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SN 46.33PTS SN 5.921 min read

Corruptions

Upakkilesasutta

Hindrances sully the mind like impurities in gold.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 46.33Linked Discourses 46.33
  • 0.24. Nīvaraṇavagga4. Hindrances

0.3UpakkilesasuttaCorruptions

1.1PTS 5.92“Pañcime, bhikkhave, jātarūpassa upakkilesā, yehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭhaṁ jātarūpaṁ na ceva mudu hoti na ca kammaniyaṁ, na ca pabhassaraṁ pabhaṅgu ca, na ca sammā upeti kammāya.“Mendicants, there are these five corruptions of native gold. When native gold is corrupted by these it’s not pliable, workable, or radiant, but is brittle and not completely ready for working.11.2Katame pañca?What five?1.3Ayo, bhikkhave, jātarūpassa upakkileso, yena upakkilesena upakkiliṭṭhaṁ jātarūpaṁ na ceva mudu hoti na ca kammaniyaṁ, na ca pabhassaraṁ pabhaṅgu ca, na ca sammā upeti kammāya.Iron,1.4Lohaṁ, bhikkhave, jātarūpassa upakkileso, yena upakkilesena upakkiliṭṭhaṁ jātarūpaṁ …pe…copper,1.5tipu, bhikkhave, jātarūpassa upakkileso …pe…tin,1.6sīsaṁ, bhikkhave, jātarūpassa upakkileso …pe…lead,1.7sajjhu, bhikkhave, jātarūpassa upakkileso, yena upakkilesena upakkiliṭṭhaṁ jātarūpaṁ na ceva mudu hoti na ca kammaniyaṁ, na ca pabhassaraṁ pabhaṅgu ca, na ca sammā upeti kammāya.and silver.1.8Ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca jātarūpassa upakkilesā, yehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭhaṁ jātarūpaṁ na ceva mudu hoti na ca kammaniyaṁ, na ca pabhassaraṁ pabhaṅgu ca, na ca sammā upeti kammāya.When native gold is corrupted by these five corruptions it’s not pliable, workable, or radiant, but is brittle and not completely ready for working.

2.1PTS 5.93Evameva kho, bhikkhave, pañcime cittassa upakkilesā, yehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭhaṁ cittaṁ na ceva mudu hoti na ca kammaniyaṁ, na ca pabhassaraṁ pabhaṅgu ca, na ca sammā samādhiyati āsavānaṁ khayāya.In the same way, there are these five corruptions of the mind. When the mind is corrupted by these it’s not pliable, workable, or radiant. It’s brittle, and not rightly immersed in samādhi for the ending of defilements.2.2Katame pañca?What five?2.3Kāmacchando, bhikkhave, cittassa upakkileso, yena upakkilesena upakkiliṭṭhaṁ cittaṁ na ceva mudu hoti na ca kammaniyaṁ, na ca pabhassaraṁ pabhaṅgu ca, na ca sammā samādhiyati āsavānaṁ khayāya …pe…Sensual desire, ill will, dullness and drowsiness, restlessness and remorse, and doubt.22.4ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca cittassa upakkilesā, yehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭhaṁ cittaṁ na ceva mudu hoti na ca kammaniyaṁ, na ca pabhassaraṁ pabhaṅgu ca, na ca sammā samādhiyati āsavānaṁ khayāyā”ti.These are the five corruptions of the mind. When the mind is corrupted by these it’s not pliable, workable, or radiant. It’s brittle, and not rightly immersed in samādhi for the ending of defilements.”

2.5Tatiyaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. This discourse mentions the hindrances but not the awakening-factors, while the next discourse says that the awakening factors are “not hindrances” but does not mention the hindrances. It seems these were originally two parts of the same discourse. The parallel at SA 707 does indeed include both teachings, as well as a set of verses on the same theme.

    This is the first of several cases in this chapter where the discourse boundaries vary between editions, apparently a result of editorial oversight.

    ↩ sn46.33:1.1

  2. Only the first hindrance is mentioned in the MS text. The others are left out, presumably by accidental omission, but are included in BJT, and in the parallel at AN 5.23:2.1.

    ↩ sn46.33:2.3