Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Udāna · Heartfelt Sayings 3.4

With Sāriputta

Sāriputtasutta

Setting
Near Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery
Speaker
The Buddha, observing Venerable Sāriputta meditating; no dialogue occurs
Form
A minimal narrative frame, closing with a four-line heartfelt saying
Length
<1 minute to read
Chapter
Fourth discourse of the Nandavagga, the third chapter of the Udāna (Ud 3.1–3.10)
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — a single sentence of narrative and a four-line verse

Why this discourse, fourth of the Nandavagga

After two discourses built entirely out of dialogue and incident, this one has almost none: a monk sits, the Buddha watches, and a verse follows. What makes it worth pausing on is exactly that reduction — nothing is asked, nothing is resolved, nothing happens except attention meeting stillness, and out of that alone comes one of the Udāna’s most compact images of an awakened mind.

Reading guide

The shortest kind of teaching: silent observation

There is no dialogue here at all — a striking contrast with the two discourses immediately before it, both driven by extended conversation. The Buddha simply notices Sāriputta “sitting not far from the Buddha, cross-legged, his body set straight, and mindfulness brought to the present,” and that alone is enough to prompt the heartfelt saying. Watching, without a word exchanged, is itself the entire occasion.

Why a mountain, and why delusion specifically

The verse’s simile is deliberately elemental: “as a rocky mountain is unwavering and well grounded.” What’s worth noticing is which defilement the verse actually names as ended — not craving, not hatred, but delusion (moha) specifically. Sāriputta is remembered elsewhere in the canon as foremost among the Buddha’s disciples in wisdom; a verse built around the ending of delusion, spoken while watching him meditate, reads as a quiet, precise fit between the person and the image chosen for him.

A close companion to the next discourse

Ud 3.4 and Ud 3.5 (With Mahāmoggallāna) share an almost identical frame: the Buddha notices a foremost disciple meditating nearby and speaks a short verse, with no dialogue in either case. The two are clearly meant to be read side by side — the same structure applied to two disciples traditionally paired throughout the canon as the Buddha’s chief pair, one representing wisdom, one representing psychic power and diligence.

Key terms

pabbata — “mountain” — the verse’s central image, chosen for being “unwavering and well grounded,” qualities transferred directly onto the meditating monk.
moha — “delusion” — the specific defilement the verse names as ended, rather than craving or hatred; notable given Sāriputta’s traditional reputation for wisdom.
“mindfulness brought to the present” — the description of Sāriputta’s meditative posture, a phrasing closely related to the standard opening formula used across the canon’s meditation instructions.
udāna — “heartfelt saying” — here prompted by nothing more than watching; a reminder that these sayings need no question or event, only a moment that moves the Buddha to speak.
the chief pair — Sāriputta and Mahāmoggallāna are remembered throughout the canon as the Buddha’s two foremost disciples; this discourse and the next give each of them an almost identical, brief scene.

The text

The discourse in full. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time Venerable Sāriputta was sitting not far from the Buddha, cross-legged, his body set straight, and mindfulness brought to the present. The Buddha saw him meditating there.

§2Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment:

§3“As a rocky mountain
is unwavering and well grounded,
so when delusion ends,
a monk, like a mountain, doesn’t tremble.”

· · ·

Self-check quiz

Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 10
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: B. The same setting used for most of this chapter’s discourses.
Question 2 of 10
What is Sāriputta doing when the Buddha notices him?
Correct: B. This simple description of his posture and attention is the entire narrative frame.
Question 3 of 10
Does any dialogue occur in this discourse?
Correct: B. Unlike Ud 3.2 and Ud 3.3, this discourse has no dialogue at all.
Question 4 of 10
What natural image does the verse use for the awakened monk?
Correct: B. “As a rocky mountain is unwavering and well grounded” opens the verse.
Question 5 of 10
According to the verse, what has ended that makes such a monk immovable?
Correct: C. The verse specifically says “when delusion ends,” not craving or hatred.
Question 6 of 10
What is the final line of the verse?
Correct: A. This closing line completes the mountain simile.
Question 7 of 10
How does this discourse’s structure compare to Ud 3.5 (With Mahāmoggallāna)?
Correct: B. The two discourses are clearly meant to be read as a matched pair.
Question 8 of 10
According to the reading guide, what is Sāriputta traditionally remembered for elsewhere in the canon?
Correct: A. The reading guide notes this well-known traditional epithet as context for the verse’s emphasis on delusion’s ending.
Question 9 of 10
What phrase does the sutta use for how Sāriputta’s mindfulness was established?
Correct: B. This is the sutta’s own description of his meditative posture.
Question 10 of 10
What triggers the Buddha’s heartfelt saying in this discourse?
Correct: B. As with several discourses in this chapter, nothing is asked; the Buddha speaks because the moment moves him to.
Answered 0 of 10 · Correct 0

Further reading

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