Saɱyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
56. Sacca Saɱyutta
4. Siɱsapā Vagga

Sutta 36

Pāṇā Suttaɱ

Creatures

Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi

Copyright Bhikkhu Bodhi 2000, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha (Wisdom Publications, 2000)
This selection from The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saɱyutta Nikāya by Bhikkhu Bodhi is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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[1][pts][than] "Bhikkhus, suppose a man were to cut up whatever grass, sticks, branches, and foliage there is in this Jambudīpa and collect them into a single heap.

Having done so, he would impale the large creatures in the ocean on the large stakes, the middle-sized creatures on the middle-sized stakes, and the small creatures on the small stakes.

Still, bhikkhus, the gross creatures in the ocean would not be exhausted even after all the grass, sticks, branches, and foliage in Jambudīpa had been used up and exhausted.

The small creatures in the ocean that could not easily be impaled on stakes would be even more numerous than this.

For what reason?

Because of the minuteness of their bodies.

"So vast, bhikkhus, is the plane of misery.

The person who is accomplished in view, freed from that vast plane of misery, understands as it really is:

'This is suffering.'...

'This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.'

"Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion should be made to understand:

'This is suffering.'...

An exertion should be made to understand:

'This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.'"