Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
There are four ways of taking up a practice — pleasant now and painful later, painful now and pleasant later, painful now and painful later, pleasant now and pleasant later — and the wise person chooses by looking at the long-term result, not the immediate feeling.
The four-cell matrix
| Ripens in pain | Ripens in pleasure | |
|---|---|---|
| Painful now | Type 1: Painful now, painful later. The worst choice — like a bitter gourd cup of poison. | Type 3: Painful now, pleasant later. Wise discipline — like bitter medicine that cures. |
| Pleasant now | Type 2: Pleasant now, painful later. The trap — like a sweet drink laced with poison. | Type 4: Pleasant now, pleasant later. The ideal — like honey, ghee, and sugar. |
The four similes
Type 1 — Bitter gourd cup of poison. A practice that is painful now and ripens in pain. The example is someone who practises painful austerities out of delusion — going naked, refusing food, following extreme self-mortification — and who, because of wrong view, is reborn in a bad destination. The practice hurts now and leads to suffering later. The simile: a bitter gourd cup mixed with poison. It tastes terrible and it kills you.
Type 2 — Sweet drink laced with poison. A practice that is pleasant now but ripens in pain. The example is someone who kills, steals, lies, and indulges in sensual pleasures — enjoying them in the moment — but who, because of those unwholesome actions, is reborn in a bad destination. The simile: a bronze cup of beautifully colored, fragrant, delicious drink — mixed with poison. It tastes wonderful, but after drinking it, one meets with death or deadly pain.
Type 3 — Bitter medicine. A practice that is painful now but ripens in pleasure. The example is someone who, with difficulty, abstains from the unwholesome courses of action, endures painful feelings, and practises restraint. The practice is hard — but because of those wholesome actions, one is reborn in a good destination. The simile: fermented urine mixed with various medicines. It is disgusting to drink, but after drinking it, one recovers from illness.
Type 4 — Honey, ghee, and sugar. A practice that is pleasant now and ripens in pleasure. The example is someone who naturally and joyfully practises the wholesome path — experiencing happiness in ethical conduct, happiness in meditation, happiness in wisdom — and who is reborn in a good destination or attains liberation. The simile: honey, ghee, and sugar mixed together. It is delicious to taste and nourishing afterward.
The practical insight
The discourse’s central warning is about Type 2: the practice that is pleasant now but painful later. This is the most dangerous because it is the most seductive. The Buddha is not arguing that all pleasure is bad — Type 4 is both pleasant and beneficial. He is arguing that immediate pleasantness is not a reliable indicator of long-term value. The person who evaluates choices only by how they feel in the moment is like someone who drinks from a beautiful cup without asking whether the drink is poisoned.
Conversely, Type 3 is the most counterintuitive: something that feels difficult or painful now may ripen in happiness. The wise person is willing to endure present discomfort for future well-being — not because suffering is virtuous, but because they can see the long-term result. This is the logic behind all training, whether spiritual or mundane: the athlete who endures painful practice, the student who sits through difficult study, the meditator who faces restlessness and boredom.
But the highest aspiration is Type 4: a practice that is pleasant in the doing and pleasant in its result. The Buddha does not teach that the spiritual path must always be painful. As practice matures, ethical conduct becomes natural, meditation becomes joyful, and wisdom brings ease. The goal is not to move from Type 2 to Type 3 and stop there, but to arrive at Type 4 — where the practice itself is a source of happiness.
Key terms
The text
Setting
§1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.
§2There the Buddha addressed the monks: “Monks!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said:
“Monks, there are these four ways of taking up practices. What four?
Type 1: Painful now, painful later
§3“There is a taking up of a practice that is painful now and ripens in pain. There is a taking up of a practice that is pleasant now but ripens in pain. There is a taking up of a practice that is painful now but ripens in pleasure. And there is a taking up of a practice that is pleasant now and ripens in pleasure.”
§4“And what is the taking up of a practice that is painful now and ripens in pain? Here, someone in pain and sadness kills living beings, and because of killing they experience pain and sadness. In pain and sadness they take what is not given … commit sexual misconduct … speak falsely … speak divisively … speak harshly … engage in idle chatter … are covetous … have ill will … hold wrong view, and because of wrong view they experience pain and sadness.”
“When the body breaks up, after death, they are reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the lower world, hell. This is the taking up of a practice that is painful now and ripens in pain.”
Type 2: Pleasant now, painful later
§5“And what is the taking up of a practice that is pleasant now but ripens in pain? Here, someone in pleasure and happiness kills living beings, and because of killing they experience pleasure and happiness. In pleasure and happiness they take what is not given … commit sexual misconduct … speak falsely … speak divisively … speak harshly … engage in idle chatter … are covetous … have ill will … hold wrong view, and because of wrong view they experience pleasure and happiness.”
“When the body breaks up, after death, they are reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the lower world, hell. This is the taking up of a practice that is pleasant now but ripens in pain.”
Type 3: Painful now, pleasant later
§6“And what is the taking up of a practice that is painful now but ripens in pleasure? Here, someone in pain and sadness refrains from killing living beings, and because of refraining they experience pain and sadness. In pain and sadness they refrain from taking what is not given … from sexual misconduct … from false speech … from divisive speech … from harsh speech … from idle chatter … from covetousness … from ill will … from wrong view, and because of refraining they experience pain and sadness.”
“When the body breaks up, after death, they are reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm. This is the taking up of a practice that is painful now but ripens in pleasure.”
Type 4: Pleasant now, pleasant later
§7“And what is the taking up of a practice that is pleasant now and ripens in pleasure? Here, someone in pleasure and happiness refrains from killing living beings, and because of refraining they experience pleasure and happiness. In pleasure and happiness they refrain from taking what is not given … from sexual misconduct … from false speech … from divisive speech … from harsh speech … from idle chatter … from covetousness … from ill will … from wrong view, and because of refraining they experience pleasure and happiness.”
“When the body breaks up, after death, they are reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm. This is the taking up of a practice that is pleasant now and ripens in pleasure.”
The four similes
§8“Suppose there was a bitter gourd cup mixed with poison. A man who loved life and did not want to die, who loved happiness and recoiled from suffering, were told: ‘Drink this — if you drink it, you will meet death or deadly pain.’ Knowing this, he would not drink it. So too is the taking up of a practice that is painful now and ripens in pain. When a person understands this, they do not take it up.”
§9“Suppose there was a bronze cup of a drink that was beautifully colored, fragrant, and delicious, but mixed with poison. A man who loved life were told: ‘Drink this if you wish — you will find it beautiful in color, fragrance, and taste. But if you drink it, you will meet death or deadly pain.’ Not understanding this, he might drink it. So too is the taking up of a practice that is pleasant now but ripens in pain. When a person does not understand this, they take it up; when they do understand, they do not.”
§10“Suppose there was fermented urine mixed with various medicines. A man who was ill were told: ‘Drink this fermented urine mixed with medicines — if you drink it, you will find it disgusting in color, smell, and taste, but after drinking it you will recover.’ Understanding this, he would drink it. So too is the taking up of a practice that is painful now but ripens in pleasure. When a person understands this, they take it up.”
§11“Suppose there was honey, ghee, and sugar mixed together. A man who was ill were told: ‘Drink this mixture of honey, ghee, and sugar — if you drink it, you will find it delicious in color, smell, and taste, and after drinking it you will recover.’ Understanding this, he would drink it. So too is the taking up of a practice that is pleasant now and ripens in pleasure. When a person understands this, they take it up.”
§12“These are the four ways of taking up practices.”
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