Deep Commentary

This verse was taught by the Buddha at Jetavana Monastery in connection with the elephant named Pāveyyaka. The story tells that King Pasenadi had an elephant named Pāveyyaka. When it was young, it was very strong, but as it grew old, its strength declined. One day, while crossing a large pond, it sank into the mud and could not lift its feet. People began to say, “Look! This elephant was so powerful when it was young, yet now it is so weak.” Hearing the news, the king immediately ordered the elephant trainer to pull the elephant out of the mud. The trainer went to the edge of the pond and skillfully made the elephant think it was about to enter battle: he put on armor and had the war drums beaten loudly. The elephant’s former courage was stirred. It rose quickly, pulled its feet out of the mud, and stepped onto dry ground. The monks who witnessed this went and reported it to the Buddha. The Buddha said, “Monks, that elephant pulled itself out of the mud. But you are sinking in the mire of desire. Strive with all your strength to free yourselves.” In this verse, the Buddha uses the image of an elephant—strong in youth, weak in old age, sinking into mud and then pulling itself free—to illustrate the life of one who practices the path. When people first enter spiritual training, they may appear energetic and diligent, like a strong elephant. But over time, they may grow weary and careless, like an old, weakened elephant. The Buddha teaches that practitioners should rejoice in diligence, guard their own minds, and save themselves from danger, just as an elephant exerts itself to escape from the mud. This teaching reminds us that each person must make their own effort in practice and should not depend on others. If spiritual practice still relies on external powers or appearances, it is not yet in harmony with the path of awakening. Buddhism is a path of awakening and mindfulness. The word “Buddha” means “one who is awake.” Therefore, one must remain awake within one’s own mind. The Buddha said to guard the mind in order to rescue oneself from danger. To be free from danger means to be free from the sufferings of the long round of birth and death; and in this matter, only we ourselves can truly save ourselves. The Buddha’s teachings function like a finger pointing to the moon. Practitioners must rely on the finger in order to see the moon, but the finger itself is not the moon. Scriptures are not awakening itself. Yet before seeing the moon, one should not hastily abandon the finger. Before realizing truth, one should not abandon the teachings. The scriptures are like a guiding finger, a means through which we learn and practice. Once truth is realized directly, one no longer clings to words and letters. To keep grasping the finger after seeing the moon would be foolish. Buddhism teaches us to stand up bravely and save our own lives. Whether our lives are joyful or painful depends on our own actions and choices. No divine hand can rescue us from suffering. Whether we are free or bound is created by ourselves. If we bind ourselves to sensual craving and worldly objects, then we ourselves must untie those bonds. To understand this is to understand the spirit of awakening in Buddhism. The elephant sank into the mud partly because it had become weak and partly because it had stepped into the mire by itself. No one forced it there. To help it get out, only the elephant trainer truly understood its nature. Yet the trainer did not pull it out with his own hands; he simply used a skillful method, sounding the drums and stirring its courage, so that the elephant would struggle and free itself. This is the wisdom of skillful means. In the same way, no one forces us into suffering; we create the causes ourselves. The Buddha is like the elephant trainer, and living beings are like the elephant. Only the Buddha fully understands the illness of craving in beings, so he uses many skillful means, sounds the great drum of the Dharma, and teaches many paths so that beings may understand and practice for themselves, thereby escaping suffering. This is the compassionate spirit of Buddhism. If we continue to rely on external things and do not turn inward to reflect and awaken, then we are not truly practicing the Buddhist path. Buddhism does not accept passive dependence. The Buddha himself is the clearest example: he saved his own life through his own awakening and never relied on any external supernatural power. No one has the authority to reward or punish us absolutely. Reward or punishment, nirvāṇa or hell—all are created by ourselves.