Help |HomeIndex of Similes
This is a partial index of the similes and metaphors that appear in the suttas available at Access to Insight. Only the similes that illustrate points of Dhamma are included here; those serving only a literary or narrative function (e.g., Ambapali's detailed description of her long-lost youthful beauty, in Thig XIII.1) are omitted.The references to suttas that are without hyperlinks indicate suttas not currently available at Access to Insight.
See also:
A | B | C | D | E | F |G | H | I | J | K | L |M | N | O | P | Q | R |S | T | U | V | W | XYZ
Acrobats: SN XLVII.19
Ancient city: SN XII.65
Animals bound together by a strong rope: SN XXXV.206
Archer or archer's apprentice: AN IX.36
Archers: SN XX.6
Arrow (see also Doctor and Fletcher similes):person shot with a poison arrow, MN 63, MN 105;person shot with two arrows, SN XXXVI.6;arrow in the heart, Sn IV.15;arrow of craving, MN 105;arrow piercing a horsehair, Thag I.26;arrow shot into the night, Dhp 304;arrow straightened by a fletcher, see Fletcher;poison arrow contaminating its quiver, Iti 76.
Awakening from a dream: Sn IV.6
Ball of honey: MN 18
Ball of string unwinding to its end: DN 2
Ball of string thrown against a door: MN 119
Bamboo destroyed by its own fruit: Dhp 164, Iti 50
Bamboo spreading: Sn I.3
Bathman or bathman's apprentice: DN 2, DN 11, DN 12, MN 119, AN V.28
Battlefield: SN XI.3, AN IV.181, AN V.75, AN V.76, AN V.139, AN V.140
Beauty Queen: SN XLVII.20
Bee gathering nectar: Dhp 49
Bird escaping from net: Dhp 174
Bird flies with only wings as its burden: DN 2, DN 11
Bird spattered with dirt: SN IX.1
Birds, track of: Dhp 92
Blind from birth: MN 75
Blind men, row of: MN 95
Blind people and the elephant: Ud VI.4
Blind sea-turtle poking his head up through a yoke: MN 129, SN LVI.48
Boat being bailed out: Dhp 369
Boiling the River Ganges: MN 21
Bones, chain/heap/mountain/etc.: AN V.76, Iti 24
Bottomless chasm: SN XXXVI.4
Boulder thrown into lake: SN XLII.6
Bowl of poison: Thig XIV
Branch, man grasping a: AN IV.178
Bubble on water: SN XXII.95
Bull yoked to a load: Thag XIV.2
Burning ghee or oil: Ud VIII.9, Ud VIII.10
Burning grass or leaves, person: SN XXXV.101
Butcher or his apprentice: DN 22, MN 36
Butcher of goats: AN III.101
Butchered cow at a crossroads: DN 22, MN 119
Butter from water: MN 126
Catching arrows: SN XX.6
Cave: Sn IV.2
Carpenter's adze: SN XXII.101
Carpenters shaping wood: Dhp 80, Dhp 145
Cart wheel: Dhp 1
Cesspool difficult to clean: Sn II.6
Chaff: Dhp 252
Chariot: Dhp 151, Dhp 171, Dhp 222
Chariot at four crossroads: MN 119, AN V.28
Chariots, relay: MN 24
Charioteer: Dhp 94
Cheater: Dhp 252
Children playing with sand castles: SN XXIII.2
City of bones: Dhp 150
Cleansing of the body with scouring balls and bath powder: AN III.70
Cleansing of the head with paste and clay: AN III.70
Cloth, person covered with white: DN 2, DN 11, DN 12, AN V.28
Cloth that is to be dyed: MN 7, Ud V.3
Conch-trumpet blower: SN XLII.8
Cow producing milk, curds, butter, ghee, etc.: AN IV.95
Cow roaming in the mountains: AN IX.35
Cow that runs away: SN XI.5
Cow's udder: SN XX.4
Cowherd:counting another's cattle, Dhp 19;driving cattle, Dhp 135;prodding and poking his cows, MN 19;simply mindful of his cows, MN 19;reflecting on the places his cattle have wandered, AN III.70.
Crafts and Trades.See Archer, Bathman, Butcher, Charioteer, Cowherd, Doctor, Elephant tamer,Fletcher, Goldsmith, Horsetrainer, Irrigator, Ivory carver, King, Magician, Potter, Silversmith, Trader, Turner, Warrior, Weigher.
Creeper pod bursting open: MN 45
Crooked chariot wheels: AN III.15
Crossing over the flood: SN I.1
Crowded dusty road: MN 36
Debt: AN VI.45
Deer that wanders, unfettered, in the wilderness: Sn I.3
Digging in earth: MN 21
Dirt-washer: AN III.102
Doctor (the Buddha): MN 63, MN 105. See also Arrow similes.
Dog chasing swine: SN VII.14
Dog tied to a post: SN XXII.99, SN XXII.100
Drawing pictures in space: MN 21
Dream, awakening from: Sn IV.6
Drum peg: SN XX.7
Dry piece of wood: MN 119
Dung beetle: SN XVII.5
Dust on a fingertip: SN XIII.1, SN XX.2
Dust thrown into wind: Dhp 125
Earth: Dhp 95
Elephant:in battle, Dhp 320, Thag III.8;in rut, Dhp 324, Dhp 326;in the wild, Sn I.3;renouncing its herd, Sn I.3;stuck in mud, Dhp 327;footprint, MN 28, SN III.17;tamed, Dhp 322.
Elephant-tamer: MN 125
Embers in a pit: Thig XIV
Empty water pot: MN 119
Eyes, man opening and closing his: MN 152
False path in the forest: MN 19
Farmer's urgent duties: AN III.93
Field, neglecting one's own: DN 12
Field spoiled by weeds: Dhp 356
Fire: SN XII.52, SN XXXV.28, Dhp 31, Dhp 251; ablaze at night, Thag I.3; fire's destination, Ud VIII.10; fire not returning, Sn I.3; hidden in ashes, Dhp 71.
Fire stick: MN 36
Firebrand with excrement: AN IV.95, Iti 91
Fish:caught in net, Sn I.3, Thag IV.8;caught in trap, Ud VII.4;in dried-up puddle, Sn IV.2, SN V.10;on dry land, Dhp 34;rising through the water, AN IV.192;rotting fish wrapped in grass, Iti 76;struggling in water, Sn IV.15.
Flame's unbinding: Thig V.10
Flame overthrown by wind: Sn V.6
Fletcher straightening an arrow: Dhp 33, Dhp 80, Dhp 145, Thag I.29.See also Arrow similes.
Flood sweeping away a sleeping village: Dhp 47, Dhp 286
Floods: SN I.1, SN XLV.171
Flower: blossom, Dhp 51; heap, Dhp 53; scent, Dhp 54. See also Lotus.
Flower-arranger: Dhp 44
Foam: Dhp 46
Forest: Dhp 283
Forest grove: Sn II.1
Fort: Dhp 40
Frontier fortress: SN XXXV.204, Dhp 315, Thag 14.1
Full moon: Thig I.3. See Moon.
Full water pot: MN 119
Gem with colored thread inside: DN 2, DN 11, DN 12
Gift of food: SN XX.4
Goat butcher: AN III.101
Gold coins raining: Dhp 186
Gold ingot: Dhp 229
Goldsmith purifying gold: AN III.102, AN III.103
Gold mountain: SN IV.20
Goldsmith crafting any kind of article: DN 2, DN 11
Gourds in fall: Dhp 149
Grass with sharp blades: Dhp 311
Grass, wild, after rain: Dhp 335
Green reed cut down: SN I.9
Ground far from the sky: SN V.10
Guest house: SN XXXVI.14
Guest refusing the host's food: SN VII.2
Handful of leaves: SN LVI.31
Hawk attacking quail: SN XLVII.6
Head on fire: See Turban on fire
Head of snake: Sn IV.1
Head sliced open with sword: MN 36
Hell, saved from: DN 12
Hen covering her eggs: SN XXII.101
Herd of cattle: AN III.58
Herons wasting away: Dhp 155
Himalayas: Dhp 304
Hog, fat and lazy: Dhp 324
Horse: awakened by the whip, SN I.18; deprived of fodder, SN VII.14; fast, Dhp 29; stirred by a goad-stick, AN IV.113; tamed, Dhp 322.See also Stallion, Thorougbred.
Honey ball: MN 18
Horsetrainer: AN IV.111
House on fire: SN I.41
House with poor roof: AN III.110
House with windows: SN XII.64
Ill, man becomes: DN 12
Illness, man recovering from: DN 2, DN 11
Incense wrapped in leaf: Iti 76
Indra's pillar: Dhp 95
Insects falling into flame: Ud VI.9
Inscription in rock or water: AN III.33
Iron ball aflame, eating or swallowing an: Dhp 307, Dhp 371, Iti 48, Iti 91
Irrigator: Dhp 80, Dhp 145
Island: DN 16, SN XLVII.13, Dhp 25, Dhp 236, Dhp 238
Ivory carver or his assistant: DN 2, DN 11
Jackal: SN XVII.8
Jail, person thrown in: AN III.101
Jar filled with water: AN V.28
Jar filled with ghee or oil: SN XLII.6
Jar made of clay: Dhp 40
King:hearing a lute, SN XXXV.205;renouncing kingdom, Sn I.3, Dhp 329;seeing no danger after victory, DN 2, DN 11.
Lake: deep and calm, Dhp 82; dried-up, Dhp 155; free of mud, Dhp 95; person stranded in the middle, Sn V.10; spring-fed, DN 2, DN 11, DN 12, MN 119, AN V.28; unruffled by wind, Iti 92.
Lamp in the dark: See Uprighting what had been overturned.
Leaf, yellowed: Dhp 235
Leaky boat: Sn IV.1
Leaves, handful of: SN LVI.31
Leper covered with sores: MN 75
Lily crushed in hand: Dhp 285
Limb falling from tree: SN XLVII.13
Linchpin in a moving cart: AN IV.32
Lion: Sn I.3
Lion in mountain cleft: Sn III.1
Lion unstartled by sounds: Sn I.3, Sn I.12
Loan, man repaying a: DN 2, DN 11
Loan, man taking out a: DN 12
Lost caravan leader: Snp IV.13
Lotus pond: DN 2, DN 11, DN 12, MN 119, AN V.28
Lotus: rising above the water, AN X.81; unsmeared by water, Sn I.3, Sn I.12, Sn IV.9. See also Flower. Water on a lotus.
Lute disassembled by a king: SN XXXV.205
Magic show: Thig XIV
Magician: SN XXII.95
Man pursuing a woman: DN 12
Man returning home after long absence: Dhp 219
Man seeking heartwood: MN 18, MN 138, SN XXII.95
Merchant with caravan: Dhp 123
Middle of the sea: Sn IV.14
Milk: Dhp 71
Milk from a cow's horn: MN 126
Mirage: SN XXII.95, Dhp 46, Thig XIV
Mire, person stuck in the: MN 8
Mirror of the Dhamma: DN 16
Monkey caught in tar trap: SN XLVII.7
Monkey in forest: Dhp 334
Monkey releasing one branch to grab another: Sn IV.4
Moon: Dhp 387, Dhp 413; waning, DN 31, SN V.10; waxing, DN 31; moonlight, Iti 27 (a), (b); set free from a cloud, Dhp 172, Dhp 382, Iti 74.
Morning star: Iti 27
Mother risking life for child: Sn I.8
Mountain of gold: SN IV.20
Mountain of solid rock unshaken by wind: AN VI.55, Dhp 7, Ud III.4, Thag 14.1
Mountains crushing in from four sides: SN III.25
Mules, tamed: Dhp 322
Muñja grass: Sn III.2
Mural painted on wall: Thig XIV
Mustard seed: Dhp 401, Dhp 407
Noise from a soft catskin bag: MN 21
Ocean: an abode for mighty creatures, Ud V.5; crossing over the, Iti 69; gradual slope of ocean floor, Ud V.5; greatness of, SN XIII.8; intolerance to dead bodies, Ud V.5; many treasures of, Ud V.5; middle of ocean is calm, Sn IV.14; polluted by a pot of poison: Iti 89; salty taste of, Ud V.5; stability of, Ud V.5; steady level of, Ud V.5.
Oil from gravel: MN 126
Oil lamp depending on wick and fuel: SN XXXVI.7
Ornament of finest gold: AN IV.28
Ox: Dhp 1, Dhp 152; eating corn, SN XXXV.205; led to slaughter, Sn III.8; joined by a single yoke, SN XXXV.191.
Painted picture: SN XII.64
Painter painting a picture: SN XXII.100
Palm leaf dropping from its stem: Iti 88
Palm tree with top cut off: MN 105
Peacock: Sn I.12
Peg in drum: SN XX.7
Person looking down from a rocky crag: Iti 38
Person reflecting on another: AN V.28
Person riding a small wooden plank in the great ocean: Iti 78
Pillar at a bathing ford: Sn I.12
Poison: Dhp 123
Poison, man drinking: MN 105
Polished shell: DN 2, DN 11
Pond, delightful: SN III.19
Pond, haunted: SN III.19
Pool of water in a mountain glen: DN 2, DN 11, DN 12
Pot, flattened metal: Dhp 134
Pot of pickled greens: Thig I.1
Pot smashed by stone: Sn III.2
Pots eventually end up getting broken: Sn III.8
Potter or potter's apprentice: DN 2, DN 11, DN 12
Prison, man released from: DN 2, DN 11 DN 12
Rabbit caught in snare: Dhp 342
Rafters of house: Dhp 153
Rain entering hut: Dhp 13
Rain from a thunderhead: AN IV.102
Rain stilling a cloud of dust: Iti 87
Rainless cloud: Iti 75
Reed destroyed by its own fruit: SN III.23
Reed drawn from its sheath: DN 2, DN 11, DN 12
Reflection of one's face in mirror: DN 2, DN 11 DN 12
Reservoir with four inlets and outlets: AN VIII.54
Rhinoceros horn: Sn I.3
Riddle tree: SN XXXV.204
Ridge-pole of house: Dhp 153
River: Dhp 251
River, person swept away by a: SN XXII.93, Iti 109
Rivers giving up their names upon reaching ocean: Ud V.5
Road, dangerous: Dhp 123
Rock broken in two: MN 105
Rock in wind: Dhp 81
Roots, medicinal: Dhp 337
Rubbish pile with lotus: Dhp 58
Rust eating iron: Dhp 240
Sack full of grains: DN 22, MN 119
Salt in water: AN III.101
Salty taste of ocean: Ud V.5
Sand castles: SN XXIII.2
Saw used by an attacking bandit: MN 121
Seed rotting in a field: SN V.10
Seizure: Dhp 251
Servant murdering his master: SN XXII.85
Shadow that never leaves: SN III.4, SN III.20, Dhp 1
Sheaf of barley: SN XXXV.207
Ship left ashore over winter: SN XXII.101
Shore-sighting bird: DN 11
Shot by arrow: Sn II.10, Sn IV.1
Shuttle: Sn I.12
Silversmith: Dhp 239, Sn IV.16
Slavery, man freed from: DN 2, DN 11 DN 12
Snake, giving one's hand to a poisonous: MN 105
Snake shedding its skin: Sn I.1
Snake pulled from its slough: DN 2, DN 11
Snapping one's fingers: MN 152
Snare: Dhp 251
Sound of drums: DN 2, DN 11, DN 12
Soup tasted by ladle: Dhp 64
Spear: SN XX.5
Spider snared in its own web: Dhp 347
Spitting: MN 152
Spring-fed lake: See Lake.
Stallion: Dhp 94, Dhp 144, Dhp 380.See also Horse.
Stick thrown up into the air: SN XV.9
Stone ball thrown into wet clay: MN 119
Storm cloud: Thag 14.1
Strong man nourished on royal food: Sn IV.8
Strong man extending arm: DN 20, MN 152, SN VI.1, SN VI.2
Suckling calf going to its mother: Dhp 284, Ud VII.4
Sun: Dhp 387
Sun and moon's speed: SN XX.6
Sun dispelling the dark: Iti 88
Sun illuminating sky: Ud I.3
Sun's light: Iti 27, Iti 59
Surgeon treating a wound: see Doctor
Swans flying: Dhp 175
Swans taking off from lake: Dhp 91
Swift pair of messengers: SN XXXV.204
Sword drawn from its scabbard: DN 2, DN 11
Tall building in central square: DN 2, DN 11, DN 12
Tangle: SN VII.6
Tank filled with water: AN V.28
Thunder clouds: SN III.24, AN IV.102
Thoroughbred steed: Thag II.27, Thig V.10. See also Horse.
Tortoise evading a jackal: SN XXXV.199
Track of ox: Dhp 1
Trades. See Crafts and Trades.
Trader watching over a fine steed: Dhp 380
Trail in space: Dhp 254
Traveling from vilage to village: DN 2, DN 11, DN 12
Traveling safely in desolate country: DN 2, DN 11, DN 12
Tree as a haven for birds: AN V.38
Tree growing back after having been cut: Dhp 338
Tree killed by vine: Dhp 162
Tree of gold: Thig XIV
Tree overcome by wind: Dhp 7
Tree shedding its leaves: Sn I.3, Sn I.3
Tree with roots cut: Thig V.8
Tuft of cotton: Thag I.104
Tuning a stringed instrument: AN VI.55
Turban or head on fire, person with: AN VI.20 (1, 2), AN X.51, Thag I.39
Turban tightening around one's head: MN 36
Turner or his apprentice: DN 22
Tusker: see Elephant
Uprighting what had been overturned: DN 2, DN 12, DN 16, DN 31, MN 4, MN 41, MN 57, MN 58, MN 72, MN 75, MN 107, MN 135, SN III.1, SN VII.2, SN VII.6, SN VII.14, SN VII.17, SN XII.48, SN XXXV.127, SN XLII.2, SN XLII.3, SN XLII.6, SN XLII.8, SN LI.15, AN III.65, AN III.73, AN IV.111, AN X.176, AN IV.184, Ud V.3
Uprooted palm tree: SN XXII.3
Village, leaving one's: MN 105
Vine, creeping: Dhp 334
Vine killing a sal tree: Dhp 162
Vomit, person eating his or her own: MN 105
Warrior: AN IV.181, Dhp 387; untrained, SN III.24
Waste-water pool: AN IV.178
Water drawn from a pond: SN XIII.2
Water drops in a hot pan: MN 152
Water filling a jar: Dhp 121
Water jar filled to brim: MN 119
Water on a lotus: MN 152, Sn IV.6 Dhp 336, Dhp 401, Iti 88
Water tank filled to brim: MN 119
Weigher holding a scale: AN VIII.54
Wet piece of wood: MN 119
Wheel of cart: Dhp 1
Wild deer: Ud II.10
Wind blowing across the sky: SN XXXVI.12
Wind coming out of bellows: MN 36
Wind overcoming a tree: Dhp 7
Wind unsnared by a net: Sn I.3, Sn I.12
Winnowing chaff: Dhp 252
Wood scrap: Dhp 41
Wounded man wandering in jungle: SN XXXV.206
Yellow leaf: Dhp 235
Yellow leaf turning green: MN 105
Yokes: SN XXXV.191, SN LVI.48, AN IV.10
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