Chappanaka Sutta

Dhamma Sarana Temple Keysborough, Melbourne, Australia.

Most Ven. U. Dhammajiva Maha Thero conducted a 5 Day non-residential retreat at Dhamma Sarana Temple, Keysborough, Melbourne, Australia during end Dec 2016. The retreat was conducted in Sinhala medium. The Maha Thero selected Chappanaka Sutta from Salayatana Sunyuktha of Sunyuktha Nikaya for that meditation retreat.

Chappanaka Sutta of the Samyutta Nikaya beautifully illustrates the struggle of the six senses with an eloquent simile. This simile illustrates the plight of six animals having different habits and diverse fields of action are tied together in one knot by a strong rope. The six animals are a crocodile who tries to run to the water, a bird who tries to fly in the air, a dog who tries to run to a village, a fox who tries to flee to a cemetery, a monkey who tries to go to the forest, and a snake who tries to creep into an anthill. These six animals are constantly struggling to reach their respective habitats. Similarly, the six senses are constantly seeking gratification in their own spheres, and the human who has no control over sense faculties becomes terribly confused.

The Pali word for sense faculty is Indriya. It is a very interesting word which reveals much about our human situation. Indra means lord or king, and the sense faculties are called indriyas because they dominate us so much. They act as our lords or masters and we slavishly obey them. The eye wishes to see pleasant forms, the ear wishes to hear pleasant sounds, the nose to smell pleasant smells, the tongue to enjoy pleasant tastes, and the body to feel pleasant tactile objects. The mental faculty which unifies all other sense faculties, gets terribly disturbed as it is dragged in different directions by the different sense stimuli, while it need to deal with its own share of agitations in the form of hopes, memories, and imaginations.

Please click to read the text of the Sutta from Thripitakaya.org, here: Chappanaka Sutta

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  1. 01. Instructions on Guided Meditation_25-12- 2016
  2. 02. Q & A 01_Chappanaka Sutta_25-12-2016
  3. 03. Dhamma Talk 01_Chappanaka Sutta_25-12-2016
  4. 04. Q & A 02_Chappanaka Sutta_26-12-2016
  5. 05. Dhamma Talk 02_Chappanaka Sutta_26-12-2016
  6. 06. Q & A 03_Chappanaka Sutta_27-12-2016
  7. 07. Dhamma Talk 03_Chappanaka Sutta_27-12-2016
  8. 08. Q & A 04_Chappanaka Sutta_28-12-2016
  9. 09. Dhamma Talk 04_Chappanaka Sutta_28-12-2016
  10. 10. Q & A 05_Chappanaka Sutta_29-12-2016
  11. 11. Dhamma Talk 05_Chappanaka Sutta_29-12-2016

Please click here to reach the other Dhamma series done by Most Ven U Dhammajiva Maha Thero.