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← Saṃyutta Nikāya

Clothes

SN 56.34 · Celasutta

An intact woven bird nest sheltered in a fork of leafy branches.

“Mendicants, if your clothes or head were on fire, what would you do about it?”

“Sir, if our clothes or head were on fire, we’d apply extraordinary enthusiasm, effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness in order to extinguish it.”

“Mendicants, so long as you have not encompassed the four noble truths, regard your burning head or clothes with equanimity, ignore them, and apply extraordinary enthusiasm, effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness to truly comprehending the four noble truths. What four? The noble truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

That’s why you should practice meditation …”

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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.