Dutiyavalāhakasutta

“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 dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇāti— suttaṁ, geyyaṁ, veyyākaraṇaṁ, gāthaṁ, udānaṁ, itivuttakaṁ, jātakaṁ, abbhutadhammaṁ, vedallaṁ. So ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti, ‘ayaṁ dukkhasamudayo’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti, ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodho’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti, ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti. 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 memorizes the teaching— statements, mixed prose & verse, discussions, verses, inspired exclamations, legends, stories of past lives, amazing stories, and elaborations. But they don’t truly understand: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’. 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 dhammaṁ na pariyāpuṇāti— suttaṁ, geyyaṁ, veyyākaraṇaṁ, gāthaṁ, udānaṁ, itivuttakaṁ, jātakaṁ, abbhutadhammaṁ, vedallaṁ. So ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti …pe… ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti. 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 doesn’t memorize the teaching … But they truly understand: ‘This is suffering’ …

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo neva gajjitā hoti, no vassitā? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo neva dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇāti— suttaṁ, geyyaṁ, veyyākaraṇaṁ, gāthaṁ, udānaṁ, itivuttakaṁ, jātakaṁ, abbhutadhammaṁ, vedallaṁ. So ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti …pe… ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti. 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 doesn’t memorize the teaching … Nor do they truly understand: ‘This is suffering’ …

Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo gajjitā ca hoti vassitā ca? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇāti— suttaṁ, geyyaṁ, veyyākaraṇaṁ, gāthaṁ, udānaṁ, itivuttakaṁ, jātakaṁ, abbhutadhammaṁ, vedallaṁ. So ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti …pe… ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti. 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. Dutiyaṁ.

And how does an individual both thunder and rain? It’s when an individual memorizes the teaching … And they truly understand: ‘This is suffering’ … These four individuals similar to clouds are found in the world.”