Simile of the Saw

[Cittasanto]

What does the simile of the saw mean for you?

it is found in two places I can see from the access to insight website
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... n.html#saw
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... n.html#saw

"Monks, even if bandits were to carve you up savagely, limb by limb, with a two-handled saw, he among you who let his heart get angered even at that would not be doing my bidding. Even then you should train yourselves: 'Our minds will be unaffected and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic, with a mind of good will, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading these people with an awareness imbued with good will and, beginning with them, we will keep pervading the all-encompassing world with an awareness imbued with good will — abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.' That's how you should train yourselves.

"Monks, even if bandits were to savagely sever you, limb by limb, with a double-handled saw, even then, whoever of you harbors ill will at heart would not be upholding my Teaching. Monks, even in such a situation you should train yourselves thus: 'Neither shall our minds be affected by this, nor for this matter shall we give vent to evil words, but we shall remain full of concern and pity, with a mind of love, and we shall not give in to hatred. On the contrary, we shall live projecting thoughts of universal love to those very persons, making them as well as the whole world the object of our thoughts of universal love — thoughts that have grown great, exalted and measureless. We shall dwell radiating these thoughts which are void of hostility and ill will.' It is in this way, monks, that you should train yourselves.

[bodom]

What does the simile of the saw mean for you?

[/quote]

That i have a lote of work to do if i ever want to reach that level .

[Peter]

I will think about it.
But in the meantime it occurs to me it's not a simile. Weird.

[clw_uk]

To me it stresses how destructive unwholesome actions are (worse than the physical pain of such an event) and how important the four immeasurables are.

Metta

[Jason]

Manapa,

What does the simile of the saw mean for you?

To me, it highlights how important ahimsa (non-violence) and the four brahmaviharas (divine abodes) are to the practice.

Jason