Figures of Speech of the Buddha

by Vijaya Jayasuriya-May 23, 2013

Gauthama Buddha is a great teacher who has preached the supreme way to relieve the suffering in the mundane work one index of his unparalleled (Anuththar wisdomis the array of teaching methods. He has adopted in delivering His ‘Dhamma to the laymenas has been explicitly, explained by Dr. Thilokasundari Kariyawasam in her article ‘Buddha’s Teaching Methodology’ (The Island 15th instant)

The use of splendid metaphors and cimices is one of the techniques that the Buddha utilized in explaining certain points of Dhamma which had the power of making the recipients grasp the matter instantly and with extreme clarity a famous one. He used is ‘Look, Ananda, a serpent!’ addressing his chief attendant while walking through a forest pointing out a bag of gold coins (ran masu) abandoned at the foot of a tree by a fleeing thief. Comparing money to a snake is a classic way of describing how people suffer in earning and spending it.

The Buddha used the simile of anill-thatched house comparing it to a distracted mind that does not concentrate on Dhamma. Just as such a roof is penetrated by rain the undeveloped mind is affected by lust.The metaphor of an island that does not get affected by the sea-water is preached by the Buddha about the young monk cullapanthaka who was not able to memorize a verse after trying to do so for four months. The Buddha understanding his mental state utilized a practical way to get the monk to achieve the desired end (called task-based learning in modern pedagogic theories) and gave him a clean piece of cloth to keep handing it for some time. When the piece of cloth got soiled the monk realized the impermanence of life and became an Arahant. A person with his kind of discipline and self-control is compared by the Buddha to anisland that does not get flooded by a rough sea, which is again compared to the impurities of mind (klesha).

A wise man with an assiduous mind is compared to one who has climbed to the top of a mountain and enjoyed the views the lowlands clearly. This simile is preached about those understanding the Dhamma who look down from the hill top at the suffering masses down below, having little knowledge of he Buddha’s preaching. This was preached by the Buddha to Ven. Maha Kassapa who was trying to comprehend the phenomenon of the birth and death of beings.

The metaphor of a fast horse is used to illustrate the strenuous efforts made by a monk engaged in meditation in a forest far outperforming his fellow monk who is compared to a slow-moving horse. How an unstable and wandering mind is controlled by wise people is compared to how a blacksmith straightens a bent arrow. The unstable state of the human mind is illustrated by the simile of a fish taken out of water and the wise should shun this realm of the passions that keep the mind unsteady.

Three of speech are used in a single verse to clarity the state of human mind and the body. A group of monks were meditating in a jungle and they were disturbed by some tree-deities. When the monks complained to the Buddha about this he gave them necessary intimations with the use of these metaphorical expressions. The mind is as fragile as a (clay) jar and it should be strengthened like a fortified city ‘Mara’ the evil one who disturbs the mind should be attacked with wisdom which is compared to a weapon.

When a monk was ill with a stinking body too and was deserted y his associates, the Buddha Himself attended to him washing his body with warm water. Sitting an the sick monk’s bed the Buddha delivered this gatha (verse) in which he compare the human body to a rotten log. Human life is compared to foam on water and also to a mirage. A monk was meditating using these comparisons illustrating impermance of human life and the Buddha confirmed his views appearing before him. A man whose mind is distracted by thought of sensual pleasures is compared by the Buddha to a sleeping village which is swept away by a flood. The comparison is made regarding King Vidudabha who killed a number of Shakyas, Buddha’s Kinsmen and was later swept away by the sea together with his followers while camping on a river-bed.

A sage wondering in a villages on his endless journey away from the bondage of materials well-being renders an invaluable service to the villagers. This practice of the ascetics is illustrated by the Buddha with the simile of a bee making use of the honey from the flower without harming its colour or the scent. This preaching was caused by an act of kindness shown by Ven. Moggallana who brought to the Buddha a greedy village leader and helped him to be a follower of the enlightened one.

A potential disciple of the Buddha living among a group of thoughtless people is compared to a lotus flower blossoming on a heap of rubbish. This piece of Dhamma was occasioned by a devotee of an alien cult who was insulting the Buddha and was later made to understand the Dhamma.

‘Digha jagarato ratti-Digham santassa yojanam, Digho balanam Samsaro-Saddhamma avijanatam’ is a beautiful verse from the Dhammpada (Bala Vagga – 60) full of resonant notes and two resounding metaphors. Samsara, the existence of the living being in his continuance of repeated birth is a long and tiring ‘journey for the unintelligent creatures. This journey is illustrated by two metaphors by the Buddha ‘The night is too long for one who is wakeful’ and ‘the league (yojanam-yodund) is too long for the weary taveller. This preaching of the Buddha was occasioned when the king Pasenadi Kosala came to meet the Buddha and said that he had felt that a particular night had been too long being wakeful. A traveler also claimed that a league that he had been covering appeared to be too long. Thereupon Buddha preached to them that just like the two instances Samsara is too long to the foolish who do not know the sublime truth.

Another scintillating simile the Buddha used in his preaching is that a fool even after associating with a wise man for all his life cannot understand the Dhamma just as the spoon does not feel the taste of the soup. A fire hidden under ashes and milk taking a long time to curdle are another two metaphors that the Buddha has used in order to explain the theory of (Akusala) kamma (evil deeds perpetrated by people). According to this theory, the bad deeds committed by peopled onto bear fruit immediately, but take time just as the milk taking time to curdle and the fine hidingunder ashes. This piece of preaching was occasioned by the story of an angry farmer setting fire to the hut where a Pacceka Buddha (A Buddha of a secondary order) was living. As the retiribution this farmer was reborn as a ghoul in the shape of a snake.

Controlling mind without attachment to worldly pleasures is a man concept of Buddhism. This ideal is clarified by three comparisons. Irrigators turn the water to wherever they want; blacksmiths bend the iron-shafts as they want and carpenters turn the wood into shapes they need. The origin of the verse was a novice monk of seven years who keenly observed all three of these examples and explained by his teacher, he learnt to control his mind and subsequently attained Arahantship.

The metaphor of a solid rock not shake by the wind is used to illustrate the wise people who are not affected by praise or blame by those around. The story behind this preaching is an Arahant whose physical appearance being of short stature was ridiculed some novice monks. As the former was not perturbed by those insults the former was not perturbed by those insults the Buddha hearing it preached this verse.

Ascetics have no attachment to any place permanently as they are free from possess feelings denoted by ‘I’ and ‘my’ etc. This tendency is illustrated by the Buddha taking the metaphor of swans who do not stick to one place as their abdoe, but fly away from one lake to another. The need for this preaching was due to some monks misunderstanding that Ven. Kassapa had an attachme to his relatives. The Buddha denied this misconception by extolling the virtue of Arahats not to be attached to anyone oranythir and explained this with the metaphor of the swans travelling from one lake to another.

Thus the Buddha has made use of figures of speech profusely as an effective teaching teachnique as they readily clearify the relevant points of Dhamma while providing a happy sensation too. The most salient feature of Buddha’s metaphors and similes is their graphics suitability for the matter under discussion called ‘upama aucithya’ in literary Sinhala.

References

1. Ven. Narada Thera: 1963: The Dhammapada (Buddhist Cultural Centre)

2. Ven. Bambarenda Siri Seevali thera, 1983: ‘Sinhala Dhammapadaya’ (Gunasena)

3. Ven. Meerigama Gothama Thera "Budun Vadala Dahma"