Thig 5.6 — Verses of the Elder Mittākāḷī

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Thig 5:6 Mittakālī

Going forth through conviction
from home into homelessness,
I wandered this place & that,
greedy for tribute & gains.
Missing out on the foremost goal,
I pursued a lowly one.
Under the sway of defilements,
I didn’t awaken1 to the goal
of the contemplative life.

Then, sitting in my dwelling,
I suddenly came to my senses:

    I’m following a miserable path.
    I’m under the sway of
        craving.
    Next to nothing, my life,
            crushed
    by aging & illness.
    Before the body breaks apart,
    I have no time
        for heedlessness.

After watching, as it actually was,
the arising-disbanding of aggregates,
I stood up with mind released,
the Awakened One’s bidding
done.

Note

1. Reading na bujjhi’ham with the Burmese and Sinhalese editions.
Translation

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