User:Blackbirdnz/Alagaddupama Sutta

The Alagaddupama Sutta (Pali for "Snake Simile Discourse") is a discourse from the Pali Canon, the 22nd discourse from the Majjhima Nikaya ("Collection of Discourses of Medium Length"). The Alagaddupama Sutta contains several important similes that are regarded to be among the most famous in the Canon. The main concern of the discourse is to warn against misrepresentation, misconception and dilution of the Dhamma. The first section of the discourse deals with the foolishness of misrepresenting what The Buddha has said about sensuality. Having established this point, The Buddha then illustrates it with the Snake Simile, which in turn introduces the Raft Simile. Describing these at length, The Buddha furthermore exhorts the monks on the grounds for wrong views, and how anxiety about external objects arises. Finally The Buddha gives an important explanation of how wrong views are complicit in any view of a self.

Discourse

Sensuality: Arittha's wrong view

The discourse begins with an account of how a monk named Arittha had come to a pernicious view that:

"There are things called 'obstructions' by the Blessed One. As I understand his teaching, those things are not necessarily obstructive for one who pursues them."

A group of monks caught word of Arittha's wrong view, and sought him out, wishing to dissuade him from this view. The monks quizzed Arittha back and forth, rebuked him for his views and explained in various ways, using the 10 similes on sense desire, how the Blessed One had spoken against indulging in sensuality. Despite this Arittha still held to his view that sensuality was not an obstruction. So the monks went to the Blessed One and explained the situation. The Blessed One then sent for the monk Arittha, after arriving and paying his respects, the Blessed One addressed Arittha:

"Of whom do you know, foolish man, that I have taught to him the teaching in that manner? Did I not, foolish man, speak in many ways of those obstructive things that they are obstructions indeed, and that they necessarily obstruct him who pursues them? Sense desires, so I have said, bring little enjoyment, and much suffering and disappointment. The perils in them are greater."

Following this, the Blessed One then repeats the ten similes on sense desire, so as to explain, in various ways, the drawbacks of sensuality.

Ten similes on sense desire

"Sense desires are like bare bones, has the Blessed One said; they are like a lump of flesh, like a torch of straw, like a pit of burning coals, like a dream, like borrowed goods, like a fruit-bearing tree, like a slaughter house, like a stake of swords, like a snake's head, are sense desires, has the Blessed One said."

As explained by Venerable Nyanaponika in his notes to the Alagaddupama Sutta, the first 7 of these similes can be found in MN 54: Potaliya Sutta. The similes meanings can be summarized as follows:

1. Bare bones - Without any meat, smeared with blood, and thrown to the dogs - They do not relieve any hunger, and so it is with sense desire, it provides no lasting satisfaction.
2. A lump of flesh - Birds of prey such as vultures fight over lumps of flesh. If one vulture that has the meat does not relinquish it, it might be injured by the other birds who attack it with their beaks and claws. So it is with sense-desire, sense desires are claimed by many - A sensual object may be fought over and cause pain and suffering.
3. A torch of straw - The flames of such a torch, if carried in the wind might cause painful burns to the careless man. In the same way, sense-desires burn and cause pain to those who engage in them thinking they will bring happiness.
4. A pit of burning coals - Towards which a man might be dragged by others. If he cannot break their grip, he will be thrown into burning pit. Such is the nature of sense desires, if one cannot break their grip, then one is dragged towards the woeful states such as Hell by bad company and deeds performed by greed, hatred and delusion.
5. A dream - Of a beautiful landscape, that vanishes when one wakes up. In a similar way are sense desires like a dream, they are disappointing after one awakens from infatuation to reality.
6. Borrowed goods - Which the borrower prides himself in public; but which are taken away by the owners when they hear of the boastful man. In a similar way, sense-desires are fleeting and not a lasting possession of the person who enjoys them.\
7. A fruit tree - Climbed by one who wants to get at the fruits; but another man, likewise greedy for them but too lazy to climb, decides instead to fell the tree; and unless the first man quickly gets down, he will break his limbs. In a similar fashion, in the blind pursuit of sense pleasures one may "break all one's limbs" or might suffer severe injury of body and mind.
8. A slaughter house - Sense desires are like a butcher's block. This might mean that sense-desires kill much of what is noble in man and cut off his spiritual development.
9. A stake of swords - Sense desires are piercing like a sword - Penetrating deep within, causing wounds where there had been none. Unfulfilled/frustrated desire, or the pains that come with jealousy, are like being tortured by a stake of swords.
10. A snake's head - Sense desires are a grave risk and peril for the present and future welfare of a man, if one walks unwarily.

The Snake Simile

The Buddha speaks of how if you hold a snake by the wrong end(the tail and not the head) it can harm you, and bite you.

The Raft Simile

While using a raft one must cling to it lightly, but once it has been used it must be discarded.

Grounds for wrong views

While using a raft one must cling to it lightly, but once it has been used it must be discarded.