3.7.10

Lesson 3.7.10 Soṇakoḷivisavatthu - Balanced Endeavour Should Resemble Strings of a Veeṇa Properly Tuned

This lesson presents the well-known example of the young boy Soṇa Koḷivisa who, after visiting the King Seniya Bimbisāro of Māgadha, came to listen to the discourse of the Buddha, got inspired to leave the householders life and retired to a solitary retreat at a cool, shady grove named Sītavane. Here he decided to put forth special efforts in his meditation and allowed himself the two extreme positions of standing and walking only! As an extremely tender person who wasn’t used to such tedious practices, his path was soon covered with his blood as if the slaughter of cattle had been performed. Here the Buddha stepped in and gave the Venerable Soṇa the advice that ‘putting forth energy too strenuously (accāraddhavīriyaṃ) was conducive to restlessness, but energy being put forth too sluggishly was conducive to slothfulness. Therefore, all energy should be exerted in a balanced way (vīriyasamathaṃ).’ Following the Buddha’s advice, the Venerable Soṇa attained Arahanthood and was later announced foremost in putting forth energy by the Buddha and is counted amongst the forty-one Mahātheras who received an etadagga-title.