The Dart of Painful Feeling (sutra)

Bhikkhu Bodhi (Dr. Jeffrey Block, Ph.D.), In the Buddha's Words (SN 36:6; IV 207-10); Crystal Quintero, Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

2. THE TRIBULATIONS OF LIVING WITHOUT REFLECTING

(1) The Dart of Painful Feeling

"Meditators, when an uninstructed ordinary worldling experiences a painful feeling, one sorrows, grieves, and laments; one weeps with the beating of breast and becomes distraught. One feels two feelings (sensations) -- a bodily one and a mental one.

"Suppose they were to strike a person with a dart and then strike that person immediately with a second dart. That person would feel a feeling caused by two darts. So, too, when the uninstructed ordinary worldling experiences a painful feeling: One feels two feelings -- a bodily one and a mental one. 

"While experiencing that same painful feeling, one harbors aversion [hatred, fear, revulsion, nonacceptance, dosa] toward it. When one harbors aversion toward painful feeling, the underlying tendency to aversion toward painful feeling lies behind this.

 

"While experiencing painful feeling, one seeks delight [and the brief relief of distraction] in sensual pleasure. For what reason? It is because the uninstructed ordinary worldling does not know of any actual escape from painful feeling other than [the deluded habit of] sensual pleasure.

"When one seeks delight in sensual pleasure, the underlying tendency to lust for pleasant feeling lies behind this. One does not understand as it truly is the origin and the passing away, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of these feelings.

"When he does not understand these things, the underlying tendency to ignorance in regard to neither-painful-nor-pleasant [neutral] feeling lies behind this.

 

"If one feels a pleasant feeling, one feels it attached. If one feels a painful feeling, one feels it attached. If one feels a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, one feels it attached.

"Meditators, this is called an uninstructed ordinary worldling who is attached to birth, aging, and death; who is attached to sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and despair; who is attached to suffering, I say. 

  

[Who are the "noble ones"?]

An instructed noble disciple (enlightened) sitting in peace looks like an ordinary person.

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"Meditators, when an instructed noble disciple experiences a painful feeling, one does not sorrow, grieve, or lament; one does not weep with the beating of breast and become distraught.

 

"One feels ONE feeling -- a bodily one, not a mental one.

"Suppose they were to strike a person with a dart, but they would not strike that person immediately afterward with a second dart. That person would feel a feeling caused only by one dart.

"So, too, when the instructed noble disciple experiences a painful feeling, one feels one feeling -- a bodily one, and not a mental one.

"While experiencing that same painful feeling, one harbors no aversion toward it. Since one harbors no aversion toward painful feeling, the underlying tendency to aversion toward painful feeling does not lie behind this.

"While experiencing painful feeling, one does not seek delight in sensual pleasure. For what reason? It is because the instructed noble disciple knows of an escape from painful feeling other than [the temporary relief of distraction by] sensual pleasure. Since one does not seek delight in sensual pleasure, the underlying tendency to lust for pleasant feeling does not lie behind this.

In the Buddha's Words by Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans.)

"One understands as it truly is the origin and the passing away, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of these feelings. Since he understands these things, the underlying tendency to ignorance in regard to neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling does not lie behind this. 

 

"If one feels a pleasant feeling, one feels it detached. If one feels a painful feeling, one feels it detached. If one feels a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, one feels it detached.

"Meditators, this is called a noble disciple who is detached from birth, aging, and death; who is detached from sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and despair; who is detached from suffering, I say.

"Meditators, this is the difference, the distinction, the disparity between the uninstructed ordinary worldling [who remains in bondage with corruptions] and the instructed noble disciple [who is noble in the sense of meaning enlightened]."

• From In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (2005, Wisdom Publications)