user11288: I am looking for a specific sutta wherein the conditionality and insubstantiality of the existential process of a sentient being, or consciousness, is made plain by use of the simile of a resonating musical instrument being struck by the player's hand, the sound of which, resonating for awhile, then slowly fades away.
Any references, anyone ?
Thanks :)

user8157: SN 35.246 is close but not quite. 

“Suppose, bhikkhus, there was a king or a royal minister who had never before heard the sound of a lute. He might hear the sound of a
  lute and say: ‘Good man, what is making this sound—so tantalizing, so
  lovely, so intoxicating, so entrancing, so enthralling?’
  They would say to him: ‘Sire, it is a lute that is making this
  sound—so tantalizing, so lovely, so intoxicating, so entrancing, so
  enthralling.’ He would reply: ‘Go, man, bring me that lute.’
“They would bring him the lute and tell him: ‘Sire, this is that lute, the sound of which was so tantalizing, so lovely, so
  intoxicating, so entrancing, so enthralling.’ The king would say:
  ‘I’ve had enough with this lute, man. Bring me just that sound.’ The
  men would reply: ‘This lute, sire, consists of numerous components, of
  a great many components, and it gives off a sound when it is played
  upon with its numerous components; that is, in dependence on the
  parchment sounding board, the belly, the arm, the head, the strings,
  the plectrum, and the appropriate effort of the musician. So it is,
  sire, that this lute consisting of numerous components, of a great
  many components, gives off a sound when it is played upon with its
  numerous components.’
“The king would split the lute into ten or a hundred pieces, then he would reduce these to splinters. Having reduced them to splinters, he
  would burn them in a fire and reduce them to ashes, and he would
  winnow the ashes in a strong wind or let them be carried away by the
  swift current of a river. Then he would say: ‘A poor thing, indeed
  sir, is this so-called lute, as well as anything else called a lute.
  How the multitude are utterly heedless about it, utterly taken in by
  it!’
“So too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu investigates form to the extent that there is a range for form, he investigates feeling to the extent that
  there is a range for feeling, he investigates perception to the extent
  that there is a range for perception, he investigates volitional
  formations to the extent that there is a range for volitional
  formations, he investigates consciousness to the extent that there is
  a range for consciousness. As he investigates form to the
  extent that there is a range for form … consciousness to the extent
  that there is a range for consciousness, whatever notions of ‘I’ or
  ‘mine’ or ‘I am’ had occurred to him before no longer occur to him.”


AN 8.46 not close but interesting. 

Those deities sang, one danced, and one snapped her fingers. Just as, when a musical quintet is well trained and its rhythm well
  coordinated, and it is composed of skilled musicians, its music is
  exquisite, tantalizing, lovely, captivating, and intoxicating,
  just so those deities’ performance was exquisite,
  tantalizing, lovely, captivating and intoxicating. Thereupon the
  Venerable Anuruddha drew in his sense faculties. Then those deities,
  thinking: “Master Anuruddha is not enjoying this,” disappeared right
  on the spot.


user-1: 
This is a partial index of the similes and metaphors that appear in the suttas available at Access to Insight (/ZzE). Only the imagery that illustrates points of Dhamma is included here; imagery that serves primarily a literary or narrative function is not included (e.g., Ambapali's description of her long-lost youthful beauty). The subject of each image is given in the braces {}. The tilde (~) stands for the head-word in a given entry... Index of Similes

Tuning a stringed instrument:
{right effort} AN 6.55
Meta-ontopic-Drum:

"Thus you should train yourselves: 'We will listen when discourses that are words of the Tathagata — deep, deep in their meaning, transcendent, connected with emptiness — are being recited. We will lend ear, will set our hearts on knowing them, will regard these teachings as worth grasping & mastering.' That's how you should train yourselves." - Ani Sutta: The Peg/Drum

In reagard of the meaning behind in proper context:
Painting of a woman or man:
{not-self} SN 22.100; {nutriment} SN 12.64 
May it be of the origins use for you, Fabien

11288: <p>I am looking for a specific sutta wherein the conditionality and insubstantiality of the existential process of a sentient being, or consciousness, is made plain by use of the simile of a resonating musical instrument being struck by the player's hand, the sound of which, resonating for awhile, then slowly fades away.</p>

<p>Any references, anyone ?</p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>
 8157: <p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/en/sn35.246" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 35.246</a> is close but not quite. </p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>“Suppose, bhikkhus, there was a king or a royal minister who had never before heard the sound of a lute. He might hear the sound of a
  lute and say: ‘Good man, what is making this sound—so tantalizing, so
  lovely, so intoxicating, so entrancing, so enthralling?’
  They would say to him: ‘Sire, it is a lute that is making this
  sound—so tantalizing, so lovely, so intoxicating, so entrancing, so
  enthralling.’ He would reply: ‘Go, man, bring me that lute.’</em></p>
  
  <p><em>“They would bring him the lute and tell him: ‘Sire, this is that lute, the sound of which was so tantalizing, so lovely, so
  intoxicating, so entrancing, so enthralling.’ The king would say:
  ‘I’ve had enough with this lute, man. Bring me just that sound.’ The
  men would reply: ‘This lute, sire, consists of numerous components, of
  a great many components, and it gives off a sound when it is played
  upon with its numerous components; that is, in dependence on the
  parchment sounding board, the belly, the arm, the head, the strings,
  the plectrum, and the appropriate effort of the musician. So it is,
  sire, that this lute consisting of numerous components, of a great
  many components, gives off a sound when it is played upon with its
  numerous components.’</em></p>
  
  <p><em>“The king would split the lute into ten or a hundred pieces, then he would reduce these to splinters. Having reduced them to splinters, he
  would burn them in a fire and reduce them to ashes, and he would
  winnow the ashes in a strong wind or let them be carried away by the
  swift current of a river. Then he would say: ‘A poor thing, indeed
  sir, is this so-called lute, as well as anything else called a lute.
  How the multitude are utterly heedless about it, utterly taken in by
  it!’</em></p>
  
  <p><em>“So too, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu investigates form to the extent that there is a range for form, he investigates feeling to the extent that
  there is a range for feeling, he investigates perception to the extent
  that there is a range for perception, he investigates volitional
  formations to the extent that there is a range for volitional
  formations, he investigates consciousness to the extent that there is
  a range for consciousness. As he investigates form to the
  extent that there is a range for form … consciousness to the extent
  that there is a range for consciousness, whatever notions of ‘I’ or
  ‘mine’ or ‘I am’ had occurred to him before no longer occur to him.”</em></p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/en/an8.46" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN 8.46</a> not close but interesting. </p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>Those deities sang, one danced, and one snapped her fingers. Just as, when a musical quintet is well trained and its rhythm well
  coordinated, and it is composed of skilled musicians, its music is
  exquisite, tantalizing, lovely, captivating, and intoxicating,
  just so those deities’ performance was exquisite,
  tantalizing, lovely, captivating and intoxicating. Thereupon the
  Venerable Anuruddha drew in his sense faculties. Then those deities,
  thinking: “Master Anuruddha is not enjoying this,” disappeared right
  on the spot.</em></p>
</blockquote>
 -1: <blockquote>
  <p>This is a partial index of the similes and metaphors that appear in the suttas available at Access to Insight (/ZzE). Only the imagery that illustrates points of Dhamma is included here; imagery that serves primarily a literary or narrative function is not included (e.g., Ambapali's description of her long-lost youthful beauty). The subject of each image is given in the braces {}. The tilde (~) stands for the head-word in a given entry... <strong><a href="http://accesstoinsight.eu/index-similes_en.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Index of Similes</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p><em>Tuning a stringed instrument:
{right effort} <a href="http://zugangzureinsicht.org/html/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.055.than_en.html#tuning" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN 6.55</a></em></p>

<p>Meta-ontopic-Drum:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"Thus you should train yourselves: 'We will listen when discourses that are words of the Tathagata — deep, deep in their meaning, transcendent, connected with emptiness — are being recited. We will lend ear, will set our hearts on knowing them, will regard these teachings as worth grasping &amp; mastering.' That's how you should train yourselves." - <a href="http://zugangzureinsicht.org/html/tipitaka/sn/sn20/sn20.007.than_en.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ani Sutta: The Peg/Drum</a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>In reagard of the meaning behind in proper context:</p>

<p><em>Painting of a woman or man:
{not-self} <a href="http://zugangzureinsicht.org/html/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.100.than_en.html#painter" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 22.100</a>; {nutriment} <a href="http://zugangzureinsicht.org/html/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.064.than_en.html#picture" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 12.64</a></em> </p>

<p>May it be of the origins use for you, Fabien</p>
