法苑珠林 34.30

34.30

At that time, the World-Honoured One addressed the bhikṣus: "Suppose a man roaming in an empty house captured six kinds of living beings: first, he caught a dog and immediately bound it fast in one place; next, he caught a bird; next, a venomous snake; next, a jackal; next, a śiśumāra; next, a monkey. Having caught these living beings, he bound them all in one place. The dog wished to enter the village; the bird always wanted to fly into the sky; the snake always wanted to enter a hole; the jackal delighted in heading toward the charnel ground; the śiśumāra constantly wished to enter the sea; and the monkey wished to enter the mountain forest. These six living beings were all bound in one place, each desiring to go to its own place of ease, each taking no pleasure in the places of the others. Because they were bound, each exerted its strength toward its preferred direction, yet none could break free. In this way, the six sense faculties with their various spheres each seek their own preferred spheres and take no pleasure in the remaining spheres: the eye constantly seeks pleasing sights, and feels revulsion toward unpleasing sights; the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are also like this. These six sense faculties, with their various fields of activity, do not seek the spheres of different faculties. Whichever is strongest is able to follow its sensed objects at will, just like that man binding the six living beings. Therefore, you should diligently cultivate mindfulness of the body.
At that time, the World-Honoured One addressed the bhikṣus: "Suppose there were four vipers, vicious and fiercely poisonous, inside a single basket. At that time, there was a man, intelligent, seeking pleasure, detesting suffering, seeking life, and detesting death. Then another man spoke to him, saying: 'Take this basket of snakes now, rub and bathe them, nourish and feed them with love and affection, letting them out and putting them in at proper times. If these four poisonous snakes should happen to be vexed, they may kill you or bring you close to death. You must guard against them.' At that time, the man, fearing the four poisonous snakes and five enemies with drawn swords, ran away in flight. Someone spoke to him again, saying: 'Man, inside you are six thieves following and lying in wait for you. If they find vulnerability, they will kill you. You must guard against them.' At that time, the man, terrified of the four poisonous snakes, the five enemies with drawn swords, and the six internal thieves, ran in fear and entered an abandoned village. Seeing those empty houses dilapidated, rotten, ruined, and collapsed, containing all kinds of foul things that were fragile and unstable, someone spoke to him again, saying: 'Man, this is an empty village; when the six thieves come, they will surely overrun you.' At that time, the man, fearing the poisonous snakes, the five enemies with drawn swords, the six internal evil thieves, and the band of thieves in the empty village, fled once more. Suddenly, on the road, he came upon a great river whose waters were rushing swiftly. He saw only terrors on this shore, while on that shore he saw peace, happiness, purity, and fearlessness; yet there was neither bridge nor boat to cross to that shore. He reflected: 'I will take grass and wood, bind them into a raft, and by the effort of my hands and feet cross over to that shore.' Having thought this, he gathered grass and wood by the riverbank, bound them into a raft, and by the effort of his hands and feet crossed the torrent laterally. In this way, the man escaped the four poisonous snakes, the five enemies with drawn swords, the six internal evil thieves, and was further freed from the band of thieves in the empty village, crossed the rushing torrent, abandoned all kinds of terrors on this shore, and reached the peace and happiness of that shore.
I have spoken this parable; you should understand its meaning. Bhikṣus, the 'basket' is an analogy for this physical form of coarse four great elements, a body of semen and blood made of the four elements, nourished by impure food, bathed, and clothed—a phenomenon of impermanence, decay, and fragility. The 'poisonous snakes' are an analogy for the four great elements: the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the wind element. If the earth element falls into conflict, it can cause the body to die or come close to death; the conflict of water, fire, and wind is also like this. The 'five enemies with drawn swords' are an analogy for the five aggregates of grasping. The 'six internal thieves' are an analogy for the six forms of craving and delight. The 'empty village' is an analogy for the six internal sense spheres: observing the eye sense sphere reveals it to be an impermanent, decaying, and deceptive phenomenon; the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are also like this. The 'band of thieves in the empty village' is an analogy for the six external sense spheres: the eye is harmed by pleasing and unpleasing sights; the ear and sounds, the nose and scents, the tongue and flavours, the body and tangibles, and the mind and phenomena are also like this. The 'rushing torrent' is an analogy for the four floods: the flood of sensual desire, the flood of existence, the flood of views, and the flood of ignorance. The 'river' is an analogy for the three cravings: craving for sensual pleasure, craving for form, and craving for formlessness. 'This shore of many terrors' is an analogy for the individual bodily existence. 'That shore of coolness, peace, and happiness' is an analogy for nirvāṇa without remainder. The 'raft' is an analogy for the Noble Eightfold Path. 'Crossing the torrent by the effort of hands and feet' is an analogy for reaching the other shore through vigorous and courageous effort. The 'abode of the brāhmaṇa' is an analogy for the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened One."