{"collection":"Majjhima Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_mn30/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_mn30","id":"suttacentral_mn30","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/mn30/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. Then the brahmin Pi\u1e45galakoccha went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha: \u201cWorthy Gotama, there are those ascetics and brahmins who lead an order and a community, and tutor a community. They\u2019re well-known and famous religious founders, deemed holy by many people. Namely: P\u016bra\u1e47a Kassapa, the bamboo-staffed ascetic Gos\u0101la, Ajita of the hair blanket, Pakudha Kacc\u0101yana, Sa\u00f1jaya Bela\u1e6d\u1e6dhiputta, and the Jain ascetic of the \u00d1\u0101tika clan. According to their own claims, did all of them have direct knowledge, or none of them, or only some?\u201d \u201cEnough, brahmin, let this be: \u2018According to their own claims, did all of them have direct knowledge, or none of them, or only some?\u2019 I will teach you the Dhamma. Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.\u201d \u201cYes, worthy sir,\u201d Pi\u1e45galakoccha replied. The Buddha said this: \u201cSuppose 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 Suppose there was another person in need of heartwood \u2026 he\u2019d cut off the shoots and leave imagining they were heartwood \u2026 Suppose there was another person in need of heartwood \u2026 he\u2019d cut off the bark and leave imagining it was heartwood \u2026 Suppose there was another person in need of heartwood \u2026 he\u2019d cut out the softwood and leave imagining it was heartwood \u2026 Suppose there was another 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, or 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 In the same way, take a certain individual who goes forth 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 on account of that: \u2018I\u2019m the one with possessions, honor, and popularity. These other mendicants are obscure and insignificant.\u2019 They become lazy and slack on account of their possessions, honor, and popularity, not generating enthusiasm or trying to realize those things that are better and finer. \u2026 They\u2019re like the individual who mistakes branches and leaves for heartwood, I say. Next, take an individual 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. They don\u2019t become lazy and slack regarding their possessions, honor, and popularity, but generate enthusiasm and try to realize those things that are better and finer. 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 They become lazy and slack regarding their accomplishment in ethics, not generating enthusiasm or trying to realize those things that are better and finer. \u2026 They\u2019re like the individual who mistakes shoots for heartwood, I say. Next, take an individual who has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness \u2026 They achieve accomplishment in ethics \u2026 and immersion. \u2026 They become lazy and slack regarding their accomplishment in immersion, not generating enthusiasm or trying to realize those things that are better and finer. \u2026 They\u2019re like the individual who mistakes bark for heartwood, I say. Next, take an individual who has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness \u2026 They achieve accomplishment in ethics \u2026 immersion \u2026 and knowledge and vision. They become lazy and slack regarding their knowledge and vision, not generating enthusiasm or trying to realize those things that are better and finer. \u2026 They\u2019re like the individual who mistakes softwood for heartwood, I say. Next, take an individual 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 find 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. They don\u2019t become lazy and slack on account of their possessions, honor, and popularity, but generate enthusiasm and try to realize those things that are better and finer. They become accomplished 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. They don\u2019t become lazy and slack regarding their accomplishment in ethics, but generate enthusiasm and try to realize those things that are better and finer. They become accomplished 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. They don\u2019t become lazy and slack regarding their accomplishment in immersion, but generate enthusiasm and try to realize those things that are better and finer. 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. They don\u2019t become lazy and slack regarding their knowledge and vision, but generate enthusiasm and try to realize those things that are better and finer. And what are those things that are better and finer than knowledge and vision? Take a mendicant who, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, enters and remains in the first absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, while placing the mind and keeping it connected. This is something better and finer than knowledge and vision. Furthermore, as the placing of the mind and keeping it connected are stilled, a mendicant enters and remains in the second absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of immersion, with internal clarity and mind at one, without placing the mind and keeping it connected. This too is something better and finer than knowledge and vision. Furthermore, with the fading away of rapture, a mendicant enters and remains in the third absorption, where they meditate with equanimity, mindful and aware, experiencing for themselves the bliss of which the noble ones declare, \u2018Equanimous and mindful, one meditates in bliss.\u2019 This too is something better and finer than knowledge and vision. Furthermore, with the giving up of pleasure and pain and the disappearance of former happiness and sadness, a mendicant enters and remains in the fourth absorption, without pleasure or pain, with pure equanimity and mindfulness. This too is something better and finer than knowledge and vision. Furthermore, a mendicant, 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, enters and remains in the dimension of infinite space. This too is something better and finer than knowledge and vision. Furthermore, a mendicant, going totally beyond the dimension of infinite space, aware that \u2018consciousness is infinite\u2019, enters and remains in the dimension of infinite consciousness. This too is something better and finer than knowledge and vision. Furthermore, a mendicant, going totally beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness, aware that \u2018there is nothing at all\u2019, enters and remains in the dimension of nothingness. This too is something better and finer than knowledge and vision. Furthermore, take a mendicant who, going totally beyond the dimension of nothingness, enters and remains in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. This too is something better and finer than knowledge and vision. 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. This too is something better and finer than knowledge and vision. These are the things that are better and finer than knowledge and vision. 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. Whatever he needs to make from heartwood, he will succeed. That\u2019s what this individual is like, I say. And so, brahmin, 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 When he had spoken, the brahmin Pi\u1e45galakoccha said to the Buddha, \u201cExcellent, worthy Gotama! Excellent! \u2026 From this day forth, may the worthy Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.\u201d","title":"The Shorter Simile of the Heartwood","tradition":"Majjhima Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":1702}