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Chappana Sutta
The Six Animals
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu For free distribution only

"Suppose that a man, wounded and festering, were to go into a swampy ungle! "ts sharp# bladed grasses would pier$e his feet% its thorns would s$rat$h his festering sores! And so, from that $ause, he would experien$e an e&en greater measure of pain and unhappiness! "n the same way, there is the $ase where a $ertain monk, ha&ing gone to a &illage or to the wilderness, meets up with someone who upbraids him' (This &enerable one, a$ting in this way, undertaking pra$ti$es in this way, is a thorn of impurity in this &illage!( )nowing this person to be a thorn, one should understand restraint and la$k of restraint! "And what is la$k of restraint* There is the $ase where a monk, seeing a form with the eye, is obsessed with pleasing forms, is repelled by unpleasing forms, and remains with body#mindfulness un#established, with limited awareness! +e does not dis$ern, as it a$tually is present, the release of awareness, the release of dis$ernment where any e&il, unskillful mental ,ualities that ha&e arisen utterly $ease without remainder! "+earing a sound with the ear!!! "Smelling an aroma with the nose!!! "Tasting a fla&or with the tongue!!! "Tou$hing a ta$tile sensation with the body!!! "Cogni-ing an idea with the intelle$t, he is obsessed with pleasing ideas, is repelled by unpleasing ideas, and remains with body#mindfulness un#established, with limited awareness! +e does not dis$ern, as it a$tually is present, the release of awareness, the release of dis$ernment where any e&il, unskillful mental ,ualities that ha&e arisen utterly $ease without remainder! ".ust as if a person, $at$hing six animals of different ranges, of different habitats, were to bind them with a strong rope! Cat$hing a snake, he would bind it with a strong rope! Cat$hing a $ro$odile!!! a bird!!! a dog!!! a hyena!!! a monkey, he would bind it with a strong rope! Binding them all with a strong rope, and tying a knot in the middle, he would set $hase to them! "Then those six animals, of different ranges, of different habitats, would ea$h pull toward its own range and habitat! The snake would pull, thinking, ("(ll go into the anthill!( The $ro$odile would pull, thinking, ("(ll go into the water!( The bird would pull, thinking, ("(ll fly up into the air!( The dog would pull, thinking, ("(ll go into the &illage!( The hyena

0 would pull, thinking, ("(ll go into the $harnel ground!( The monkey would pull, thinking, ("(ll go into the forest!( And when these six animals be$ame internally exhausted, they would submit, they would surrender, they would $ome under the sway of whi$he&er among them was the strongest! "n the same way, when a monk whose mindfulness immersed in the body is unde&eloped and un#pursued, the eye pulls toward pleasing forms, while unpleasing forms are repellent! The ear pulls toward pleasing sounds!!! The nose pulls toward pleasing aromas!!! The tongue pulls toward pleasing fla&ors!!! The body pulls toward pleasing ta$tile sensations!!! The intelle$t pulls toward pleasing ideas, while unpleasing ideas are repellent! This, monks, is la$k of restraint! "And what is restraint* There is the $ase where a monk, seeing a form with the eye, is not obsessed with pleasing forms, is not repelled by unpleasing forms, and remains with body#mindfulness established, with immeasurable awareness! +e dis$erns, as it a$tually is present, the release of awareness, the release of dis$ernment where all e&il, unskillful mental ,ualities that ha&e arisen utterly $ease without remainder! "+earing a sound with the ear!!! "Smelling an aroma with the nose!!! "Tasting a fla&or with the tongue!!! "Tou$hing a ta$tile sensation with the body!!! "Cogni-ing an idea with the intelle$t, he is not obsessed with pleasing ideas, is not repelled by unpleasing ideas, and remains with body#mindfulness established, with immeasurable awareness! +e dis$erns, as it a$tually is present, the release of awareness, the release of dis$ernment where all e&il, unskillful mental ,ualities that ha&e arisen utterly $ease without remainder! ".ust as if a person, $at$hing six animals of different ranges, of different habitats, were to bind them with a strong rope! Cat$hing a snake, he would bind it with a strong rope! Cat$hing a $ro$odile!!! a bird!!! a dog!!! a hyena!!! a monkey, he would bind it with a strong rope! Binding them all with a strong rope, he would tether them to a strong post or stake! "Then those six animals, of different ranges, of different habitats, would ea$h pull toward its own range and habitat! The snake would pull, thinking, ("(ll go into the anthill!( The $ro$odile would pull, thinking, ("(ll go into the water!( The bird would pull, thinking, ("(ll fly up into the air!( The dog would pull, thinking, ("(ll go into the &illage!( The hyena would pull, thinking, ("(ll go into the $harnel ground!( The monkey would pull, thinking, ("(ll go into the forest!( And when these six animals be$ame internally exhausted, they would stand, sit, or lie down right there next to the post or stake! "n the same way, when a monk whose mindfulness immersed in the body is de&eloped and pursued, the eye does not pull toward pleasing forms, and unpleasing forms are not repellent! The ear does not pull toward pleasing sounds!!! The nose does not pull toward pleasing aromas!!! The

2 tongue does not pull toward pleasing fla&ors!!! The body does not pull toward pleasing ta$tile sensations!!! The intelle$t does not pull toward pleasing ideas, and unpleasing ideas are not repellent! This, monks, is restraint! "The (strong post or stake( is a term for mindfulness immersed in the body! "Thus you should train yoursel&es' (1e will de&elop mindfulness immersed in the body! 1e will pursue it, gi&e it a means of transport, gi&e it a grounding! 1e will steady it, $onsolidate it, and set about it properly!( That(s how you should train yoursel&es!"