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The Niddesa on the Attadaṇḍa Sutta: Three Kinds of Weapon and Seven Darts
Training the mind

The Niddesa on the Attadaṇḍa Sutta: Three Kinds of Weapon and Seven Darts

Attadaṇḍasuttaniddeso

The Mahāniddesa's explanation of the Attadaṇḍa Sutta: the rod that brings fear is wielded through body, speech and mind; the world has no core; every good thing in life has something that ends it; there are seven darts in the heart; and we should understand deceit, conceit, and making merit with the right aim.

8 points

The Niddesa is a canonical text in the Khuddaka Nikāya of the Sutta Piṭaka that explains discourses of the Sutta Nipāta word by word. In the Attadaṇḍa Sutta Niddesa of the Mahāniddesa, the Attadaṇḍa Sutta of the Aṭṭhaka Vagga is explained. It begins: fear is born from taking up the rod; look at people quarrelling. The Buddha then describes the sense of urgency he himself once felt.

The Niddesa widens 'the rod' to cover body, speech and mind, divides fear into fear in this life and in the next, explains in what sense the world has no core, and names the seven darts, hard to see, lodged in the heart.

The second half of the discourse is the conduct of a sage, and the Niddesa explains key terms such as deceit, heedlessness, conceit and making merit with a mind inclined to nibbāna. The details of hell punishments the Niddesa cites are mentioned only briefly here.

  1. 1

    Three kinds of rod, two kinds of fear Tayo daṇḍā kāyadaṇḍo vacīdaṇḍo manodaṇḍo

    The Niddesa explains that the rod is threefold: the three kinds of bodily misconduct, the four of speech and the three of mind. Fear is twofold: fear in this life, such as being arrested, reviled, imprisoned and punished, and fear in the life to come. All of it arises from one's own rod.

    Applying it in daily life

    Before sending a message written in anger, recall that this is a weapon of speech, and the first person hurt by it may be you.

  2. 2

    The world has no core Samantamasāro loko

    The Niddesa explains that the world in every realm, including the aggregates, elements and sense bases, has no core of permanence, happiness or self, like a reed, a castor-oil plant, a fig tree, a banana trunk, a bubble or a mirage, which have no heartwood to grasp.

    Applying it in daily life

    When disappointed by work, people or systems you thought were stable, understand that you were looking for a core in something that never had one, and gradually adjust your expectations.

  3. 3

    No state is untouched Nāddasāsiṃ anositaṃ

    Youth is overcome by ageing, health by illness, life by death, gain by loss, fame by disrepute, praise by blame, happiness by suffering. The verse says that on seeing these endings, discontent arose, and the Niddesa explains that these are what 'the endings' are.

    Applying it in daily life

    On a day of praise or success, enjoy it fully but remember the other side is waiting, so that on the day you are criticised you won't fall so hard.

  4. 4

    Seven darts in the heart Satta sallāni

    The darts that are hard to see are lust, hatred, delusion, conceit, views, sorrow and doubt. The Niddesa gives the example that the dart of hatred is resentment arising at the thought that someone has harmed, is harming or will harm us. One struck by the dart of lust commits misconduct or struggles across the ocean for wealth, while one who has pulled the darts out neither runs about nor sinks.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you keep getting irritated with someone, see whether you resent what they did, what they are doing, or what you fear they will do. The last is often a dart we plant ourselves.

  5. 5

    Deceit is covering up wrongdoing Amāyo rittapesuṇo

    The Niddesa explains that deceit is when someone who has done wrong wishes that no one will find out, and so speaks and acts to conceal it. One without deceit is one who has abandoned such concealment.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you make a mistake at work, say so plainly and early. Covering it up becomes a second wrong heavier than the first.

  6. 6

    Making merit with a mind inclined to nibbāna Nibbānamanaso naro

    The Niddesa explains that one who gives, keeps precepts, observes the Uposatha, sweeps the temple grounds or pays respect at a shrine, not for a better rebirth but to be free from suffering, has a mind inclined to nibbāna. It quotes a verse that the wise give for the ending of attachments, like rivers flowing to the sea.

    Applying it in daily life

    Before making merit, set the intention that it is to lighten the mind and let go more, rather than to expect something in return.

  7. 7

    Conceit has many faces Mānañca parijāneyya

    The Niddesa lists kinds of conceit, such as exalting oneself and disparaging others; regarding oneself as better, equal or worse; pride because of gain, fame, praise and happiness; and feeling inferior when losing gain or being blamed. It says to fully understand conceit in three stages: knowing it, examining its drawbacks, and abandoning it.

    Applying it in daily life

    Notice that feeling inferior to others is also a kind of conceit, no different from feeling superior. Both come from comparing ourselves.

  8. 8

    Not delighting in the old, not attached to the new Purāṇaṃ nābhinandeyya

    The old formations are the five aggregates that have passed; the new are the five aggregates of the present. One should not long for or cling to the old, nor create fondness for the new, and when anything declines, whether eyes, ears, gain, fame, praise or happiness, one should not grieve and lament.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you catch yourself saying "things were better in the old days", or getting carried away by something new, recognise that the mind is clinging to the past or to the present.

Try it in daily life

This page widens our view of violence. Sarcastic words and vengeful thoughts are also weapons that can turn back on us, just like physical harm.

The list of seven darts works well as a check on the mind. When the mind is restless and running in every direction for a way out, ask which dart is lodged there now: lust, hatred, delusion, conceit, views, sorrow or doubt.

If sorrow or anxiety becomes so heavy that you cannot live normally, consulting a mental health professional is another way of pulling out the dart, and does not conflict with the Dhamma.

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