SN 35.248 — The Sheaf of Barley

“Mendicants, suppose a sheaf of barley was placed at a crossroads. Then six people would come along carrying flails, and start threshing the sheaf of barley. So that sheaf of barley would be thoroughly threshed by those six flails. Then a seventh person would come along carrying a flail, and they’d give the sheaf of barley a seventh threshing. So that sheaf of barley would be even more thoroughly threshed by that seventh flail. In the same way, an unlearned ordinary person is struck in the eye by both pleasant and unpleasant sights. They’re struck in the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind by both pleasant and unpleasant ideas. And if that unlearned ordinary person intends to be reborn in a new state of existence in the future, that futile person is even more thoroughly struck, like that sheaf of barley threshed by the seventh person. Once upon a time, a battle was fought between the gods and the titans. Then Vepacitti, lord of titans, addressed the titans, ‘My good fellows, if the titans defeat the gods in this battle, bind Sakka, the lord of gods, by his limbs and neck and bring him to my presence in the citadel of the titans.’ Meanwhile, Sakka, lord of gods, addressed the gods of the thirty-three, ‘My good fellows, if the gods defeat the titans in this battle, bind Vepacitti by his limbs and neck and bring him to my presence in the Hall of Clear Right of the gods.’ In that battle the gods won and the titans lost. So the gods of the thirty-three bound Vepacitti by his limbs and neck and brought him to Sakka’s presence in the Hall of Clear Right of the gods. And there Vepacitti remained bound by his limbs and neck. That is, until he thought, ‘It’s the gods who are principled, while the titans are unprincipled. Now I belong right here in the castle of the gods.’ Then he found himself freed from the bonds on his limbs and neck. He amused himself, supplied and provided with the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation. But when he thought, ‘It’s the titans who are principled, while the gods are unprincipled. Now I will go over there to the citadel of the titans,’ he found himself bound by his limbs and neck, and the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation fell away. That’s how subtly Vepacitti was bound. But the bonds of Māra are even more subtle than that. When you conceive, you’re bound by Māra. Not conceiving, you’re free from the Wicked One. These are what is conceived: ‘I am’, ‘I am this’, ‘I will be’, ‘I will not be’, ‘I will have form’, ‘I will be formless’, ‘I will be percipient’, ‘I will be non-percipient’, ‘I will be neither percipient nor non-percipient.’ What is conceived is a disease, a boil, a dart. So mendicants, you should train yourselves like this: ‘We will live with a heart that does not conceive.’ These are what is perturbed: ‘I am’, ‘I am this’, ‘I will be’, ‘I will not be’, ‘I will have form’, ‘I will be formless’, ‘I will be percipient’, ‘I will be non-percipient’, ‘I will be neither percipient nor non-percipient.’ What is perturbed is a disease, a boil, a dart. So mendicants, you should train yourselves like this: ‘We will live with a heart free of perturbation.’ These are what has floundered: ‘I am’, ‘I am this’, ‘I will be’, ‘I will not be’, ‘I will have form’, ‘I will be formless’, ‘I will be percipient’, ‘I will be non-percipient’, ‘I will be neither percipient nor non-percipient.’ What has floundered is a disease, a boil, a dart. So mendicants, you should train yourselves like this: ‘We will live with a heart free of floundering.’ These are what is proliferated: ‘I am’, ‘I am this’, ‘I will be’, ‘I will not be’, ‘I will have form’, ‘I will be formless’, ‘I will be percipient’, ‘I will be non-percipient’, ‘I will be neither percipient nor non-percipient.’ What is proliferated is a disease, a boil, a dart. So mendicants, you should train yourselves like this: ‘We will live with a heart free of proliferation.’ These are states of conceit: ‘I am’, ‘I am this’, ‘I will be’, ‘I will not be’, ‘I will have form’, ‘I will be formless’, ‘I will be percipient’, ‘I will be non-percipient’, ‘I will be neither percipient nor non-percipient.’ The state of conceit is a disease, a boil, a dart. So mendicants, you should train yourselves like this: ‘We will live with a heart that has struck down conceit.’” The Linked Discourses on the six sense fields are complete. Linked Discourses on Feelings Contents The Chapter with Verses SN 36.1 Immersion Samādhisutta SN 36.2 Pleasure Sukhasutta SN 36.3 Giving Up Pahānasutta SN 36.4 The Abyss Pātālasutta SN 36.5 Should Be Seen Daṭṭhabbasutta SN 36.6 An Arrow Sallasutta SN 36.7 The Infirmary (1st) Paṭhamagelaññasutta SN 36.8 The Infirmary (2nd) Dutiyagelaññasutta SN 36.9 Impermanent Aniccasutta SN 36.10 Rooted in Contact Phassamūlakasutta The Chapter on In Private SN 36.11 In Private Rahogatasutta SN 36.12 In the Atmosphere (1st) Paṭhamaākāsasutta SN 36.13 In the Atmosphere (2nd) Dutiyaākāsasutta SN 36.14 A Guest House Agārasutta SN 36.15 With Ānanda (1st) Paṭhamaānandasutta SN 36.16 With Ānanda (2nd) Dutiyaānandasutta SN 36.17 With Several Mendicants (1st) Paṭhamasambahulasutta SN 36.18 With Several Mendicants (2nd) Dutiyasambahulasutta SN 36.19 With Pañcakaṅga Pañcakaṅgasutta SN 36.20 A Mendicant Bhikkhusutta The Chapter on the Explanation of the Hundred and Eight SN 36.21 With Sīvaka Sīvakasutta SN 36.22 The Explanation of the Hundred and Eight Aṭṭhasatasutta SN 36.23 With a Mendicant Aññatarabhikkhusutta SN 36.24 Before Pubbasutta SN 36.25 Knowledge Ñāṇasutta SN 36.26 With Several Mendicants Sambahulabhikkhusutta SN 36.27 Ascetics and Brahmins (1st) Paṭhamasamaṇabrāhmaṇasutta SN 36.28 Ascetics and Brahmins (2nd) Dutiyasamaṇabrāhmaṇasutta SN 36.29 Ascetics and Brahmins (3rd) Tatiyasamaṇabrāhmaṇasutta SN 36.30 Plain Version Suddhikasutta SN 36.31 Not of the Flesh Nirāmisasutta The Chapter with Verses