Skip to main content
Buddhism

AN 5:137 · One Sleeps Little (Appaṁ Sutta)

Thai temple painting: Prince Vessantara gives away the white elephant
Vessantara Jātaka, Chapter 2 (Himavanta Forest) · Thai, Rattanakosin, c. 1850–1870 · Walters Art Museum

“Monks, these five get little sleep at night, and are mostly awake. Which five? A woman intent on a man gets little sleep at night, and is mostly awake. A man intent on a woman gets little sleep at night, and is mostly awake. A thief intent on theft gets little sleep at night, and is mostly awake. A king fettered by royal duties gets little sleep at night, and is mostly awake. A monk intent on becoming unfettered gets little sleep at night, and is mostly awake.

“These five, monks, get little sleep at night, and are mostly awake.”

See also: AN 4:37; Thag 1:84; Thag 2:37


Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. © 2014 / rev. 2017 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu — released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 licence, for free distribution only. Source: dhammatalks.org (Metta Forest Monastery).

Join the Journal

Subscribe to Ninth Heaven | Literary & Arts Journal

New issues, stories, and poems, delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe