Paṭhamavalāhakasutta

Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “bhikkhavo”ti. “Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Cattārome, bhikkhave, valāhakā. Katame cattāro? Gajjitā no vassitā, vassitā no gajjitā, neva gajjitā no vassitā, gajjitā ca vassitā ca. Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro valāhakā. Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, cattāro valāhakūpamā puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame cattāro? Gajjitā no vassitā, vassitā no gajjitā, neva gajjitā no vassitā, gajjitā ca vassitā ca.

“Mendicants, there are these four kinds of clouds. What four? One thunders but doesn’t rain, one rains but doesn’t thunder, one neither thunders nor rains, and one both rains and thunders. These are the four kinds of clouds. In the same way, these four individuals similar to clouds are found in the world. What four? One thunders but doesn’t rain, one rains but doesn’t thunder, one neither thunders nor rains, and one both rains and thunders.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo gajjitā hoti no vassitā? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo bhāsitā hoti, no kattā. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo gajjitā hoti, no vassitā. Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, valāhako gajjitā, no vassitā; tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi.

And how does an individual thunder but not rain? It’s when an individual is a talker, not a doer. That’s how an individual thunders but doesn’t rain. That individual is like a cloud that thunders but doesn’t rain, I say.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo vassitā hoti, no gajjitā? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo kattā hoti, no bhāsitā. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo vassitā hoti, no gajjitā. Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, valāhako vassitā, no gajjitā; tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi.

And how does an individual rain but not thunder? It’s when an individual is a doer, not a talker. …

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo neva gajjitā hoti, no vassitā? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo neva bhāsitā hoti, no kattā. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo neva gajjitā hoti, no vassitā. Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, valāhako neva gajjitā, no vassitā; tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi.

And how does an individual neither thunder nor rain? It’s when an individual is neither a talker nor a doer. …

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo gajjitā ca hoti vassitā ca? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo bhāsitā ca hoti kattā ca. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo gajjitā ca hoti vassitā ca. Seyyathāpi so, bhikkhave, valāhako gajjitā ca vassitā ca; tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi. Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro valāhakūpamā puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmin”ti. Paṭhamaṁ.

And how does an individual both thunder and rain? It’s when an individual is both a talker and a doer. … These four individuals similar to clouds are found in the world.”