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SN 56.61PTS SN 5.4651 min read

Not Human

Aññatrasutta

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 56.61Linked Discourses 56.61
  • 0.27. Paṭhamaāmakadhaññapeyyālavagga7. Abbreviated Texts on Raw Grain

0.3AññatrasuttaNot Human

1.1PTS 5.466Atha kho bhagavā parittaṁ nakhasikhāyaṁ paṁsuṁ āropetvā bhikkhū āmantesi:Then the Buddha, picking up a little bit of dirt on his fingernail, addressed the mendicants:1.2“Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave,“What do you think, mendicants?1.3katamaṁ nu kho bahutaraṁ—yo vāyaṁ mayā paritto nakhasikhāyaṁ paṁsu āropito, ayaṁ vā mahāpathavī”ti?Which is more: the little bit of dirt on my fingernail, or this great earth?”

1.4“Etadeva, bhante, bahutaraṁ, yadidaṁ—mahāpathavī; appamattakāyaṁ bhagavatā paritto nakhasikhāyaṁ paṁsu āropito.“Sir, the great earth is certainly more. The little bit of dirt on your fingernail is tiny.1.5Saṅkhampi na upeti, upanidhampi na upeti, kalabhāgampi na upeti mahāpathaviṁ upanidhāya bhagavatā paritto nakhasikhāyaṁ paṁsu āropito”ti.Compared to the great earth, it doesn’t count, there’s no comparison, it’s not worth a fraction.”

2.1“Evameva kho, bhikkhave, appamattakā te sattā ye manussesu paccājāyanti; atha kho eteva bahutarā sattā ye aññatra manussehi paccājāyanti.“In the same way, the sentient beings reborn as humans are few, while those not reborn as humans are many.12.2Taṁ kissa hetu?Why is that?2.3Adiṭṭhattā, bhikkhave, catunnaṁ ariyasaccānaṁ.It’s because they haven’t seen the four noble truths.2.4Katamesaṁ catunnaṁ?What four?2.5Dukkhassa ariyasaccassa …pe… dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ariyasaccassa.The noble truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

3.1Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yogo karaṇīyo …pe… ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yogo karaṇīyo”ti.That’s why you should practice meditation …”

3.2Paṭhamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. The next series is similar to AN 1.348–374.

    ↩ sn56.61:2.1