The Earth

Pathavīsutta

The Earth

Pathavīsutta

EN
At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, this transmigration has no known beginning. No first point is found of sentient beings roaming and transmigrating, shrouded by ignorance and fettered by craving. Suppose a person was to make the whole earth into clay balls the size of jujube seeds. They’d lay them down, saying:
PL
Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati. “Anamataggoyaṁ, bhikkhave, saṁsāro. Pubbā koṭi na paññāyati avijjānīvaraṇānaṁ sattānaṁ taṇhāsaṁyojanānaṁ sandhāvataṁ saṁsarataṁ. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso imaṁ mahāpathaviṁ kolaṭṭhimattaṁ kolaṭṭhimattaṁ mattikāguḷikaṁ karitvā nikkhipeyya:
EN
‘This is my father, this is my grandfather.’ The whole earth would run out before that person’s fathers and grandfathers. Why is that? This transmigration has no known beginning. No first point is found of sentient beings roaming and transmigrating, shrouded by ignorance and fettered by craving.
PL
‘ayaṁ me pitā, tassa me pitu ayaṁ pitā’ti, apariyādinnāva bhikkhave, tassa purisassa pitupitaro assu, athāyaṁ mahāpathavī parikkhayaṁ pariyādānaṁ gaccheyya. Taṁ kissa hetu? Anamataggoyaṁ, bhikkhave, saṁsāro. Pubbā koṭi na paññāyati avijjānīvaraṇānaṁ sattānaṁ taṇhāsaṁyojanānaṁ sandhāvataṁ saṁsarataṁ.
EN
For such a long time you have undergone suffering, agony, and disaster, swelling the cemeteries. This is quite enough for you to become disillusioned, dispassionate, and freed regarding all conditions.”
PL
Evaṁ dīgharattaṁ vo, bhikkhave, dukkhaṁ paccanubhūtaṁ tibbaṁ paccanubhūtaṁ byasanaṁ paccanubhūtaṁ, kaṭasī vaḍḍhitā. Yāvañcidaṁ, bhikkhave, alameva sabbasaṅkhāresu nibbindituṁ, alaṁ virajjituṁ, alaṁ vimuccitun”ti. Dutiyaṁ.

Pāli root text and English translation by Bhikkhu Sujato from SuttaCentral (https://suttacentral.net), CC0.

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