| Sutta Name | Nikaya | Vagga | Academic | PTS | PSA Plae | Keywords | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunakkhatta | Majjhima | Uparipa.n.naasa, Devadaha Vagga | MN.105 | M.ii.252-61 | 22/107 | vulnerability of the newly attained | The Buddha says that some monks are still worldly and their hearts are set on material gain. Others are free of worldly desires, but their heart is set on permanence. Yet others are attached to the jhanas -- while a last category have their hearts set on Nirvana. All these will act according to their level of insight. The Buddha explains further, using the simile of a surgeon pierced by a poisoned arrow, who must still go around slowly even though the arrow has been removed by a surgeon, until the wound has been healed. Craving is the arrow; the wound represents the six sense organs within; ignorance is the poison; mindfulness is the surgeons probing; Noble Understanding is the surgeon’s knife and the Tathagatha is the surgeon. |
Last modified on: Sunday, 9 January 2000.