Acacia Leaves

Khadirapattasutta

Acacia Leaves

Khadirapattasutta

EN
“Mendicants, suppose someone were to say: ‘Without truly comprehending the noble truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path, I will completely make an end of suffering.’
PL
“Yo, bhikkhave, evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ahaṁ dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhasamudayaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca, dukkhanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca sammā dukkhassantaṁ karissāmī’ti—
EN
That is not possible. It’s as if someone were to say: ‘I’ll make a basket out of acacia leaves or pine needles or myrobalan leaves, and use it to carry water or ripe palmyra fruit.’ That is not possible.
PL
netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, yo evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ahaṁ khadirapattānaṁ vā saralapattānaṁ vā āmalakapattānaṁ vā puṭaṁ karitvā udakaṁ vā tālapattaṁ vā āharissāmī’ti— netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati;
EN
In the same way, suppose someone were to say: ‘Without truly comprehending the noble truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path, I will completely make an end of suffering.’ That is not possible. But suppose someone were to say:
PL
evameva kho, bhikkhave, yo evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ahaṁ dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca …pe… dukkhanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ anabhisamecca sammā dukkhassantaṁ karissāmī’ti— netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati. Yo ca kho, bhikkhave, evaṁ vadeyya:
EN
‘After truly comprehending the noble truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path, I will completely make an end of suffering.’ That is possible. It’s as if someone were to say:
PL
‘ahaṁ dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ abhisamecca, dukkhasamudayaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ abhisamecca, dukkhanirodhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ abhisamecca, dukkhanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ abhisamecca sammā dukkhassantaṁ karissāmī’ti— ṭhānametaṁ vijjati. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, yo evaṁ vadeyya:
EN
‘I’ll make a basket out of lotus leaves or flame-of-the-forest leaves or camel’s foot creeper leaves, and use it to carry water or ripe palmyra fruit.’ That is possible. In the same way, suppose someone were to say: ‘After truly comprehending the noble truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path, I will completely make an end of suffering.’
PL
‘ahaṁ padumapattānaṁ vā palāsapattānaṁ vā māluvapattānaṁ vā puṭaṁ karitvā udakaṁ vā tālapattaṁ vā āharissāmī’ti— ṭhānametaṁ vijjati; evameva kho, bhikkhave, yo evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ahaṁ dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ abhisamecca …pe… dukkhanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ ariyasaccaṁ yathābhūtaṁ abhisamecca sammā dukkhassantaṁ karissāmī’ti—
EN
That is possible. That’s why you should practice meditation …”
PL
ṭhānametaṁ vijjati. Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yogo karaṇīyo …pe… ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yogo karaṇīyo”ti. Dutiyaṁ.

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

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