The Ājina Discourse: Applause for Cleverness Is Not a Measure of Truth
Paṇḍito vata bhoThe wanderer Ājina says his companion, called Paṇḍita ("the wise"), has devised five hundred lines of question…
Everyday life
Basket of Conduct: Stories of Truthfulness and Loving-Kindness
Saccena me samo natthi
A monkey king speaks truly even to a crocodile; a baby quail and a fish king perform acts of truth; the sage Kaṇhadīpāyana reveals a truth hidden for fifty years; King Sutasoma returns to keep his promise; Sāma lives among wild animals with loving-kindness; and King Ekarāja looks on the man who seized his city as a beloved son.
8 points
In the third section of the Cariyāpiṭaka of the Khuddaka Nikāya, after the stories of renunciation and determination, come six stories the verses name as the perfection of truthfulness: the conduct of the monkey king, of the wise Saccasavhaya, of the baby quail, of the fish king, of Kaṇhadīpāyana and of Sutasoma. Two more are named as the perfection of loving-kindness: the conduct of Suvaṇṇasāma and of Ekarāja.
Several are acts of truth, solemnly stating a truth and then making a wish. The verses say a fire died down, rain fell and snake venom was neutralised. This page tells them briefly as the text does. What we can take from them is the value of truthful speech and of not harming, not using a vow of truth instead of putting out a fire or getting medical treatment.
The Suvaṇṇasāma story in the Cariyāpiṭaka is only a few short verses about living among wild animals by the power of loving-kindness. The story of his being shot with an arrow is in the Jātaka and its commentary.
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1
The monkey king and the crocodile: doing what you say Na tassālikaṃ bhaṇitaṃ
A monkey king leaps back and forth across a river. A crocodile lies in wait and calls, "Come!" The monkey replies, "I'm coming," then jumps onto the crocodile's head and over to the far bank. The verses say he did not speak falsely to the crocodile; he did as he had said. None is equal to me in truthfulness.
Applying it in daily lifeEven with someone who means you harm, you needn't lie. Use wisdom to find a way that is both truthful and keeps you safe.
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2
The ascetic Sacca: truth brings people together Saccena lokaṃ pālesiṃ
This is the shortest story in the Cariyāpiṭaka. It says only that as an ascetic named Sacca he protected the world by truth and brought people into harmony.
Applying it in daily lifeIn a team or a family, trust comes from reliable words. Check whether you have fully kept what you said yesterday.
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3
The baby quail and the forest fire Jātaveda paṭikkama
A baby quail, still without feathers, is left in the nest by its parents as a forest fire approaches. It reflects that there is still virtue, truth and compassion in the world, recollects the Buddhas of the past, and states a simple truth: I have wings but cannot fly, feet but cannot walk, and my parents have gone; fire, turn back. The verses say the fire died out as if plunged into water.
Applying it in daily lifeIn a crisis, start by admitting your real situation without hiding it, then ask for help. For a fire in Thailand, call 199 at once; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
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4
The fish king: a life of non-harm Nābhijānāmi sañcicca ekapāṇaṃpi hiṃsitaṃ
The pond dries up and birds come to eat the fish. The fish king looks for a way to save his kin and sees that truth can be a refuge. He declares: since I can remember, I do not recall intentionally harming even a single being; by this truth, may rain fall. The verses say heavy rain fell until both high and low ground were filled.
Applying it in daily lifeAsk what truth in your life you can state with full confidence, such as never having cheated anyone, and keep it that way.
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5
Kaṇhadīpāyana: an unflattering truth Etena saccena suvatthi hotu
The sage Kaṇhadīpāyana has lived the holy life without delight for over fifty years, telling no one. When his friend's son is bitten by a cobra and collapses, he comforts the parents and declares that he lived the holy life with a confident mind for only seven days, and after that never wished to; by this truth may the boy be well. The verses say the boy recovered.
Applying it in daily lifeSometimes helping others must begin with admitting the truth about yourself, such as saying where you went wrong, without excuses.
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6
King Sutasoma: keeping a promise with one's life Saccavācānurakkhanto
King Sutasoma is seized by the man-eater Porisāda, who lets him go to keep a promise he made to a brahmin, on condition that he returns. The king hands over his kingdom, gives the brahmin wealth, and goes back to Porisāda without caring whether he will be killed. The Samodhānakathā adds that he freed a hundred and one kings.
Applying it in daily lifeBefore you promise, consider whether you really can. Once you have promised, see it through; but if a promise would harm others, openly asking to cancel it is better.
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Suvaṇṇasāma: living with wild animals through loving-kindness Mettā balenupatthaddho
Sāma lives in the forest, extending loving-kindness to lions and tigers, surrounded by leopards, bears, buffaloes, deer and wild boar. No animal fears him and he fears none; upheld by the power of loving-kindness, he lives happily in the forest.
Applying it in daily lifeA non-threatening manner puts people at ease. Try approaching someone you have been wary of gently. With real wild animals, though, keep a safe distance.
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8
King Ekarāja: seeing the usurper as a beloved son Piyaputtaṃva passahaṃ
King Ekarāja keeps the ten wholesome courses of action and supports his people with the four bases of sympathy. King Dabbasena marches in, seizes his city and orders him buried in a pit. He looks on the man who took his kingdom as on a beloved son. The verses end, "None is equal to me in loving-kindness."
Applying it in daily lifeIf someone takes your job or your benefits, protect your rights through proper channels, but you needn't carry hatred in your heart.
Try it in daily life
Truthfulness in these stories is broader than not lying. It includes doing what you say, keeping a promise even at a cost, and daring to admit unflattering truths about yourself.
The loving-kindness of Suvaṇṇasāma and Ekarāja is unconditional, even towards fierce animals or the one who took the kingdom. It is an ideal of a mind that holds no grudge; it does not mean we must not protect ourselves or others from injustice. We can defend our rights without hatred.
In a real emergency, such as a fire or a snakebite, call for help and get to hospital at once. A firm resolve and honest speech can help keep the mind from panic while help is on the way.
Sources in the Tipiṭaka
Tap to read the actual passage on the page cited.
- Cariyāpiṭaka, the perfection of renunciation and the rest Thai Royal Edition · Volume 33 · page 393 From the conduct of the monkey king to the conduct of Ekarāja: truthfulness and loving-kindness
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