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AN 7.72 
 
Aggikkhandhopama Sutta  
“A Blazing Bonfire” 
 
Translated by Bhikkhu Candana 
 
Copyright © Bhikkhu Candana 2023 
 
This is what I personally heard. 
At one time, The Blessed One was wandering through the Kosalan region with a large Sangha of 
Bhikkhus. Then, while still walking on the main highway, The Blessed One saw a huge blazing 
bonfire and deviating from the path, He sat on a prepared seat at the root of a tree and addressed 
the Bhikkhus by saying: 
“Bhikkhus, do you see that huge blazing bonfire?” 
“Yes, Bhante, we do see it.”  
1. “Bhikkhus, what do you consider to be better: to go and embrace this huge mass of blazing 
bonfire, as you sit or lie down next to it? Or to go and embrace the soft and tender hands and feet 
of a young woman from royal class of warriors, or of brahmins, or from a householder family, 
and to sit or lie down next to her?” 
“Bhante, it would be much better to go and embrace the soft and tender hands and feet of a 
young woman from royal class of warriors, or of brahmins, or from a householder family, and to 
sit or lie down next to her! Because Bhante, it would be a terrible and pure suffering, if one were 
to go and embrace this huge mass of blazing bonfire and sit or lie down next to it!”  
“On the contrary, Bhikkhus! I declare to you all and call your attention to this fact, that it is far 
better for even an immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner, 
not having even a speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse, 
who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth; I declare that even for such a person, it 
would be far better to go and embrace that huge mass of blazing bonfire, and sit or lie down next 
to it. And why do I say this? 
“I say this because, although such a person would experience terrible and excruciating bodily 
pains due to the blazing fires, nevertheless, once his body breaks down, after death, he would at 
least not be reborn in the miserable lower realms, in the planes of misery, in the horrendous 
destinations, in the hells.

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“However, if that immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner, 
not having even a speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse, 
who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth, if he were to go and embrace the soft and 
tender hands and feet of a young woman from the royal class of warriors, or of brahmins, or from 
a householder family, and sit or lie down next to her, it will surely lead to his suffering and 
anguish for a very long time, but not only that, because once his body breaks down, after death, 
he will be reborn in the miserable lower realms, in the planes of misery, in the horrendous 
destinations, in the hells. 
2. “Bhikkhus, what do you consider to be better, to have a strong man binding you with a tough 
rope weaved out of horsehair, as he tightly squeezes at both your ankles and knees, tighter and 
tighter, crushing them, until the rope tears through your outer skin, your inner skin, the muscles 
and flesh, the veins, bones, and all the way through, until it stops at the bone marrow? Or is it 
better to be welcoming of the veneration offered by the warrior kings, brahmins, or the wealthy 
householders with higher social standing, all bowing down to you, as a sign of devotion and 
honor?  
“Bhante, it would be much better to be welcoming of the veneration offered by the warrior kings, 
brahmins, or the wealthy householders with higher social standing, all bowing down to us, as a 
sign of devotion and honor. Because, Bhante, it would be truly unbearable to have a strong man 
binding us with a tough rope weaved out of horsehair, as he tightly squeezes at both our ankles 
and knees, tighter and tighter, crushing them, until the rope tears through our outer skin, our 
inner skin, the muscles and flesh, the veins, bones, and all the way through, until it stops at the 
bone marrow.” 
“On the contrary, Bhikkhus! I declare to you all and call your attention to this fact, that it is far 
better for even an immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner, 
not having even a speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse, 
who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth; I declare that even for such a person, it 
would be far better to have a strong man binding him with a tough rope weaved out of horsehair, 
as he tightly squeezes at both his ankles and knees, tighter and tighter, crushing them, until the 
rope tears through his outer skin, his inner skin, the muscles and flesh, the veins, bones, and all 
the way through, until it stops at the bone marrow. And why do I say this? 
“I say this because, although such a person would experience terrible and excruciating bodily 
pains due to being squeezed to death, nevertheless, once his body breaks down, after death, he 
would at least not be reborn in the miserable lower realms, in the planes of misery, in the 
horrendous destinations, in the hells. 
“However, if that immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner, 
not having even a speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse,

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who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth, if he were to be welcoming of the 
veneration offered by the warrior kings, brahmins, or the wealthy householders with higher 
social standing, all bowing down to him as a sign of devotion and honor, this will surely lead to 
his suffering and anguish for a very long time, but not only that, because once his body breaks 
down, after death, he will be reborn in the miserable lower realms, in the planes of misery, in the 
horrendous destinations, in the hells. 
3. “Bhikkhus, what do you consider to be better: to have a strong man standing behind you, who 
cuts you down mercilessly, with a large sword that has been carefully sharpened in oil for a long 
time? Or is it better to be welcoming of the devotion offered with hands in anjalī by the warrior 
kings, brahmins, or the wealthy householders with higher social standing?  
“Bhante, it would be much better to be welcoming of the devotion offered with hands in anjalī 
by the warrior kings, brahmins, or the wealthy householders with higher social standing. 
Because, Bhante, it would be truly unbearable to have a strong man standing behind us, who cuts 
us down mercilessly, with a large sword that has been carefully sharpened in oil for a long time.” 
“On the contrary, Bhikkhus! I declare to you all and call your attention to this fact, that it is far 
better that for even an immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner, 
not having even a speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse, 
who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth; I declare that even for such a person, it 
would be far better to have a strong man standing behind him, who cuts him down mercilessly, 
with a large sword that has been carefully sharpened in oil for a long time. And why do I say 
this? 
“I say this because, although such a person would experience unbearable suffering due to being 
cut down by the sword, nevertheless, once his body breaks down, after death, he would at least 
not be reborn in the miserable lower realms, in the planes of misery, in the horrendous 
destinations, in the hells. 
“However, if that immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner, 
not having even a speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse, 
who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth, if he were to be welcoming of the devotion 
offered with hands in anjalī by the warrior kings, brahmins, or the wealthy householders with 
higher social standing, that will surely lead to his suffering and anguish for a very long time, but 
not only that, because once his body breaks down, after death, he will be reborn in the miserable 
lower realms, in the planes of misery, in the horrendous destinations, in the hells. 
4. “Bhikkhus, what do you consider to be better: to have a strong man grab you and then begin 
wrapping your body in a fiery iron sheet that is glowing red-hot, blazing and burning? Or is it 
better to accept an offering of robes, given by warrior kings, brahmins, or householders?

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“Bhante, it would be much better to accept the offering of robes, given by warrior kings, 
brahmins, or householders. Because, Bhante, it would truly be unbelievably painful to have a 
strong man grab us and then begin wrapping our body in a fiery iron sheet that is glowing red-
hot, blazing and burning.” 
“On the contrary, Bhikkhus! I declare to you all and call your attention to this fact, that it is far 
better for even an immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner, 
not having even a speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse, 
who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth; I declare that even for such a person, it 
would be far better to have a strong man grab him and then begin wrapping his body in a fiery 
iron sheet that is glowing red-hot, blazing and burning. And why do I say this? 
“I say this because, although such a person would experience unbelievable suffering due to being 
wrapped while still alive into burning red-hot iron sheet, nevertheless, once his body breaks 
down, after death, he would at least not be reborn in the miserable lower realms, in the planes of 
misery, in the horrendous destinations, in the hells. 
“However, if that immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner, 
not having even a speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse, 
who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth, if he were to accept the offering of robes, 
given by warrior kings, brahmins, or householders, that will surely lead to his suffering and 
anguish for a very long time, but not only that, because once his body breaks down, after death, 
he will be reborn in the miserable lower realms, in the planes of misery, in the horrendous 
destinations, in the hells. 
5. “Bhikkhus, what do you consider to be better: to have a strong man grab you and then 
ruthlessly pry open your mouth with a burning red-hot metal spike, and then shove blazingly hot 
copper balls down your throat, and in the process, entirely burn and scorch your lips, tongue, 
mouth, throat, esophagus, and stomach, after which those fiery red-hot copper balls would come 
out, along with your intestines and everything else with them? Or is it better to accept the 
offering of alms food, given by warrior kings, brahmins, or householders?  
“Bhante, it would be much better to accept the offering of alms food, given by warrior kings, 
brahmins, or householders. Because, Bhante, it would truly be unbelievably painful to have a 
strong man grab us and then ruthlessly pry open our mouth with a burning red-hot metal spike, 
and then shove blazingly hot copper balls down our throat, and in the process, entirely burn and 
scorch our lips, tongue, mouth, throat, esophagus, and stomach, after which those fiery red-hot 
copper balls would come out, along with our intestines and everything else with them.” 
“On the contrary, Bhikkhus! I declare to you all and call your attention to this fact, that it is far 
better for even an immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner,

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not having even one speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse, 
who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth; I declare that even for such a person, it 
would be far better to have a strong man grab him and then ruthlessly pry open his mouth with a 
burning red-hot metal spike, and then shove blazingly hot copper balls down his throat, and in 
the process, entirely burn and scorch his lips, tongue, mouth, throat, esophagus, and stomach, 
after which those fiery red-hot copper balls would come out, along with his intestines and 
everything else with them. And why do I say this? 
“I say this because, although such a person would experience unimaginable pain due to having 
red hot copper balls being shoved down his throat and then come out of his body, nevertheless, 
once his body breaks down, after death, he would at least not be reborn in the miserable lower 
realms, in the planes of misery, in the horrendous destinations, in the hells. 
“However, if that immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner, 
not having even one speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse, 
who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth, if he were to accept the offering of alms 
food, given by warrior kings, brahmins, or householders, that will surely lead to his suffering and 
anguish for a very long time, but not only that, because once his body breaks down, after death, 
he will be reborn in the miserable lower realms, in the planes of misery, in the horrendous 
destinations, in the hells. 
6. “Bhikkhus, what do you consider to be better: to have a strong man grab you by the head or 
your body, and then forcibly sit or lie you down on a red-hot iron chair or bed that is blazing and 
glowing ferociously with incredible heat? Or is it better to accept the offering of chairs or beds, 
given by warrior kings, brahmins, or householders?  
“Bhante, it would be much better to accept the offering of chairs or beds, given by warrior kings, 
brahmins, or householders. Because Bhante, it would truly be unbelievably painful to have a 
strong man grab us by the head or our body, and then forcibly sit or lie us down on a red-hot iron 
chair or bed that is blazing and glowing ferociously with incredible heat.” 
“On the contrary, Bhikkhus! I declare to you all and call your attention to this fact, that it is far 
better for even an immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner, 
not having even a speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse, 
who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth; I declare that even for such a person, it 
would be far better to have a strong man grab him by the head or his body and then forcibly sit or 
lie him down on a red-hot iron chair or bed that is blazing and glowing ferociously with 
incredible heat. And why do I say this? 
“I say this because, although such a person would experience terrible suffering due to being 
forced to sit or lie down on a red-hot iron chair or bed, nevertheless, once his body breaks down,

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after death, he would at least not be reborn in the miserable lower realms, in the planes of 
misery, in the horrendous destinations, in the hells. 
“However, if that immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner, 
not having even one speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse, 
who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth, if he were to accept the offering of chairs 
or beds, given by warrior kings, brahmins, or householders, that will surely lead to his suffering 
and anguish for a very long time, but not only that, because once his body breaks down, after 
death, he will be reborn in the miserable lower realms, in the planes of misery, in the horrendous 
destinations, in the hells. 
7. “Bhikkhus, what do you consider to be better: to have a strong man grab and flip you upside 
down, and then throw you into a large copper cauldron, blazing with fire and boiling with 
swirling and filthy scum, where you would be cooked and roasted alive with no hope for escape, 
while you are being swept in this and that direction, pushing and shoving yourself upwards to 
jump out as you desperately try to find a way out, but to no avail? Or is it better to accept and use 
the offering of lodging and a place to stay, given by warrior kings, brahmins, or householders?  
“Bhante, it would be much better to accept and use the offering of lodging and a place to stay, 
given by warrior kings, brahmins, or householders. Because, Bhante, it would be truly 
unimaginable being grabbed by a strong man, who flips us upside down, and then throws us into 
a large copper cauldron, blazing with fire and boiling with swirling and filthy scum, where we 
would be cooked and roasted alive with no hope for escape, while we are being swept in this and 
direction, pushing and shoving ourselves upwards to jump out as we desperately try to find a 
way out, but to no avail.” 
“On the contrary, Bhikkhus! I declare to you all and call your attention to this fact, that it is far 
better for even an immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner, 
not having even a speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse, 
who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth; I declare that even for such a person, it 
would be far better to have a strong man grab and flip him upside down, and then throw him into 
a large copper cauldron, blazing with fire and boiling with swirling and filthy scum, where he 
would be cooked and roasted alive with no hope for escape, while he is being swept in this and 
that direction, pushing and shoving himself upwards to jump out as he desperately tries to find a 
way out, but to no avail. And why do I say this? 
“I say this because, although such a person would experience unimaginable suffering being 
boiled alive in a red-hot burning copper cauldron, nevertheless, once his body breaks down, after 
death, he would at least not be reborn in the miserable lower realms, in the planes of misery, in 
the horrendous destinations, in the hells.

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“However, if that immoral and impure person, who has evil, vile, and disgustingly filthy 
intentions pervading his heart like excrement; someone who is not a true Dhamma practitioner, 
not having even a speck of true spirituality running in his veins; a fake and not a true recluse, 
who only pretends to be a Bhikkhu, who claims to be celibate, when in fact he is not; a non-
Brahmin, who is rotten inside and dripping with filth, if he were to accept the offering of lodging 
and a place to stay, given by warrior kings, brahmins, or householders, that will surely lead to his 
suffering and anguish for a very long time, but not only that, because once his body breaks down, 
after death, he will be reborn in the miserable lower realms, in the planes of misery, in the 
horrendous destinations, in the hells. 
“Therefore, Bhikkhus, you should train in this manner: 
“Whatever robes, alms food, places to stay, and medicinal requisites we may be offered to use, 
may it so happen that these gifts bring great rewards and blessings to all those who offered them. 
And may our going forth not be wasted, and instead be productive and fruitful, bringing us many 
great results.  
“So, Bhikkhus, each of you must train while you consider and apply yourselves in such a way, 
that is truly fitting and appropriate for you, as someone who has gone forth; a recluse who 
recognizes what is indeed beneficial to himself and for his own good, and to this end, you must 
strive with diligence.  
“Similarly, each of you must train while you consider and apply yourselves in such a way, that is 
truly fitting and appropriate for you, as someone who has gone forth; a recluse who recognizes 
what is indeed beneficial to others, working for others’ good as well, and to this end, you must 
strive with diligence. 
“Finally, each of you must train while you consider and apply yourselves in such a way, that is 
truly fitting and appropriate for you, as someone who has gone forth; a recluse who recognizes 
what is indeed beneficial and good for both yourselves and others, and to this end, you must 
strive with diligence.” 
This is what The Blessed One said. 
And while The Great Teacher was giving this explanation and before it was finished, about sixty 
Bhikkhus vomited hot blood; about sixty Bhikkhus gave up the Holy Life and went down to lay 
life, as they cried out: 
“This is too difficult, Blessed One! It is just too hard!” 
Meanwhile, about sixty other Bhikkhus were released from the āsavas, through no longer seizing 
or grabbing onto anything, as they too attained to Arahantship. 
 
Sādhu  
Sādhu  
Sādhu
