Satto guhāyaṁ bahunābhichanno, Imprisoned in a cave, deeply buried, Tiṭṭhaṁ naro mohanasmiṁ pagāḷho; Stands the man who is sunk into ignorance. Dūre vivekā hi tathāvidho so, One like this is truly far from independence, Kāmā hi loke na hi suppahāyā. For the pleasures of the world are not easy to give up.
Icchānidānā bhavasātabaddhā, Confined based on desire by the sweetness in being, Te duppamuñcā na hi aññamokkhā; Not to be freed by others, they are difficult to free. Pacchā pure vāpi apekkhamānā, Now looking behind, now looking ahead, Ime va kāme purime va jappaṁ. They long for these pleasures and those of before.
Kāmesu giddhā pasutā pamūḷhā, Greedy, absorbed and entranced with pleasures, Avadāniyā te visame niviṭṭhā; They are hard to correct, being set in crooked ways. Dukkhūpanītā paridevayanti, Brought into suffering, they lament: Kiṁsū bhavissāma ito cutāse. “What will become of us when we fall from here?”
Tasmā hi sikkhetha idheva jantu, So a person should train themselves in this way: Yaṁ kiñci jaññā visamanti loke; Whatever they might recognise as crooked in the world, Na tassa hetū visamaṁ careyya, They should not let that cause them to act crookedly, Appañhidaṁ jīvitamāhu dhīrā. For this life is not long, as the wise would say.
Passāmi loke pariphandamānaṁ, In this world I see the struggling of this generation Pajaṁ imaṁ taṇhagataṁ bhavesu; Fallen into craving in regard to states of being. *The Pāli is actually plural, _bhavesu_, but in English ”being” in this sense is always singular. Hence the addition “states of”. Hīnā narā maccumukhe lapanti, Wretches who wail in the jaws of death, Avītataṇhāse bhavābhavesu. Not rid of craving in regard to various states of being.
Mamāyite passatha phandamāne, See them struggling in what they regard as “mine”, Maccheva appodake khīṇasote; Like fish in a pool whose stream has dried up. Etampi disvā amamo careyya, Seeing this, one should live without ownership, Bhavesu āsattimakubbamāno. Not making attachment to states of being.
Ubhosu antesu vineyya chandaṁ, Having removed passion in regard to both ends *The reference here is to the two “ends” (_anta_) of _phassa_ discussed in AN 6.61 Phassaṁ pariññāya anānugiddho; And comprehended experience, he cannot covet. *Translating _phassa_ as “experience”: “Dependent on the eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises; the meeting of the three is [an] experience. With experience, there is feeling; with feeling, craving …” (SN 12.43) Yadattagarahī tadakubbamāno, Creating no basis for self-reproach, Na lippatī diṭṭhasutesu dhīro. A wise one is unsoiled in the seen and the heard.
Saññaṁ pariññā vitareyya oghaṁ, Having comprehended perception and crossed over the flood, Pariggahesu muni nopalitto; The sage who remains unsoiled by possessions— Abbūḷhasallo caramappamatto, With the arrow drawn out, living in diligence— Nāsīsatī lokamimaṁ parañcāti. Does not yearn for this world or the other.
Guhaṭṭhakasuttaṁ dutiyaṁ.
Origin URL: https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=snp4.2