Instruction from the Samyutta Nikaya: Chiggala Sutta

 A Sutta source on the rarity of the precious human life.

SN 56.48

PTS: S v 456

CDB ii 1872

Chiggala Sutta: The Hole

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

© 1998–2011

"Monks, suppose that this great earth were totally covered with water, and a man were to toss a yoke with a single hole there. A wind from the east would push it west, a wind from the west would push it east. A wind from the north would push it south, a wind from the south would push it north. And suppose a blind sea-turtle were there. It would come to the surface once every one hundred years. Now what do you think: would that blind sea-turtle, coming to the surface once every one hundred years, stick his neck into the yoke with a single hole?"

"It would be a sheer coincidence, lord, that the blind sea-turtle, coming to the surface once every one hundred years, would stick his neck into the yoke with a single hole."

"It's likewise a sheer coincidence that one obtains the human state. It's likewise a sheer coincidence that a Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened, arises in the world. It's likewise a sheer coincidence that a doctrine & discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the world. Now, this human state has been obtained. A Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened, has arisen in the world. A doctrine & discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the world.

"Therefore your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress.' Your duty is the contemplation, 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.'"

February

Happy February.  Today I found these beautiful vintage letters at Paula Rubenstein in Soho, New York.  I placed them in the snow on a table in the courtyard at our hotel.  What a contrast to January which we wrote in the sand at the beach and decorated with shells just last month.  For me February is about getting back into the swing of things.  It's also the month we celebrate love.  Here's to a wonderful and productive February!!

My Hemlock Tree Nightmare, removed/solved/ended...

The hemlock pine trees in most the USA are dieing, or already are dead from some accidentally imported disease. Hundreds of their corpses loom, and fall to the ground all around the Luck Cabin... but one huge hemlock in particular has been leaning towards the cabin, with a straight shot to smashing it in. HUGE. And so even though i planned to have the big dead thing cut down before the snows came, i ran out of time.
Then it came. The nightmare that the tree came down on the cabin... it was less a dream and more a partially wake vision as I rose out of sleep to sit up out of breath, heart beating fast, choked... i saw & heard clearly the thing come down through the roof in my minds eye and knew it had to be cut ASAP when someone could get up this frozen mountain.
It's no easy task to take down a tree like this with snow and ice still on the ground.......
me and the animals made a good audience ( ft. Lady Grey the chicken, the neighbors dog, JuJu the donkey!).
(watch the video for the slow drama of felling a giant hemlock. It's kinda cool and scary.)



I counted the rings to see the age... i counted the lines (not the space in between) and there was 87 rings on this big guy! almost 100 years old.

Xoxoxoxo