Gale-force Winds Verambhasutta

At Sāvatthī. Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.

“Possessions, honor, and popularity are grim … “Dāruṇo, bhikkhave, lābhasakkārasiloko …pe… adhigamāya.

High in the atmosphere there are gale-force winds blowing. Upari, bhikkhave, ākāse verambhā nāma vātā vāyanti. Any bird that flies there is flung about by those gale-force winds. Tattha yo pakkhī gacchati tamenaṁ verambhā vātā khipanti. Their feet go one way, their wings another, their head another, and their body another. Tassa verambhavātakkhittassa aññeneva pādā gacchanti, aññena pakkhā gacchanti, aññena sīsaṁ gacchati, aññena kāyo gacchati.

In the same way, take a certain monk whose mind is overcome and overwhelmed by possessions, honor, and popularity. He robes up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, enters the village or town for alms without guarding body, speech, and mind, without establishing mindfulness, and without restraining the sense faculties. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco bhikkhu lābhasakkārasilokena abhibhūto pariyādiṇṇacitto pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya gāmaṁ vā nigamaṁ vā piṇḍāya pavisati arakkhiteneva kāyena arakkhitāya vācāya arakkhitena cittena, anupaṭṭhitāya satiyā, asaṁvutehi indriyehi. There he sees a lady scantily clad, with revealing clothes. So tattha passati mātugāmaṁ dunnivatthaṁ vā duppārutaṁ vā. Lust infects his mind. Tassa mātugāmaṁ disvā dunnivatthaṁ vā duppārutaṁ vā rāgo cittaṁ anuddhaṁseti. He disavows the training and returns to a lesser life. So rāgānuddhaṁsitena cittena sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati. Some take his robe, others his bowl, others his sitting cloth, others his needle case, just like the bird flung about by the gale-force winds. Tassa aññe cīvaraṁ haranti, aññe pattaṁ haranti, aññe nisīdanaṁ haranti, aññe sūcigharaṁ haranti, verambhavātakkhittasseva sakuṇassa.

So grim are possessions, honor, and popularity. …” Evaṁ dāruṇo kho, bhikkhave, lābhasakkārasiloko …pe… evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.