they become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding that accomplishment in ethics. Being diligent, they achieve accomplishment in immersion. They\u2019re happy with that, but they haven\u2019t got all they wished for. They don\u2019t glorify themselves and put others down on account of that. Nor do they become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding that accomplishment in immersion. Being diligent, they achieve knowledge and vision. They\u2019re happy with that, but they haven\u2019t got all they wished for. They don\u2019t glorify themselves and put others down on account of that. Nor do they become indulgent and fall into negligence regarding that knowledge and vision. Being diligent, they achieve irreversible freedom. And it\u2019s impossible for that mendicant to fall away from that irreversible freedom. Suppose there was a person in need of heartwood. And while wandering in search of heartwood he\u2019d come across a large tree standing with heartwood. He\u2019d cut out just the heartwood and leave knowing it was heartwood. If a person with clear eyes saw him they\u2019d say, \u2018This gentleman knows what heartwood, softwood, bark, shoots, and branches and leaves are. That\u2019s why he cut out just the heartwood and left knowing it was heartwood. Whatever he needs to make from heartwood, he will succeed.\u2019 \u2026 It\u2019s impossible for that mendicant to fall away from that irreversible freedom. And so, mendicants, this spiritual life is not lived for the sake of possessions, honor, and popularity, or for accomplishment in ethics, or for accomplishment in immersion, or for knowledge and vision. It is this unshakable freedom of heart that is the goal of the spiritual life, the core and the final end.\u201d That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.","title":"The Longer Simile of the Heartwood","tradition":"Majjhima Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":1369}