mn.29 Majjhima Nikāya (Middle Discourses)

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Lord was staying near Rājagaha on Mount Vulture Peak not long after Devadatta had left (the Order). There the Lord addressed the monks concerning Devadatta:

“Here, monks, some young man of family has gone forth from home into homelessness through faith and thinks: ‘I am beset by birth, ageing and dying, by grief, sorrow, suffering, lamentation and despair. I am beset by anguish, overwhelmed by anguish. Maybe the annihilation of this whole mass of anguish can be shown.’ He, gone forth thus, receives gains, honours, fame. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he becomes satisfied, his purpose is fulfilled. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he exalts himself and disparages others, saying: ‘It is I who am a recipient, being famous, but those other monks are little known, of little esteem.’ He, because of the gains, honours, fame, is exultant, indolent, and falls into sloth; being indolent, he dwells ill.

Monks, it is like a man walking about aiming at the pith, seeking for the pith, looking about for the pith of a great, stable and pithy tree, who passes by the pith itself, passes by the softwood, passes by the bark, passes by the young shoots, and who, having cut down the branches and foliage, might go away taking them with him thinking they were the pith. A man with vision, having seen him, might say: ‘Indeed this good man does not know the pith, he does not know the softwood, he does not know the bark, he does not know the young shoots, he does not know the branches and foliage, inasmuch as this good man, walking about aiming at the pith, seeking for the pith, looking about for the pith of a great, stable and pithy tree, passes by the pith itself, passes by the softwood, passes by the bark, passes by the young shoots, and having cut down the branches and foliage, is going away taking them with him thinking they are the pith. So will he not get the good that could be done by the pith because it is the pith.’

Even so, monks, some young man of family here, having gone forth from home into homelessness through faith, thinks: ‘I am beset by birth, ageing and dying, by grief, sorrow, suffering, lamentation and despair, I am beset by anguish, overwhelmed by anguish. Maybe the annihilation of this whole mass of anguish can be shown.’ He, gone forth thus, receives gains, honours, fame. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he becomes satisfied, his purpose is fulfilled. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he exalts himself and disparages others, saying: ‘It is I who am a recipient, being famous, but those other monks are little known, of little esteem.’ He, because of the gains, honours, fame, is exultant, indolent, and falls into sloth; being indolent, he dwells ill. Monks, this is called a monk who takes hold of the branches and foliage of the Brahma-faring, and because of this he fails of (full) accomplishment.

But, monks, some young man of family here comes to have gone forth from home into homelessness through faith, and thinks: ‘I am beset by birth, ageing and dying, by grief, sorrow, suffering, lamentation and despair, I am beset by anguish, overwhelmed by anguish. Maybe the annihilation of this whole mass of anguish can be shown.’ He, gone forth thus, receives gains, honours, fame. But because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not become satisfied, his purpose is not fulfilled. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not exalt himself, he does not disparage others. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he attains success in moral habit. He, because of this success in moral habit, becomes satisfied, his purpose is fulfilled. Because of this success in moral habit, he exalts himself, disparages others, thinking: ‘It is I who am of (good) moral habit, lovely in character, but these other monks are of wrong moral habit, evil in character.’ Because of this success in moral habit, he is exultant, he is indolent, he falls into sloth. Being indolent, he dwells ill.

Monks, it is like a man walking about aiming at the pith, seeking for the pith, looking about for the pith of a great, stable and pithy tree, who passes by the pith itself, passes by the softwood, passes by the bark, and who, having cut off the young shoots, might go away taking them with him thinking they were the pith. A man with vision, having seen him, might say: ‘Indeed this good man does not know the pith, he does not know the softwood, he does not know the bark, he does not know the young shoots, he does not know the branches and foliage, inasmuch as this good man, walking about aiming at the pith, seeking for the pith, looking about for the pith of a great, stable and pithy tree, passes by the pith itself, passes by the softwood, passes by the bark, and having cut down the young shoots, is going away taking them with him thinking they are the pith. So will he not get the good that could be done by the pith because it is the pith.’

Even so, monks, some young man of family, having gone forth from home into homelessness, thinks: ‘I am beset by birth, ageing and dying, by grief, sorrow, suffering, lamentation and despair, I am beset by anguish, overwhelmed by anguish. Maybe the annihilation of this whole mass of anguish can be shown.’ He, gone forth thus, receives gains, honours, fame. But because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not become satisfied, his purpose is not fulfilled. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not exalt himself, he does not disparage others. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he attains success in moral habit. He, because of this success in moral habit, becomes satisfied, his purpose is fulfilled. Because of this success in moral habit, he exalts himself, disparages others, thinking: ‘It is I who am of (good) moral habit, lovely in character, but these other monks are of wrong moral habit, evil in character.’ Because of this success in moral habit, he is exultant, he is indolent, he falls into sloth. Being indolent, he dwells ill. Monks, this is called a monk who takes hold of the young shoots of the Brahma-faring, and because of this he fails of (full) accomplishment.

But, monks, some young man of family here comes to have gone forth from home into homelessness through faith, and thinks: ‘I am beset by birth, ageing and dying, by grief, sorrow, suffering, lamentation and despair, I am beset by anguish, overwhelmed by anguish. Maybe the annihilation of this whole mass of anguish can be shown.’ He, gone forth thus, receives gains, honours, fame. But because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not become satisfied, his purpose is not fulfilled. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not exalt himself, he does not disparage others. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he attains success in moral habit. He, because of this success in moral habit, becomes satisfied, but not yet is his purpose fulfilled. He, because of this success in moral habit, does not exalt himself, does not disparage others. He, because of this success in moral habit, is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he gains success in concentration. He, because of this success in concentration, becomes satisfied, his purpose is fulfilled. He, because of this success in concentration, exalts himself, disparages others, saying: ‘It is I who am concentrated, their minds are wandering.’ He, because of this success in concentration, is exultant, indolent, he falls into sloth. Being indolent, he dwells ill.

Monks, it is like a man walking about aiming at the pith, seeking for the pith, looking about for the pith of a great, stable and pithy tree, who passes by the pith itself, passes by the softwood, and who, having cut off the bark, might go away taking it with him thinking it was the pith. A man with vision, having seen him, might say: ‘Indeed this good man does not know the pith, he does not know the softwood, he does not know the bark, he does not know the young shoots, he does not know the branches and foliage, inasmuch as this good man, walking about aiming at the pith, seeking for the pith, looking about for the pith of a great, stable and pithy tree, passes by the pith itself, passes by the softwood, and having cut off the bark, is going away taking it with him thinking it is the pith. So will he not get the good that could be done by the pith because it is the pith.’

Even so, monks, some young man of family here comes to have gone forth from home into homelessness through faith, and thinks: ‘I am beset by birth, ageing and dying, by grief, sorrow, suffering, lamentation and despair, I am beset by anguish, overwhelmed by anguish. Maybe the annihilation of this whole mass of anguish can be shown.’ He, gone forth thus, receives gains, honours, fame. But because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not become satisfied, his purpose is not fulfilled. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not exalt himself, he does not disparage others. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he attains success in moral habit. He, because of this success in moral habit, becomes satisfied, but not yet is his purpose fulfilled. He, because of this success in moral habit, does not exalt himself, does not disparage others. He, because of this success in moral habit, is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he gains success in concentration. He, because of this success in concentration, becomes satisfied, his purpose is fulfilled. He, because of this success in concentration, exalts himself, disparages others, saying: ‘It is I who am concentrated, their minds are wandering.’ He, because of this success in concentration, is exultant, indolent, he falls into sloth. Being indolent, he dwells ill. Monks, this is called a monk who takes hold of the bark of the Brahma-faring, and because of this he fails of (full) accomplishment.

But, monks, some young man of family here comes to have gone forth from home into homelessness through faith, and thinks: ‘I am beset by birth, ageing and dying, by grief, sorrow, suffering, lamentation and despair, I am beset by anguish, overwhelmed by anguish. Maybe the annihilation of this whole mass of anguish can be shown.’ He, gone forth thus, receives gains, honours, fame. But because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not become satisfied, his purpose is not fulfilled. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not exalt himself, he does not disparage others. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he attains success in moral habit. He, because of this success in moral habit, becomes satisfied, but not yet is his purpose fulfilled. He, because of this success in moral habit, does not exalt himself, does not disparage others. He, because of this success in moral habit, is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he gains success in concentration. He, because of this success in concentration, becomes satisfied, but not yet is his purpose fulfilled. He, because of this success in concentration, does not exalt himself, does not disparage others. He, because of this success in concentration, is not exultant, not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he gains knowledge and insight. He, because of this knowledge and insight, becomes satisfied, his purpose is fulfilled. Because of this knowledge and insight, he exalts himself, disparages others, saying: ‘It is I who dwell knowing, seeing, but these other monks dwell not knowing, not seeing.’ Because of this knowledge and insight he is exultant, indolent, he falls into sloth. Being indolent, he lives ill.

Monks, it is like might go away taking it with him thinking it was the pith. A man with vision, having seen him, might say: ‘Indeed this good man does not know the pith, he does not know the softwood, he does not know the bark, he does not know the young shoots, he does not know the branches and foliage, inasmuch as this good man, walking about aiming at the pith, seeking for the pith, looking about for the pith of a great, stable and pithy tree, passes by the pith itself, and having cut out of the softwood, goes away taking it with him thinking it is the pith. So will he not get the good that could be done by the pith because it is the pith.’

Even so, monks some young man of family here comes to have gone forth from home into homelessness through faith, and thinks: ‘I am beset by birth, ageing and dying, by grief, sorrow, suffering, lamentation and despair, I am beset by anguish, overwhelmed by anguish. Maybe the annihilation of this whole mass of anguish can be shown.’ He, gone forth thus, receives gains, honours, fame. But because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not become satisfied, his purpose is not fulfilled. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not exalt himself, he does not disparage others. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he attains success in moral habit. He, because of this success in moral habit, becomes satisfied, but not yet is his purpose fulfilled. He, because of this success in moral habit, does not exalt himself, does not disparage others. He, because of this success in moral habit, is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he gains success in concentration. He, because of this success in concentration, becomes satisfied, but not yet is his purpose fulfilled. He, because of this success in concentration, does not exalt himself, does not disparage others. He, because of this success in concentration, is not exultant, not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he gains knowledge and insight. He, because of this knowledge and insight, becomes satisfied, his purpose is fulfilled. Because of this knowledge and insight, he exalts himself, disparages others, saying: ‘It is I who dwell knowing, seeing, but these other monks dwell not knowing, not seeing.’ Because of this knowledge and insight he is exultant, indolent, he falls into sloth. Being indolent, he lives ill. Monks, this is called a monk who takes hold of the softwood of the Brahma-faring, and because of this he fails of (full) accomplishment.

But, monks, some young man of family here comes to have gone forth from home into homelessness through faith, and thinks: ‘I am beset by birth, ageing and dying, by grief, sorrow, suffering, lamentation and despair, I am beset by anguish, overwhelmed by anguish. Maybe the annihilation of this whole mass of anguish can be shown.’ He, gone forth thus, receives gains, honours, fame. But because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not become satisfied, his purpose is not fulfilled. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not exalt himself, he does not disparage others. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he attains success in moral habit. He, because of this success in moral habit, becomes satisfied, but not yet is his purpose fulfilled. He, because of this success in moral habit, does not exalt himself, does not disparage others. He, because of this success in moral habit, is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he gains success in concentration. He, because of this success in concentration, becomes satisfied, but not yet is his purpose fulfilled. He, because of this success in concentration, does not exalt himself, does not disparage others. He, because of this success in concentration, is not exultant, not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he gains knowledge and insight. He, because of this knowledge and insight, becomes satisfied, but not yet is his purpose fulfilled. Because of this knowledge and vision he does not exalt himself, does not disparage others. Because of this knowledge and vision, he is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he obtains release as to things of time. The situation occurs, monks, when that monk falls away from freedom as to things of time.

Monks, it is like a man walking about aiming at the pith, seeking for the pith, looking about for the pith of a great, stable and pithy tree, and who, having cut out the pith itself, might go away taking it with him, knowing it to be the pith. A man with vision, having seen him, might say: ‘Indeed this good man knows the pith, he knows the softwood, he knows the bark, he knows the young shoots, he knows the branches and foliage, inasmuch as this good man walking about aiming at the pith, seeking for the pith, looking about for the pith of a great, stable and pithy tree, having cut out the pith itself, is going away taking it with him, knowing it to be the pith. So will he get the good that could be done by the pith because it is the pith.’

Even so, monks, some young man of family here comes to have gone forth from home into homelessness through faith, and thinks: ‘I am beset by birth, ageing and dying, by grief, sorrow, suffering, lamentation and despair, I am beset by anguish, overwhelmed by anguish. Maybe the annihilation of this whole mass of anguish can be shown.’ He, gone forth thus, receives gains, honours, fame. But because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not become satisfied, his purpose is not fulfilled. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he does not exalt himself, he does not disparage others. Because of the gains, honours, fame, he is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he attains success in moral habit. He, because of this success in moral habit, becomes satisfied, but not yet is his purpose fulfilled. He, because of this success in moral habit, does not exalt himself, does not disparage others. He, because of this success in moral habit, is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he gains success in concentration. He, because of this success in concentration, becomes satisfied, but not yet is his purpose fulfilled. He, because of this success in concentration, does not exalt himself, does not disparage others. He, because of this success in concentration, is not exultant, not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he gains knowledge and insight. He, because of this knowledge and insight, becomes satisfied, but not yet is his purpose fulfilled. Because of this knowledge and vision he does not exalt himself, does not disparage others. Because of this knowledge and vision, he is not exultant, he is not indolent, he does not fall into sloth. Being diligent, he obtains release as to things that are timeless. This is impossible, monks, it cannot come to pass, that a monk should fall away from freedom as to things that are timeless.

So it is, monks, that this Brahma-faring is not for advantage in gains, honours, fame; it is not for advantage in moral habit, it is not for advantage in concentration, it is not for advantage in knowledge and vision. That, monks, which is unshakable freedom of mind, this is the goal, monks, of this Brahma-faring, this the pith, this the culmination.”

Thus spoke the Lord. Delighted, these monks rejoiced in what the Lord had said.

Greater Discourse on the Simile of the Pith: The Ninth

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Rājagaha on the mountain Vulture Peak; it was soon after Devadatta had left. There, referring to Devadatta, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus:

“Bhikkhus, here some clansman goes forth out of faith from the home life into homelessness, considering: ‘I am a victim of birth, ageing, and death, of sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair; I am a victim of suffering, a prey to suffering. Surely an ending of this whole mass of suffering can be known.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires gain, honour, and renown. He is pleased with that gain, honour, and renown, and his intention is fulfilled. On account of it he lauds himself and disparages others thus: ‘I am one who gets gain and renown, but these other bhikkhus are unknown, of no account.’ He becomes intoxicated with that gain, honour, and renown, grows negligent, falls into negligence, and being negligent, he lives in suffering.

“Suppose a man needing heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, came to a great tree standing possessed of heartwood. Passing over its heartwood, its sapwood, its inner bark, and its outer bark, he would cut off its twigs and leaves and take them away thinking they were heartwood. Then a man with good sight, seeing him, might say: ‘This good man did not know the heartwood, the sapwood, the inner bark, the outer bark, or the twigs and leaves. Thus, while needing heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, he came to a great tree standing possessed of heartwood, and passing over its heartwood, its sapwood, its inner bark, and its outer bark, he cut off its twigs and leaves and took them away thinking they were heartwood. Whatever it was this good man had to make with heartwood, his purpose will not be served.’ So too, bhikkhus, here some clansman goes forth out of faith… …he lives in suffering. This bhikkhu is called one who has taken the twigs and leaves of the holy life and stopped short with that.

“Here, bhikkhus, some clansman goes forth out of faith from the home life into homelessness, considering: ‘I am a victim of birth, ageing, and death, of sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair; I am a victim of suffering, a prey to suffering. Surely an ending of this whole mass of suffering can be known.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires gain, honour, and renown. He is not pleased with that gain, honour, and renown, and his intention is not fulfilled. He does not, on account of it, laud himself and disparage others. He does not become intoxicated with that gain, honour, and renown; he does not grow negligent and fall into negligence. Being diligent, he achieves the attainment of virtue. He is pleased with that attainment of virtue and his intention is fulfilled. On account of it he lauds himself and disparages others thus: ‘I am virtuous, of good character, but these other bhikkhus are immoral, of evil character.’ He becomes intoxicated with that attainment of virtue, grows negligent, falls into negligence, and being negligent, he lives in suffering.

“Suppose a man needing heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, came to a great tree standing possessed of heartwood. Passing over its heartwood, its sapwood, and its inner bark, he would cut off its outer bark and take it away thinking it was heartwood. Then a man with good sight, seeing him, might say: ‘This good man did not know the heartwood…or the twigs and leaves. Thus, while needing heartwood…he cut off its outer bark and took it away thinking it was heartwood. Whatever it was this good man had to make with heartwood, his purpose will not be served.’ So too, bhikkhus, here some clansman goes forth out of faith…he lives in suffering. This bhikkhu is called one who has taken the outer bark of the holy life and stopped short with that.

“Here, bhikkhus, some clansman goes forth out of faith from the home life into homelessness, considering: ‘I am a victim of birth, ageing, and death, of sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair; I am a victim of suffering, a prey to suffering. Surely an ending of this whole mass of suffering can be known.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires gain, honour, and renown. He is not pleased with that gain, honour, and renown, and his intention is not fulfilled…Being diligent, he achieves the attainment of virtue. He is pleased with that attainment of virtue, but his intention is not fulfilled. He does not, on account of it, laud himself and disparage others. He does not become intoxicated with that attainment of virtue; he does not grow negligent and fall into negligence. Being diligent, he achieves the attainment of concentration. He is pleased with that attainment of concentration and his intention is fulfilled. On account of it he lauds himself and disparages others thus: ‘I am concentrated, my mind is unified, but these other bhikkhus are unconcentrated, with their minds astray.’ He becomes intoxicated with that attainment of concentration, grows negligent, falls into negligence, and being negligent, he lives in suffering.

“Suppose a man needing heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, came to a great tree standing possessed of heartwood. Passing over its heartwood and its sapwood, he would cut off its inner bark and take it away thinking it was heartwood. Then a man with good sight, seeing him, might say: ‘This good man did not know the heartwood…or the twigs and leaves. Thus, while needing heartwood…he cut off its inner bark and took it away thinking it was hear twood. Whatever it was this good man had to make with heartwood, his purpose will not be served.’ So too, bhikkhus, here some clansman goes forth out of faith…he lives in suffering. This bhikkhu is called one who has taken the inner bark of the holy life and stopped short with that.

“Here, bhikkhus, some clansman goes forth out of faith from the home life into homelessness, considering: ‘I am a victim of birth, ageing, and death, of sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair; I am a victim of suffering, a prey to suffering. Surely an ending of this whole mass of suffering can be known.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires gain, honour, and renown. He is not pleased with that gain, honour, and renown, and his intention is not fulfilled…Being diligent, he achieves the attainment of virtue. He is pleased with that attainment of virtue, but his intention is not fulfilled…Being diligent, he achieves the attainment of concentration. He is pleased with that attainment of concentration, but his intention is not fulfilled. He does not, on account of it, laud himself and disparage others. He does not become intoxicated with that attainment of concentration; he does not grow negligent and fall into negligence. Being diligent, he achieves knowledge and vision. He is pleased with that knowledge and vision and his intention is fulfilled. On account of it he lauds himself and disparages others thus: ‘I live knowing and seeing, but these other bhikkhus live unknowing and unseeing.’ He becomes intoxicated with that knowledge and vision, grows negligent, falls into negligence, and being negligent, he lives in suffering.

“Suppose a man needing heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, came to a great tree standing possessed of heartwood. Passing over its heartwood, he would cut off its sapwood and take it away thinking it was heartwood. Then a man with good sight, seeing him, might say: ‘This good man did not know the heartwood…or the twigs and leaves. Thus, while needing heartwood…he cut off its sapwood and took it away thinking it was heartwood. Whatever it was this good man had to make with heartwood, his purpose will not be served.’ So too, bhikkhus, here some clansman goes forth out of faith…he lives in suffering. This bhikkhu is called one who has taken the sapwood of the holy life and stopped short with that.

“Here, bhikkhus, some clansman goes forth out of faith from the home life into homelessness, considering: ‘I am a victim of birth, ageing, and death, of sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair; I am a victim of suffering, a prey to suffering. Surely an ending of this whole mass of suffering can be known.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires gain, honour, and renown. He is not pleased with that gain, honour, and renown, and his intention is not fulfilled …When he is diligent, he achieves the attainment of virtue. He is pleased with that attainment of virtue, but his intention is not fulfilled…When he is diligent, he achieves the attainment of concentration. He is pleased with that attainment of concentration, but his intention is not fulfilled…When he is diligent, he achieves knowledge and vision. He is pleased with that knowledge and vision, but his intention is not fulfilled. He does not, on account of it, laud himself and disparage others. He does not become intoxicated with that knowledge and vision; he does not grow negligent and fall into negligence. Being diligent, he attains perpetual liberation. And it is impossible for that bhikkhu to fall away from that perpetual deliverance.

“Suppose a man needing heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, came to a great tree standing possessed of heartwood, and cutting off only its heartwood, he would take it away knowing it was heartwood. Then a man with good sight, seeing him, might say: ‘This good man knew the heartwood, the sapwood, the inner bark, the outer bark, and the twigs and leaves. Thus, while needing heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, he came to a great tree standing possessed of heartwood, and cutting off only its heartwood, he took it away knowing it was heartwood. Whatever it was this good man had to make with heartwood, his purpose will be served.’ So too, bhikkhus, here some clansman goes forth out of faith…When he is diligent, he attains perpetual liberation. And it is impossible for that bhikkhu to fall away from that perpetual deliverance.

“So this holy life, bhikkhus, does not have gain, honour, and renown for its benefit, or the attainment of virtue for its benefit, or the attainment of concentration for its benefit, or knowledge and vision for its benefit. But it is this unshakeable deliverance of mind that is the goal of this holy life, its heartwood, and its end.”

That is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One’s words.

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Prosperous One was dwelling at Vulture Peak Mountain, not long after the departure of Devadatta. There, in reference to Devadatta, the Blessed One addressed the monks:

“Monks, here some gentleman, based on faith, has left behind lay life and become a monastic renunciant, thinking ‘I am caught in birth, decay, death, sorrow, grief, pain, depression, and anguish, caught in suffering and enveloped by suffering. Perhaps a way to put an end to this whole heap of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has become a renunciant in this way, wealth, respect, and fame appear. He is satisfied with that wealth, respect, and fame, and it completely fills his thoughts. Because of that wealth, respect, and fame, he praises himself and disparages others, saying ‘I have wealth, respect, and fame, but these other monks are not well-known and have little influence.’ Intoxicated by that wealth, respect, and fame, he becomes negligent and heedless. Being negligent, he dwells in suffering.

“Monks, just as if a person who needed heartwood, was seeking heartwood, and was wandering in search of heartwood, came to a large, stable tree that had heartwood. He would bypass its heartwood, its softwood, its inner bark, and its outer bark. He would cut off its branches and leaves and depart, thinking it is heartwood. Then a person with eyes would see this and say, ‘This honorable person does not know what heartwood is, what softwood is, what inner bark is, what outer bark is, what leaves and branches are. This honorable person needed heartwood, was seeking heartwood, and was wandering in search of heartwood, and came to a large, stable tree that had heartwood. He bypassed its heartwood, its softwood, its inner bark, and its outer bark. He cut off its branches and leaves and departed, thinking it is heartwood. Whatever he is planning to do that requires heartwood will not be successful.’

“Monks, in the same way, here some gentleman, based on faith, has left behind lay life and become a monastic renunciant, thinking ‘I am caught in birth, decay, death, sorrow, grief, pain, depression, and anguish, caught in suffering and enveloped by suffering. Perhaps a way to put an end to this whole heap of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has become a renunciant in this way, wealth, respect, and fame appear. He is satisfied with that wealth, respect, and fame, and it completely fills his thoughts. Because of that wealth, respect, and fame, he praises himself and disparages others, saying ‘I have wealth, respect, and fame, but these other monks are not well-known and have little influence.’ Intoxicated by that wealth, respect, and fame, he becomes negligent and heedless. Being negligent, he dwells in suffering. Monks, this is called a monk who has taken the branches and leaves of the spiritual life; he has ended with that.

“Monks, here some gentleman, based on faith, has left behind lay life and become a monastic renunciant, thinking ‘I am caught in birth, decay, death, sorrow, grief, pain, depression, and anguish, caught in suffering and enveloped by suffering. Perhaps a way to put an end to this whole heap of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has become a renunciant in this way, wealth, respect, and fame appear. He is not satisfied with that wealth, respect, and fame, and it does not completely fill his thoughts. He does not praise himself or disparage others because of that wealth, respect, and fame. Not intoxicated by that wealth, respect, and fame, he does not become negligent or heedless. Being vigilant, he attains perfect morality. He is satisfied with that perfection of morality, but it completely fills his thoughts. Because of that perfection of morality, he praises himself and disparages others, saying ‘I am moral and innately good, but these other monks are immoral and innately evil.’ Intoxicated by that perfection of morality, he becomes negligent and heedless. Being negligent, he dwells in suffering.

“Monks, just as if a person who needed heartwood, was seeking heartwood, and was wandering in search of heartwood, came to a large, stable tree that had heartwood. He would bypass its heartwood, its softwood, and its inner bark. He would cut off its outer bark and depart, thinking it is heartwood. Then a person with eyes would see this and say, ‘This honorable person does not know what heartwood is, what softwood is, what inner bark is, what outer bark is, what leaves and branches are. This honorable person needed heartwood, was seeking heartwood, and was wandering in search of heartwood, and came to a large, stable tree that had heartwood. He bypassed its heartwood, its softwood, and its inner bark. He cut off its outer bark and departed, thinking it is heartwood. Whatever he is planning to do that requires heartwood will not be successful.’

“Monks, in the same way, here some gentleman… Intoxicated by that perfection of morality, he becomes negligent and heedless. Being negligent, he dwells in suffering. Monks, this is called a monk who has taken the outer bark of the spiritual life; he has ended with that.

“Monks, here some gentleman, based on faith, has left behind lay life and become a monastic renunciant, thinking ‘I am caught in birth, decay, death, sorrow, grief, pain, depression, and anguish, caught in suffering and enveloped by suffering. Perhaps a way to put an end to this whole heap of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has become a renunciant in this way, wealth, respect, and fame appear. He is not satisfied with that wealth, respect, and fame, and it does not completely fill his thoughts. He does not praise himself or disparage others because of that wealth, respect, and fame. Not intoxicated by that wealth, respect, and fame, he does not become negligent or heedless. Being vigilant, he attains perfect morality. He is satisfied with that perfection of morality, but it does not completely fill his thoughts. He does not praise himself or disparage others because of that perfection of morality. Not intoxicated by that perfection of morality, he does not become negligent or heedless. Being vigilant, he attains perfect concentration. He is satisfied with that perfection of concentration, but it completely fills his thoughts. Because of that perfection of concentration, he praises himself and disparages others, saying ‘I am concentrated with a unified mind, but these other monks are unconcentrated and scatterminded.’ Intoxicated by that perfection of concentration, he becomes negligent and heedless. Being negligent, he dwells in suffering.

“Monks, just as if a person who needed heartwood, was seeking heartwood, and was wandering in search of heartwood, came to a large, stable tree that had heartwood. He would bypass its heartwood and its softwood. He would cut off its inner bark and depart, thinking it is heartwood. Then a person with eyes would see this and say, ‘This honorable person does not know what heartwood is, what softwood is, what inner bark is, what outer bark is, what leaves and branches are. This honorable person needed heartwood, was seeking heartwood, and was wandering in search of heartwood, and came to a large, stable tree that had heartwood. He bypassed its heartwood and its softwood. He cut off its inner bark and departed, thinking it is heartwood. Whatever he is planning to do that requires heartwood will not be successful.’

“Monks, in the same way, here some gentleman… Intoxicated by that perfection of concentration, he becomes negligent and heedless. Being negligent, he dwells in suffering. Monks, this is called a monk who has taken the inner bark of the spiritual life; he has ended with that.

“Monks, here some gentleman, based on faith, has left behind lay life and become a monastic renunciant, thinking ‘I am caught in birth, decay, death, sorrow, grief, pain, depression, and anguish, caught in suffering and enveloped by suffering. Perhaps a way to put an end to this whole heap of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has become a renunciant in this way, wealth, respect, and fame appear. He is not satisfied with that wealth, respect, and fame… he is satisfied with that perfection of morality… he is satisfied with that perfection of concentration, but it does not completely fill his thoughts. He does not praise himself or disparage others because of that perfection of concentration. Not intoxicated by that perfection of concentration, he does not become negligent or heedless. Being vigilant, he attains knowledge and vision. He is satisfied with that knowledge and vision, and it completely fills his thoughts. Because of that knowledge and vision, he praises himself and disparages others, saying ‘I know and I see, but these other monks live unknowing and unseeing.’ Intoxicated by that knowledge and vision, he becomes negligent and heedless. Being negligent, he dwells in suffering.

“Monks, just as if a person who needed heartwood, was seeking heartwood, and was wandering in search of heartwood, came to a large, stable tree that had heartwood. He would bypass its heartwood. He would cut off its softwood and depart, thinking it is heartwood. Then a person with eyes would see this and say, ‘This honorable person does not know what heartwood is, what softwood is, what inner bark is, what outer bark is, what leaves and branches are. This honorable person needed heartwood, was seeking heartwood, and was wandering in search of heartwood, and came to a large, stable tree that had heartwood. He bypassed its heartwood. He cut off its softwood and departed, thinking it is heartwood. Whatever he is planning to do that requires heartwood will not be successful.’

“Monks, in the same way, here some gentleman… Intoxicated by that knowledge and vision, he becomes negligent and heedless. Being negligent, he dwells in suffering. Monks, this is called a monk who has taken the softwood of the spiritual life; he has ended with that.

“Monks, here some gentleman, based on faith, has left behind lay life and become a monastic renunciant, thinking ‘I am caught in birth, decay, death, sorrow, grief, pain, depression, and anguish, caught in suffering and enveloped by suffering. Perhaps a way to put an end to this whole heap of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has become a renunciant in this way, wealth, respect, and fame appear. He is not satisfied with that wealth, respect, and fame… he is satisfied with that perfection of morality… with that perfection of concentration… with that knowledge and vision, but it does not completely fill his thoughts. He does not praise himself or disparage others because of that knowledge and vision. Not intoxicated by that knowledge and vision, he does not become negligent or heedless. Being vigilant, he attains timeless¹ liberation. Monks, it is impossible for that monk to lose that timeless liberation.

“Monks, just as if a person who needed heartwood, was seeking heartwood, and was wandering in search of heartwood, came to a large, stable tree that had heartwood. He would cut off its heartwood and depart, knowing it is heartwood. Then a person with eyes would see this and say, ‘This honorable person knows what heartwood is, what softwood is, what inner bark is, what outer bark is, what leaves and branches are. This honorable person needed heartwood, was seeking heartwood, and was wandering in search of heartwood, and came to a large, stable tree that had heartwood. He cut off its heartwood and departed, knowing it was heartwood. Whatever he is planning to do that requires heartwood will be successful.’

“Monks, in the same way, here some gentleman… attains timeless liberation. Monks, it is impossible for that monk to lose that timeless liberation.

“Thus, monks, the benefit of the spiritual life is not wealth, respect, and fame, it is not the perfection of morality, it is not the perfection of concentration, it is not knowledge and vision. Monks, it is this unshakable mental liberation; monks, this is the goal of the spiritual life, this is its heartwood, this is its complete conclusion.”

This is what the Prosperous One said. Satisfied, those monks delighted in the Prosperous One‘s speech.