This episode is the 22nd sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya: the Alagaddūpama sutta which is known as the “simile of the snake”. In this teaching one of the monks denies that breaking the rules of conduct is really a problem. The monks go to great lengths to persuade him to change his views. Then the Buddha compares someone who understands only the letter of the teachings to someone who grabs a snake by the tail, and also invokes the famous simile of the raft.

This translation of the Alagaddūpama sutta is by Bhikkhu Sujato and was sourced from Sutta Central.

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