The Mahāhatthipadopama Sutta - The Greater Discourse on the Simile of the Elephants Footprint

Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.

There, the venerable Sāriputta addressed the disciples: Friends, disciples.

Friend, those disciples responded to the venerable Sāriputta.

The venerable Sāriputta said: Just as, friends, all the footprints of whatever creatures that walk can be contained within the elephant's footprint, and the elephant's footprint is reckoned the largest because of its great size; in the same way, friends, all skillful qualities are gathered within the Four Noble Truths.

Which four?

The Noble Truth of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering, and the Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering.

And what, friends, is the Noble Truth of Suffering?

Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, death is suffering, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair are suffering, not to get what one wants is suffering; in short, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.

And what, friends, are the five aggregates subject to clinging?

They are as follows: the form aggregate subject to clinging, the feeling aggregate subject to clinging, the perception aggregate subject to clinging, the formations aggregate subject to clinging, the consciousness aggregate subject to clinging.

And what, friends, is the form aggregate subject to clinging? The four great elements and the form dependent on the four great elements. And what, friends, are the four great elements?

They are the earth element, the water element, the fire element, the air element.

There comes a time, friends, when the external water element is disturbed.

It carries away the village, town, city, district, and country.

Therein, friends, the external earth element disappears.

For when the external earth element is disturbed, its continuity is seen as impermanent, its nature to decay, to fade away, to cease, and to change.

What of this body, which is taken up with craving, I am this or This is mine or I am?

Even less so.

If, friends, others abuse, revile, scold, and harass a disciple, he knows: This painful feeling born of ear contact has arisen in me.

That is dependent, not independent.

Dependent on what?

Dependent on contact.

He sees that contact is impermanent, feeling is impermanent, perception is impermanent, formations are impermanent, and consciousness is impermanent.

His mind, having made the elements its object, leaps forward, settles, becomes composed and unified, not clinging to anything in the world.

And if, friends, others treat that disciple with disagreeable, unpleasant, and unlikable acts: by contact with fists, with clods, with sticks, or with knives:

he knows: This body is of such a nature that contacts with fists, clods, sticks, and knives can occur.

The Blessed One has stated in the simile of the saw: Even if bandits were to sever you savagely limb by limb with a two-handled saw, he who gave rise to a mind of hate towards them would not be carrying out my teaching.

Thus my energy will be aroused without slackening, mindfulness established without confusion, the body tranquil without disturbance, the mind concentrated and unified.

Let contacts with fists, clods, sticks, and knives come to this body; for this teaching of the Tathāgatas is being practiced by me.

If that disciple, while recollecting the Tathāgata, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, does not gain equanimity based on the wholesome, he is disappointed: Alas for me, it is my loss, it is not my gain. It is my ill fortune, not my good fortune that while I am recollecting the Tathāgata, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, equanimity based on the wholesome does not arise in me.

Just as, friends, a female cat...

He feels it, he experiences urgency; just so, friend, if that disciple, while recollecting the Tathāgata in this way, recollecting the Dhamma in this way, recollecting the Sangha in this way, does not establish equanimity based on skillfulness, he feels it, he experiences urgency: Alas for me, it is not my gain; it is hard for me, not easy, since while recollecting the Tathāgata in this way, recollecting the Dhamma in this way, recollecting the Sangha in this way, equanimity based on skillfulness is not established for me.

If, friend, for that disciple, while recollecting the Tathāgata in this way, recollecting the Dhamma in this way, recollecting the Sangha in this way, equanimity based on skillfulness is established, he is pleased by that.

Even by this much, friend, a disciple has done much.

What, friend, is the water element?

The water element may be internal, it may be external.

What, friend, is the internal water element?

Whatever internally, belonging to oneself, is water, watery, and clung to, that is, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, spit, snot, oil of the joints, urine, or whatever else internally, belonging to oneself, is water, watery, and clung to: this is called the internal water element.

Both the internal water element and the external water element are simply the water element.

This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self; thus should it be seen as it really is with proper wisdom.

Seeing thus, he becomes disenchanted with the water element, dispassionate towards the water element.

There comes a time, friend, when the external water element rages.

It carries away villages, towns, cities, districts, and regions.

There comes a time in the great ocean when the water goes hundreds of leagues, two hundred leagues, three hundred leagues, four hundred leagues, five hundred leagues, six hundred leagues, seven hundred leagues.

There comes a time in the great ocean when the water stands seven palm-trees deep, six palm-trees deep, five palm-trees deep, four palm-trees deep, three palm-trees deep, two palm-trees deep, one palm-tree deep.

There comes a time in the great ocean when the water stands seven men deep, six men deep, five men deep, four men deep, three men deep, two men deep, one man deep.

There comes a time in the great ocean when the water stands half a man deep, waist deep, knee-deep, ankle-deep.

There comes a time in the great ocean when the water is not enough to wet even the joint of a finger.

For what reason? Because of the external water element's great variability, its nature of decay, fading away, and alteration.

What of this body, which is clung to by craving and lasts but a while?

There is none of this I am mine, this I am, this is my self.

If, friend, for that disciple, while recollecting the Tathāgata in this way, recollecting the Dhamma in this way, recollecting the Sangha in this way, equanimity based on skillfulness is established.

He is pleased by that.

Even by this much, friend, a disciple has done much.

What, friend, is the fire element?

The fire element may be internal, it may be external.

What, friend, is the internal fire element?

Whatever internally, belonging to oneself, is fire, fiery, and clung to, that is, that by which one is warmed, ages, and is consumed, and that by which what is eaten, drunk, consumed, and tasted gets completely digested, or whatever else internally, belonging to oneself, is fire, fiery, and clung to: this is called the internal fire element.

Both the internal fire element and the external fire element are simply the fire element.

This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self; thus should it be seen as it really is with proper wisdom.

Seeing thus, he becomes disenchanted with the fire element, dispassionate towards the fire element.

There comes a time, friend, when the external fire element rages.

It burns villages, towns, cities, districts, and regions. It comes upon a green or a path or a rock or water or a lovely piece of ground and, coming to no sustenance, it goes out. There comes a time when even with a chicken's feather or a cow's hide, it would be hard to find a single spot on earth not burned by the fire element.

They search for it.

Indeed, friend, for the external fire element, its impermanence will become apparent, its nature of decay will become apparent, its nature of fading away will become apparent, its nature of change will become apparent.

What about this body, taken up with craving, thinking I am this or This is mine or I am?

But for him, it does not exist like that.

If, friend, a disciple thus recollects the Tathāgata, thus recollects the Dharma, thus recollects the Sangha, and equanimity based on wholesomeness becomes established in him, he becomes joyful.

By this much, friend, a disciple has done much.

And what, friend, is the air element?

The air element may be internal, it may be external.

And what, friend, is the internal air element?

Whatever internal, belonging to oneself, air, windy nature, taken up, that is, up-going winds, down-going winds, winds in the belly, winds in the bowels, winds that course through the limbs, in-breathing and out-breathing, or whatever else internal, belonging to oneself, air, windy nature, taken up: this, friend, is called the internal air element.

Both the internal air element and the external air element are simply air elements.

This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self, thus should it be seen with proper wisdom as it really is.

Having seen it thus with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the air element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the air element.

There comes a time, friend, when the external air element is disturbed.

It sweeps away villages, towns, cities, districts, and regions.

There comes a time, in the last month of the hot season, they search for wind with a fan or bellows, and even the grasses do not want moisture.

Indeed, friend, for the external air element, its impermanence will become apparent, its nature of decay will become apparent, its nature of fading away will become apparent, its nature of change will become apparent.

What about this body, taken up with craving, thinking I am this or This is mine or I am?

But for him, it does not exist like that.

If, friend, others abuse, insult, taunt, and harass the disciple, he knows: This painful feeling born of ear contact has arisen in me.

That is dependent, not independent.

Dependent on what?

Dependent on contact.

He sees that contact is impermanent, feeling is impermanent, perception is impermanent, formations are impermanent, consciousness is impermanent.

And his mind, having the elements as its object, leaps forward, settles, becomes steady, and is committed.

If, friend, others treat the disciple with disagreeable, unpleasant, and unlikable physical contact, with a fist, with clods, with sticks, with knives, he knows: This body is such that contact with fists, clods, sticks, and knives can occur.

The Blessed One has said in the simile of the saw: Even if bandits were to sever you savagely limb by limb with a two-handled saw, he who gave rise to a mind of hate towards them would not be carrying out my teaching.

My energy shall be aroused and unflagging, my mindfulness established and unconfused, my body calm and unaroused, my mind concentrated and unified.

Let contact with fists, clods, sticks, and knives come to this body; for this is the teaching of the Tathāgatas.

If, friend, while the disciple recollects the Tathāgata, the Dharma, and the Sangha, equanimity based on wholesomeness does not become established in him, he becomes disappointed and distressed: Alas, it is my loss, indeed it is not my gain; it is my misfortune, indeed it is not my fortune.

That for me, while recollecting the Tathāgata, the Dharma, and the Sangha, equanimity based on wholesomeness does not become established.

Just as, friend, a female jackal, upon seeing a lion, becomes disappointed and distressed; likewise, if while the disciple recollects the Tathāgata, the Dharma, and the Sangha, equanimity based on wholesomeness does not become established in him, he becomes disappointed and distressed: Alas, it is my loss, indeed it is not my gain; it is my misfortune, indeed it is not my fortune.

That for me, while recollecting the Tathāgata, the Dharma, and the Sangha, equanimity based on wholesomeness does not become established.

If, friend, while the disciple recollects the Tathāgata, the Dharma, and the Sangha, equanimity based on wholesomeness becomes established in him, he becomes joyful.

By this much, friend, a disciple has done much.

It is said. Just as, friend, depending on wood, creepers, grass, and clay, space is surrounded and only considered a house; similarly, friend, depending on bones, sinews, flesh, and skin, space is surrounded and only considered form.

If, friend, the internal eye is intact and external forms do not come into its field, and there is no appropriate engagement, then there is no manifestation of the corresponding consciousness.

If, friend, the internal eye is intact and external forms come into its field, but there is no appropriate engagement, then there is no manifestation of the corresponding consciousness.

However, friend, when the internal eye is intact, and external forms come into its field, and there is appropriate engagement, then there is the manifestation of the corresponding consciousness.

The form of such a person goes into the aggregate of form clinging, the feeling goes into the aggregate of feeling clinging, the perception goes into the aggregate of perception clinging, the formations go into the aggregate of formations clinging, and the consciousness goes into the aggregate of consciousness clinging.

He knows thus: Indeed, this is how the collection, gathering, and amalgamation of these five aggregates of clinging occurs.

It has been said by the Blessed One: One who sees dependent origination sees the Dhamma; one who sees the Dhamma sees dependent origination.

These five aggregates of clinging are dependently arisen.

The desire, attachment, inclination, and adherence in these five aggregates of clinging is the origin of suffering.

The removal and abandonment of desire and greed in these five aggregates of clinging is the cessation of suffering.

Even by this much, friend, a disciple has done much.

If, friend, the internal ear...

nose...

tongue...

body...

mind is intact, and external phenomena do not come into its field, and there is no appropriate engagement, then there is no manifestation of the corresponding consciousness.

If, friend, the internal mind is intact, and external phenomena come into its field, but there is no appropriate engagement, then there is no manifestation of the corresponding consciousness.

However, friend, when the internal mind is intact, and external phenomena come into its field, and there is appropriate engagement, then there is the manifestation of the corresponding consciousness.

The form of such a person goes into the aggregate of form clinging, the feeling goes into the aggregate of feeling clinging, the perception goes into the aggregate of perception clinging, the formations go into the aggregate of formations clinging, and the consciousness goes into the aggregate of consciousness clinging.

He knows thus: Indeed, this is how the collection, gathering, and amalgamation of these five aggregates of clinging occurs.

It has been said by the Blessed One: One who sees dependent origination sees the Dhamma; one who sees the Dhamma sees dependent origination.

These five aggregates of clinging are dependently arisen.

The desire, attachment, inclination, and adherence in these five aggregates of clinging is the origin of suffering.

The removal and abandonment of desire and greed in these five aggregates of clinging is the cessation of suffering.

Even by this much, friend, a disciple has done much.

This was said by the Venerable Sāriputta.

The disciples were pleased and delighted in the Venerable Sāriputta's words.

The Great Elephant Footprint Simile Sutta is finished.