A Fingernail

Nakhasikhasutta

A Fingernail

Nakhasikhasutta

EN
At Sāvatthī. Then the Buddha, picking up a little bit of dirt on his fingernail, addressed the mendicants: “What do you think, mendicants? Which is more: the little bit of dirt on my fingernail, or this great earth?”
PL
Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati. Atha kho bhagavā parittaṁ nakhasikhāyaṁ paṁsuṁ āropetvā bhikkhū āmantesi: “Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, katamaṁ nu kho bahutaraṁ, yo cāyaṁ mayā paritto nakhasikhāyaṁ paṁsu āropito yā cāyaṁ mahāpathavī”ti?
EN
“Sir, the great earth is far more. The little bit of dirt on your fingernail is tiny. Compared to the great earth, it doesn’t count, there’s no comparison, it’s not worth a fraction.” “In the same way the sentient beings reborn as humans are few,
PL
“Etadeva, bhante, bahutaraṁ yadidaṁ mahāpathavī. Appamattakoyaṁ bhagavatā paritto nakhasikhāyaṁ paṁsu āropito. Saṅkhampi na upeti upanidhimpi na upeti kalabhāgampi na upeti mahāpathaviṁ upanidhāya bhagavatā paritto nakhasikhāyaṁ paṁsu āropito”ti. “Evameva kho, bhikkhave, appakā te sattā ye manussesu paccājāyanti;
EN
while those not reborn as humans are many. So you should train like this: ‘We will stay diligent.’ That’s how you should train.”
PL
atha kho eteyeva bahutarā sattā ye aññatra manussehi paccājāyanti. Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ: ‘appamattā viharissāmā’ti. Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.
PL
Dutiyaṁ.

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

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