A Dung Beetle

Mīḷhakasutta

A Dung Beetle

Mīḷhakasutta

EN
At Sāvatthī. “Possessions, honor, and popularity are grim … Suppose there was a dung-eating beetle full of dung, stuffed with dung, and before her was a big pile of dung. She’d look down on other beetles, thinking:
PL
Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati. “Dāruṇo, bhikkhave, lābhasakkārasiloko …pe… adhigamāya. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, mīḷhakā gūthādī gūthapūrā puṇṇā gūthassa. Purato cassa mahāgūthapuñjo. Sā tena aññā mīḷhakā atimaññeyya:
EN
‘For I am a dung-eating beetle full of dung, stuffed with dung, and before me is a big pile of dung.’ In the same way, take a certain mendicant whose mind is overcome and overwhelmed by possessions, honor, and popularity. They robe up in the morning and, taking their bowl and robe, enter the village or town for alms. There they eat as much as they like, get invited back tomorrow, and have plenty of almsfood.
PL
‘ahamhi gūthādī gūthapūrā puṇṇā gūthassa, purato ca myāyaṁ mahāgūthapuñjo’ti. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco bhikkhu lābhasakkārasilokena abhibhūto pariyādiṇṇacitto pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya gāmaṁ vā nigamaṁ vā piṇḍāya pavisati. So tattha bhuttāvī ca hoti yāvadattho, nimantito ca svātanāya, piṇḍapāto cassa pūro.
EN
When they get back to the monastery, they boast in the middle of a group of mendicants: ‘I ate as much as I liked, got invited back tomorrow, and had plenty of almsfood. I get robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. But these other mendicants have little merit or significance, so they don’t get these things.’
PL
So ārāmaṁ gantvā bhikkhugaṇassa majjhe vikatthati: ‘bhuttāvī camhi yāvadattho, nimantito camhi svātanāya, piṇḍapāto ca myāyaṁ pūro, lābhī camhi cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārānaṁ, ime panaññe bhikkhū appapuññā appesakkhā na lābhino cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārānan’ti.
EN
With a mind overcome and overwhelmed by possessions, honor, and popularity, they look down on other good-hearted mendicants. This will be for their lasting harm and suffering. So grim are possessions, honor, and popularity. …”
PL
So tena lābhasakkārasilokena abhibhūto pariyādiṇṇacitto aññe pesale bhikkhū atimaññati. Tañhi tassa, bhikkhave, moghapurisassa hoti dīgharattaṁ ahitāya dukkhāya. Evaṁ dāruṇo kho, bhikkhave, lābhasakkārasiloko …pe… evañhi vo bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.
PL
Pañcamaṁ.

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

Source