bza020

The Buddha sees a distracted monk 2 – The fly simile

Thus have I heard, once, the Buddha was staying at the Deer Park [near] Benares, where in former times the sages dwelt.

At that time the World-honored One put on his robe, took his begging bowl and entered Benares to beg for food. At a deva shrine [he saw] a monk, his thoughts filled with evil, his mind desiring enjoyment . There the Buddha, the World-honored One said to the monk: ‘Monk, monk! You are planting seeds of suffering, extremely vulgar and filthy , your senses stained with evil. Where there are juice stains, flies are bound to gather’. At that time the monk heard what the Buddha said and understood that the Buddha, the World-honored One, read his thoughts. Fear arose in him and he hurried away, his hairs standing on end. After the Buddha had finished his alms-round, he ate, washed his feet and returned to the dwelling-places of the monks where he entered his silent abode and meditated. When he came out again he took his seat in front of the assembled monks. The Buddha addressed them: ‘Today, when I went into the town on my alms-round, I saw a monk next to a deva shrine, his thoughts filled with evil, his mind desiring enjoyment. So I said: ‘Monk, monk! You are planting seeds of suffering, extremely vulgar and filthy, your senses stained with evil. Where there are juice stains, flies are bound to gather’. When the monk heard what I said, fear arose in him and he hurried away, his hairs standing on end’. When the Buddha had finished, one monk rose from his seat, folded his palms and said to the Buddha: ‘World-honored One! What is called “seeds of suffering”, what is “vulgar and filthy”, what is “stained with evil”, what is meant with “flies gathering”?’. The Buddha answered: ‘Listen carefully, listen carefully! I will explain this: Anger and hatred is called “to plant seeds of suffering”, indulging the mind in the five sensual pleasures is called “vulgar and filthy”. When the six senses are not controlled in moral practice, it is called “stained with evil”. What lets afflictions persist and makes ignorance arise, arrogance, brazenness and shamelessness, what causes all fetters to arise is called “flies gathering’’’.

There the Buddha spoke this verse:

When one does not control the senses / one strengthens desire and attachment, plants seeds of suffering, //
acting vulgar and filthy one is constantly defiled / close to desirous and malevolent, violent thoughts. //
If in a village or in an empty [uninhabited] place / one always keeps one’s heart free from transient pleasures, //
and with one’s very body practises right meditation / gathers super-normal powers, attains the three knowledges, //
one attains happiness and sleeps peacefully / can vanquish the thought-flies completely. //
Through practice one becomes firmly established / is able to follow the traces of the sages to the good realm(s). //
Having attained the way of right knowledge, one will never turn back / [but] enter into Nirvāṇa and the bliss of silent extinction. //

When the Buddha had finished, the monks, having listened to what he had said, were happy and practised accordingly.