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← Aṅguttara Nikāya

A Charnel Ground

AN 5.249 · Sivathikasutta

Flat stepping stones cross a clear stream toward a grassy bank.

“Mendicants, there are these five drawbacks to a charnel ground. What five?

It’s filthy, stinking, frightening, a gathering place for savage monsters, and a weeping place for many people. These are the five drawbacks of a charnel ground.

In the same way there are five drawbacks of an individual like a charnel ground. What five? To start with, an individual has filthy conduct by way of body, speech, and mind. This is how they’re filthy, I say. That individual is just as filthy as a charnel ground.

Because of their filthy conduct, they get a bad reputation. This is how they’re stinky, I say. That individual is just as stinky as a charnel ground.

Because of their filthy conduct, good-hearted spiritual companions avoid them from afar. That’s how they’re frightening, I say. That individual is just as frightening as a charnel ground.

Because of their filthy conduct, they live together with individuals of a similar character. This is how they gather with savage monsters, I say. That individual is just as much a gathering place of savage monsters as a charnel ground.

Because of their filthy conduct, when good-hearted spiritual companions see them they complain: ‘Oh, it’s so painful for us to have to live together with such as these.’ This is how there’s weeping, I say. This person is just as much a weeping place for many people as a charnel ground.

These are the five drawbacks of an individual like a charnel ground.”

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Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.