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Buddhism

Iti 14 · uttaka 14

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

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Monks, I don’t envision even one other hindrance–hindered by which people go wandering & transmigrating on for a long, long time–like the hindrance of ignorance. Hindered by the hindrance of ignorance, people go wandering & transmigrating on for a long, long time.”

No one other thing

so hinders people

that they wander on, day & night,

as when they’re obstructed

by delusion.

But those who, letting go of delusion,

shatter the mass of darkness,

wander               no further.

Their cause isn’t found.


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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