1One bhikkhu approached another and asked him: "In what way, friend, is a bhikkhu's vision well purified?"[n.202] The purification of vision (dassana) usually means the attainment of stream-entry, the gaining of "the vision of the Dhamma" (dhammacakkhu). Here, however, the qualification "well purified" (suvisuddhaṇ) seems to imply that the question concerns the path to arahantship. It is so taken by Spk.

1Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: "kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī"ti?

"When, friend, a bhikkhu understands as they really are the origin and the passing away of the six bases for contact, sn.iv.192 in this way his vision is well purified."[n.203] Spk says that all the bhikkhus who replied were arahants; they answered in accordance with their own method of practice. The inquirer was dissatisfied with the reply of the first because it mentioned the formations only partly (padesasaṅkhāresu ̣hatvā); he was dissatisfied with the other replies because they seemed to contradict one another.

"Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī"ti.

2Then the first bhikkhu, dissatisfied with the other's answer, approached another bhikkhu and asked him: "In what way, friend, is a bhikkhu's vision well purified?"

2Atha kho so bhikkhu asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: "kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī"ti?

"When, friend, a bhikkhu understands as they really are the origin and the passing away of the five aggregates subject to clinging, in this way his vision is well purified."

"Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu pañcannaṁ upādānakkhandhānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī"ti.

3Again, the first bhikkhu, dissatisfied with the other's answer, approached still another bhikkhu and asked him: "In what way, friend, is a bhikkhu's vision well purified?"

3Atha kho so bhikkhu asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: "kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī"ti?

"When, friend, a bhikkhu understands as they really are the origin and the passing away of the four great elements, in this way his vision is well purified."

"Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu catunnaṁ mahābhūtānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī"ti.

4Again, the first bhikkhu, dissatisfied with the other's answer, approached still another bhikkhu and asked him: "In what way, friend, is a bhikkhu's vision well purified?"

4Atha kho so bhikkhu asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: "kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī"ti?

"When, friend, a bhikkhu understands as it really is: ‘Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to cessation,’ in this way his vision is well purified."

"Yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu yaṁ kiñci samudayadhammaṁ, sabbaṁ taṁ nirodhadhammanti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī"ti.

5Then the first bhikkhu, dissatisfied with the other's answer, approached the Blessed One, reported everything that had happened, sn.iv.193 and asked: "In what way, venerable sir, is a bhikkhu's vision well purified?"

5Atha kho so bhikkhu asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "Idhāhaṁ, bhante, yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkamiṁ; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavocaṁ: ‘kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī’ti? Evaṁ vutte, bhante, so bhikkhu maṁ etadavoca: ‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī’ti. Atha khvāhaṁ, bhante, asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro bhikkhu tenupasaṅkamiṁ; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavocaṁ: ‘kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī’ti? Evaṁ vutte, bhante, so bhikkhu maṁ etadavoca: ‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhu pañcannaṁ upādānakkhandhānaṁ … pe … catunnaṁ mahābhūtānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti … pe … yaṁ kiñci samudayadhammaṁ sabbaṁ taṁ nirodhadhammanti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī’ti. Atha khvāhaṁ, bhante, asantuṭṭho tassa bhikkhussa pañhaveyyākaraṇena yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁ. Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, bhikkhuno dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hotī"ti?

6"Bhikkhu, suppose there was a man who had never before seen a Kiṁ tree.[n.204] Kiṁsuka means literally "what's it?" The name may have originated from an ancient Indian folk riddle. Kiṁśuka is also known in Skt literature (see MW, s.v. kị). Both PED and MW identify it as the tree Butea frondosa. Liyanaratne lists two kinds of kiṁsuka ("South Asian flora as reflected in the Abhidhānappadīpikā," §§43–44.). One, also called the paḷibadda, is identified as Erythrina variegata; the English equivalent is the coral tree (elsewhere used to render the pāricchattaka tree—see SN48.68). The other, also called the palāsa, is identified as Butea monosperma; its English name is the Bengal kino tree or the dhak tree. Woodward translates it as "Judas tree," but this is unlikely as the Judas tree is of the genus Sercis.
The Kiṁsukopama Jataka (No. 248; Ja II 265–66) begins with an incident similar to the one with which the present sutta starts, but employs a somewhat different story about the kiṁsuka to make the same point. In the Jataka version the kiṁsuka appears like a charred stump at the time the buds are sprouting; like a banyan tree, when the leaves turn green; like a piece of meat, at the time of blossoming; like an acacia, when bearing fruit. According to Spk, the kiṁsuka is like a charred stump when the leaves have been shed; like a piece of meat, when blossoming; with strips of bark hanging down and burst pods, when bearing fruit; and giving abundant shade, when covered with leaves. The similarity of its flowers to meat is the theme of a humorous poem at Vism 196,5–15 (Ppn 6:91–92), about a jackal who chanced upon a kiṁsuka and rejoiced at finding "a meat-bearing tree." He might approach a man who had seen a Kiṁ tree and ask him: ‘Sir, what is a Kiṁ tree like?’ The other might answer: ‘Good man, a Kiṁ tree is blackish, like a charred stump.’ On that occasion a kịsuka tree might have been exactly as that man had seen it.

6"Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, purisassa kiṁsuko adiṭṭhapubbo assa. So yenaññataro puriso kiṁsukassa dassāvī tenupasaṅkameyya. Upasaṅkamitvā taṁ purisaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘kīdiso, bho purisa, kiṁsuko’ti? So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘kāḷako kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko – seyyathāpi jhāmakhāṇū’ti. Tena kho pana, bhikkhu, samayena tādisovassa kiṁsuko yathāpi tassa purisassa dassanaṁ.

7"Then that man, dissatisfied with the other's answer, might approach another man who had seen a kịsuka tree and ask him: ‘Sir, what is a kịsuka tree like?’ The other might answer: ‘Good man, a kịsuka tree is reddish, like a piece of meat.’ On that occasion a kịsuka tree might have been exactly as that man had seen it.

7Atha kho so, bhikkhu, puriso asantuṭṭho tassa purisassa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro puriso kiṁsukassa dassāvī tenupasaṅkameyya; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ purisaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘kīdiso, bho purisa, kiṁsuko’ti? So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘lohitako kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko – seyyathāpi maṁsapesī’ti. Tena kho pana, bhikkhu, samayena tādisovassa kiṁsuko yathāpi tassa purisassa dassanaṁ.

"Then that man, dissatisfied with the other's answer, might approach still another man who had seen a kịka tree and ask him: 'sir, what is a kịsuka tree like?’ The other might answer: ‘Good man, a kịsuka tree has strips of bark hanging down and burst pods, like an acacia tree.’[n.205] Sirīsa. This was the Bodhi Tree of the Buddha Kakusandha (see DN14). On that occasion a kịsuka tree might have been exactly as that man had seen it.

Atha kho so bhikkhu puriso asantuṭṭho tassa purisassa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro puriso kiṁsukassa dassāvī tenupasaṅkameyya; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ purisaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘kīdiso, bho purisa, kiṁsuko’ti? So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ocīrakajāto kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko ādinnasipāṭiko – seyyathāpi sirīso’ti. Tena kho pana, bhikkhu, samayena tādisovassa kiṁsuko, yathāpi tassa purisassa dassanaṁ.

"Then that man, dissatisfied with the other's answer, sn.iv.194 might approach still another man who had seen a kịsuka tree and ask him: ‘Sir, what is a kịsuka tree like?’ The other might answer: ‘Good man, a kịsuka tree has plenty of leaves and foliage and gives abundant shade, like a banyan tree.’ On that occasion a kịsuka tree might have been exactly as that man had seen it.

Atha kho so bhikkhu puriso asantuṭṭho tassa purisassa pañhaveyyākaraṇena, yenaññataro puriso kiṁsukassa dassāvī tenupasaṅkameyya; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ purisaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘kīdiso, bho purisa, kiṁsuko’ti? So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘bahalapattapalāso sandacchāyo kho, ambho purisa, kiṁsuko – seyyathāpi nigrodho’ti. Tena kho pana, bhikkhu, samayena tādisovassa kiṁsuko, yathāpi tassa purisassa dassanaṁ.

"So too, bhikkhu, those superior men answered as they were disposed in just the way their own vision had been well purified.[n.206] Spk: Just as the four men who described the kiṁsuka described it just as they had seen it, so these four bhikkhus, having attained arahantship by purifying their vision, described Nibbāna, the purifier of vision, in accordance with the path by which they themselves had attained it. Spk draws parallels between the four modes of appearance of the tree and the four different approaches to meditation by which the monks attained arahantship.

Evameva kho, bhikkhu, yathā yathā adhimuttānaṁ tesaṁ sappurisānaṁ dassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ hoti tathā tathā kho tehi sappurisehi byākataṁ.

8"Suppose, bhikkhu, a king had a frontier city with strong ramparts, walls, and arches, and with six gates.[n.207] Spk: Why is this introduced? If that bhikkhu understood (the meaning being conveyed by the kiṁsuka simile), then it is introduced to teach him the Dhamma. If he did not understand, this simile of the city is introduced to explain and clarify the meaning.
Again, Spk gives a much more elaborate version of the simile and its application. In brief: The lord of the city is a prince, son of a virtuous world monarch, who had been appointed by his father to administer one of the outlying provinces. Under the influence of bad friends the prince had become dissolute and passed his time drinking liquor and enjoying music and dance. The king sent the two messengers to admonish the prince to abandon his heedless ways and resume his duties. One messenger is a brave warrior (representing the samatha meditation subject), the other a wise minister (representing the vipassanā meditation subject). The brave warrior grabs hold of the wayward prince by the head and threatens to decapitate him if he doesn’t change his ways: this is like the time the mind has been grabbed and made motionless by the concentration arisen through the first jhāna. The fleeing of the prince's dissolute friends is like the disappearance of the five hindrances when the first jhāna has arisen. When the prince agrees to follow the king's command, this is like the time the meditator has emerged from jhāna. When the minister delivers the king's command, this is like the time when the meditator, with his mind made pliable through concentration, develops insight meditation. When the two messengers raise up the white canopy over the prince after he has been coronated, this is like the time the white canopy of liberation is raised over the meditator after he has attained arahantship by means of serenity and insight. The gatekeeper posted there would be wise, competent, and intelligent; one who keeps out strangers and admits acquaintances. A swift pair of messengers would come from the east and ask the gatekeeper: ‘Where, good man, is the lord of this city?’ He would reply: ‘He is sitting in the central square.’ Then the swift pair of messengers would deliver a message of reality to the lord of the city and leave by the route by which they had arrived. Similarly, messengers would come from the west, from the north, from the south, deliver their message, and leave by the route by which they had arrived.

8Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, rañño paccantimaṁ nagaraṁ daḷhuddhāpaṁ daḷhapākāratoraṇaṁ chadvāraṁ. Tatrassa dovāriko paṇḍito byatto medhāvī, aññātānaṁ nivāretā, ñātānaṁ pavesetā. Puratthimāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ taṁ dovārikaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘kahaṁ, bho purisa, imassa nagarassa nagarassāmī’ti? So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘eso, bhante, majjhe siṅghāṭake nisinno’ti. Atha kho taṁ sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ nagarassāmikassa yathābhūtaṁ vacanaṁ niyyātetvā yathāgatamaggaṁ paṭipajjeyya. Pacchimāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ … pe … uttarāya disāya … dakkhiṇāya disāya āgantvā sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ taṁ dovārikaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘kahaṁ, bho purisa, imassa nagarassāmī’ti? So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘eso, bhante, majjhe siṅghāṭake nisinno’ti. Atha kho taṁ sīghaṁ dūtayugaṁ nagarassāmikassa yathābhūtaṁ vacanaṁ niyyātetvā yathāgatamaggaṁ paṭipajjeyya.

9"I have made up this simile, bhikkhu, in order to convey a meaning. This is the meaning here: ‘The city’: this is a designation for this body consisting of the four great elements, originating from mother and father, built up out of boiled rice and gruel, subject to impermanence, to being worn and rubbed away, to breaking apart and dispersal.[n.208] Also at SN35.103; see above n. 87. ‘The six gates’: this is a designation for the six internal sense bases. ‘The gatekeeper’: this is a designation for mindfulness. sn.iv.195 ‘The swift pair of messengers’: this is a designation for serenity and insight. ‘The lord of the city’: this is designation for consciousness.[n.209] Spk identifies this as the insight-mind (vipassanācitta), which is the prince to be coronated with the coronation of arahantship by the two messengers, serenity and insight. This interpretation strikes me as too narrow. I see the point to be simply that consciousness is the functional centre of personal experience. ‘The central square’: this is a designation for the four great elements—the earth element, the water element, the heat element, the air element. ‘A message of reality’: this is a designation for Nibbāna.[n.210] Spk: Nibbāna is called the "message of reality" (yathabhataṇ vacanaṁ) because in its real nature it is unshakable and immutable (yathabhūtasabhavaṁ akuppaṁ avikari). ‘The route by which they had arrived’: this is a designation for the Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view … right concentration."

9Upamā kho myāyaṁ, bhikkhu, katā atthassa viññāpanāya. Ayañcettha attho: ‘nagaran’ti kho, bhikkhu, imassetaṁ cātumahābhūtikassa kāyassa adhivacanaṁ mātāpettikasambhavassa odanakummāsūpacayassa aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammassa. ‘Cha dvārā’ti kho, bhikkhu, channetaṁ ajjhattikānaṁ āyatanānaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Dovāriko’ti kho, bhikkhu, satiyā etaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Sīghaṁ dūtayugan’ti kho, bhikkhu, samathavipassanānetaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Nagarassāmī’ti kho, bhikkhu, viññāṇassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Majjhe siṅghāṭako’ti kho, bhikkhu, catunnetaṁ mahābhūtānaṁ adhivacanaṁ – pathavīdhātuyā, āpodhātuyā, tejodhātuyā, vāyodhātuyā. ‘Yathābhūtaṁ vacanan’ti kho, bhikkhu, nibbānassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Yathāgatamaggo’ti kho, bhikkhu, ariyassetaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa adhivacanaṁ, seyyathidaṁ – sammādiṭṭhiyā … pe … sammāsamādhissā"ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.