sn.47.20 Saṁyutta Nikāya (Linked Discourses)

The Most Beautiful Girl of the Land

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living among the Sumbhas, where there was a town of the Sumbhas named Sedaka. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus!”

“Venerable sir!” the bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:

“Bhikkhus, suppose that on hearing, ‘The most beautiful girl of the land! The most beautiful girl of the land!’ a great crowd of people would assemble. Now that most beautiful girl of the land would dance exquisitely and sing exquisitely. On hearing, ‘The most beautiful girl of the land is dancing! The most beautiful girl of the land is singing!’ an even larger crowd of people would assemble. Then a man would come along, wishing to live, not wishing to die, wishing for happiness, averse to suffering. Someone would say to him: ‘Good man, you must carry around this bowl of oil filled to the brim between the crowd and the most beautiful girl of the land. A man with a drawn sword will be following right behind you, and wherever you spill even a little of it, right there he will fell your head.’

“What do you think, bhikkhus, would that man stop attending to that bowl of oil and out of negligence turn his attention outwards?”

“No, venerable sir.”

“I have made up this simile, bhikkhus, in order to convey a meaning. This here is the meaning: ‘The bowl of oil filled to the brim’: this is a designation for mindfulness directed to the body. Therefore, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: ‘We will develop and cultivate mindfulness directed to the body, make it our vehicle, make it our basis, stabilize it, exercise ourselves in it, and fully perfect it.’ Thus, bhikkhus, should you train yourselves.”

- Translator: Bhikkhu Bodhi

- Editor: Blake Walsh

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The Finest Lady in the Land

So I have heard.
At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Sumbhas, near the town of the Sumbhas called Sedaka.
There the Buddha addressed the mendicants,
“Mendicants!”
“Venerable sir,” they replied.
The Buddha said this:
“Mendicants, suppose that on hearing, ‘The finest lady in the land! The finest lady in the land!’ a large crowd would gather.
And the finest lady in the land would dance and sing in a most thrilling way.
On hearing, ‘The finest lady in the land is dancing and singing! The finest lady in the land is dancing and singing!’ an even larger crowd would gather.
Then a person would come along who wants to live and doesn’t want to die, who wants to be happy and recoils from pain.
They’d say to him,
‘Mister, this is a bowl full to the brim with oil. You must carry it in between this large crowd and the finest lady in the land.
And a man with a drawn sword will follow right behind you.
Wherever you spill even a drop, he’ll chop off your head right there.’
What do you think, mendicants?
Would that person lose focus on that bowl, and negligently get distracted outside?”
“No, sir.”
“I’ve made up this simile to make a point.
And this is what it means.
‘A bowl of oil filled to the brim’ is a term for mindfulness of the body.
So you should train like this:
‘We will develop mindfulness of the body. We’ll cultivate it, make it our vehicle and our basis, keep it up, consolidate it, and properly implement it.’
That’s how you should train.”