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Buddhism

SN 2:2 · Kassapa the Deva’s Son (Kassapa 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

Near Sāvatthi in the monastery… Standing to one side, Kassapa the deva’s son recited this verse in the Blessed One’s presence:

“A monk should have jhāna,

be released in mind,

if he wants the heart’s attainment:

knowing the arising & passing away of the world,

good in his awareness, independent,

aimed at that reward.”

See also: SN 12:15


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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