Aṅguttara Nikāya
Catukka Nipāta
XI: Valāhaka Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fours
Chapter XI: Rain-Cloud
Sutta 107
Mūsikā Suttaɱ
Mice[1]
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
For details see Terms of Use.
[1] Thus have I heard:
On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthī at Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
Then the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," replied those monks to the Exalted ONe.
The Exalted One said this:
"Monks, there are these four mice.
What four?
The one that digs a hole[2] but does not live in it,
the one that lives in a hole it has not dug,
the one that neither digs a hole nor lives in a hole,
and the one that both digs a hole and lives in it.
These are the four mice.
In like manner, monks, there are these four persons resembling mice found existing in the world.
What four?
The one that digs a hole but does not live in it,
the one that lives in a hole it has not dug,
the one that neither digs a hole nor lives in a hole,
and the one that both digs a hole and lives in it.
■
And how, monks, is a person one who digs a hole but lives not in it?
In this case, monks, a certain person masters Dhamma, to wit:
Sutta, Geyya, Veyyākaraṇa, Gāthā, Udāna, Itivuttaka, Jātaka, Abbhutadhamma and Vedalla.
Yet he understands not,
as it really is,
the meaning of:
'This is Ill.'
He understands not,
as it really is,
the meaning of:
'This is the arising of Ill.'
He understands not,
as it really is,
the meaning of:
'This is the ending of Ill.'
He understands not,
as it really is,
the meaning of:
'This is the practice going to the ending of Ill.'
Thus, monks, a person is one
who digs a hole but lives not in it.
Just as that mouse digs a hole but lives not in it,
even so using this figure
do I speak of this person.
■
And how, monks, is a person
one who that lives in a hole it has not dug?
In this case a certain person does not master Dhamma,
to wit:
Sutta, Geyya, Veyyākaraṇa, Gāthā, Udāna, Itivuttaka, Jātaka, Abbhutadhamma and Vedalla.
Yet he does understand,
as it really is,
the meaning of:
'This is Ill.'
He does understand,
as it really is, the meaning of:
'This is the arising of Ill.'
He does understand,
as it really is, the meaning of:
'This is the ending of Ill.'
He does understand,
as it really is,
the meaning of:
'This is the practice going to the ending of Ill.'
Thus he is one who lives in a hole it has not dug.
Just as that mouse lives in a hole it has not dug,
so using this figure
do I speak of this person.
■
And how, monks, is a person one who neither digs a hole nor lives in a hole?
In this case a certain person neither masters Dhamma,
to wit:
Sutta, Geyya, Veyyākaraṇa, Gāthā, Udāna, Itivuttaka, Jātaka, Abbhutadhamma and Vedalla.
And he understands not,
as it really is,
the meaning of:
'This is Ill.'
He understands not,
as it really is,
the meaning of:
'This is the arising of Ill.'
He understands not,
as it really is,
the meaning of:
'This is the ending of Ill.'
He understands not,
as it really is,
the meaning of:
'This is the practice going to the ending of Ill.'
Thus he is one who neither digs a hole nor lives in a hole.
Just as that mouse neither digs a hole nor lives in a hole,
so using this figure
do I speak of this person.
■
And how, monks, is a person one that both digs a hole and lives in it?
In this case a certain person both masters Dhamma, to wit:
Sutta, Geyya, Veyyākaraṇa, Gāthā, Udāna, Itivuttaka, Jātaka, Abbhutadhamma and Vedalla.
And he does understand,
as it really is,
the meaning of:
'This is Ill.'
He does understand,
as it really is, the meaning of:
'This is the arising of Ill.'
He does understand,
as it really is, the meaning of:
'This is the ending of Ill.'
He does understand,
as it really is,
the meaning of:
'This is the practice going to the ending of Ill.'
Thus, monks, is a person one that both digs a hole and lives in it.
Just as that mouse is one that both digs a hole and lives in it,
so using this figure
do I speak of this person.
So these are the four persons found existing in the world.
[1] Cf. Pugg. 43.
[2] Text and Pugg. khattā; Comy. kattā, so also Sinh. text with v.l. khantā (khanati).
