Index of Similes

This is a partial index of the similes and metaphors that appear in the suttas available at Access to Insight. Only the imagery that illustrates points of Dhamma is included here; imagery that serves primarily a literary or narrative function is not included (e.g., Ambapali's description of her long-lost youthful beauty ). The subject of each image is given in the braces {}. The tilde (~) stands for the head-word in a given entry.

Suttas without hyperlinks are those not currently available at Access to Insight; they are included here only for reference.

A

Acrobats:
{watching after oneself/others} SN 47.19
Ancient city:
{awakening} SN 12.65
Animals bound together by a rope:
{lack of mindfulness} SN 35.206
Archer :
{brevity of life; heedfulness} SN 20.6 ; archer's apprentice {jhāna} AN 9.36 . See also Arrow , Fletcher .
Arrow :
{dukkha} Sn 3.8 ; poisoned {speculative views} MN 63 , {craving} MN 105 , {contagiousness of evil} Iti 76 ; person shot with two ~ {physical and mental pain} SN 36.6 ; in the heart {sensuality} Sn 4.15 ; piercing a horsehair {subtlety of Dhamma} SN 56.45 ; Thag 1.26 ; removed {greed} SN 1.5 ; shot into the night {bad people} Dhp 304 ; straightened by a fletcher (see Fletcher ). See also Doctor , Fletcher .

B

Bamboo:
destroyed by its own fruit {evil} Dhp 164 , Iti 50 ; spreading {solitude in the wilderness} Sn 1.3
Bathman or bathman's apprentice:
{rapture of 1 st jhāna} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , MN 39 , MN 119 , AN 5.28
Bandits:
{external sense media} SN 35.197
Barley reaper:
{defilements} Miln II.1.8
Beast of burden:
{persistence} Sn 1.4
Beauty queen:
{mindfulness} SN 47.20
Bee gathering nectar:
{sage} Dhp 49
Bird:
escaping from net {rarity of heavenly birth} Dhp 174 ; leaving no track {arahant} Dhp 92 ; sighting shore {seeking the Buddha; meaning of Tathagata} DN 11 , AN 6.54 ; spattered with dirt {mindfulness} SN 9.1 ; with wings as its only burden {contentment} DN 2 , DN 11 , MN 38 ,
Blindness:
{ignorance} MN 75
Blind men:
row of {ignorance} MN 95 ; and the elephant {ignorance} Ud 6.4
Boat being bailed out:
{defilements} Dhp 369
Bog:
{sensuality} Sn 4.15
Boil, festering:
{the body} AN 9.15
Boiling the River Ganges:
{speech} MN 21
Bones:
chain or heap {sensuality} MN 54 , AN 5.76 ; mountain {length of samsara} Iti 24
Bottomless chasm:
{painful feeling} SN 36.4
Boulder thrown into lake:
{kamma} SN 42.6
Bowl of poison:
{passion} Thig 14
Branch, man grasping a:
{self-view} AN 4.178
Bubble on water:
{appropriate attention} SN 22.95
Bull :
born into a herd of cattle {arahant} AN 5.179 ; yoked to a load {endurance} Thag 14.2 . See also Cow .
Burning ghee or oil:
{meditation on the fire property} Ud 8.9 , Ud 8.10
Burning grass or leaves:
{not-self} SN 35.101
Burning refuge:
{dukkha} Sn 3.8
Butcher or butcher's apprentice:
{meditation on the four properties} DN 22 , MN 119 ; {trance of non-breathing} MN 36 . See also Bull , Cow .
Butcher of goats:
{kamma} AN 3.99
Butter from water:
{wrong view} MN 126

C

Calf not seeing its mother:
{change & alteration} SN 22.80 . See also Cow .
Carpenter :
{wearing down the effluents} SN 22.101 ; {self-control} Dhp 80 , Dhp 145 ; {applied thought} Miln II.3.13
Cart wheel:
{suffering} Dhp 1
Catching arrows:
{brevity of life; heedfulness} SN 20.6
Cave:
{the body; sensuality} Sn 4.2
Cesspool difficult to clean:
{impurities} Sn 2.6
Chaff:
{corrupt person} Sn 1.5 , Sn 2.6 ; {dead body} SN 35.69 ; {others' faults} Dhp 252
Charcoals:
{passions} AN 8.28
Chariot:
{anger} Dhp 222 ; {the body} Dhp 151 ; {concentration} AN 5.28 ; {mindfulness} MN 119 ; {world} Dhp 171
Chariots, relay:
{stages of insight} MN 24
Charioteer :
{sense-restraint} Dhp 94
Cheater:
{others' errors} Dhp 252
Children playing with sand castles:
{aggregates} SN 23.2
City of bones:
{the body} Dhp 150
City superintendent at a crossroads:
{consciousness} Miln II.3.12
Cleansing of the body with scouring balls and bath powder:
{cleansing the mind} AN 3.70
Cleansing of the head with paste and clay:
{cleansing the mind} AN 3.70
Cliff, frightful:
{fear of birth, aging, and death} SN 56.42
Cloth, person covered with white:
{4 th jhāna} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , MN 39 , AN 5.28 ; soiled {conceit} SN 22.89 ; to be dyed {defiled and undefiled mind} MN 7 , Ud 5.3
Cock's feather in fire:
{unattractiveness} AN 7.46
Conch-trumpet blower:
{sublime attitudes} SN 42.8
Constellations:
{heedfulness} AN 10.15
Cosmos:
walking to the end of the {suffering} AN 9.38
Cotton tuft:
{rapture} Thag 1.104
Couple eating their child:
{purpose of food} SN 12.63
Cow :
butchered {meditation on the four properties} DN 22 , MN 119 ; flayed {contact} SN 12.63 ; led to slaughter {inevitability of death} AN 7.70 , Sn 3.8 ; milked dry {lack of moderation} MN 33 , AN 11.18 ; producing milk, curds, butter, ghee, etc. {practice for oneself and others} AN 4.95 ; roaming in the mountains {mastery of jhāna} AN 9.35 ; skinned {sensuality} MN 146 ; that runs away {fool} SN 11.5 ; udder {brief time} SN 20.4 . See also Bull , Butcher .
Cowherd :
competent {skillfulness} MN 33 , AN 11.18 ; counting another's cattle {heedlessness} Dhp 19 ; driving cattle {aging and death} Dhp 135 ; incompetent {unskillfulness} MN 33 , AN 11.18 ; mindful of his cows {skillfulness} MN 19 ; prodding and poking his cows {skillfulness} MN 19 ; reflecting on the places his cattle have wandered {uposatha} AN 3.70 . See also Bull , Cow .
Crafts, Trades, and Professions .:
See Archer , Bathman , Butcher , Carpenter , Charioteer , Cowherd , Doctor , Elephant tamer , Fletcher , Goldsmith , Horsetrainer , Irrigator , Ivory carver , King , Magician , Potter , Silversmith , Trader , Turner , Warrior , Weigher .
Creeper pod:
{future dangers} MN 45
Crooked chariot wheels:
{faults} AN 3.15
Cymbals striking together:
{contact} Miln II.3.8

D

Darkness, intergalactic:
{fear of birth, aging, and death} SN 56.46
Debt:
{conviction} AN 6.45
Deer that wanders in the wilderness:
{solitude} Sn 1.3
Dewdrop on tip of grass blade:
{brevity of life} AN 7.70
Digging in earth:
{speech} MN 21
Dirt-washer:
{purifying the mind} AN 3.100 (i-x)
Doctor :
{the Buddha} MN 63 , MN 105 . See also Arrow .
Dog:
chasing swine {gratitude} SN 7.14 ; gnawing on a chain of bones {sensuality} MN 54 ; tied to a post {self-view} SN 22.99 , SN 22.100 .
Donkey that thinks it's a cow:
{insincerity with regard to the Dhamma} AN 3.81
Drawing pictures in space:
{speech} MN 21
Dream, waking from:
{sensuality} MN 54 ; {death} Sn 4.6
Drinking water:
{subduing hatred} from a clear pool AN 5.162 ; from a dirty pool AN 5.162 ; from a puddle in a hoofprint AN 5.162
Drum peg:
{listening to Dhamma} SN 20.7
Dry piece of wood:
{mindfulness} MN 119
Dung beetle:
{pride} SN 17.5
Dust:
on a fingertip {dukkha} SN 13.1 , {rarity of human birth} SN 20.2 ; thrown into wind {evil} Dhp 125
Dusty road:
{household life} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , MN 36 , MN 125

E

Earth:
{arahant} Dhp 95
Elephant :
and the blind men {ignorance} Ud 6.4 ; footprint {four noble truths} MN 28 , {heedfulness} SN 3.17 , AN 10.15 ; in battle {patient endurance} Dhp 320 , Thag 3.8 ; in battle {sensual passion} AN 5.139 , {sense-restraint} AN 5.140 ; in rut {self-control} Dhp 324 , Dhp 326 ; in the wild {mature companion} Sn 1.3 ; relieves an itch {solitude in the wilderness} AN 9.40 ; renouncing its herd {solitude in the wilderness} Sn 1.3 ; snared {attachments} MN 66 ; stuck in mud {heedfulness} Dhp 327 ; tamable {factors for exertion} MN 90 ; tamed {self-training} Dhp 322
Elephant-tamer :
{renunciation} MN 125
Embers in a pit:
{passion} Thig 14
Empty water pot:
{mindfulness} MN 119
Executioner:
five {aggregates} SN 35.197 ; sixth {passion/delight} SN 35.197
Eyes, man opening and closing his:
{faculties} MN 152

F

False path in the forest:
{wrong eightfold path} MN 19
Farmer's urgent duties:
{self-training} AN 3.91
Field:
neglecting one's own {teaching Dhamma} DN 12 ; spoiled by weeds {passion} Dhp 356
Fire :
{clinging} SN 12.52 , SN 35.28 , SN 44.9 ; {discernment} Thag 1.3 ; {heedfulness} Dhp 31 ; {passion} Dhp 251 ; {restlessness} SN 46.53 ; {sluggishness} SN 46.53 ; fire's destination {nibbana} Ud 8.10 ; fire not returning {solitude in the wilderness} Sn 1.3 ; hidden in ashes {unskillful action} Dhp 71 ; different types of fire {classes of consciousness} MN 38 ; different types of fire {virtue and results thereof} MN 93
Fire-stick:
{sensuality} MN 36 ; {feeling} SN 48.39
Firebrand with excrement:
{practicing Dhamma for no one's benefit} AN 4.95 ; {failing to practice Dhamma} SN 22.80 , Iti 91
Fish:
caught in net {solitude in the wilderness} Sn 1.3 , {sensuality} Thag 4.8 ; caught in trap {sensuality} Ud 7.4 ; caught on a hook {six senses} SN 35.189 ; in dried-up puddle {self-view} Sn 4.2 , SN 5.10 ; flip-flapping on dry land {unsteady mind} Dhp 34 ; rising through the water {recognizing a wise person} AN 4.192 ; rotten and wrapped in grass {associating with fools} Iti 76 ; struggling in water {quarreling} Sn 4.15
Fisherman:
{Māra} SN 35.189
Flame:
overthrown by wind{arahant} Sn 5.6 ; passed from one lamp to another {rebirth} Miln III.5.5 ; unbinding of {nibbana} Thig 5.10 ;
Fletcher straightening an arrow:
{exertion} MN 101 ; {training the mind} Dhp 33 , Thag 1.29 ; {restraint} Dhp 145 , Dhp 80 . See also Arrow .
Flies' eggs:
{sensuality} MN 33 , AN 11.18
Flood :
{craving, sensuality, becoming, ignorance} SN 1.1 , SN 45.171 ; {greed} Sn 4.15 ; sweeping away a sleeping village {death} Dhp 47 , Dhp 286 . See also River , Ocean .
Flower :
blossom {speech} Dhp 51 ; heap {skillfulness} Dhp 53 ; scent {integrity} Dhp 54 . See also Lotus .
Flower-arranger:
{Dhamma follower} Dhp 44
Foam:
{the body/form} SN 22.95 , Dhp 46
Fords:
{asking questions} MN 33 , AN 11.18
Forest:
{desire} Dhp 283 ; {Dhamma} Sn 2.1
Fort:
{mind} Dhp 40
Fragrances:
{heedfulness} flower AN 10.15 ; root AN 10.15 ; wood AN 10.15
Frontier fortress:
{the body} SN 35.204 ; {seven skillful qualities} AN 7.63 ; {liberation is not for everyone} AN 10.95 ; {guarding oneself} Dhp 315 , Thag 14.1 ; foundation post {conviction} AN 7.63 ; moat {shame} AN 7.63 ; encircling road {concern} AN 7.63 ; weapons {learning} AN 7.63 ; army {persistence} AN 7.63 ; gate-keeper {mindfulness} AN 7.63 ; ramparts {discernment} AN 7.63 ; stores of grass {1 st jhāna} AN 7.63 ; stores of rice {2 nd jhāna} AN 7.63 ; stores of sesame {3 rd jhāna} AN 7.63 ; stores of tonics {4 th jhāna} AN 7.63
Fruit, ripe:
{death} Sn 3.8
Full moon:
{discernment} Thig 1.3 . See Moon .
Full water pot:
{mindfulness} MN 119
Fumigation:
{teaching Dhamma} MN 33 , AN 11.18

G

Gem with colored thread inside:
{clear seeing} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12
Gift of food:
{good will} SN 20.4
Goat butcher:
{kamma} AN 3.99
Gold:
coins raining {sensuality} Dhp 186 ; disappearance of {disappearance of Dhamma} SN 16.13 ; ingot {discernment and virtue} Dhp 229 ; mountain {sensuality} SN 4.20 ; ornament {arahant} AN 4.28
Goldsmith :
purifying gold {purifying the mind} AN 3.100 (i-x) , AN 3.100 (xi-xv) ; crafting any kind of article {supranormal powers} DN 2 , DN 11
Gong:
{applied and sustained thought} Miln II.3.14
Gourds in autumn:
{bones} Dhp 149
Grass:
with sharp blades{wrong practice} Dhp 311 ; wild grass after rain {dukkha} Dhp 335
Green reed cut down:
{foolish person} SN 1.10
Ground far from the sky:
{foolish person} SN 5.10
Guest house:
{feelings in the body} SN 36.14
Guest refusing the host's food:
{insulting behavior} SN 7.2

H

Handful of leaves:
{Dhamma} SN 56.31
Hands clapping:
{contact} Miln II.3.8
Hawk attacking quail:
{mindfulness} SN 47.6
Head of snake:
{sensuality} Sn 4.1
Head on fire:
See Turban on fire
Head sliced open with sword:
{pain} MN 36
Heartwood:
{goal of the Dhamma} MN 29 , MN 30 , MN 35 ; {the Buddha} MN 18 , MN 138 ; {appropriate attention} SN 22.95 ; {not-self} SN 35.193
Hell, saved from:
{Dhamma} DN 12
Hen covering her eggs:
{virtue, etc.} MN 53 , SN 22.101
Herd of cattle:
{arahant} AN 3.57
Herons wasting away:
{falling short of celibacy} Dhp 155
Himalayas:
{good people} Dhp 304
Hog, fat and lazy:
{foolish person} Dhp 325
Honey ball:
{flavor of Dhamma} MN 18
Hooks:
{six senses} SN 35.189
Horse :
awakened by the whip {conscience} SN 1.18 ; deprived of fodder {father of fools} SN 7.14 ; fast {wise person} Dhp 29 ; stallion {self-training} Dhp 94 , Dhp 144 , Dhp 380 ; stirred by a goad-stick {trainable person} AN 4.113 ; tamed {self-tamed person} Dhp 322 ; thoroughbred {arahant} Thag 2.27 , Thig 5.10 ; thoroughbred {jhāna} AN 11.10 ; thoroughbred {qualities of a consummate monk} AN 3.94 , AN 8.13 ; unbroken colt {jhāna} AN 11.10
Horsetrainer :
{trainable person} AN 4.111
House :
built from the bottom up {four noble truths} SN 56.44 ; fireproof {mindfulness/awareness} SN 35.202 ; flammable {mindfulness/awareness} SN 35.202 ; on fire {the body} SN 1.41 ; with poor roof {unguarded mind} AN 3.105 .

I

Illness, man recovering from:
{hindrances} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , MN 39
Incense wrapped in leaf:
{associating with people of integrity} Iti 76
Indra's pillar:
{arahant} Dhp 95
Inscription in rock or water:
{anger} AN 3.130
Insects falling into flame:
{ignorance} Ud 6.9
Iron ball aflame, eating or swallowing an:
{restraint} Dhp 307 , Iti 48 , Iti 91 ; {sensuality} Dhp 371
Irrigator :
{self-control} Dhp 80 , Dhp 145
Island:
{refuge in Dhamma} DN 16 , DN 26 , SN 22.43 , SN 47.13 , Dhp 25 , Dhp 236 , Dhp 238 , Sn 5.10
Ivory carver or his assistant:
{supranormal powers} DN 2 , DN 11

J

Jackal:
{the perils of fame} SN 17.8
Jail, person thrown in:
{kamma} AN 3.99
Jar :
filled with water {right concentration} AN 5.28 ; filled with ghee or oil {virtue} SN 42.6 , SN 55.21 ; made of clay {the body} Dhp 40

K

King :
hearing a lute {not-self} SN 35.205 ; renouncing kingdom {solitude in the wilderness} Sn 1.3 , Dhp 329 ; seeing no danger after victory {virtue} DN 2 , DN 11 .

L

Lake :
deep and calm {wise people} Dhp 82 ; dried-up {virtue} Dhp 155 ; free of mud {arahant} Dhp 95 ; person stranded in the middle {clinging} Sn 5.10 ; spring-fed {jhāna} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , MN 39 , MN 119 , AN 5.28 ; unruffled by wind {arahant} Iti 92 .
Lamp:
going out{detachment} SN 54.8 ; in a dark house {insight} Miln II.1.14 ; passing its flame to another {rebirth} Miln III.5.5 ; in the dark {stock exclamation of appreciation of the Dhamma} — see Uprighting what had been overturned
Leaf, yellowed:
{aging} Dhp 235
Leaky boat:
{pain} Sn 4.1
Leaves:
blown from a tree {unwholesome states} Thag 17.2 ; handful of {Dhamma} SN 56.31
Leper covered with sores:
{sensuality} MN 75
Lily/lotus crushed in hand:
{self-view} Dhp 285
Limb falling from tree:
{nibbana} SN 47.13
Linchpin in a moving cart:
{generosity and kindness} AN 4.32
Lion :
in the wild {solitude in the wilderness} Sn 1.3 , Sn 3.1 ; unstartled by sounds {wise person} Sn 1.3 , Sn 1.12
Line drawn on water:
{brevity of life} AN 7.70
Loan, man taking out a:
{hindrances} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , MN 39
Log in a stream:
{path of practice} SN 35.200 . See also Stream .
Lost caravan leader:
{virtue} Sn 4.13
Lotus :
crushed in the hand {self-view} Dhp 285 ; pond {jhāna} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , MN 39 , MN 119 , AN 5.28 ; pond {the world} MN 26 ; rising above the water {Tathagata} AN 10.81 ; scent of {self-view} SN 22.89 ; unsmeared by water {solitude in the wilderness} Sn 1.3 , Sn 1.12 ; unsmeared by water {sensuality} Sn 4.9 . See also Flower , Water on a lotus .
Lute, disassembled:
{not-self} SN 35.205

M

Magic show:
{the body} Thig 14
Magician :
{consciousness} SN 22.95
Man :
burning different kinds of wood {persistence and exertion} MN 90 ; carrying burning grass torch {sensuality} MN 54 ; pursuing a woman {unworthy teacher} DN 12 ; repaid by king {feeling} Miln II.3.9 ; returning home after long absence {kamma} Dhp 219 ; seeking heartwood {seeking the goal of the Dhamma} MN 29 , MN 30 , MN 35 ; seeking heartwood {seeking the Buddha} MN 18 , MN 138 ; seeking heartwood {appropriate attention} SN 22.95 ; seeking heartwood {not-self} SN 35.193 ; with borrowed goods {sensuality} MN 54 ;
Man & woman in love {desire}":
MN 101
Meat thrown into a fire:
{brevity of life} AN 7.70
Merchant with caravan:
{avoiding evil} Dhp 123
Middle of the sea:
{stillness of mind} Sn 4.14
Milk:
{evil deed} Dhp 71 ; from a cow {self-view} DN 9 ; from a cow's horn {wrong view} MN 126 . See also Cow .
Mirage:
{the body} Dhp 46 , Thig 14 ; {perception} SN 22.95
Mire, person stuck in the:
{ignorance} MN 8
Mirror of the Dhamma:
{stream-entry} DN 16
Money:
{uposatha observance} AN 10.46
Monkey :
caught in tar trap {mindfulness} SN 47.7 ; in forest {heedlessness} Dhp 334 ; swinging from branch to branch {untrained in Dhamma; inconstancy of mind} SN 12.61 , Sn 4.4
Moon :
{arahant} Dhp 413 ; {good will} Iti 27 (a) , ( b ); {heedfulness} AN 10.15 ; {jhāna} Dhp 387 ; full {arahant} Thig 1.3 ; set free from a cloud {heedfulness, skillfulness} Dhp 172 , Dhp 382 , Iti 74 ; waning {unvirtuous person} DN 31 , SN 5.10 ; waxing {virtuous person} DN 31 ;
Morning star:
{good will} Iti 27
Mother risking life for child:
{good will} Sn 1.8
Mountain:
of gold {sensuality} SN 4.20 ; of solid rock {arahant} Ud 3.4 , Thag 14.1 of solid rock {imperturbability} AN 6.55 ; of solid rock {restraint} Dhp 7 ;
Mountains crushing in from all directions:
{brevity of life} SN 3.25
Mules, tamed:
{self-tamed person} Dhp 322
Muñja grass:
{resolve and determination} Sn 3.2
Mural painted on wall:
{the body} Thig 14
Murderer with sword:
{disenchantment} AN 6.103 ; {heedfulness} AN 7.46
Mustard seed :
{passion} Dhp 407 ; {sensuality} Dhp 401 . ( Note: the famous parable in which the Buddha challenges a grieving Kisa Gotami to fetch a mustard seed from any household that has never known death is found in the Commentaries to Thig 10.1 ( ThigA X.1 ) and Dhp 114 .)

N

Noise from a soft catskin bag:
{speech} MN 21

O

Ocean :
an abode for mighty creatures {Dhamma-vinaya} Ud 5.5 ; crossing over the {arahant} SN 35.187 , Iti 69 ; slope of ~ floor {progress of Dhamma practice} Ud 5.5 ; greatness of {stream-entry} SN 13.8 ; intolerance to dead bodies {unvirtuous person} Ud 5.5 ; many treasures of {37 wings to awakening} Ud 5.5 ; middle of ~ is calm {stillness of mind} Sn 4.14 ; polluted by a pot of poison {abuse towards the Tathagata} Iti 89 ; salty taste of {release} Ud 5.5 ; stability of {restraint of the Vinaya} Ud 5.5 ; steady level of {nibbana} Ud 5.5 . See also Flood .
Oil from gravel:
{wrong view} MN 126
Oil lamp:
depends on wick and fuel {feeling} SN 36.7 ; flickering of {six senses} MN 146
Ornament of gold:
{arahant} AN 4.28
Ox :
{suffering} Dhp 1 ; {person who doesn't listen} Dhp 152 ; eating corn {sensuality} SN 35.205 ; joined by a single yoke {sense-bases and their objects} SN 35.191

P

Painting of a woman or man:
{not-self} SN 22.100 ; {nutriment} SN 12.64
Palm leaf dropping away:
{aversion} Iti 88
Palm tree:
with top cut off {awakening} MN 105 ; uprooted {awakening} MN 49 , SN 22.3 , SN 41.7 , SN 44.1 .
Pastures:
{mindfulness} MN 33 , AN 11.18
Path, man showing the:
{Tathagata} SN 22.84
Peacock:
{jhāna} Sn 1.12
Peg in drum:
{listening to Dhamma} SN 20.7
Person looking down from a rocky crag:
{wise person} Iti 38
Person reflecting on another:
{higher knowledges} AN 5.28
Person riding a small wooden plank in the great ocean:
{laziness} Iti 78
Pillar at a bathing ford:
{wise person} Sn 1.12
Pit of embers:
{intellectual intention} SN 12.63 ; {sensuality} MN 54 , Thig 14
Plow:
{discernment} Sn 1.4 . See also Yokes .
Poison:
{evil deeds} Dhp 123
Poison, man drinking:
{restraint} MN 105 ; {volition} Miln II.3.11
Polished shell:
{life as a bhikkhu} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , MN 36 , MN 125 , Ud 5.6
Pond:
{integrity} delightful, SN 3.19 ; haunted, SN 3.19
Pool of water :
clear or muddy {mind} AN 1.45-46 ; in a mountain glen {arahant} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , MN 39
Poor person:
{fetters} MN 66 ; {speech} AN 10.24
Pot :
flattened metal {nibbana} Dhp 134 ; of pickled greens {passion} Thig 1.1 ; smashed by stone {delusion} Sn 3.2
Potter or potter's apprentice:
{supranormal powers} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12
Potter's clay vessels:
{inevitability of death} Sn 3.8
Princes of wattle-and-daub towns:
{heedfulness} AN 10.15
Prison, man released from:
{hindrances} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , MN 39
Propagation of plants:
{aggregates} SN 22.54

Q

Quail snared by a rotten creeper:
{attachments} MN 66

R

Rabbit caught in snare:
{fetters} Dhp 342
Raft:
{eightfold path} MN 22 , SN 35.197 , Sn 1.2
Rafters of house:
{defilements} Dhp 153 ; {heedfulness} AN 10.15
Rag, saving the good part of a:
{subduing hatred} AN 5.162
Rain :
{austerity} Sn 1.4 ; entering hut {passion} Dhp 13 ; from a cloud {generosity} Iti 75 ; from a cloud {concentration} SN 54.9 ; from a thunderhead {discernment} AN 4.102 ; sent by devas {brevity of life} AN 7.70 ; stilling a cloud of dust {silencing one's thoughts} Iti 87 , Thag 15.1
Rams butting heads:
{contact} Miln II.3.8
Reeds or rushes:
destroyed by their own fruit {defilements} SN 3.23 ; drawn from their sheaths{supranormal powers} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 ; matted {craving} AN 4.199 .
Reflection of one's face in mirror:
{mind-reading} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , AN 10.54 ; {"I am" with possessiveness} SN 22.83
Reservoir with four inlets and outlets:
{virtuous conduct} AN 8.54
Rhinoceros:
{solitude in the wilderness} Sn 1.3
Rich person:
{speech} AN 10.24
Riddle tree:
{purity of vision} SN 35.204
Ridge-pole of house:
{ignorance} Dhp 153
River :
{craving} Dhp 251 , Iti 109 ; flow down to the sea {heedfulness} AN 10.15 ; carrying everything with it {brevity of life} AN 7.70 ; swift current {hunger} Sn 4.15 , {hindrances} AN 5.51 ; gives up its name upon reaching the sea {going-forth} Ud 5.5 ; person swept away by a {not-self} SN 22.93 . See also Flood .
Road:
{eightfold path} MN 33 , AN 11.18 ; dangerous {evil deeds} Dhp 123
Rock:
broken in two {sphere of nothingness} MN 105 ; in wind {wise person} Dhp 81
Roots, medicinal:
{craving} Dhp 337
Rubbish pile with lotus:
{Buddha} Dhp 58
Rust eating iron:
{evil deeds} Dhp 240

S

Sack full of grains:
{the body} DN 22 , MN 119
Salt:
in water {evil deed} AN 3.99 ; taste of ocean {Dhamma} Ud 5.5
Sand castles:
{aggregates} SN 23.2
Saw used by an attacking bandit:
{patient endurance} MN 21 , MN 28
Seed:
{conviction} Sn 1.4 ; bitter {wrong view} AN 10.104 ; capable of sprouting {kamma} AN 3.33 ; mustard ~ {sensuality} Dhp 401 ; mustard ~ {passion} Dhp 407 ; rotting in a field: SN 5.10 ; sweet: AN 10.104 . See also Mustard seed .
Seedling not watered:
{change & alteration} SN 22.80 .
Seizure:
{anger} Dhp 251
Servant murdering his master:
{not-self} SN 22.85
Shack, flammable:
{mindfulness/awareness} SN 35.202 . See also House .
Shadow that never leaves:
{kamma} SN 3.4 , SN 3.20 , Dhp 1
Sheaf of barley thrashed repeatedly:
{foolish person} SN 35.207
Sheaves of reeds:
{dependent co-arising} SN 12.67
Ship left ashore over winter:
{fetters} SN 22.101
Shore :
far {nibbana} SN 35.197 ; far {external sense media} SN 35.200 ; near {self-view} SN 35.197 ; near {internal sense media} SN 35.200 . See also Stream .
Shot with arrow:
{craving} Sn 2.10 , Sn 4.1 ; {present kamma} MN 101
Shuttle:
{wise person} Sn 1.12
Silversmith :
{purifying the mind} Dhp 239 , Sn 4.16
Sick man, taking pity on a:
{hatred} AN 5.162
Slavery, man freed from:
{hindrances} DN 2 , DN 11 DN 12 , MN 39
Snake :
giving one's hand to a poisonous ~ {sense-restraint} MN 105 ; pulled from its slough {mind-made body} DN 2 , DN 11 ; shedding its skin {defilements} Sn 1.1 ; water-snake bites man {wrong grasp of Dhamma} MN 22
Snapping one's fingers:
{equanimity} MN 152
Snare:
{delusion} Dhp 251
Sound of drums:
{clairaudience} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12
Soup tasted by ladle:
{wise person and fool} Dhp 64
Space gathered under the term "house":
{form} MN 28
Spear:
{good-will} SN 20.5
Spider snared in its own web:
{passion} Dhp 347
Spitting:
{equanimity} MN 152
Spring-fed lake:
See Lake .
Staircase build at a crossroads:
{wrong view} DN 9
Stallion.:
See Horse .
Stick thrown up into the air:
{rebirth} SN 15.9
Stone ball thrown into wet clay:
{mindfulness} MN 119
Storekeeper:
{perception} Miln II.3.10
Storm cloud:
{evil} Thag 14.1
Stream :
sinking in the middle of {passion} SN 35.200 ; snared by a whirlpool {sensuality} SN 35.200 ; washed up on high ground of {conceit} SN 35.200 ; See also Shore .
String, ball of:
{craving} AN 4.199 ; thrown against a door {mindfulness} MN 119 ; unwinding to its end {end of suffering} DN 2 .
Strong man:
nourished on royal food {foolish person} Sn 4.8 ; extending his arm {appearance/disappearance of devas} DN 20 , SN 6.1 , SN 6.2 ; extending his arm {equanimity} MN 152 ;
Suckling calf going to its mother:
{desire} Dhp 284 , Ud 7.4 . See also Cow .
Sun:
dispelling the dark {absence of delusion} Iti 88 ; filling the sky {heedfulness} AN 10.15 ; filling the sky {awakening} Ud 1.3 ; speed of {death} SN 20.6
Sunlight:
{merit} Iti 27 ; {virtue/concentration/discernment} Iti 59 ; not landing on ground {consciousness} SN 12.64
Surgeon:
see Doctor
Swans:
flying {enlightened ones} Dhp 175 ; taking off from a lake {mindful ones} Dhp 91 .
Swift pair of messengers:
{samatha-vipassana} SN 35.204
Sword drawn from its scabbard:
{mind-made body} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12

T

Tall building in central square:
{passing away and re-appearance of beings} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , MN 39
Tangle:
SN 7.6
Tangled skein:
{craving} AN 4.199
Tank filled with water:
{supranormal powers} AN 5.28
Tendon in fire:
{perception of the unattractive} AN 7.46
Thief shot with spears:
{consciousness} SN 12.63
Thoroughbred.:
See Horse .
Thundercloud:
{conviction} SN 3.24 ; {discernment} AN 4.102
Tortoise evading a jackal:
{sense-restraint} SN 35.199
Track of ox:
{kamma} Dhp 1
Trades.:
See Crafts and Trades .
Trader watching over a fine steed:
{self-training} Dhp 380
Trail in space:
{arahant} Dhp 254
Travel:
from village to village {recollection of past lives} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , MN 39 ; in desolate country {hindrances} DN 2 , DN 11 , DN 12 , MN 39
Treasure, doorways leading to:
{doors to the Deathless} MN 52 , AN 11.17
Tree :
changing {inconstancy} MN 146 ; gold {the body} Thig 14 ; growing back after having been cut {craving} Dhp 338 ; growing on mountain {craving} AN 3.48 ; haven for birds {conviction} AN 5.38 ; killed by vine {vice} Dhp 162 , {three unskillful roots} AN 3.69 ; leaning to the east {virtue} SN 55.22 ; overcome by wind {restraint} Dhp 7 ; pliant {the mind} AN 1.47 ; shedding its leaves {solitude in the wilderness} Sn 1.3 ( a , b ); with delicious fruit {sensuality} MN 54 ; with roots cut {aggregates} Thig 5.8
Tuning a stringed instrument:
{right effort} AN 6.55
Turban or head on fire, person with:
{aroused persistence} AN 6.20 ( a , b ), AN 10.51 , AN 10.54 , Thag 1.39
Turban tightening around one's head:
{pain} MN 36
Turner or turner's apprentice:
{mindfulness} DN 22
Turtle:
lanced by harpoon {the perils of fame} SN 17.3 ; blind sea turtle poking its head up through a yoke {rarity of human birth} MN 129, SN 56.48
Tusker:
see Elephant .

U

Uprighting what had been overturned :
{stock exclamation of appreciation of the Dhamma} DN 2 , DN 12 , DN 16 , DN 31 , MN 4 , MN 41 , MN 57 , MN 58 , MN 72 , MN 75 , MN 107 , MN 135 , SN 3.1 , SN 7.2 , SN 7.6 , SN 7.14 , SN 7.17 , SN 12.48 , SN 35.127 , SN 42.2 , SN 42.3 , SN 42.6 , SN 42.8 , SN 42.9 , SN 51.15 , AN 3.65 , AN 3.72 , AN 4.111 , AN 4.184 , AN 10.176 , AN 10.177 , Ud 5.3

V

Village:
empty {internal sense media} SN 35.197 ; leaving one's {jhāna} MN 105
Vine :
creeping {craving} Dhp 334 ; killing a tree {vice} Dhp 162
Vipers:
{elements} SN 35.197
Vomit, person eating his or her own:
{fetters} MN 105
Vulture forced to drop his prey:
{sensuality} MN 54

W

Warrior :
{celibacy} AN 5.75 , AN 5.76 ; {Buddha} Dhp 387 ; untrained {hindrances} SN 3.24 , {worthy monk} AN 4.181
Waste-water pool:
{ignorance} AN 4.178
Water :
container filled to brim {mindfulness} MN 119 ( a , b ); drawn from a pond {stream-entry} SN 13.2 ; drops in a hot pan {mindfulness} MN 66 , SN 35.203 , {equanimity} MN 152 ; filling a jar {evil} Dhp 121 ; person sinking in {factors of awakening} AN 7.15 ; ripples {preoccupations} Sn 4.15 ; rolling off a lotus leaf {equanimity} MN 152 , {dukkha} Sn 4.6 , Dhp 336 , {sensuality} Dhp 401 , {greed} Iti 88 ;
Weigher holding a scale:
{virtuous conduct} AN 8.54
Well in desert:
{nibbana} SN 12.68
Wet piece of wood:
{mindfulness} MN 119
Wheels:
four {prosperity} AN 4.31 ; of cart {kamma} Dhp 1
Wild deer:
{arahant} Ud 2.10 , {sensuality} MN 26
Wind :
blowing across the sky {feeling} SN 36.12 ; blowing cotton fluff {dukkha} Sn 3.8 ; blowing leaves from a tree {awakening} Thag 17.2 ; coming out of bellows {exertion} MN 36 ; overcoming a tree {restraint} Dhp 7 ; unsnared by a net {solitude in the wilderness} Sn 1.3 , {wise person} Sn 1.12
Winnowing:
{faults of others} Dhp 252
Woman meeting her father-in-law:
{urgency} MN 28
Wood scrap:
{the body} Dhp 41
Wounded man wandering in jungle:
{restraint} SN 35.206
Wounds, dressing:
{restraint} MN 33 , AN 11.18

XYZ

Yellow leaf:
{aging} Dhp 235 ; turning green {imperturbable} MN 105
Yokes :
{sense-bases and their objects} SN 35.191 , {rarity of human birth} SN 56.48 , {sensuality, becoming, etc.} AN 4.10 , {discernment} Sn 1.4