SA 617（六一七） 鸟

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in the Jeta Grove near Śrāvastī.

At that time the World-Honored One told the bhikṣus, "In the past there was a bird called Rāvaṇa. It was caught by a hawk and soared into the sky, crying out, 'I did not realize that I would suddenly encounter this difficulty. It is because I left my parents' territory and wandered elsewhere that I encountered this difficulty. How can I be so constrained by others today and not be free?' The hawk said to Rāvaṇa, 'Where is your own territory where you can be free?' Rāvaṇa replied, 'In the furrows of a plowed field, I have my own territory, enough to avoid all difficulties. That is my parents' territory.'

The hawk arrogantly said to Rāvaṇa, 'I will let you go. Can you escape back to the furrows?' Then Rāvaṇa escaped from the hawk's claws and returned to the large mound in the plowed field. It settled down in a safe place and then wanted to fight with the hawk on the mound.

The hawk was greatly enraged. 'This is a small bird, daring to fight with me!' Its anger was extreme. It flew straight and struck. Then Rāvaṇa entered under the mound. The hawk flew with force and its chest struck the hard mound, shattering its body and killing it.

At that time, the Rāvaṇa bird deeply hid under the mound and spoke a verse from above:

The hawk bird came with force, Rāvaṇa relied on its own
realm. Riding on the power of fierce anger, it brought disaster
and shattered its body. I fully understand and rely on my
own realm. Subduing the enemy, the mind rejoices. Observing myself, I
rejoice in its power. Even if you have the strength of
a hundred thousand dragons and elephants, it is not as good
as one-sixteenth of my wisdom. Observing my superior wisdom, it destroys the hawk.

Thus, bhikkhus! Like that hawk bird, foolishly abandoning its own parents' realm and wandering elsewhere, it brings about this calamity. You bhikkhus should also be like this. In your own realm, where you practice, you should guard it well and avoid others' realms. You should learn this.

Bhikkhus! The other place, the other realm, refers to the five sense objects. Seeing desirable, agreeable, and delightful forms with the eye, one is lustfully attached. Hearing sounds with the ear, smelling scents with the nose, tasting flavors with the tongue, and touching tangibles with the body, desirable, agreeable, and delightful tangibles, one is lustfully attached. This is called the other place, the other realm, bhikkhus. Bhikkhus! The self-place, the parents' realm, refers to the four foundations of mindfulness. What are the four? They are mindfulness of the body contemplating the body, mindfulness of feelings, mind, and phenomena contemplating phenomena. Therefore, bhikkhus! You should wander in your own place, the parents' realm, and avoid the other place, the other realm. You should learn this.

After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the bhikṣus heard what the Buddha said and joyfully practiced it.