In short: in AN 4.95 the Buddha describes four kinds of people: those who benefit neither themselves nor others, only others, only themselves, and both. The first is like a firebrand from a funeral pyre, useless for anything; the last is the best.
The Buddha described four kinds of people: those who practice to benefit neither themselves nor others, only others, only themselves, and both. The first is like "a firebrand for lighting a funeral pyre, burning at both ends, and smeared with dung in the middle": useless for anything.
Which is best?
Surprisingly, the one who benefits themselves ranks above the one who benefits only others, and the one who benefits both is "the foremost, best, chief, highest, and finest". Caring for your own practice is not selfish; it is the ground for helping others well, exactly as in the acrobat simile.
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The full text in Pāli and English
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato, from SuttaCentral (AN4.95). Ellipses (…) are abbreviations in the original. Notes are ANEW's.
| Pāli | English |
|---|---|
| “Cattārome, bhikkhave, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. | “Mendicants, these four individuals are found in the world. |
| Katame cattāro? | What four? |
| Nevattahitāya paṭipanno no parahitāya, | One who practices to benefit neither themselves nor others; |
| parahitāya paṭipanno no attahitāya, | one who practices to benefit others, but not themselves; |
| attahitāya paṭipanno no parahitāya, | one who practices to benefit themselves, but not others; and |
| attahitāya ceva paṭipanno parahitāya ca. | one who practices to benefit both themselves and others. |
| Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, chavālātaṁ ubhato padittaṁ, majjhe gūthagataṁ, neva gāme kaṭṭhatthaṁ pharati na araññe (…); | Suppose there was a firebrand for lighting a funeral pyre, burning at both ends, and smeared with dung in the middle. It couldn’t be used as timber either in the village or the wilderness. |
| tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imaṁ puggalaṁ vadāmi yvāyaṁ puggalo nevattahitāya paṭipanno no parahitāya. | The individual who practices to benefit neither themselves nor others is like this, I say. |
| Tatra, bhikkhave, yvāyaṁ puggalo parahitāya paṭipanno no attahitāya, ayaṁ imesaṁ dvinnaṁ puggalānaṁ abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro ca. | The individual who practices to benefit others, but not themselves, is better than that. |
| Tatra, bhikkhave, yvāyaṁ puggalo attahitāya paṭipanno no parahitāya, ayaṁ imesaṁ tiṇṇaṁ puggalānaṁ abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro ca. | The individual who practices to benefit themselves, but not others, is better than both of those. |
| Tatra, bhikkhave, yvāyaṁ puggalo attahitāya ceva paṭipanno parahitāya ca, ayaṁ imesaṁ catunnaṁ puggalānaṁ aggo ca seṭṭho ca pāmokkho ca uttamo ca pavaro ca. | But the individual who practices to benefit both themselves and others is the foremost, best, chief, highest, and finest of the four. |
| Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, gavā khīraṁ, khīramhā dadhi, dadhimhā navanītaṁ, navanītamhā sappi, sappimhā sappimaṇḍo, sappimaṇḍo tattha aggamakkhāyati; | From a cow comes milk, from milk comes curds, from curds come butter, from butter comes ghee, and from ghee comes cream of ghee. And the cream of ghee is said to be the best of these. |
| evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, yvāyaṁ puggalo attahitāya ceva paṭipanno parahitāya ca, ayaṁ imesaṁ catunnaṁ puggalānaṁ aggo ca seṭṭho ca pāmokkho ca uttamo ca pavaro ca. | In the same way, the individual who practices to benefit both themselves and others is the foremost, best, chief, highest, and finest of the four. |
| Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmin”ti. | These are the four individuals found in the world.” |
| Pañcamaṁ. |
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Questions people ask
What is the firebrand simile?
In AN 4.95 the Buddha compares a person who benefits neither themselves nor others to a funeral-pyre firebrand, burning at both ends and smeared with dung, useless for anything.