Skip to main content
Buddhism

SN 1:55 · Engendered (Jana 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

“What engenders a person?

What does one have that runs around?

What rushes toward the wandering-on?

What does one have

as one’s great danger?”

The Buddha:

“Craving         engenders a person.

One’s mind         is what runs around.

A being         rushes toward the wandering-on.

Suffering            is one’s great danger.”

See also: SN 23:2; Khp 4


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