ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ 24.7

24.7

Venerable Śāriputra sat on the seat prepared for him and asked the brahmin Son of Grasping, “Son of Grasping, tell me, are you able to endure? Are you recovering? Tell me, has your dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony gone away and not gotten worse? Has it abated? Has it not calmed down?”

“Lord Śāriputra,” said Son of Grasping, “I cannot endure this. I am not recovering. My body is wracked with dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony. The pain has worsened, and it seems that the illness will not abate.

“Lord Śāriputra, take a very weak person, around whose head a very strong person has tied thick leather rope very tightly. The pain in that person’s head would be unbearable. Lord Śāriputra, in my head there is an unbearable pain like this. The pain has worsened, and it seems that the illness will not abate.

“Lord Śāriputra, take for instance the belly of a cow gutted by a butcher’s apprentice with a slaughtering knife. As its stomach is ripped open, the pain would be unbearable. Lord Śāriputra, my stomach is rent with an unbearable pain like this. The pain has worsened, and it seems that the illness will not abate.

“Lord Śāriputra, take for instance a very weak person whose shoulders are gripped right and left by two very strong persons who push him down into burning embers. The pain in that person’s body would be searing and unbearable. Lord Śāriputra, my body is filled with pain that is searing and unbearable like this. The pain has worsened, and it seems that the illness will not abate.

“That is why, Lord Śāriputra, I cannot endure it. I am not recovering. My body is wracked with dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable