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Saṁyutta Nikāya 47.7 Linked Discourses 47.7
1. Ambapālivagga 1. In Ambapālī’s Mango Grove
Makkaṭasutta A Monkey
“Atthi, bhikkhave, himavato pabbatarājassa duggā visamā desā, yattha neva makkaṭānaṁ cārī na manussānaṁ. “Mendicants, in the Himalayas there are regions that are rugged and impassable. In some such regions, neither monkeys nor humans can go, This parable tells of a foolish monkey who gets stuck in a tar trap, reminiscent of “The Tarbaby and the Rabbit” story type. This has many instances worldwide. “Br’er Rabbit and the Tarbaby” was collected from stories told among black slaves in the US, and originates from Africa. Ja 55 tells of a warrior whose five weapons serve only to stick him to the coat of a yakkha. The Phillipine folk-tale Masoy and the Ape tells of an ape getting stuck in tar in the shape of a man. The current case is a little different, as there is no doll or mannikin.
Atthi, bhikkhave, himavato pabbatarājassa duggā visamā desā, yattha makkaṭānañhi kho cārī, na manussānaṁ. while in others, monkeys can go but not humans.
Atthi, bhikkhave, himavato pabbatarājassa samā bhūmibhāgā ramaṇīyā, yattha makkaṭānañceva cārī manussānañca. There are also level, pleasant places where both monkeys and humans can go.
Tatra, bhikkhave, luddā makkaṭavīthīsu lepaṁ oḍḍenti makkaṭānaṁ bādhanāya. There hunters set snares of tar on the monkey trails to catch the monkeys. The tar (lepa) was made from the sap of the banyan tree. | For oḍḍenti (“set snare”) see SN 1.67:1.1, SN 3.6:3.4, Ja 484:3.1. | I feel the text is deficient here: we do not know on what the tar was smeared, nor why the monkey would grab it. When, later, we are told it is a banana tree (though the reading is uncertain), these questions are answered. There, the pronoun tasmiṁyeva (“on that very”) implies that the banana tree had been mentioned before. I suspect it was mentioned here but has been lost.
Tatra, bhikkhave, ye te makkaṭā abālajātikā alolajātikā, te taṁ lepaṁ disvā ārakā parivajjanti. The monkeys who are not foolhardy and reckless see the tar and avoid it from afar.
Yo pana so hoti makkaṭo bālajātiko lolajātiko, so taṁ lepaṁ upasaṅkamitvā hatthena gaṇhāti. But a foolish and reckless monkey goes up to the tar and grabs it with a hand.
So tattha bajjhati. He gets stuck there.
‘Hatthaṁ mocessāmī’ti dutiyena hatthena gaṇhāti. Thinking to free his hand, he grabs it with his other hand.
So tattha bajjhati. He gets stuck there.
‘Ubho hatthe mocessāmī’ti pādena gaṇhāti. Thinking to free both hands, he grabs it with a foot.
So tattha bajjhati. He gets stuck there.
‘Ubho hatthe mocessāmi pādañcā’ti dutiyena pādena gaṇhāti. Thinking to free both hands and foot, he grabs it with his other foot.
So tattha bajjhati. He gets stuck there.
‘Ubho hatthe mocessāmi pāde cā’ti tuṇḍena gaṇhāti. Thinking to free both hands and feet, he grabs it with his snout.
So tattha bajjhati. He gets stuck there.
Evañhi so, bhikkhave, makkaṭo pañcoḍḍito thunaṁ seti anayaṁ āpanno byasanaṁ āpanno yathākāmakaraṇīyo luddassa. And so the monkey, trapped at five points, just lies there screeching. He’d meet with tragedy and disaster, and the hunter can do what he wants with him. The five points on which the monkey is stuck represent the five senses, trapping the monkey with greed.
Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, luddo vijjhitvā tasmiṁyeva kaṭṭhakataṅgāre avassajjetvā yena kāmaṁ pakkamati. The hunter spears him on that very banana tree, pries him off, and goes wherever he wants. In his note on this Sutta, Bodhi acknowledges the difficult reading kaṭṭha-kataṅgāre and proposes the emendation kaṭṭha-kaliṅgare based on the Buddhist Sanskrit kāṣṭha-kaḍambara. He then takes it to mean a block of wood, to which the hunter fastens the monkey before leaving with both monkey and block. This, however, creates several problems. Since both kaṭṭha and kaliṅgara mean “block of wood”, why the compound? Why does the hunter secure the monkey to the wood, when the whole point of the simile was that the monkey was stuck? Why read the verb avassajjetvā as “having fastened” when the normal meaning of avassajati is “release”, confirmed by the BJT reading uddharitvā, and agreeing with other occurrences of yena kāmaṁ pakkamati, which are preceded by someone being released (MN 66:10.1, AN 5.75:14.4, AN 8.14:7.1)? And why would the hunter carry a log of wood out from such a remote region? I propose that kaṭṭha-kataṅgāra is a corrupted form related to the Sanskrit kāṣṭha-kadalī, the wild plantain; perhaps the Musa mannii, a rare species found today in Arunchal Pradesh and sometimes known as the Indian Dwarf Banana. The hunter spears the trapped monkey while it is stuck to its favorite fruit tree, killing it, then pries it off and goes on his way.
Evaṁ so taṁ, bhikkhave, hoti yo agocare carati paravisaye. That’s what happens when you roam out of your territory into the domain of others.
Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, mā agocare carittha paravisaye. So, mendicants, don’t roam out of your own territory into the domain of others.
Agocare, bhikkhave, carataṁ paravisaye lacchati māro otāraṁ, lacchati māro ārammaṇaṁ. If you roam out of your own territory into the domain of others, Māra will find a vulnerability and get an opportunity.
Ko ca, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno agocaro paravisayo? And what is not a mendicant’s own territory but the domain of others?
Yadidaṁ—
pañca kāmaguṇā. It’s the five kinds of sensual stimulation.
Katame pañca? What five?
Cakkhuviññeyyā rūpā iṭṭhā kantā manāpā piyarūpā kāmūpasaṁhitā rajanīyā, Sights known by the eye, which are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing.
sotaviññeyyā saddā …pe… Sounds known by the ear …
ghānaviññeyyā gandhā …pe… Smells known by the nose …
jivhāviññeyyā rasā …pe… Tastes known by the tongue …
kāyaviññeyyā phoṭṭhabbā iṭṭhā kantā manāpā piyarūpā kāmūpasaṁhitā rajanīyā. Touches known by the body, which are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing.
Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno agocaro paravisayo. This is not a mendicant’s own territory but the domain of others.
Gocare, bhikkhave, caratha sake pettike visaye. You should roam inside your own territory, the domain of your fathers.
Gocare, bhikkhave, carataṁ sake pettike visaye na lacchati māro otāraṁ, na lacchati māro ārammaṇaṁ. If you roam inside your own territory, the domain of your fathers, Māra won’t find a vulnerability and get an opportunity.
Ko ca, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno gocaro sako pettiko visayo? And what is a mendicant’s own territory, the domain of the fathers?
Yadidaṁ—
cattāro satipaṭṭhānā. It’s the four kinds of mindfulness meditation.
Katame cattāro? What four?
Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ; It’s when a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world.
vedanāsu …pe… They meditate observing an aspect of feelings …
citte …pe… mind …
dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. principles—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world.
Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno gocaro sako pettiko visayo”ti. This is a mendicant’s own territory, the domain of the fathers.”
Sattamaṁ.