{"collection":"Samyutta Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_sn35.247/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_sn35.247","id":"suttacentral_sn35.247","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/sn35.247/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Early Buddhist Texts","Samyutta Nikaya"],"text":"\u201cMendicants, suppose a person with wounded and festering limbs was to enter a thicket of reeds. The kusa thorns would pierce their feet, and the reed leaves would scratch their limbs. And that would cause that person to experience even more pain and distress. In the same way, some mendicant goes to a village or a wilderness and gets scolded, \u2018This venerable, acting like this, behaving like this, is a filthy village thorn.\u2019 Understanding that they\u2019re a thorn, they should understand restraint and lack of restraint. And how is someone unrestrained? Take a mendicant who sees a sight with their eyes. If it\u2019s pleasant they hold on to it, but if it\u2019s unpleasant they dislike it. They live with mindfulness of the body unestablished and their heart stunted. And they don\u2019t truly understand the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where those arisen bad, unskillful qualities cease without remainder. When they hear a sound with their ears \u2026 When they smell an odor with their nose \u2026 When they taste a flavor with their tongue \u2026 When they feel a touch with their body \u2026 When they know an idea with their mind, if it\u2019s pleasant they hold on to it, but if it\u2019s unpleasant they dislike it. They live with mindfulness of the body unestablished and their heart stunted. And they don\u2019t truly understand the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where those arisen bad, unskillful qualities cease without remainder. Suppose a person was to catch six animals, with diverse territories and feeding grounds, and tie them up with a strong rope. They\u2019d catch a snake, a dolphin, a bird, a dog, a jackal, and a monkey, tie each up with a strong rope, then tie a knot in the middle and let them loose. Then those six animals with different domains and ranges would each pull toward their own domain and range. The snake would pull one way, thinking \u2018I\u2019m going into a termite mound!\u2019 The dolphin would pull another way, thinking \u2018I\u2019m going into the water!\u2019 The bird would pull another way, thinking \u2018I\u2019m flying into the atmosphere!\u2019 The dog would pull another way, thinking \u2018I\u2019m going into the village!\u2019 The jackal would pull another way, thinking \u2018I\u2019m going into the charnel ground!\u2019 The monkey would pull another way, thinking \u2018I\u2019m going into the jungle!\u2019 When those six animals became exhausted and worn out, the strongest of them would get their way, and they\u2019d all have to submit to their control. In the same way, when a mendicant has not developed or cultivated mindfulness of the body, their eye pulls toward pleasant sights, but is put off by unpleasant sights. Their ear \u2026 nose \u2026 tongue \u2026 body \u2026 mind pulls toward pleasant ideas, but is put off by unpleasant ideas. This is how someone is unrestrained. And how is someone restrained? Take a mendicant who sees a sight with their eyes. If it\u2019s pleasant they don\u2019t hold on to it, and if it\u2019s unpleasant they don\u2019t dislike it. They live with mindfulness of the body established and a limitless heart. And they truly understand the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where those arisen bad, unskillful qualities cease without remainder. They hear a sound \u2026 smell an odor \u2026 taste a flavor \u2026 feel a touch \u2026 know an idea with their mind. If it\u2019s pleasant they don\u2019t hold on to it, and if it\u2019s unpleasant they don\u2019t dislike it. They live with mindfulness of the body established and a limitless heart. And they truly understand the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where those arisen bad, unskillful qualities cease without remainder. Suppose a person was to catch six animals, with diverse territories and feeding grounds, and tie them up with a strong rope. They\u2019d catch a snake, a dolphin, a bird, a dog, a jackal, and a monkey, tie each up with a strong rope, then tether them to a strong post or pillar. Then those six animals with different domains and ranges would each pull toward their own domain and range. The snake would pull one way, thinking \u2018I\u2019m going into a termite mound!\u2019 The dolphin would pull another way, thinking \u2018I\u2019m going into the water!\u2019 The bird would pull another way, thinking \u2018I\u2019m flying into the atmosphere!\u2019 The dog would pull another way, thinking \u2018I\u2019m going into the village!\u2019 The jackal would pull another way, thinking \u2018I\u2019m going into the charnel ground!\u2019 The monkey would pull another way, thinking \u2018I\u2019m going into the jungle!\u2019 When those six animals became exhausted and worn out, they\u2019d stand or sit or lie down right by that post or pillar. In the same way, when a mendicant has developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body, their eye doesn\u2019t pull toward pleasant sights, and isn\u2019t put off by unpleasant sights. Their ear \u2026 nose \u2026 tongue \u2026 body \u2026 mind doesn\u2019t pull toward pleasant ideas, and isn\u2019t put off by unpleasant ideas. This is how someone is restrained. \u2018A strong post or pillar\u2019 is a term for mindfulness of the body. So you should train like this: \u2018We will develop mindfulness of the body. We\u2019ll cultivate it, make it our vehicle and our basis, keep it up, consolidate it, and properly implement it.\u2019 That\u2019s how you should train.\u201d","title":"The Simile of Six Animals","tradition":"Samyutta Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":884}