Pots

SN 45.27 · Kumbhasutta

Fine exposed roots cross a forest bank beside a clear spring.

At Sāvatthī.

“A pot without a stand is easy to overturn, but if it has a stand it’s hard to overturn. In the same way, a mind without a stand is easy to overturn, but if it has a stand it’s hard to overturn.

And what’s the stand for the mind? It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. This is the stand for the mind.

A pot without a stand is easy to overturn, but if it has a stand it’s hard to overturn. In the same way, a mind without a stand is easy to overturn, but if it has a stand it’s hard to overturn.”

Connections

Collection & context

Saṃyutta NikāyaThe collection containing this text
The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting

Teachings named in the text

Noble eightfold path

Books

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṃyutta NikāyaBhikkhu Bodhi; Bhikkhu Bodhi (translator) · Complete collection edition
Handful of Leaves: an Anthology from the Sutta PiṭakaEarly Buddhist discourses; Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (translator and compiler) · Included in anthology
The Wings to Awakening: An Anthology from the Pāli CanonṬhānissaro Bhikkhu · Referenced in this book

About this edition

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.