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Buddhism

Iti 58 · uttaka 58

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, there are these three cravings. Which three? Craving for sensuality, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming. These are the three cravings.”

Bound with the bondage of craving,

their minds smitten

with becoming & non-,

they are bound               with the bondage of Māra–

people                  with no safety from bondage,

beings                  going through the wandering-on,

headed for birth & death.

While those who’ve abandoned craving,

free from the craving for becoming & non-,

reaching the ending of effluents,

though in the world,

have gone            beyond.


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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