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Buddhism

Ud 3:1 · Kamma (Kamma 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

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sāvatthī at Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. And on that occasion a certain monk was sitting not far from the Blessed One, his legs crossed, his body held erect, enduring fierce pains, sharp & severe, that were the result of old kamma–mindful, alert, without suffering. The Blessed One saw him sitting not far away, his legs crossed, his body held erect, enduring fierce pains, sharp & severe, that were the result of old kamma–mindful, alert, and not struck down by them.

Then, on realizing the significance of that, the Blessed One on that occasion exclaimed:

For the monk who has left

all kamma

behind,

shaking off the dust of the past,

steady, unpossessive,

Such:1

There’s no point in telling

anyone else.

Note

1. Such (tādin): An adjective applied to the mind of one who has attained the goal. It indicates that the mind “is what it is”–indescribable but not subject to change or alteration.

See also: SN 41:3; AN 8:30; Thag 6:10


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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