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# SN 20:6 · The Archer (Dhanuggaha Sutta)
- URL: https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/sn-20-6/
- Published: 2026-06-01T02:44:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-13T16:35:12.000Z
- Description: Saṁyutta Nikāya · SN 20:6. Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.
- Author: Ninth Heaven Literature & Arts Association (NHLAA)
- Tags: Buddhism, Sutta Piṭaka, Text, Indian, The Buddha, Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, Discourse, Pali, Early Buddhist, Library

Staying near Sāvatthī. “Monks, suppose there were four strong archers—well-trained, practiced, & drilled—standing in the four directions, and a man were to come along saying, ‘I will catch & bring down the arrows let fly by these four strong archers—well-trained, practiced, & drilled—before they have fallen to the ground.’ What do you think? Would that be enough to call him a swift man, endowed with the foremost speed?”

“Even if he were to catch & bring down the arrows let fly by one archer—well-trained, practiced, & drilled—before they fell to the ground, lord, that would be enough to call him a swift man, endowed with the foremost speed, to say nothing of four such archers.”

“Faster than the speed of that man, monks, is the speed of the sun & moon. Faster than the speed of that man, faster than the speed of the sun & moon, is the speed of the devas who rush ahead of the sun & moon. Faster than the speed of that man, faster than the speed of the sun & moon, faster than the speed of the devas who rush ahead of the sun & moon, the force of one’s life span comes to an end. Thus you should train yourselves: ‘We will live heedfully.’ That’s how you should train yourselves.”

See also: [SN 2:19](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/sn-2-19/); [AN 4:113](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/an-4-113/); [AN 5:78](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/an-5-78/); [AN 6:19–20](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/an-6-19/); [AN 7:70](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/an-7-70/); [AN 10:15](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/an-10-15/); [Iti 23](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/iti-23/); [Sn 4:6](https://www.journal.ninthheaven.co/civilisation/trad-buddhism/sn-4-6/)

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*Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. © 2014 / rev. 2017 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu — released under the [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/?ref=journal.ninthheaven.co) licence, for free distribution only. Source: [dhammatalks.org](https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN20%5F6.html?ref=journal.ninthheaven.co) (Metta Forest Monastery).*