Samyutta Nikaya I.9

Arañña Sutta

The Wilderness


Standing to one side, a devata addressed the Blessed One with a verse:

"Living in the wilderness,
staying peaceful, remaining chaste,
eating just one meal a day:
why are their faces
   so bright & serene?"

[The Buddha:]

"They don't sorrow over the past,
   don't long for the future.
They survive on the present.
That's why their faces
   are bright & serene.

From longing for the future,
from sorrowing over the past,
   fools wither away
like a green reed cut down."