I entreat the one who has
abandoned home—cutting through craving, unperturbed;
abandoned delight—crossed over the flood, released;
abandoned theory—very intelligent:
Having heard the Nāga, they will leave—
the many gathered
from many lands, hero,
in hopes of your words.
So tell them, please,
how this Dhamma has
been known to you.
The Buddha:
Subdue craving & grasping—all—
above, below,
across, in between.1
For whatever people cling to in the world,
it’s through that
that Māra pursues them.
So a monk, mindful,
seeing these people
entangled in grasping
as entangled in Death’s realm,
should cling to nothing
in all the world,
every world.
Notes
1. For Nd II’s discussion of the various meanings of the objects of craving “above, below, across, in between,” see Sn 5:4, note 3. For further discussions of the many places where craving can arise, see DN 22 and SN 35:95, note 1.
Origin URL: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/StNp/StNp5_12.html