A forest spirit admonishes a monk – The ulcer simile
Translation of BZA 021. First version published in Buddhist Studies Review vol. 23-1 (2006).
Thus have I heard, once, the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī at the Jeta Grove in the Anāthapiṇḍika Park.
At that time a monk took his robe and begging bowl and entered the town to beg for food. When he had eaten and returned, he washed his feet, gathered his seat cloth and went into the Forest of Regained Sight. Beneath a tree after he had prepared the ground and started sitting, evil coarse and subtle thoughts arose [in his mind], greed for the five sensual pleasures. The spirit of the Forest of Regained Sight read the monks thoughts and saw that they were impure. [Since] in this forest one should not have evil inclinations, the spirit thought: ‘I will wake him up.’, and he said: ‘Monk, monk, why are you having an ulcer?’. The monk answered: ‘I will bandage my ulcer’. The forest spirit spoke again: ‘Your ulcer is large like a pot, how will you bandage it?’. The monk answered: ‘I will bandage my ulcer with [right] thought’. There the forest spirit said in praise: ‘Very good, very good! This monk knows well how to bandage his ulcer, how truly to bandage his ulcer’. The Buddha, with his divine hearing, heard the exchange between the forest spirit and the monk.
At that time the World-honored One spoke this verse:
Worldly desires / are born of evil thoughts. //
Once an ulcer has grown / it nurtures a swarm of flies; //
desire is this ulcer / thought and reflection are the flies. //
Because of greed, arrogance / pierces our heart. //
Because of greed for fame and profit / we are caught in doubts, //
do not know the escape / When the mind is trained and concentrated //
one walks the way of the wise / one does not grow ulcers //
but in peace and stability beholds the Buddha / and attains Nirvāṇa. //
When the Buddha had finished, the monks, having listened to what he had said, were happy and practised accordingly.
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