MN 29 · Khotbah tentang Perumpamaan Inti Kayu yang Lebih Panjang

Tokoh, tempat, dan gagasan utamanya

Tak lama setelah Devadatta meninggalkan Sangha, Buddha mengajarkan Mahāsāropama Sutta: perumpamaan orang yang mencari inti kayu namun berhenti puas hanya pada dahan, ranting, atau kulit kayu — melambangkan pencapaian spiritual yang disalahartikan sebagai tujuan akhir.

TOKOH

Buddha

Guru yang mengajarkan perumpamaan mencari inti kayu tak lama setelah Devadatta meninggalkan Sangha.

TEMPAT

Puncak Nasar (Rājagaha)

Gunung dekat Rājagaha, tempat Buddha mengajar tak lama setelah Devadatta meninggalkan Sangha.

KONSEP

Mencari inti kayu

Seorang pencari inti kayu yang puas hanya membawa pulang dahan, ranting, atau kulit kayu telah menipu dirinya sendiri — begitu pula yang berhenti pada pencapaian awal dan menganggapnya tujuan akhir.

Visual pengantar Tiga Keranjang · bukan bagian dari teks kanonik.

Sinopsis singkat

Buddha berbicara setelah Devadatta meninggalkan komunitas karena dikuasai keinginan akan keuntungan dan kedudukan. Ia membandingkan kehidupan suci dengan seseorang yang pergi mencari inti kayu. Ada orang yang berhenti setelah memperoleh ranting dan daun—ibarat puas dengan keuntungan dan penghormatan; ada yang berhenti pada kulit luar, kulit dalam, atau kayu lunak—ibarat puas dengan sila, konsentrasi, atau pengetahuan tertentu. Orang yang memahami tujuan perjalanan tidak berhenti pada hasil-hasil antara tersebut, melainkan terus mencari inti. Melalui perumpamaan itu Buddha mengingatkan bahwa tujuan kehidupan suci bukan reputasi atau pencapaian sementara, tetapi pembebasan batin yang tidak tergoyahkan.

BAGIAN 2

mn29:2.1 “Mendicants, take the case of a gentleman who has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness, thinking,

mn29:2.2 ‘I’m swamped by rebirth, old age, and death; by sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. I’m swamped by suffering, mired in suffering.

mn29:2.3 Hopefully I can make an end to this entire mass of suffering.’

mn29:2.4 When they’ve gone forth they generate possessions, honor, and popularity.

mn29:2.5 They’re happy with that, and they’ve got all they wished for.

mn29:2.6 And they glorify themselves and put others down because of that:

mn29:2.7 ‘I’m the one with possessions, honor, and popularity. These other mendicants are obscure and insignificant.’

mn29:2.8 And so they become indulgent and fall into negligence on account of those possessions, honor, and popularity. And being negligent they live in suffering.

mn29:2.9 Suppose there was a person in need of heartwood. And while wandering in search of heartwood he’d come across a large tree standing with heartwood. But, passing over the heartwood, softwood, bark, and shoots, he’d cut off the branches and leaves and leave imagining they were heartwood.

mn29:2.10 If a person with clear eyes saw him they’d say,

mn29:2.11 ‘This gentleman doesn’t know what heartwood, softwood, bark, shoots, or branches and leaves are.

mn29:2.12 That’s why he passed them over, cut off the branches and leaves, and left imagining they were heartwood.

mn29:2.13 Whatever he needs to make from heartwood, he won’t succeed.’ …

mn29:2.21 This is called a mendicant who has grabbed the branches and leaves of the spiritual life

mn29:2.22 and stopped short with that.