Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sumbhesu viharati sedakaṁ nāma sumbhānaṁ nigamo. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:
At one time, the Blessed One was staying among the |Sumbhans::name of the people of Sumbha [sumbha]|, in a town of the Sumbhans named |Sedaka::name of a town in Sumbha [sedaka]|. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus:
“bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, caṇḍālavaṁsiko caṇḍālavaṁsaṁ ussāpetvā medakathālikaṁ antevāsiṁ āmantesi: ‘ehi tvaṁ, samma medakathālike, caṇḍālavaṁsaṁ abhiruhitvā mama uparikhandhe tiṭṭhāhī’ti.
“Once in the past, bhikkhus, an acrobat set up his |acrobatic pole::lit. play bamboo [caṇḍālavaṃsa]| and addressed his apprentice Medakathālika thus: ‘Come, friend Medakathālikā, climb up the acrobatic pole and stand on my upper shoulder.’
‘Evaṁ, ācariyā’ti kho, bhikkhave, medakathālikā antevāsī caṇḍālavaṁsikassa paṭissutvā caṇḍālavaṁsaṁ abhiruhitvā ācariyassa uparikhandhe aṭṭhāsi.
‘Yes, teacher,’ having agreed, the apprentice Medakathālikā climbed up the acrobatic pole and stood on the teacher’s upper shoulder.
Atha kho, bhikkhave, caṇḍālavaṁsiko medakathālikaṁ antevāsiṁ etadavoca: ‘tvaṁ, samma medakathālike, mamaṁ rakkha, ahaṁ taṁ rakkhissāmi. Evaṁ mayaṁ aññamaññaṁ guttā aññamaññaṁ rakkhitā sippāni ceva dassessāma, lābhañca lacchāma, sotthinā ca caṇḍālavaṁsā orohissāmā’ti.
Then, bhikkhus, the acrobat said this to the apprentice Medakathālikā: ‘Friend Medakathālikā, you |protect::watch over [rakkha]| me, and I will protect you. In this way, guarded and protected by one another, we will display our skills, gain our livelihood, and descend safely from the pole.’
Evaṁ vutte, bhikkhave, medakathālikā antevāsī caṇḍālavaṁsikaṁ etadavoca: ‘na kho panetaṁ, ācariya, evaṁ bhavissati. Tvaṁ, ācariya, attānaṁ rakkha, ahaṁ attānaṁ rakkhissāmi. Evaṁ mayaṁ attaguttā attarakkhitā sippāni ceva dassessāma, lābhañca lacchāma, sotthinā ca caṇḍālavaṁsā orohissāmā’”ti.
When this was said, bhikkhus, the apprentice Medakathālikā said this to the acrobat: ‘That’s not the way to do it, teacher. You protect yourself, teacher, and I’ll protect myself. Thus, each self-guarded and self-protected, we will display our skills, gain our livelihood, and descend safely from the pole.’”
“So tattha ñāyo”ti bhagavā etadavoca, “yathā medakathālikā antevāsī ācariyaṁ avoca. Attānaṁ, bhikkhave, rakkhissāmīti satipaṭṭhānaṁ sevitabbaṁ; paraṁ rakkhissāmīti satipaṭṭhānaṁ sevitabbaṁ. Attānaṁ, bhikkhave, rakkhanto paraṁ rakkhati, paraṁ rakkhanto attānaṁ rakkhati.
“This is the method here,” the Blessed One said. “It is just as the apprentice Medakathālikā said to the teacher. Thinking ‘I will protect myself,’ bhikkhus, one should cultivate the establishments of mindfulness. Thinking ‘I will protect others,’ bhikkhus, one should cultivate the establishments of mindfulness. Protecting oneself, bhikkhus, one protects others; protecting others, one protects oneself.[1]
Kathañca, bhikkhave, attānaṁ rakkhanto paraṁ rakkhati? Āsevanāya, bhāvanāya, bahulīkammena—evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, attānaṁ rakkhanto paraṁ rakkhati. Kathañca, bhikkhave, paraṁ rakkhanto attānaṁ rakkhati? Khantiyā, avihiṁsāya, mettacittatāya, anudayatāya—evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, paraṁ rakkhanto attānaṁ rakkhati.
And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By diligent practicing of, cultivation of, and zealous application of [the four establishments of mindfulness]—it is in this way that by protecting oneself, one protects others. And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By |patience::acceptance, receptivity in emotional or interpersonal contexts [khanti]|, by |non-violence::non-cruelty, non-harm [avihiṃsā]|, with a |mind of loving-kindness::mind of benevolence, friendly heart [mettacitta]|, and compassion—it is in this way that by protecting others, one protects oneself.
Attānaṁ, bhikkhave, rakkhissāmīti satipaṭṭhānaṁ sevitabbaṁ; paraṁ rakkhissāmīti satipaṭṭhānaṁ sevitabbaṁ. Attānaṁ, bhikkhave, rakkhanto paraṁ rakkhati, paraṁ rakkhanto attānaṁ rakkhatī”ti.
Thinking ‘I will protect myself,’ bhikkhus, one should cultivate the establishments of mindfulness. Thinking ‘I will protect others,’ one should cultivate the establishments of mindfulness.”