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Buddhism

AN 5:98 · Wilderness (Ārañña 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

“Endowed with five qualities, a monk pursuing mindfulness of breathing will in no long time penetrate the Unprovoked (release). Which five?

“He is a person who imposes only a little (on others): one of few duties & projects, easy to support, easily contented with the requisites of life.

“He is a person who eats only a little food, committed to not indulging his stomach.

“He is a person of only a little sloth, committed to wakefulness.

“He lives in the wilderness, in an isolated dwelling place.

“He reflects on the mind as it is released.

“Endowed with these five qualities, a monk pursuing mindfulness of breathing will in no long time penetrate the Unprovoked.”


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).

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