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The Dirty Cloth

MN 7, the Vattha Sutta — set 2, The Basic Diagnosis and the Path

Reading time: about 11 min · 1,911 words

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Before you read

A dyer takes a piece of cloth that is dirty and stained, dips it into dye, and the color comes out badly — not because the dye was poor, but because of what was already in the cloth.

That is the whole argument. What you do lands on the mind you already have, and if that mind is full of resentment, contempt, and deceit, then good practice dyes badly. The text then does something useful: it lists the specific things that stain, one by one, in ordinary language. Not abstractions — anger, grudge-holding, spite, envy, stinginess, arrogance.

It is ethics arriving as a simile rather than a rule list, which is why it sits here rather than later. Nothing in it requires you to have accepted anything first.

Translation

The Setting

So I have heard.

At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī, in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery.

There the Buddha addressed the bhikkhus:

"Bhikkhus."

"Bhante," the bhikkhus replied.

The Buddha said this:

The Cloth Simile

"Bhikkhus, suppose a cloth were stained and soiled. Whatever color a dyer might apply to it, whether blue, yellow, red, or crimson, it would be badly dyed and impure in color.

Why is that?

Because the cloth is impure.

In the same way, bhikkhus, when the heart is corrupted, a bad destination can be expected.

"Bhikkhus, suppose a cloth were pure and bright. Whatever color a dyer might apply to it, whether blue, yellow, red, or crimson, it would be well dyed and pure in color.

Why is that?

Because the cloth is pure.

In the same way, bhikkhus, when the heart is uncorrupted, a good destination can be expected.

Corruptions of the Heart

"And what are the corruptions of the heart, bhikkhus?

Covetous distorted greed is a corruption of the heart. Ill will is a corruption of the heart. Anger is a corruption of the heart. Resentment is a corruption of the heart. Contempt is a corruption of the heart. Rivalry is a corruption of the heart. Envy is a corruption of the heart. Stinginess is a corruption of the heart. Deceit is a corruption of the heart. Fraudulence is a corruption of the heart. Stubbornness is a corruption of the heart. Contentious aggression is a corruption of the heart. Conceit is a corruption of the heart. Inflated conceit is a corruption of the heart. Arrogant intoxication is a corruption of the heart. Heedlessness is a corruption of the heart.

"A bhikkhu, knowing, 'Covetous distorted greed is a corruption of the heart,' abandons covetous distorted greed as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Ill will is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon ill will as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Anger is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon anger as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Resentment is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon resentment as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Contempt is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon contempt as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Rivalry is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon rivalry as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Envy is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon envy as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Stinginess is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon stinginess as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Deceit is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon deceit as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Fraudulence is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon fraudulence as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Stubbornness is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon stubbornness as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Contentious aggression is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon contentious aggression as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Conceit is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon conceit as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Inflated conceit is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon inflated conceit as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Arrogant intoxication is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon arrogant intoxication as a corruption of the heart.

Knowing, 'Heedlessness is a corruption of the heart,' they abandon heedlessness as a corruption of the heart.

Verified Confidence

"When a bhikkhu has known, 'Covetous distorted greed is a corruption of the heart,' and covetous distorted greed has been abandoned as a corruption of the heart; when ill will, anger, resentment, contempt, rivalry, envy, stinginess, deceit, fraudulence, stubbornness, contentious aggression, conceit, inflated conceit, arrogant intoxication, and heedlessness have each been known and abandoned as corruptions of the heart, then they are equipped with verified confidence in the Buddha:

'That Blessed One is the arahant, the fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, unsurpassed guide for those fit for training, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.'

"They are equipped with verified confidence in the Dhamma:

'The Dhamma is well taught by the Buddha, visible here and now, timeless, come and see, leading onward, to be known personally by the wise.'

"They are equipped with verified confidence in the Saṅgha:

'The Buddha's Saṅgha of disciples is practicing well, practicing straight, practicing the proper way, and practicing rightly; that is, the four pairs of persons, the eight kinds of individuals. This Saṅgha of the Buddha's disciples is worthy of offerings, hospitality, gifts, and reverential greeting, the unsurpassed field of merit for the world.'

"To the extent that this has been given up, thrown out, released, abandoned, and relinquished, they think:

'I am equipped with verified confidence in the Buddha.'

They gain a sense of the meaning, gain a sense of the Dhamma, and gain gladness connected with the Dhamma. When they are gladdened, rejoicing arises. When the mind is rejoicing, the body grows calm. With the body calm, they feel ease. When they feel ease, the heart becomes unified.

"They think:

'I am equipped with verified confidence in the Dhamma.'

They gain a sense of the meaning, gain a sense of the Dhamma, and gain gladness connected with the Dhamma. When they are gladdened, rejoicing arises. When the mind is rejoicing, the body grows calm. With the body calm, they feel ease. When they feel ease, the heart becomes unified.

"They think:

'I am equipped with verified confidence in the Saṅgha.'

They gain a sense of the meaning, gain a sense of the Dhamma, and gain gladness connected with the Dhamma. When they are gladdened, rejoicing arises. When the mind is rejoicing, the body grows calm. With the body calm, they feel ease. When they feel ease, the heart becomes unified.

"They think:

'To the extent that this has been given up, thrown out, released, abandoned, and relinquished.'

They gain a sense of the meaning, gain a sense of the Dhamma, and gain gladness connected with the Dhamma. When they are gladdened, rejoicing arises. When the mind is rejoicing, the body grows calm. With the body calm, they feel ease. When they feel ease, the heart becomes unified.

No Obstacle

"Bhikkhus, a bhikkhu of such conduct, such dhamma, and such discernment may eat almsfood of fine rice, with selected black grains, with many soups and many curries, and that will not be an obstacle.

Suppose a stained and soiled cloth becomes pure and bright when it meets clear water, or gold becomes pure and bright when it enters a furnace mouth.

In the same way, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu of such conduct, such dhamma, and such discernment may eat almsfood of fine rice, with selected black grains, with many soups and many curries, and that will not be an obstacle.

The Four Divine Abidings

"With a heart accompanied by friendliness, they pervade one direction, then the second, then the third, then the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, and to all as to themselves, they remain pervading the whole world with a heart accompanied by friendliness: expansive, grown great, measureless, free from enmity, and free from oppression.

"With a heart accompanied by kindness towards others, they pervade one direction, then the second, then the third, then the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, and to all as to themselves, they remain pervading the whole world with a heart accompanied by kindness towards others: expansive, grown great, measureless, free from enmity, and free from oppression.

"With a heart accompanied by gladness, they pervade one direction, then the second, then the third, then the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, and to all as to themselves, they remain pervading the whole world with a heart accompanied by gladness: expansive, grown great, measureless, free from enmity, and free from oppression.

"With a heart accompanied by dynamic balance, they pervade one direction, then the second, then the third, then the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, and to all as to themselves, they remain pervading the whole world with a heart accompanied by dynamic balance: expansive, grown great, measureless, free from enmity, and free from oppression.

Release Through Knowing

"They discern:

'There is this. There is what is low. There is what is refined. There is an escape beyond this field reached by recognition.'

"Knowing and seeing like this, the heart is released from the sensual outflow, from the outflow of becoming, and from the outflow of ignorance.

When it is released, there is the knowledge: 'It is released.'

They discern: 'Birth is worn away, the spiritual life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more of this state of being.'

"Bhikkhus, this is called a bhikkhu bathed by inner bathing."

Sundarika Bhāradvāja

At that time the brahmin Sundarika Bhāradvāja was sitting not far from the Buddha.

Then he said to the Buddha:

"Does Master Gotama go to the Bāhuka River to bathe?"

"What is there in the Bāhuka River, brahmin? What will the Bāhuka River do?"

"Master Gotama, many people regard the Bāhuka River as purification. Many people regard the Bāhuka River as merit. And many people wash away the evil kamma they have done in the Bāhuka River."

Then the Buddha addressed the brahmin Sundarika Bhāradvāja in verses:

"Bāhuka and Adhikakka, Gayā, Sundarikā too, Sarassatī and Payāga, and the Bāhumatī River:

even if a fool, dark in action, were to plunge into them constantly, he would not be purified.

What will Sundarikā do? What Payāga, what Bāhuka River? They cannot purify a hostile person who has done wrong and acts in evil.

For the pure, Phaggu is always; for the pure, uposatha is always. For the pure one of clean action, the vow always succeeds.

Bathe right here, brahmin. Make safety for all beings.

If you do not speak falsely, if you do not harm life, if you do not take what is not given, if you have confidence and are not stingy, what will you do by going to Gayā? Even a well is Gayā for you."

Bhāradvāja Goes Forth

When this had been said, the brahmin Sundarika Bhāradvāja said to the Buddha:

"Excellent, Master Gotama! Excellent, Master Gotama!

Just as if someone were to set upright what had been overturned, reveal what was hidden, point out the way to someone who was lost, or hold up an oil lamp in the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, so too Master Gotama has made the Dhamma clear in many ways.

I go for refuge to Master Gotama, to the Dhamma, and to the Saṅgha of bhikkhus.

May I receive the going forth in Master Gotama's presence. May I receive full ordination."

The brahmin Sundarika Bhāradvāja received the going forth in the Buddha's presence. He also received full ordination.

Soon after his full ordination, Venerable Bhāradvāja, dwelling alone, secluded, heedful, ardent, and resolute, soon personally realized with direct knowledge, in this very life, the unsurpassed goal of the spiritual life for the sake of which sons of good family rightly go forth from the household life to homelessness, and he entered and remained in it.

He directly knew:

'Birth is worn away, the spiritual life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more of this state of being.'

And Venerable Bhāradvāja became one of the arahants.

The seventh discourse, the Vattha Sutta, is finished.

Words used in this translation (34)
arahant
Someone who has completed the path and has nothing further to do. Left untranslated; "saint" and "perfected one" both mislead.
becoming
This project's rendering of "bhava" -- the settling of experience into a way of being that feels like somebody being something. Often translated "existence."
Bhante
A respectful way of addressing a senior monastic, roughly "venerable sir." Left untranslated because English has no natural equivalent.
bhikkhu
A Buddhist monk -- someone who has left household life to practise full time. Left untranslated because "monk" carries centuries of unrelated European associations.
bhikkhus
Buddhist monks -- those who have left household life to practise full time. The Buddha's usual way of addressing the assembly, roughly "friends" in force.
birth
This project's rendering of "jāti": birth, coming into being. In the dependent-arising sequence, ageing and dying depend on it. In MN 141 the word appears once in its everyday sense instead, in a simile about a mother.
Blessed One
One of the Buddha's traditional titles, used respectfully in place of his name in these texts.
body
The physical body, as distinct from speech and the mental side of experience.
brahmin
Originally a member of ancient India's hereditary priestly class. These texts sometimes reuse the title for an ideal practitioner who has completed the path. Context shows whether caste or conduct is the point.
conduct
This project's rendering of "sīla", often translated "morality" or "virtue". It means how a person actually behaves. The rest of the practice grows from it; it is not a set of rules to obey.
Dhamma
The Buddha's teaching taken as a whole -- both what he taught and the way things actually are, which the teaching describes.
dhamma
Depending on the sentence, either the Buddha's teaching or simply a thing, quality, or state of affairs. These texts use one word for both, and each passage makes clear which it means.
dynamic balance
This project's rendering of "upekkhā" (often translated "equanimity") -- a steadiness that stays engaged rather than checking out, distinct from indifference.
escape
This project's rendering of "nissaraṇa". It is the real way out of whatever the text is discussing, unlike the false escapes an untrained mind reaches for. In SN 36.6 the escape is from being stuck in a feeling; in Ud 8.3 it is from everything born, made, and conditioned.
friendliness
This project's rendering of "mettā" (often translated "loving-kindness") -- an intentionally cultivated goodwill extended outward, including to people you don't know.
gladness
This project's rendering of "muditā", often translated "sympathetic joy". It means being truly glad at someone else's good fortune. You cultivate it as a practice; you do not assume it comes naturally.
going forth
Leaving household life to live as a monastic.
greed
One of the three "roots" behind unwholesome action, alongside aversion and delusion -- the acquisitive pull toward what looks satisfying.
heart
This project's rendering of "citta": the feeling side of mind. It takes on moods, wants, leans, and reacts. Practice can gladden, steady, train, and release it. Some call it the "heart-mind" or "feeling mind". Here "heart" does not mean only emotion, or the physical organ.
heedful
Living with heedfulness: awake to what you are doing and keeping up the effort.
heedlessness
The opposite of heedfulness: drifting, letting things slide, not noticing what the mind is doing.
ignorance
This project's rendering of "avijjā" -- not general stupidity, but specifically not seeing how dissatisfaction works and how it ends. The first link in the dependent-arising sequence.
ill will
Hostility toward others or situations: pushing things away and wishing them harm. As one of the five hindrances, it pulls the mind off track.
kamma
Intentional action, and the way it shapes what follows. Better known by its Sanskrit form "karma," and narrower than the popular sense -- it is about intention, not cosmic bookkeeping.
kindness towards others
This project's rendering of "karuṇā", often translated "compassion". It is an active wish for others to be free of suffering. You cultivate it on purpose, not only when the feeling comes by itself.
knowing
This project's rendering of "viññāṇa" (often translated "consciousness") -- bare awareness of an object through one of the senses or the mind.
knowing and seeing
Knowing something and seeing it for yourself. Kept as two words because these texts treat them as two related things rather than one.
outflow
This project's rendering of "āsava" -- a deep-running habit that keeps seeping out and driving behaviour. Often translated "taint" or "defilement."
recognition
This project's rendering of "saññā" (often translated "perception") -- the mind's act of identifying and labeling what it encounters.
refuge
Where someone turns for safety and direction. Going for refuge to the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Saṅgha is how a person shows they take this path seriously. It is not a conversion ritual.
rejoicing
This project's rendering of "pīti" (often translated "rapture") -- the bright, uplifted gladness that shows up when practice is going well.
Saṅgha
The community of the Buddha's disciples. In traditional recollection formulas, as in AN 11.12, it means especially those who have entered and realized the path, not everyone who calls themselves Buddhist.
spiritual life
The Buddhist path of practice as a whole -- not just a set of beliefs, but a whole way of living.
world
A word whose scope shifts with the teaching. It can mean the lived world we build through the senses and the mind, or the wider physical cosmos. The surrounding passage shows which sense it has.
Source and corrections