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Buddhism

SN 11:15 · A Delightful Place (Rāmaṇeyyaka 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

On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Then Sakka the deva-king went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, stood to one side. As he was standing there, he said to the Blessed One, “What, lord, is a delightful place?”

The Buddha:

“Park shrines, forest shrines,

well-constructed lotus ponds

aren’t worth one-sixteenth

of a delightful human being.

In village or wilds,

valley, plateau:

that place is delightful

where arahants dwell.”1

Note

1. This second verse = Dhp 98.


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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