“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, bālo abyatto akusalo sūdo rājānaṁ vā rājamahāmattaṁ vā nānaccayehi sūpehi paccupaṭṭhito assa—“Bhikkhus, suppose a foolish, incompetent, unskillful cook was to serve a king or his minister with a vast array of curries: ambilaggehipi, tittakaggehipi, kaṭukaggehipi, madhuraggehipi, khārikehipi, akhārikehipi, loṇikehipi, aloṇikehipi. superbly sour, bitter, pungent, and sweet; hot and mild, salty and bland.
Sa kho so, bhikkhave, bālo abyatto akusalo sūdo sakassa bhattu nimittaṁ na uggaṇhāti: But that cook didn’t pick up the cue of his own master: *“Hint” renders _nimitta_. I’ve chosen this to prevent confusion with the commentarial conception of a “sign” (a mystical mental image) that appears at some point during absorption meditation. The simile shows how in reality this _nimitta_ is something that’s *already there*, but is easily overlooked since it doesn't manifest in a direct, straightforward fashion, hence “hint”. The principle behind it is best illustrated by the [_cittānupassanā_ section of MN 10]((https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=mn10#mn10:34.1-mn10:35.4). ‘idaṁ vā me ajja bhattu sūpeyyaṁ ruccati, imassa vā abhiharati, imassa vā bahuṁ gaṇhāti, imassa vā vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati. ‘Today my master preferred this sauce, or he reached for it, or he took a lot of it, or he praised it. Ambilaggaṁ vā me ajja bhattu sūpeyyaṁ ruccati, ambilaggassa vā abhiharati, ambilaggassa vā bahuṁ gaṇhāti, ambilaggassa vā vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati. Tittakaggaṁ vā me ajja … kaṭukaggaṁ vā me ajja … madhuraggaṁ vā me ajja … khārikaṁ vā me ajja … akhārikaṁ vā me ajja … loṇikaṁ vā me ajja … aloṇikaṁ vā me ajja bhattu sūpeyyaṁ ruccati, aloṇikassa vā abhiharati, aloṇikassa vā bahuṁ gaṇhāti, aloṇikassa vā vaṇṇaṁ bhāsatī’ti. Today my master preferred the sour or bitter or pungent or sweet or hot or mild or salty sauce. Or he preferred the bland sauce, or he reached for the bland one, or he took a lot of it, or he praised it.’
Sa kho so, bhikkhave, bālo abyatto akusalo sūdo na ceva lābhī hoti acchādanassa, na lābhī vetanassa, na lābhī abhihārānaṁ. That foolish, incompetent, unskillful cook doesn’t get presented with clothes, wages, or bonuses. Taṁ kissa hetu? Why is that? Tathā hi so, bhikkhave, bālo abyatto akusalo sūdo sakassa bhattu nimittaṁ na uggaṇhāti. Because he doesn’t pick up the cue of his own master.
Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco bālo abyatto akusalo bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. In the same way, a foolish, incompetent, unskillful bhikkhu abides maintaining perspective of the body concurrently with the body—diligent, aware, and recollected, having subdued longing and upset in regard to the world. *[This comment](https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=mn10#mn10:3.1-mn10:3.2) to MN 10 explains the reasoning behind this rendering of the standard _satipaṭṭhāna_ formula. Tassa kāye kāyānupassino viharato cittaṁ na samādhiyati, upakkilesā na pahīyanti. As he abides maintaining perspective of the body concurrently with the body, his mind does not become composed, and the defilements are not given up. So taṁ nimittaṁ na uggaṇhāti. He doesn’t pick up that cue. *Given the context, “having subdued” (_vineyya_) just above refers to a basic level of withdrawal from the coarse activities involving longing and aversion, not only physically and verbally but mentally as well (in the sense of not crudely revolving around sense pleasures, worldly distractions, etc.). That coarse, blatant layer of hindrances is as much as the unskilled bhikkhu can surmount, as he fails to notice the more general and refined compulsions still underlying his very attempt to abandon the defilements. Vedanāsu vedanānupassī viharati …pe… He abides maintaining perspective of feelings concurrently with feelings … citte cittānupassī viharati …pe… of the mind concurrently with the mind … dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. of phenomena concurrently with phenomena—diligent, aware, and recollected, having subdued longing and upset in regard to the world. Tassa dhammesu dhammānupassino viharato cittaṁ na samādhiyati, upakkilesā na pahīyanti. As he abides maintaining perspective of phenomena concurrently with phenomena, his mind does not become composed, and the defilements are not given up. So taṁ nimittaṁ na uggaṇhāti. He doesn’t pick up that cue.
Sa kho so, bhikkhave, bālo abyatto akusalo bhikkhu na ceva lābhī hoti diṭṭheva dhamme sukhavihārānaṁ, na lābhī satisampajaññassa. That foolish, incompetent, unskillful bhikkhu doesn’t gain comfortable abidings right in the present experience, nor does he gain recollection-and-awareness. *Just as the unskilled cook would be serving his master with dishes based on his preconceived, abstract judgment of what he would fancy (“How could anyone not like this curry?”), so too the unskilled bhikkhu would operate with the tacit assumption that his attempt to practice _sati_ (or pursue any facet of the Dhamma) is inherently wholesome, failing to see that the quality of any action originates from the presently arisen [ intention behind it](https://www.hillsidehermitage.org/intentions-behind-ones-actions/). Because of this, he does not realize that what he is “feeding” his mind with those efforts (which are well and good *on paper*) is intentions of a subtler, albeit still defiled nature. He thereby unwittingly—yet by virtue of his own present attitude that he could give up at any time—maintains his mind in an agitated state despite actively striving for the opposite effect. See [“The Mind Whisperer”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of11wtHjudY). Taṁ kissa hetu? Why is that? Tathā hi so, bhikkhave, bālo abyatto akusalo bhikkhu sakassa cittassa nimittaṁ na uggaṇhāti. Because that foolish, incompetent, unskillful bhikkhu does not pick up the cue of his own mind.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, paṇḍito byatto kusalo sūdo rājānaṁ vā rājamahāmattaṁ vā nānaccayehi sūpehi paccupaṭṭhito assa—Suppose an astute, competent, skillful cook was to serve a ruler or their minister with a vast array of curries: ambilaggehipi, tittakaggehipi, kaṭukaggehipi, madhuraggehipi, khārikehipi, akhārikehipi, loṇikehipi, aloṇikehipi. superbly sour, bitter, pungent, and sweet; hot and mild, salty and bland.
Sa kho so, bhikkhave, paṇḍito byatto kusalo sūdo sakassa bhattu nimittaṁ uggaṇhāti: And that cook picked up the cue of his own master: ‘idaṁ vā me ajja bhattu sūpeyyaṁ ruccati, imassa vā abhiharati, imassa vā bahuṁ gaṇhāti, imassa vā vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati. ‘Today my master preferred this sauce, or he reached for it, or he took a lot of it, or he praised it. Ambilaggaṁ vā me ajja bhattu sūpeyyaṁ ruccati, ambilaggassa vā abhiharati, ambilaggassa vā bahuṁ gaṇhāti, ambilaggassa vā vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati. Tittakaggaṁ vā me ajja … kaṭukaggaṁ vā me ajja … madhuraggaṁ vā me ajja … khārikaṁ vā me ajja … akhārikaṁ vā me ajja … loṇikaṁ vā me ajja … aloṇikaṁ vā me ajja bhattu sūpeyyaṁ ruccati, aloṇikassa vā abhiharati, aloṇikassa vā bahuṁ gaṇhāti, aloṇikassa vā vaṇṇaṁ bhāsatī’ti. Today my master preferred the sour or bitter or pungent or sweet or hot or mild or salty sauce. Or he preferred the bland sauce, or he reached for the bland one, or he took a lot of it, or he praised it.’
Sa kho so, bhikkhave, paṇḍito byatto kusalo sūdo lābhī ceva hoti acchādanassa, lābhī vetanassa, lābhī abhihārānaṁ. That astute, competent, skillful cook gets presented with clothes, wages, and bonuses. Taṁ kissa hetu? Why is that? Tathā hi so, bhikkhave, paṇḍito byatto kusalo sūdo sakassa bhattu nimittaṁ uggaṇhāti. Because he picks up the cue of his own master.
Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco paṇḍito byatto kusalo bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. In the same way, a wise, competent, skillful bhikkhu abides maintaining perspective of the body concurrently with the body—diligent, aware, and recollected, having subdued longing and upset in regard to the world. Tassa kāye kāyānupassino viharato cittaṁ samādhiyati, upakkilesā pahīyanti. As he abides maintaining perspective of the body concurrently with the body, his mind becomes composed, and the defilements are given up. So taṁ nimittaṁ uggaṇhāti. He picks up that cue. *Not by trying to “figure it out”, but by removing [the things that prevent it](https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=an6.68) from becoming apparent. Keeping one's virtue properly already develops some basic recognition of the “hints” of the mind, since it requires being mindful of the motivation behind one's every action and not just adopt external behaviors that align with the letter of the precepts. In exactly the same way, the skilled bhikkhu is always clear and vigilant about the present motivation behind contemplating the body, etc.—seeing whether it's affected with restlessness, anticipation, aversion, impatience, and similar—and his efforts are not just directed at the *content* of that contemplation. Vedanāsu vedanānupassī viharati …pe… He abides maintaining perspective of feelings concurrently with feelings … citte cittānupassī viharati …pe… of the mind concurrently with the mind … dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. of phenomena concurrently with phenomena—diligent, aware, and recollected, having subdued longing and upset in regard to the world. Tassa dhammesu dhammānupassino viharato cittaṁ samādhiyati, upakkilesā pahīyanti. As he abides maintaining perspective of phenomena concurrently with phenomena, his mind becomes composed, and the defilements are given up. So taṁ nimittaṁ uggaṇhāti. He picks up that cue.
Sa kho so, bhikkhave, paṇḍito byatto kusalo bhikkhu lābhī ceva hoti diṭṭheva dhamme sukhavihārānaṁ, lābhī hoti satisampajaññassa. That wise, competent, skillful bhikkhu gains comfortable abidings right in the present experience, and he gains recollection-and-awareness. *The right “food” for the mind is not found through “experimenting” to see what will give rise to the greatest meditative bliss. It's impossible for that intention not to be accompanied by the very first hindrance of longing (_abhijjhā_), and the abandoning of such obvious tendencies is presupposed even in the unskilled bhikkhu. The right pleasant abiding results from the complete abandonment of craving, and this is achieved through cultivating the intentions that are _known_ to be fully free from passion, aversion, and distraction. Taṁ kissa hetu? Why is that? Tathā hi so, bhikkhave, paṇḍito byatto kusalo bhikkhu sakassa cittassa nimittaṁ uggaṇhātī”ti. Because that wise, competent, skillful bhikkhu picks up the cue of his own mind.”
Aṭṭhamaṁ.
Origin URL: https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=sn47.8