Khuddaka Nikaya - Theragatha 5
Thag 5.8
Vakkali
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro BhikkhuPTS: vv. 350-354
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
Copyright © 2000 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 2000
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish,
however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available
to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
Stricken by sharp, wind-like pains,
you, monk, living in the forest grove
— harsh, with limited range for alms —
what, what will you do?
Suffusing my body
with abundant rapture & joy,
& enduring what's harsh,
I'll stay in the grove.
Developing the frames of reference,
strengths, faculties,
the factors for Awakening,
I'll stay in the grove.
Reflecting on those who are resolute,
their persistence aroused,
constantly firm in their effort,
united in concord,
I'll stay in the grove.
Recollecting the One Self-awakened,
self-tamed & centered,
untiring both day & night,
I'll stay
in the grove.
Thag 5.9
Vijitasena
I shall fasten you, mind, like an elephant at a small gate. I shall not incite
you to evil, you net of sensual pleasure, body-born.
When fastened, you will not go, like an elephant not finding the gate open.
Witch-mind, you will not wander again, and again, using force, delighting in
evil.
As the strong hook-holder makes an untamed elephant, newly taken, turn against
its will, so shall I make you turn.
As the excellent charioteer, skilled in the taming of excellent horses, tames a
thoroughbred, so shall I, standing firm in the five powers, tame you.
I shall bind you with mindfulness; with purified self shall cleanse [you].
Restrained by the yoke of energy you will not go far from here, mind.
Thag 5.10
Yasadatta
Intent on quibbling,
the dullard hears the Conqueror's teaching.
He's as far from the True Dhamma
as the ground is from the sky.
Intent on quibbling,
the dullard hears the Conqueror's teaching.
He wanes from the True Dhamma,
like the moon in the dark half of the month.
Intent on quibbling,
the dullard hears the Conqueror's teaching.
He withers away in the True Dhamma,
like a fish in next to no water.
Intent on quibbling,
the dullard hears the Conqueror's teaching.
He doesn't grow in the True Dhamma,
like a rotten seed in a field.
But whoever hears the Conqueror's teaching
with guarded intent,
doing away with effluents
— all —
realizing the unshakable,
attaining the foremost peace,
is — free from effluent —
totally unbound.
Showing posts with label Theragatha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Theragatha. Show all posts
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Khuddaka Nikaya - Theragatha 4
Khuddaka Nikaya - Theragatha 4
Thag 4.8
Rahula
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro BhikkhuPTS: vv. 295-298
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
Copyright © 2003 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 2003
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish,
however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available
to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
In both ways
consummate,1
I'm known as Rahula
the Fortunate:
because I'm the son of the Buddha,
because I've the eye that sees Dhammas,
because my fermentations are ended,
because I've no further becoming.
I'm deserving of offerings,
a worthy one
a three-knowledge man,2
with sight
of the Deathless.
Those
blinded by sensuality
covered by the net,
veiled by the veil of craving,
bound by the Kinsman of the heedless,3
are like fish in the mouth of a trap.
Throwing that sensuality aside,
cutting through Mara's bond,
pulling out craving, root & all,
cooled am I,
Unbound.
Notes
1. This phrase can be taken in two ways: (a) consummate in that he has a pure
lineage on both his mother's and his father's side; and (b) consummate in that
he belongs both to a well-born lineage in the worldly sense and, by means of his
meditative attainments, to the lineage of the noble ones.
2. One with knowledge of past lives, knowledge of the passing away and rearising
of living beings, and knowledge of the ending of mental fermentations.
3. Mara.
Thag 4.10
Dhammika
The Dhamma protects
those who live by the Dhamma.
The Dhamma well-practiced
brings bliss.
This — the reward
when the Dhamma's well-practiced:
one who lives by the Dhamma
doesn't go to a bad destination.
For Dhamma and non-
don't bear equal results.
Non-Dhamma leads you to hell;
Dhamma, to a good destination.
So you should engender desire
for acts of Dhamma,
rejoicing
in the One Well-gone,
the one who is Such.
Standing firm in the Dhamma,
of the foremost
One Well-gone,
his disciples are guided
— enlightened —
to the foremost
refuge supreme.
Burst is the root of the boil;
the net of craving uprooted.
He, having ended his wandering-on,
has no stain —
like the moon
on a clear full-moon night.
Thag 4.8
Rahula
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro BhikkhuPTS: vv. 295-298
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
Copyright © 2003 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 2003
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish,
however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available
to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
In both ways
consummate,1
I'm known as Rahula
the Fortunate:
because I'm the son of the Buddha,
because I've the eye that sees Dhammas,
because my fermentations are ended,
because I've no further becoming.
I'm deserving of offerings,
a worthy one
a three-knowledge man,2
with sight
of the Deathless.
Those
blinded by sensuality
covered by the net,
veiled by the veil of craving,
bound by the Kinsman of the heedless,3
are like fish in the mouth of a trap.
Throwing that sensuality aside,
cutting through Mara's bond,
pulling out craving, root & all,
cooled am I,
Unbound.
Notes
1. This phrase can be taken in two ways: (a) consummate in that he has a pure
lineage on both his mother's and his father's side; and (b) consummate in that
he belongs both to a well-born lineage in the worldly sense and, by means of his
meditative attainments, to the lineage of the noble ones.
2. One with knowledge of past lives, knowledge of the passing away and rearising
of living beings, and knowledge of the ending of mental fermentations.
3. Mara.
Thag 4.10
Dhammika
The Dhamma protects
those who live by the Dhamma.
The Dhamma well-practiced
brings bliss.
This — the reward
when the Dhamma's well-practiced:
one who lives by the Dhamma
doesn't go to a bad destination.
For Dhamma and non-
don't bear equal results.
Non-Dhamma leads you to hell;
Dhamma, to a good destination.
So you should engender desire
for acts of Dhamma,
rejoicing
in the One Well-gone,
the one who is Such.
Standing firm in the Dhamma,
of the foremost
One Well-gone,
his disciples are guided
— enlightened —
to the foremost
refuge supreme.
Burst is the root of the boil;
the net of craving uprooted.
He, having ended his wandering-on,
has no stain —
like the moon
on a clear full-moon night.
Khuddaka Nikaya - Theragatha 3
Khuddaka Nikaya - Theragatha 3
Thag 3.5
Matangaputta
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro BhikkhuPTS: vv. 231-233
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
Copyright © 1998 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 1998
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish,
however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available
to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
It's too cold,
too hot,
too late in the evening —
people who say this,
shirking their work:
the moment passes them by.
Whoever regards cold & heat
as no more than grass,
doing his manly duties,
won't fall away
from ease.
With my chest
I push through wild grasses —
spear-grass,
ribbon-grass,
rushes —
cultivating
a seclusion heart.
Thag 3.8
Yasoja
His limbs knotted
like a kala plant,
his body lean
& lined with veins,
knowing moderation
in food & drink:
the man of undaunted heart.
Touched by gnats
& horseflies
in the wilds,
the great wood,
like an elephant
at the head of a battle:
he, mindful,
should stay there
endure.
One alone is like Brahma,
two, like devas,
three, like a village,
more than that:
a hullabaloo.
See also: Ud 3.3.
Thag 3.13
Abhibhuta
Listen, kinsmen, all of you,
as many as are assembled here.
I will teach you the Dhamma:
Painful is birth,
again & again.
Rouse yourselves.
Go forth.
Apply yourselves
to the Awakened One's bidding.
Scatter the army of Death
as an elephant would
a shed made of reeds.
He who,
in this doctrine & discipline,
remains heedful,
abandoning birth,
the wandering-on,
will put an end
to suffering & stress.
Thag 3.14
Gotama
While wandering on
I went to hell;
went again & again
to the world of the hungry shades;
stayed countless times, long,
in the pain of the animal womb;
enjoyed
the human state;
went to heaven
from time to time;
settled in the elements of form,
the elements of formlessness,
neither-perception, perception-less.
Ways of taking birth
are now known:
devoid of essence,
unstable,
conditioned,
always driven along.
Knowing them
as born from my self,
mindful
I went right to peace.
Thag 3.15
Harita
Whoever wants to do later
what he should have done first,
falls away from the easeful state
& later burns with remorse.
One should speak
as one would act,
& not
as one wouldn't.
When one speaks without acting,
the wise, they can tell.
How very easeful:
Unbinding,
as taught by the Rightly
Self-awakened One —
sorrowless,
dustless,
secure,
where stress
& suffering
cease.
Thag 3.5
Matangaputta
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro BhikkhuPTS: vv. 231-233
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
Copyright © 1998 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 1998
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish,
however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available
to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
It's too cold,
too hot,
too late in the evening —
people who say this,
shirking their work:
the moment passes them by.
Whoever regards cold & heat
as no more than grass,
doing his manly duties,
won't fall away
from ease.
With my chest
I push through wild grasses —
spear-grass,
ribbon-grass,
rushes —
cultivating
a seclusion heart.
Thag 3.8
Yasoja
His limbs knotted
like a kala plant,
his body lean
& lined with veins,
knowing moderation
in food & drink:
the man of undaunted heart.
Touched by gnats
& horseflies
in the wilds,
the great wood,
like an elephant
at the head of a battle:
he, mindful,
should stay there
endure.
One alone is like Brahma,
two, like devas,
three, like a village,
more than that:
a hullabaloo.
See also: Ud 3.3.
Thag 3.13
Abhibhuta
Listen, kinsmen, all of you,
as many as are assembled here.
I will teach you the Dhamma:
Painful is birth,
again & again.
Rouse yourselves.
Go forth.
Apply yourselves
to the Awakened One's bidding.
Scatter the army of Death
as an elephant would
a shed made of reeds.
He who,
in this doctrine & discipline,
remains heedful,
abandoning birth,
the wandering-on,
will put an end
to suffering & stress.
Thag 3.14
Gotama
While wandering on
I went to hell;
went again & again
to the world of the hungry shades;
stayed countless times, long,
in the pain of the animal womb;
enjoyed
the human state;
went to heaven
from time to time;
settled in the elements of form,
the elements of formlessness,
neither-perception, perception-less.
Ways of taking birth
are now known:
devoid of essence,
unstable,
conditioned,
always driven along.
Knowing them
as born from my self,
mindful
I went right to peace.
Thag 3.15
Harita
Whoever wants to do later
what he should have done first,
falls away from the easeful state
& later burns with remorse.
One should speak
as one would act,
& not
as one wouldn't.
When one speaks without acting,
the wise, they can tell.
How very easeful:
Unbinding,
as taught by the Rightly
Self-awakened One —
sorrowless,
dustless,
secure,
where stress
& suffering
cease.
Khuddaka Nikaya - Theragatha 2
Khuddaka Nikaya - Theragatha 2
Thag 2.13
Heraññakani
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Alternate translation:Olendzki (excerpt)Thanissaro
PTS: vv. 145-146
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
Copyright © 2005 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 2005
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish,
however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available
to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
Heraññakani (Thag 2.13) {vv. 145-146}
Days & nights
fly past.
Life
comes to an end.
The span of mortals
runs out,
like the water of a piddling stream.
But the fool doing evil deeds
doesn't realize that later
it's bitter for him:
evil for him
the result.
Thag 2.16
Mahakala
This swarthy woman
[preparing a corpse for cremation]
— crow-like, enormous —
breaking a thigh & then the other
thigh,
breaking an arm & then the other
arm,
cracking open the head,
like a pot of curds,
she sits with them heaped up beside her.
Whoever, unknowing,
makes acquisitions
— the fool —
returns over & over
to suffering & stress.
So, discerning,
don't make acquisitions.
May I never lie
with my head cracked open
again.
Valliya (Thag 2.24) {vv. 167-168}
What needs to be done
with firm persistence,
what needs to be done
by someone who hopes for Awakening,
that I will do.
I will not fail.
See: persistence & striving!
You show me the path:
straight,
coming ashore in the Deathless.
I, through sagacity,
will reach it, know it,
as the stream of the Ganges,
the sea.
Punnamasa (Thag 2.26) {vv. 171-172}
Shedding five hindrances
so as to reach the unexcelled rest
from the yoke,
taking the Dhamma as mirror
for knowing & seeing myself,
I reflected on this body —
the whole thing,
inside & out,
my own & others'.
How vain & empty it looked!
Thag 2.27
Nandaka
Just as a fine thoroughbred steed
stumbling, regains its stance,
feeling all the more urgency,
& draws its burden
undaunted.
In the same way, remember me:
consummate in vision,
a disciple of the Rightly
Self-awakened One,
the Awakened One's thoroughbred child,
his son.
Thag 2.30
Kanhadinna
Men of integrity
have been attended to,
the Dhamma repeatedly
listened to.
Having listened,
I followed the straight way,
coming ashore in the Deathless.
Passion for becoming,
having been killed by me,
no further such passion
is found in me.
It neither was
nor will be
nor is found in me
even now.
Thag 2.37
Sona Potiriyaputta
It's not for sleeping,
the night garlanded
with zodiac stars.
The night, for one who knows,
is for staying awake.
If I were to fall from my elephant's shoulder,
and a tusker trampled me,
death in battle would be better for me,
than that I, defeated,
survive.
Thag 2
Culaka
The peacocks — with lovely feathers, lovely wings,
Lovely blue necks and lovely faces,
Call out — a lovely song with a lovely sound.
This great earth has lovely waters and grasses;
There are lovely clouds in the sky.
Meditating with a good sound body and a good mind,
It is good to go forth well
In the good teaching of the Buddha.
Experience that highest, unwavering state!
Most pure, subtle, most hard to see.
Translator's note
This highly alliterated poem, attributed to the elder monk Culaka, plays with
the prefix su- , which occurs no less than 14 times in these two short stanzas.
It has three primary meanings, covered successively through the poem: 1) lovely
or well-formed; 2) good, thorough, or well done; and 3) it is often used as a
simple intensive prefix, meaning something like "very" or "most."
The plaintive call of the peacock, commonplace during the three-month rainy
season retreats undertaken by the Buddha's monks and nuns, is a favorite theme
of their nature poetry preserved in the Theragatha and the Therigatha .
The first stanza reflects the balanced appreciation of the natural world that
comes from the focused but equanimous mind in meditation. Pleasurable
sensations, such as the ones described here in response to the beauty of nature,
can be experienced mindfully by those devoid of craving, without the tendency
present in most of us to cling to the pleasure or resist its inevitable passing
away. Early Buddhist poetry often points out the beauties of nature, but seldom
lingers on them.
The second stanza leads one on to higher aspirations. It inspires the listener
(for the was primarily an oral tradition) to give up the mundane pursuits of the
worldly life, engage in the purifying and clarifying enterprise of meditation,
tread diligently the straight path pointed out by the Buddha and, finally,
attain in this very lifetime the perfection of the human condition.
Thag 2.13
Heraññakani
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Alternate translation:Olendzki (excerpt)Thanissaro
PTS: vv. 145-146
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
Copyright © 2005 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 2005
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish,
however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available
to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
Heraññakani (Thag 2.13) {vv. 145-146}
Days & nights
fly past.
Life
comes to an end.
The span of mortals
runs out,
like the water of a piddling stream.
But the fool doing evil deeds
doesn't realize that later
it's bitter for him:
evil for him
the result.
Thag 2.16
Mahakala
This swarthy woman
[preparing a corpse for cremation]
— crow-like, enormous —
breaking a thigh & then the other
thigh,
breaking an arm & then the other
arm,
cracking open the head,
like a pot of curds,
she sits with them heaped up beside her.
Whoever, unknowing,
makes acquisitions
— the fool —
returns over & over
to suffering & stress.
So, discerning,
don't make acquisitions.
May I never lie
with my head cracked open
again.
Valliya (Thag 2.24) {vv. 167-168}
What needs to be done
with firm persistence,
what needs to be done
by someone who hopes for Awakening,
that I will do.
I will not fail.
See: persistence & striving!
You show me the path:
straight,
coming ashore in the Deathless.
I, through sagacity,
will reach it, know it,
as the stream of the Ganges,
the sea.
Punnamasa (Thag 2.26) {vv. 171-172}
Shedding five hindrances
so as to reach the unexcelled rest
from the yoke,
taking the Dhamma as mirror
for knowing & seeing myself,
I reflected on this body —
the whole thing,
inside & out,
my own & others'.
How vain & empty it looked!
Thag 2.27
Nandaka
Just as a fine thoroughbred steed
stumbling, regains its stance,
feeling all the more urgency,
& draws its burden
undaunted.
In the same way, remember me:
consummate in vision,
a disciple of the Rightly
Self-awakened One,
the Awakened One's thoroughbred child,
his son.
Thag 2.30
Kanhadinna
Men of integrity
have been attended to,
the Dhamma repeatedly
listened to.
Having listened,
I followed the straight way,
coming ashore in the Deathless.
Passion for becoming,
having been killed by me,
no further such passion
is found in me.
It neither was
nor will be
nor is found in me
even now.
Thag 2.37
Sona Potiriyaputta
It's not for sleeping,
the night garlanded
with zodiac stars.
The night, for one who knows,
is for staying awake.
If I were to fall from my elephant's shoulder,
and a tusker trampled me,
death in battle would be better for me,
than that I, defeated,
survive.
Thag 2
Culaka
The peacocks — with lovely feathers, lovely wings,
Lovely blue necks and lovely faces,
Call out — a lovely song with a lovely sound.
This great earth has lovely waters and grasses;
There are lovely clouds in the sky.
Meditating with a good sound body and a good mind,
It is good to go forth well
In the good teaching of the Buddha.
Experience that highest, unwavering state!
Most pure, subtle, most hard to see.
Translator's note
This highly alliterated poem, attributed to the elder monk Culaka, plays with
the prefix su- , which occurs no less than 14 times in these two short stanzas.
It has three primary meanings, covered successively through the poem: 1) lovely
or well-formed; 2) good, thorough, or well done; and 3) it is often used as a
simple intensive prefix, meaning something like "very" or "most."
The plaintive call of the peacock, commonplace during the three-month rainy
season retreats undertaken by the Buddha's monks and nuns, is a favorite theme
of their nature poetry preserved in the Theragatha and the Therigatha .
The first stanza reflects the balanced appreciation of the natural world that
comes from the focused but equanimous mind in meditation. Pleasurable
sensations, such as the ones described here in response to the beauty of nature,
can be experienced mindfully by those devoid of craving, without the tendency
present in most of us to cling to the pleasure or resist its inevitable passing
away. Early Buddhist poetry often points out the beauties of nature, but seldom
lingers on them.
The second stanza leads one on to higher aspirations. It inspires the listener
(for the was primarily an oral tradition) to give up the mundane pursuits of the
worldly life, engage in the purifying and clarifying enterprise of meditation,
tread diligently the straight path pointed out by the Buddha and, finally,
attain in this very lifetime the perfection of the human condition.
Khuddaka Nikaya - Theragatha - Single Verses
Khuddaka Nikaya - Theragatha - Single Verses
Thag 1
Single Verses
(selected passages)
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro BhikkhuPTS: vv. 1-120
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
Copyright © 2004 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 2004
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish,
however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available
to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
Subhuti (Thag 1.1) {v. 1}
My hut is roofed, comfortable,
free of drafts;
my mind, well-centered,
set free.
I remain ardent.
So, rain-deva.
Go ahead & rain.
Mahakotthika (Thag 1.2) {v. 2}
Calmed, restrained,
giving counsel unruffled,
he lifts off evil states of mind —
as the breeze,
a leaf from a tree.
Kankharevata (Thag 1.3) {v. 3}
See this:
the discernment
of the Tathagatas,
like a fire ablaze in the night,
giving light, giving eyes,
to those who come,
subduing their doubt.
See also: Ud 5.7 (Kankharevata = Revata the Doubter).
Bhalliya (Thag 1.7) {v. 7}
Who scatters the troops
of the King of Death —
as a great flood,
a very weak bridge made of reeds —
is victorious,
for his fears are dispersed.
He's tamed,
unbound,
steadfast in himself.
Vanavaccha (Thag 1.13) {v. 13}
The color of blue-dark clouds,
glistening,
cooled with the waters
of clear-flowing streams
covered with ladybugs:
those rocky crags
refresh me.
Vanavaccha's pupil (Thag 1.14) {v. 14}
My preceptor said to me:
Let's go from here, Sivaka.
My body stays in the village,
my mind has gone to the wilds.
Even though I'm lying down,
I go.
There's no tying down
one who knows.
Belatthasisa (Thag 1.16) {v. 16}
[Alternate translation: Hecker/Khema.]
Just as a fine thoroughbred steed,
with swishing tail & mane
runs with next-to-no effort,
so my days & nights
run with next-to-no effort
now that I've gained a happiness
not of the flesh.
Singalapita (Thag 1.18) {v. 18}
There was an heir to the One Awakened,
a monk in the Bhesakala forest,
who suffused this whole earth
with the perception of
"bones."
Quickly, I'd say, he abandoned
sensual passion.
Nigrodha (Thag 1.21) {v. 21}
I'm not afraid of danger,
of fear.
Our Teacher's adept
in the Deathless.
Where danger, where fear
do not remain:
that's the path
by which the monks go.
Cittaka (Thag 1.22) {v. 22}
Peacocks,
crested, blue, with gorgeous necks,
cry out
in the Karamvi woods,
thrilled by the cold wind.
They awaken the sleeper
to meditate.
Gosala (Thag 1.23) {v. 23}
I — having eaten honey-rice
in a bamboo patch
and rightly grasping the aggregates'
arising-disbanding —
will return to the hillside, intent
on seclusion.
Nandiya (to Mara) (Thag 1.25) {v. 25}
Like splendor, his mind,
continually fruitful:
Attack a monk like that,
you Dark One,
and you'll fall
into pain.
Abhaya (Thag 1.26) {v. 26}
Hearing the well-spoken words
of the Awakened One,
Kinsman of the Sun,
I pierced what is subtle —
as if, with an arrow,
the tip of a horse-tail hair.
Harita (Thag 1.29) {v. 29}
Harita,
raise yourself up-
right
and, straightening your mind
— like a fletcher, an arrow —
shatter ignorance
to bits.
Suppiya (Thag 1.32) {v. 32}
I'll make a trade:
aging for the Ageless,
burning for the Unbound:
the highest peace,
the unexcelled rest
from the yoke.
Tissa (Thag 1.39) {v. 39}
As if struck by a sword,
as if his head were on fire,
a monk should live the wandering life
— mindful —
for the abandoning of sensual passion.
Sirivaddha (Thag 1.41) {v. 41}
Lightning lands on the cleft
between Vebhara & Pandava,
but,
having gone to the cleft in the mountains,
he's absorbed in jhana — the son
of the one without compare,
the one who is Such.
Sumangala (Thag 1.43) {v. 43}
So freed! So freed!
So thoroughly freed am I
from three crooked things:
my sickles, my shovels, my plows.
Even if they were here,
right here,
I'd be done with them,
done.
Do jhana, Sumangala.
Do jhana, Sumangala.
Sumangala, stay heedful.
Ramaneyyaka (Thag 1.49) {v. 49}
Even with all the whistles & whistling,
the calls of the birds,
this, my mind, doesn't waver,
for my delight is in
oneness.
Vimala (Thag 1.50) {v. 50}
The earth's sprinkled
with rain, wind
is blowing, lightning
wanders the sky,
but my thoughts are stilled,
well-centered
my mind.
Kutiviharin (1) (Thag 1.56) {v. 56}
Who's in the hut?
A monk's in the hut —
free from passion,
with well-centered mind.
Know this, my friend:
The hut you built
wasn't wasted.
Kutiviharin (2) (Thag 1.57) {v. 57}
This was your old hut,
and you aspire to another,
new hut.
Discard your hope for a hut, monk.
A new hut will be
painful all over again.1
1. Compare Dhp 153-154.
Vappa (Thag 1.61) {v. 61}
One who sees
sees who sees,
sees who doesn't.
One who doesn't see
doesn't
see who sees
or who doesn't.
Ekuddaniya (Thag 1.68) {v. 68}
Exalted in mind & heedful:
a sage trained in sagacity's ways.
He has no sorrows, one who is Such,1
calmed & ever mindful.
1. Tadi: "Such," an adjective to describe one who has attained the goal. It
indicates that the person's state is indefinable but not subject to change or
influences of any sort.
Manava (Thag 1.73) {v. 73}
On seeing an old person;
&
a person in pain, diseased;
&
a person dead, gone to life's end,
I left
for the life gone forth,
abandoning the sensuality
that entices the heart.
Susarada (Thag 1.75) {v. 75}
Good the sight
of the well-rectified:
Doubt is cut off,
intelligence grows.
Even fools
they make wise —
so the company of the true
is good.
Nita (Thag 1.84) {v. 84}
Asleep the whole night,
delighting in company by day:
when, when
will the fool
bring suffering & stress
to an end?
Sunaga (Thag 1.85) {v. 85}
Adept in a theme for the mind,
sensing the savor of solitude,
practicing jhana,
masterful, mindful,
you'd attain a pleasure
not of the flesh.
Nagita (Thag 1.86) {v. 86}
Outside of this path,
the path of the many
who teach other things
doesn't go to Unbinding
as does this:
Thus the Blessed One
instructs the Community,
truly showing the palms of his hands.1
1. This is a reference to the fact that the Buddha was an "open-handed" teacher
who held nothing back. See DN 16. The suttas addressed to Nagita are among the
most plain-spoken passages in the Canon. See AN 5.30, AN 6.42, and AN 8.86.
Eraka (Thag 1.93) {v. 93}
Sensual pleasures are stressful,
Eraka.
Sensual pleasures aren't ease.
Whoever loves sensual pleasures
loves stress, Eraka.
Whoever doesn't,
doesn't love stress.
Cakkhupala (Thag 1.95) {v. 95}
I'm blind,
my eyes are destroyed.
I've stumbled
on a wilderness track.
Even
if I must crawl,
I'll go on,
but not with an evil companion.
Khitaka (Thag 1.104) {v. 104}
How light my body!
Touched by abundant
rapture & bliss,
— like a cotton tuft
borne on the breeze —
it seems to be floating
— my body!
Jenta (Thag 1.111) {v. 111}
Going forth is hard;
houses are hard places to live;
the Dhamma is deep;
wealth, hard to obtain;
it's hard to keep going
with whatever we get:
so it's right that we ponder
continually
continual
inconstancy.
Vanavaccha (Thag 1.113) {v. 113}
With clear waters &
massive boulders,
frequented by monkeys &
deer,
covered with moss &
water weeds,
those rocky crags refresh me.
Kimbila (Thag 1.118) {v. 118}
As if sent by a curse,
it drops on us —
aging.
The body seems other,
though it's still the same one.
I'm still here
& have never been absent from it,
but I remember myself
as if somebody else's.
Isidatta (Thag 1.120) {v. 120}
The five aggregates,
having been comprehended,
stand with their root
cut through.
For me
the ending of stress
is reached;
the ending of fermentations,
attained.
Thag 1
Single Verses
(selected passages)
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro BhikkhuPTS: vv. 1-120
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
Copyright © 2004 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 2004
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish,
however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available
to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
Subhuti (Thag 1.1) {v. 1}
My hut is roofed, comfortable,
free of drafts;
my mind, well-centered,
set free.
I remain ardent.
So, rain-deva.
Go ahead & rain.
Mahakotthika (Thag 1.2) {v. 2}
Calmed, restrained,
giving counsel unruffled,
he lifts off evil states of mind —
as the breeze,
a leaf from a tree.
Kankharevata (Thag 1.3) {v. 3}
See this:
the discernment
of the Tathagatas,
like a fire ablaze in the night,
giving light, giving eyes,
to those who come,
subduing their doubt.
See also: Ud 5.7 (Kankharevata = Revata the Doubter).
Bhalliya (Thag 1.7) {v. 7}
Who scatters the troops
of the King of Death —
as a great flood,
a very weak bridge made of reeds —
is victorious,
for his fears are dispersed.
He's tamed,
unbound,
steadfast in himself.
Vanavaccha (Thag 1.13) {v. 13}
The color of blue-dark clouds,
glistening,
cooled with the waters
of clear-flowing streams
covered with ladybugs:
those rocky crags
refresh me.
Vanavaccha's pupil (Thag 1.14) {v. 14}
My preceptor said to me:
Let's go from here, Sivaka.
My body stays in the village,
my mind has gone to the wilds.
Even though I'm lying down,
I go.
There's no tying down
one who knows.
Belatthasisa (Thag 1.16) {v. 16}
[Alternate translation: Hecker/Khema.]
Just as a fine thoroughbred steed,
with swishing tail & mane
runs with next-to-no effort,
so my days & nights
run with next-to-no effort
now that I've gained a happiness
not of the flesh.
Singalapita (Thag 1.18) {v. 18}
There was an heir to the One Awakened,
a monk in the Bhesakala forest,
who suffused this whole earth
with the perception of
"bones."
Quickly, I'd say, he abandoned
sensual passion.
Nigrodha (Thag 1.21) {v. 21}
I'm not afraid of danger,
of fear.
Our Teacher's adept
in the Deathless.
Where danger, where fear
do not remain:
that's the path
by which the monks go.
Cittaka (Thag 1.22) {v. 22}
Peacocks,
crested, blue, with gorgeous necks,
cry out
in the Karamvi woods,
thrilled by the cold wind.
They awaken the sleeper
to meditate.
Gosala (Thag 1.23) {v. 23}
I — having eaten honey-rice
in a bamboo patch
and rightly grasping the aggregates'
arising-disbanding —
will return to the hillside, intent
on seclusion.
Nandiya (to Mara) (Thag 1.25) {v. 25}
Like splendor, his mind,
continually fruitful:
Attack a monk like that,
you Dark One,
and you'll fall
into pain.
Abhaya (Thag 1.26) {v. 26}
Hearing the well-spoken words
of the Awakened One,
Kinsman of the Sun,
I pierced what is subtle —
as if, with an arrow,
the tip of a horse-tail hair.
Harita (Thag 1.29) {v. 29}
Harita,
raise yourself up-
right
and, straightening your mind
— like a fletcher, an arrow —
shatter ignorance
to bits.
Suppiya (Thag 1.32) {v. 32}
I'll make a trade:
aging for the Ageless,
burning for the Unbound:
the highest peace,
the unexcelled rest
from the yoke.
Tissa (Thag 1.39) {v. 39}
As if struck by a sword,
as if his head were on fire,
a monk should live the wandering life
— mindful —
for the abandoning of sensual passion.
Sirivaddha (Thag 1.41) {v. 41}
Lightning lands on the cleft
between Vebhara & Pandava,
but,
having gone to the cleft in the mountains,
he's absorbed in jhana — the son
of the one without compare,
the one who is Such.
Sumangala (Thag 1.43) {v. 43}
So freed! So freed!
So thoroughly freed am I
from three crooked things:
my sickles, my shovels, my plows.
Even if they were here,
right here,
I'd be done with them,
done.
Do jhana, Sumangala.
Do jhana, Sumangala.
Sumangala, stay heedful.
Ramaneyyaka (Thag 1.49) {v. 49}
Even with all the whistles & whistling,
the calls of the birds,
this, my mind, doesn't waver,
for my delight is in
oneness.
Vimala (Thag 1.50) {v. 50}
The earth's sprinkled
with rain, wind
is blowing, lightning
wanders the sky,
but my thoughts are stilled,
well-centered
my mind.
Kutiviharin (1) (Thag 1.56) {v. 56}
Who's in the hut?
A monk's in the hut —
free from passion,
with well-centered mind.
Know this, my friend:
The hut you built
wasn't wasted.
Kutiviharin (2) (Thag 1.57) {v. 57}
This was your old hut,
and you aspire to another,
new hut.
Discard your hope for a hut, monk.
A new hut will be
painful all over again.1
1. Compare Dhp 153-154.
Vappa (Thag 1.61) {v. 61}
One who sees
sees who sees,
sees who doesn't.
One who doesn't see
doesn't
see who sees
or who doesn't.
Ekuddaniya (Thag 1.68) {v. 68}
Exalted in mind & heedful:
a sage trained in sagacity's ways.
He has no sorrows, one who is Such,1
calmed & ever mindful.
1. Tadi: "Such," an adjective to describe one who has attained the goal. It
indicates that the person's state is indefinable but not subject to change or
influences of any sort.
Manava (Thag 1.73) {v. 73}
On seeing an old person;
&
a person in pain, diseased;
&
a person dead, gone to life's end,
I left
for the life gone forth,
abandoning the sensuality
that entices the heart.
Susarada (Thag 1.75) {v. 75}
Good the sight
of the well-rectified:
Doubt is cut off,
intelligence grows.
Even fools
they make wise —
so the company of the true
is good.
Nita (Thag 1.84) {v. 84}
Asleep the whole night,
delighting in company by day:
when, when
will the fool
bring suffering & stress
to an end?
Sunaga (Thag 1.85) {v. 85}
Adept in a theme for the mind,
sensing the savor of solitude,
practicing jhana,
masterful, mindful,
you'd attain a pleasure
not of the flesh.
Nagita (Thag 1.86) {v. 86}
Outside of this path,
the path of the many
who teach other things
doesn't go to Unbinding
as does this:
Thus the Blessed One
instructs the Community,
truly showing the palms of his hands.1
1. This is a reference to the fact that the Buddha was an "open-handed" teacher
who held nothing back. See DN 16. The suttas addressed to Nagita are among the
most plain-spoken passages in the Canon. See AN 5.30, AN 6.42, and AN 8.86.
Eraka (Thag 1.93) {v. 93}
Sensual pleasures are stressful,
Eraka.
Sensual pleasures aren't ease.
Whoever loves sensual pleasures
loves stress, Eraka.
Whoever doesn't,
doesn't love stress.
Cakkhupala (Thag 1.95) {v. 95}
I'm blind,
my eyes are destroyed.
I've stumbled
on a wilderness track.
Even
if I must crawl,
I'll go on,
but not with an evil companion.
Khitaka (Thag 1.104) {v. 104}
How light my body!
Touched by abundant
rapture & bliss,
— like a cotton tuft
borne on the breeze —
it seems to be floating
— my body!
Jenta (Thag 1.111) {v. 111}
Going forth is hard;
houses are hard places to live;
the Dhamma is deep;
wealth, hard to obtain;
it's hard to keep going
with whatever we get:
so it's right that we ponder
continually
continual
inconstancy.
Vanavaccha (Thag 1.113) {v. 113}
With clear waters &
massive boulders,
frequented by monkeys &
deer,
covered with moss &
water weeds,
those rocky crags refresh me.
Kimbila (Thag 1.118) {v. 118}
As if sent by a curse,
it drops on us —
aging.
The body seems other,
though it's still the same one.
I'm still here
& have never been absent from it,
but I remember myself
as if somebody else's.
Isidatta (Thag 1.120) {v. 120}
The five aggregates,
having been comprehended,
stand with their root
cut through.
For me
the ending of stress
is reached;
the ending of fermentations,
attained.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Khuddaka Nikaya - Theragatha
Khuddaka Nikaya - Theragatha
Theragatha
Verses of the Elder Monks
Source: This anthology prepared by jtb for Access
to Insight.
Access to Insight edition © 2005
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish,
however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available
to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
The Theragatha, the eighth book of the Khuddaka Nikaya, consists of 264 poems —
1,291 stanzas in all — in which the early monks (bhikkhus) recount their
struggles and accomplishments along the road to arahantship. Their stories are
told with often heart-breaking honesty and beauty, revealing the deeply human
side of these extraordinary men, and thus serve as inspiring reminders of our
own potential to follow in their footsteps.
An excellent print translation of the complete Therigatha is Elders' Verses I
translated by K.R. Norman (Oxford: Pali Text Society, 1995).
The translator appears in the square brackets []. Pali verse numbers appear in
the braces {}.
Chapter 1 — Single Verses {vv. 1-120}
Thag 1.1: Subhuti {v. 1} [Thanissaro]. Go ahead and rain!
Thag 1.2: Mahakotthika {v. 2} [Thanissaro]. Evil mind-states vanish with the
breeze.
Thag 1.3: Kankharevata {v. 3} [Thanissaro]. Discernment, like a fire in the
night.
Thag 1.7: Bhalliya {v. 7} [Thanissaro]. Steadfast in oneself.
Thag 1.13: Vanavaccha {v. 13} [Thanissaro]. Refreshment in the wilderness.
Thag 1.14: Vanavaccha's pupil {v. 14} [Thanissaro]. There's no tying down one
who knows.
Thag 1.16: Belatthasisa {v. 16} [Hecker/Khema | Thanissaro]. A happiness not
of the flesh.
Thag 1.18: Singalapita {v. 18} [Thanissaro]. Contemplation of the body.
Thag 1.21: Nigrodha {v. 21} [Thanissaro]. Fearless.
Thag 1.22: Cittaka {v. 22} [Thanissaro]. Peacocks.
Thag 1.23: Gosala {v. 23} [Thanissaro]. Seclusion.
Thag 1.25: Nandiya (to Mara) {v. 25} [Thanissaro]. Be careful, Mara!
Thag 1.26: Abhaya {v. 26} [Thanissaro]. Splitting a horse's hair with an
arrow.
Thag 1.29: Harita {v. 29} [Thanissaro]. Shatter ignorance to bits!
Thag 1.32: Suppiya {v. 32} [Thanissaro]. A fair trade.
Thag 1.39: Tissa {v. 39} [Thanissaro]. Practice mindfully, as if your head
were on fire.
Thag 1.41: Sirivaddha {v. 41} [Thanissaro]. Lightning can't shake one in
jhana.
Thag 1.43: Sumangala {v. 43} [Thanissaro]. Free at last from three crooked
things!
Thag 1.49: Ramaneyyaka {v. 49} [Thanissaro]. The delight of a well-focused
mind.
Thag 1.50: Vimala {v. 50} [Thanissaro]. Where neither rain nor wind can reach.
Thag 1.56: Kutiviharin (1) {v. 56} [Thanissaro]. Are you wasting your hut?
Thag 1.57: Kutiviharin (2) {v. 57} [Thanissaro]. Why hope for a new hut (i.e.,
rebirth)?
Thag 1.61: Vappa {v. 61} [Thanissaro]. How far can you see?
Thag 1.68: Ekuddaniya {v. 68} [Thanissaro]. Free of sorrows.
Thag 1.73: Manava {v. 73} [Thanissaro]. Three sights prompted this monk to
leave home.
Thag 1.75: Susarada {v. 75} [Thanissaro]. Who can make a fool wise?
Thag 1.84: Nita {v. 84} [Thanissaro]. When will the fool awaken?
Thag 1.85: Sunaga {v. 85} [Thanissaro]. A pleasure not of the flesh.
Thag 1.86: Nagita {v. 86} [Thanissaro]. All paths do not lead to the same
goal.
Thag 1.93: Eraka {v. 93} [Thanissaro]. Sensual pleasures are stressful.
Thag 1.95: Cakkhupala {v. 95} [Thanissaro]. Shun the evil companion!
Thag 1.104: Khitaka {v. 104} [Thanissaro]. How light my body!
Thag 1.111: Jenta {v. 111} [Thanissaro]. Ponder inconstancy, constantly.
Thag 1.113: Vanavaccha {v. 113} [Thanissaro]. Refreshment in the wilderness.
Thag 1.118: Kimbila {v. 118} [Thanissaro]. Aging drops on us like a curse.
Thag 1.120: Isidatta {v. 120} [Thanissaro]. Cutting through the roots of
suffering.
Chapter 2 — Pairs of Verses {vv. 121-218}
Thag 2.13: Heraññakani {vv. 145-46} [Olendzki (excerpt) | Thanissaro]. The
results of evil deeds will catch up with you.
Thag 2.16: Mahakala {vv. 151-152} [Thanissaro]. May I never lie with my head
cracked open again!
Thag 2.24: Valliya {vv. 167-168} [Thanissaro]. Through persistence I shall
reach the goal!
Thag 2.26: Punnamasa {vv. 171-172} [Thanissaro]. Shed the five hindrances, and
what's left?
Thag 2.27: Nandaka {vv. 173-174} [Thanissaro]. Like a fine thoroughbred steed.
Thag 2.30: Kanhadinna {vv. 179-180} [Thanissaro]. No more passion for
becoming.
Thag 2.37: Sona Potiriyaputta {vv. 193-194} [Thanissaro]. Better to die in
battle than to survive, defeated.
Thag 2.46: Culaka {vv. 211-212} [Olendzki]. The beauty of the wilderness; the
beauty of a heart that's free.
Chapter 3 — Groups of Three Verses {vv. 219-266}
Thag 3.5: Matangaputta {vv. 231-233} [Thanissaro]. It's too hot, too cold —
what's your excuse?
Thag 3.8: Yasoja {243-245} [Thanissaro]. Solitude in the forest: two's
company, three's a hullabaloo!
Thag 3.13: Abhibhuta {vv. 255-257} [Thanissaro]. Rouse yourself! Scatter the
army of death!
Thag 3.14: Gotama {vv. 258-260} [Thanissaro]. After wandering relentlessly
through hell, heaven, the animal world, finally: peace!
Thag 3.15: Harita (2) {vv. 261-263} [Thanissaro]. Careful: the wise can tell
when your actions don't align with your deeds.
Chapter 4 — Groups of Four Verses {vv. 267-314}
Thag 4.8: Rahula {vv. 295-298} [Thanissaro]. The Buddha's son celebrates his
own victory in the Dhamma.
Thag 4.10: Dhammika {vv. 303-306} [Thanissaro]. Protected by the Dhamma.
Chapter 5 — Groups of Five Verses {vv. 315-374}
Thag 5.1: Rajadatta {vv. 315-319} [Thanissaro]. Lusting after a corpse? That's
the last straw for this monk.
Thag 5.8: Vakkali {vv. 350-354} [Thanissaro]. I'd rather stay in the forest.
Thag 5.9: Vijitasena {vv. 355-359} [Norman]. I shall tame you, my mind!
Thag 5.10: Yasadatta {vv. 360-364} [Thanissaro]. There's no time for
quibbling!
Chapter 6 — Groups of Six Verses {vv. 375-458}
Thag 6.2: Tekicchakani {vv. 381-386} [Thanissaro]. How a monk with no food in
his bowl can still find comfort and joy.
Thag 6.6: Sappadasa {vv. 405-410} [Thanissaro]. On the brink of suicide,
Sappadasa breaks through to the Dhamma.
Thag 6.9: Jenta, the Royal Chaplain's Son {vv. 423-428} [Thanissaro]. Even
arrogant fools can find liberation.
Thag 6.10: Sumana the Novice {vv. 429-434} [Thanissaro]. A seven year-old
discovers arahantship.
Thag 6.12: Brahmadatta {vv. 441-446} [Thanissaro]. How to deal with anger.
Thag 6.13: Sirimanda {vv. 447-452} [Olendzki (excerpt) | Thanissaro]. Your
last day approaches. Now is no time to be heedless!
Chapter 7 — Groups of Seven Verses {vv. 459-493}
Thag 7.1: Sundara Samudda and the Courtesan {vv. 459-465} [Thanissaro]. While
grappling with lust, this monk finally comes to his senses.
Chapter 8 — Groups of Eight Verses {vv. 494-517}
Thag 8.1: Maha-Kaccana {vv. 494-501} [Bodhi]. Sound advice for householder and
monk, alike.
Chapter 9 — The Group of Nine Verses {vv. 518-526}
Thag 9: Bhuta (excerpt) {vv. 522-526} [Olendzki]. A mind well-trained is a
mind content under all circumstances.
Chapter 10 — Groups of Ten Verses {vv. 527-596}
Thag 10.1: Kaludayin {vv. 527-536} [Olendzki (excerpt)] . A messenger from the
Buddha's father urges the Buddha to return home.
Thag 10.2: Ekavihariya {vv. 537-546} [Olendzki (excerpt) | Thanissaro]. King
Asoka's younger brother recalls his journey to arahantship in the wilderness.
Thag 10.5: Kappa {vv. 567-576} [Thanissaro]. Are you enchanted by your
physical appearance? This reflection may be just the cure.
Chapter 11 — The Group of Eleven Verses {597-607}
Thag 11: Sankicca {vv. 597-607} [Thanissaro]. A young arahant reflects on his
life in the wilderness.
Chapter 12 — Groups of Twelve Verses {vv. 608-631}
Thag 12.2: Sunita the Outcaste {vv. 620-631} [Thanissaro]. An outcaste tells
his inspiring tale of victory.
Chapter 13 — The Group of Thirteen Verses {vv. 632-644}
Chapter 14 — Groups of Fourteen Verses {vv. 645-672}
Thag 14.1: Revata's Farewell {vv. 645-658} [Thanissaro]. By steadfastly
maintaining his right resolve, this monk finally gains perfect release.
Thag 14.2: Godatta {vv. 659-672} [Thanissaro]. Criticism from the wise is
better than praise from fools; the pain of meditation is better than pleasure
from the senses.
Chapter 15 — Groups of Sixteen Verses {vv. 673-704}
Thag 15.1: Aññakondañña {vv. 673-688} [Olendzki (excerpt)]. Wisdom settles the
mind, as rain the dust.
Thag 15.2: Udayin {vv. 689-704} [Olendzki (excerpt)]. Ven. Udayin uses the
timeless image of the lotus blossom to illustrate non-clinging.
Chapter 16 — Groups of (about) Twenty Verses {vv. 705-948}
Thag 16.1: Adhimutta and the Bandits {vv. 705-724} [Thanissaro]. A monk
disarms some threatening bandits with Dhamma.
Thag 16.4: Ratthapala {vv. 769-793} [Thanissaro]. Ven. Ratthapala explains why
he's not in the least bit tempted to return to the lay life.
Thag 16.7: Bhaddiya Kaligodhayaputta {vv. 842-865} [Thanissaro]. These verses
contain the Canon's only reference to the full set of thirteen ascetic
practices. (For Bhaddiya's story, see Ud 2.10.
Thag 16.8: Angulimala {vv. 866-891} [Olendzki (excerpt) | Thanissaro]. This
collection of verses associated with Angulimala, the reformed bandit who
became an arahant, contains all of the verses contained in MN 86 (the sutta
that tells Angulimala's story) plus five concluding verses.
Chapter 17 — Groups of Thirty Verses {vv. 949-1050}
Thag 17.2: Sariputta (excerpt) {vv. 991...1014} [Olendzki]. The arahant
Sariputta keeps the wheel of Dhamma rolling as he meditates alone in the
wilderness.
Thag 17.3: Ananda {vv. 1018-50} [Hecker/Khema (excerpts) | Olendzki
(excerpt)]. Tender words from Ananda, looking back on when he grieved over the
Buddha's death.
Chapter 18 — The Group of Forty Verses {vv. 1051-1090}
Thag 18: Maha Kassapa {vv. 1051-1090} [Thanissaro | Olendzki (excerpt)]. An
arahant monk celebrates the joys of practicing jhana in the solitude of the
forest. One of the first examples of "wilderness poetry."
Chapter 19 — The Group of Fifty Verses {vv. 1091-1145}
Thag 19: Talaputa {vv. 1091-1145} [Bhikkhu Khantipalo | Olendzki (excerpt)]. A
monk admonishes himself.
Chapter 20 — The Group of Sixty Verses {vv. 1146-1208}
Chapter 21 — The Great Group of Verses {vv. 1209-1279}
Thag 21: Vangisa {vv. 1209-1279} [Hecker/Khema (excerpt) |Ireland]. Fifteen
poems by Ven. Vangisa, the bhikkhu whom the Buddha designated as his foremost
disciple in the composition of spontaneous verse.
See also:
Therigatha: Verses of the Elder Nuns
Inspiration from Enlightened Nuns by Susan Elbaum Jootla.
Theragatha
Verses of the Elder Monks
Source: This anthology prepared by jtb for Access
to Insight.
Access to Insight edition © 2005
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish,
however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available
to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
The Theragatha, the eighth book of the Khuddaka Nikaya, consists of 264 poems —
1,291 stanzas in all — in which the early monks (bhikkhus) recount their
struggles and accomplishments along the road to arahantship. Their stories are
told with often heart-breaking honesty and beauty, revealing the deeply human
side of these extraordinary men, and thus serve as inspiring reminders of our
own potential to follow in their footsteps.
An excellent print translation of the complete Therigatha is Elders' Verses I
translated by K.R. Norman (Oxford: Pali Text Society, 1995).
The translator appears in the square brackets []. Pali verse numbers appear in
the braces {}.
Chapter 1 — Single Verses {vv. 1-120}
Thag 1.1: Subhuti {v. 1} [Thanissaro]. Go ahead and rain!
Thag 1.2: Mahakotthika {v. 2} [Thanissaro]. Evil mind-states vanish with the
breeze.
Thag 1.3: Kankharevata {v. 3} [Thanissaro]. Discernment, like a fire in the
night.
Thag 1.7: Bhalliya {v. 7} [Thanissaro]. Steadfast in oneself.
Thag 1.13: Vanavaccha {v. 13} [Thanissaro]. Refreshment in the wilderness.
Thag 1.14: Vanavaccha's pupil {v. 14} [Thanissaro]. There's no tying down one
who knows.
Thag 1.16: Belatthasisa {v. 16} [Hecker/Khema | Thanissaro]. A happiness not
of the flesh.
Thag 1.18: Singalapita {v. 18} [Thanissaro]. Contemplation of the body.
Thag 1.21: Nigrodha {v. 21} [Thanissaro]. Fearless.
Thag 1.22: Cittaka {v. 22} [Thanissaro]. Peacocks.
Thag 1.23: Gosala {v. 23} [Thanissaro]. Seclusion.
Thag 1.25: Nandiya (to Mara) {v. 25} [Thanissaro]. Be careful, Mara!
Thag 1.26: Abhaya {v. 26} [Thanissaro]. Splitting a horse's hair with an
arrow.
Thag 1.29: Harita {v. 29} [Thanissaro]. Shatter ignorance to bits!
Thag 1.32: Suppiya {v. 32} [Thanissaro]. A fair trade.
Thag 1.39: Tissa {v. 39} [Thanissaro]. Practice mindfully, as if your head
were on fire.
Thag 1.41: Sirivaddha {v. 41} [Thanissaro]. Lightning can't shake one in
jhana.
Thag 1.43: Sumangala {v. 43} [Thanissaro]. Free at last from three crooked
things!
Thag 1.49: Ramaneyyaka {v. 49} [Thanissaro]. The delight of a well-focused
mind.
Thag 1.50: Vimala {v. 50} [Thanissaro]. Where neither rain nor wind can reach.
Thag 1.56: Kutiviharin (1) {v. 56} [Thanissaro]. Are you wasting your hut?
Thag 1.57: Kutiviharin (2) {v. 57} [Thanissaro]. Why hope for a new hut (i.e.,
rebirth)?
Thag 1.61: Vappa {v. 61} [Thanissaro]. How far can you see?
Thag 1.68: Ekuddaniya {v. 68} [Thanissaro]. Free of sorrows.
Thag 1.73: Manava {v. 73} [Thanissaro]. Three sights prompted this monk to
leave home.
Thag 1.75: Susarada {v. 75} [Thanissaro]. Who can make a fool wise?
Thag 1.84: Nita {v. 84} [Thanissaro]. When will the fool awaken?
Thag 1.85: Sunaga {v. 85} [Thanissaro]. A pleasure not of the flesh.
Thag 1.86: Nagita {v. 86} [Thanissaro]. All paths do not lead to the same
goal.
Thag 1.93: Eraka {v. 93} [Thanissaro]. Sensual pleasures are stressful.
Thag 1.95: Cakkhupala {v. 95} [Thanissaro]. Shun the evil companion!
Thag 1.104: Khitaka {v. 104} [Thanissaro]. How light my body!
Thag 1.111: Jenta {v. 111} [Thanissaro]. Ponder inconstancy, constantly.
Thag 1.113: Vanavaccha {v. 113} [Thanissaro]. Refreshment in the wilderness.
Thag 1.118: Kimbila {v. 118} [Thanissaro]. Aging drops on us like a curse.
Thag 1.120: Isidatta {v. 120} [Thanissaro]. Cutting through the roots of
suffering.
Chapter 2 — Pairs of Verses {vv. 121-218}
Thag 2.13: Heraññakani {vv. 145-46} [Olendzki (excerpt) | Thanissaro]. The
results of evil deeds will catch up with you.
Thag 2.16: Mahakala {vv. 151-152} [Thanissaro]. May I never lie with my head
cracked open again!
Thag 2.24: Valliya {vv. 167-168} [Thanissaro]. Through persistence I shall
reach the goal!
Thag 2.26: Punnamasa {vv. 171-172} [Thanissaro]. Shed the five hindrances, and
what's left?
Thag 2.27: Nandaka {vv. 173-174} [Thanissaro]. Like a fine thoroughbred steed.
Thag 2.30: Kanhadinna {vv. 179-180} [Thanissaro]. No more passion for
becoming.
Thag 2.37: Sona Potiriyaputta {vv. 193-194} [Thanissaro]. Better to die in
battle than to survive, defeated.
Thag 2.46: Culaka {vv. 211-212} [Olendzki]. The beauty of the wilderness; the
beauty of a heart that's free.
Chapter 3 — Groups of Three Verses {vv. 219-266}
Thag 3.5: Matangaputta {vv. 231-233} [Thanissaro]. It's too hot, too cold —
what's your excuse?
Thag 3.8: Yasoja {243-245} [Thanissaro]. Solitude in the forest: two's
company, three's a hullabaloo!
Thag 3.13: Abhibhuta {vv. 255-257} [Thanissaro]. Rouse yourself! Scatter the
army of death!
Thag 3.14: Gotama {vv. 258-260} [Thanissaro]. After wandering relentlessly
through hell, heaven, the animal world, finally: peace!
Thag 3.15: Harita (2) {vv. 261-263} [Thanissaro]. Careful: the wise can tell
when your actions don't align with your deeds.
Chapter 4 — Groups of Four Verses {vv. 267-314}
Thag 4.8: Rahula {vv. 295-298} [Thanissaro]. The Buddha's son celebrates his
own victory in the Dhamma.
Thag 4.10: Dhammika {vv. 303-306} [Thanissaro]. Protected by the Dhamma.
Chapter 5 — Groups of Five Verses {vv. 315-374}
Thag 5.1: Rajadatta {vv. 315-319} [Thanissaro]. Lusting after a corpse? That's
the last straw for this monk.
Thag 5.8: Vakkali {vv. 350-354} [Thanissaro]. I'd rather stay in the forest.
Thag 5.9: Vijitasena {vv. 355-359} [Norman]. I shall tame you, my mind!
Thag 5.10: Yasadatta {vv. 360-364} [Thanissaro]. There's no time for
quibbling!
Chapter 6 — Groups of Six Verses {vv. 375-458}
Thag 6.2: Tekicchakani {vv. 381-386} [Thanissaro]. How a monk with no food in
his bowl can still find comfort and joy.
Thag 6.6: Sappadasa {vv. 405-410} [Thanissaro]. On the brink of suicide,
Sappadasa breaks through to the Dhamma.
Thag 6.9: Jenta, the Royal Chaplain's Son {vv. 423-428} [Thanissaro]. Even
arrogant fools can find liberation.
Thag 6.10: Sumana the Novice {vv. 429-434} [Thanissaro]. A seven year-old
discovers arahantship.
Thag 6.12: Brahmadatta {vv. 441-446} [Thanissaro]. How to deal with anger.
Thag 6.13: Sirimanda {vv. 447-452} [Olendzki (excerpt) | Thanissaro]. Your
last day approaches. Now is no time to be heedless!
Chapter 7 — Groups of Seven Verses {vv. 459-493}
Thag 7.1: Sundara Samudda and the Courtesan {vv. 459-465} [Thanissaro]. While
grappling with lust, this monk finally comes to his senses.
Chapter 8 — Groups of Eight Verses {vv. 494-517}
Thag 8.1: Maha-Kaccana {vv. 494-501} [Bodhi]. Sound advice for householder and
monk, alike.
Chapter 9 — The Group of Nine Verses {vv. 518-526}
Thag 9: Bhuta (excerpt) {vv. 522-526} [Olendzki]. A mind well-trained is a
mind content under all circumstances.
Chapter 10 — Groups of Ten Verses {vv. 527-596}
Thag 10.1: Kaludayin {vv. 527-536} [Olendzki (excerpt)] . A messenger from the
Buddha's father urges the Buddha to return home.
Thag 10.2: Ekavihariya {vv. 537-546} [Olendzki (excerpt) | Thanissaro]. King
Asoka's younger brother recalls his journey to arahantship in the wilderness.
Thag 10.5: Kappa {vv. 567-576} [Thanissaro]. Are you enchanted by your
physical appearance? This reflection may be just the cure.
Chapter 11 — The Group of Eleven Verses {597-607}
Thag 11: Sankicca {vv. 597-607} [Thanissaro]. A young arahant reflects on his
life in the wilderness.
Chapter 12 — Groups of Twelve Verses {vv. 608-631}
Thag 12.2: Sunita the Outcaste {vv. 620-631} [Thanissaro]. An outcaste tells
his inspiring tale of victory.
Chapter 13 — The Group of Thirteen Verses {vv. 632-644}
Chapter 14 — Groups of Fourteen Verses {vv. 645-672}
Thag 14.1: Revata's Farewell {vv. 645-658} [Thanissaro]. By steadfastly
maintaining his right resolve, this monk finally gains perfect release.
Thag 14.2: Godatta {vv. 659-672} [Thanissaro]. Criticism from the wise is
better than praise from fools; the pain of meditation is better than pleasure
from the senses.
Chapter 15 — Groups of Sixteen Verses {vv. 673-704}
Thag 15.1: Aññakondañña {vv. 673-688} [Olendzki (excerpt)]. Wisdom settles the
mind, as rain the dust.
Thag 15.2: Udayin {vv. 689-704} [Olendzki (excerpt)]. Ven. Udayin uses the
timeless image of the lotus blossom to illustrate non-clinging.
Chapter 16 — Groups of (about) Twenty Verses {vv. 705-948}
Thag 16.1: Adhimutta and the Bandits {vv. 705-724} [Thanissaro]. A monk
disarms some threatening bandits with Dhamma.
Thag 16.4: Ratthapala {vv. 769-793} [Thanissaro]. Ven. Ratthapala explains why
he's not in the least bit tempted to return to the lay life.
Thag 16.7: Bhaddiya Kaligodhayaputta {vv. 842-865} [Thanissaro]. These verses
contain the Canon's only reference to the full set of thirteen ascetic
practices. (For Bhaddiya's story, see Ud 2.10.
Thag 16.8: Angulimala {vv. 866-891} [Olendzki (excerpt) | Thanissaro]. This
collection of verses associated with Angulimala, the reformed bandit who
became an arahant, contains all of the verses contained in MN 86 (the sutta
that tells Angulimala's story) plus five concluding verses.
Chapter 17 — Groups of Thirty Verses {vv. 949-1050}
Thag 17.2: Sariputta (excerpt) {vv. 991...1014} [Olendzki]. The arahant
Sariputta keeps the wheel of Dhamma rolling as he meditates alone in the
wilderness.
Thag 17.3: Ananda {vv. 1018-50} [Hecker/Khema (excerpts) | Olendzki
(excerpt)]. Tender words from Ananda, looking back on when he grieved over the
Buddha's death.
Chapter 18 — The Group of Forty Verses {vv. 1051-1090}
Thag 18: Maha Kassapa {vv. 1051-1090} [Thanissaro | Olendzki (excerpt)]. An
arahant monk celebrates the joys of practicing jhana in the solitude of the
forest. One of the first examples of "wilderness poetry."
Chapter 19 — The Group of Fifty Verses {vv. 1091-1145}
Thag 19: Talaputa {vv. 1091-1145} [Bhikkhu Khantipalo | Olendzki (excerpt)]. A
monk admonishes himself.
Chapter 20 — The Group of Sixty Verses {vv. 1146-1208}
Chapter 21 — The Great Group of Verses {vv. 1209-1279}
Thag 21: Vangisa {vv. 1209-1279} [Hecker/Khema (excerpt) |Ireland]. Fifteen
poems by Ven. Vangisa, the bhikkhu whom the Buddha designated as his foremost
disciple in the composition of spontaneous verse.
See also:
Therigatha: Verses of the Elder Nuns
Inspiration from Enlightened Nuns by Susan Elbaum Jootla.
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