1“My lifestyle was delicate, mendicants, most delicate, extremely delicate.

In my father’s house, lotus ponds were made just for me. In some, blue water lilies blossomed, while in others, there were pink or white lotuses, just for my benefit. I only used sandalwood from Kāsī, and my turbans, jackets, sarongs, and upper robes also came from Kāsī. And a white parasol was held over me night and day, with the thought: ‘Don’t let cold, heat, grass, dust, or damp bother him.’

2I had three stilt longhouses — one for the winter, one for the summer, and one for the rainy season. I stayed in a stilt longhouse without coming downstairs for the four months of the rainy season, where I was entertained by musicians — none of them men.

While the bondservants, workers, and staff in other houses are given rough gruel with pickles to eat, in my father’s house they eat fine rice with meat.

3Amid such prosperity and such a delicate lifestyle, I thought: ‘When an uneducated ordinary person — who is liable to grow old, not being exempt from old age — sees someone else who is old, they’re horrified, repelled, and disgusted, overlooking the fact that they themselves are in the same situation. But since I, too, am liable to grow old, it would not be appropriate for me to be horrified, embarrassed, and disgusted, when I see someone else who is old.’ Reflecting like this, I entirely gave up the vanity of youth.

4‘When an uneducated ordinary person — who is liable to get sick, not being exempt from sickness — sees someone else who is sick, they’re horrified, repelled, and disgusted, overlooking the fact that they themselves are in the same situation. But since I, too, am liable to get sick, it would not be appropriate for me to be horrified, embarrassed, and disgusted, when I see someone else who is sick.’ Reflecting like this, I entirely gave up the vanity of health.

5‘When an uneducated ordinary person — who is liable to die, not being exempt from death — sees someone else who is dead, they’re horrified, repelled, and disgusted, overlooking the fact that they themselves are in the same situation. But since I, too, am liable to die, it would not be appropriate for me to be horrified, embarrassed, and disgusted, when I see someone else who is dead.’ Reflecting like this, I entirely gave up the vanity of life.

---

6There are these three vanities. What three? The vanity of youth, of health, and of life.

Intoxicated with the vanity of youth, an uneducated ordinary person does bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.

Intoxicated with the vanity of health … Intoxicated with the vanity of life, an uneducated ordinary person does bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.

---

7Intoxicated with the vanity of youth, health, or life, a mendicant rejects the training and returns to a lesser life.

---

8For others, sickness is natural,
and so are old age and death.
Though this is how their nature is,
ordinary people feel disgusted.

9If I were to be disgusted
with creatures whose nature is such,
it would not be appropriate for me,
since my life is just the same.

10Living in such a way,
I understood the reality without attachments.
I mastered all vanities —
of health, of youth,

and even of life —
seeing safety in renunciation.
Zeal sprang up in me
as I looked to extinguishment.

Now I’m unable
to indulge in sensual pleasures;
there’s no turning back,
until the spiritual life is complete.”

1"Sukhumālo ahaṁ, bhikkhave, paramasukhumālo accantasukhumālo.

Mama sudaṁ, bhikkhave, pitu nivesane pokkharaṇiyo kāritā honti. Ekattha sudaṁ, bhikkhave, uppalaṁ vappati, ekattha padumaṁ, ekattha puṇḍarīkaṁ, yāvadeva mamatthāya. Na kho panassāhaṁ, bhikkhave, akāsikaṁ candanaṁ dhāremi. Kāsikaṁ, bhikkhave, su me taṁ veṭhanaṁ hoti, kāsikā kañcukā, kāsikaṁ nivāsanaṁ, kāsiko uttarāsaṅgo. Rattindivaṁ kho pana me su taṁ, bhikkhave, setacchattaṁ dhārīyati:  ‘mā naṁ phusi sītaṁ vā uṇhaṁ vā tiṇaṁ vā rajo vā ussāvo vā’ti.

2Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, tayo pāsādā ahesuṁ – eko hemantiko, eko gimhiko, eko vassiko. So kho ahaṁ, bhikkhave, vassike pāsāde vassike cattāro māse nippurisehi tūriyehi paricārayamāno na heṭṭhāpāsādaṁ orohāmi.

Yathā kho pana, bhikkhave, aññesaṁ nivesane dāsakammakaraporisassa kaṇājakaṁ bhojanaṁ dīyati bilaṅgadutiyaṁ, evamevassu me, bhikkhave, pitu nivesane dāsakammakaraporisassa sālimaṁsodano dīyati.

3Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, evarūpāya iddhiyā samannāgatassa evarūpena ca sukhumālena etadahosi:  ‘assutavā kho puthujjano attanā jarādhammo samāno jaraṁ anatīto paraṁ jiṇṇaṁ disvā aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati attānaṁyeva atisitvā, ahampi khomhi jarādhammo jaraṁ anatīto. Ahañceva kho pana jarādhammo samāno jaraṁ anatīto paraṁ jiṇṇaṁ disvā aṭṭīyeyyaṁ harāyeyyaṁ jiguccheyyaṁ na metaṁ assa patirūpan’ti. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, iti paṭisañcikkhato yo yobbane yobbanamado so sabbaso pahīyi.

4Assutavā kho puthujjano attanā byādhidhammo samāno byādhiṁ anatīto paraṁ byādhitaṁ disvā aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati attānaṁyeva atisitvā:  ‘ahampi khomhi byādhidhammo byādhiṁ anatīto, ahañceva kho pana byādhidhammo samāno byādhiṁ anatīto paraṁ byādhikaṁ disvā aṭṭīyeyyaṁ harāyeyyaṁ jiguccheyyaṁ, na metaṁ assa patirūpan’ti. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, iti paṭisañcikkhato yo ārogye ārogyamado so sabbaso pahīyi.

5Assutavā kho puthujjano attanā maraṇadhammo samāno maraṇaṁ anatīto paraṁ mataṁ disvā aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati attānaṁyeva atisitvā:  ‘ahampi khomhi maraṇadhammo, maraṇaṁ anatīto, ahaṁ ceva kho pana maraṇadhammo samāno maraṇaṁ anatīto paraṁ mataṁ disvā aṭṭīyeyyaṁ harāyeyyaṁ jiguccheyyaṁ, na metaṁ assa patirūpan’ti. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, iti paṭisañcikkhato yo jīvite jīvitamado so sabbaso pahīyīti.

---

6Tayome, bhikkhave, madā. Katame tayo?

Yobbanamado, ārogyamado, jīvitamado. Yobbanamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano kāyena duccaritaṁ carati, vācāya duccaritaṁ carati, manasā duccaritaṁ carati. So kāyena duccaritaṁ caritvā, vācāya duccaritaṁ caritvā, manasā duccaritaṁ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati.

Ārogyamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano … pe … jīvitamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano kāyena duccaritaṁ carati, vācāya duccaritaṁ carati, manasā duccaritaṁ carati. So kāyena duccaritaṁ caritvā, vācāya duccaritaṁ caritvā, manasā duccaritaṁ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati.

---

7Yobbanamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati. Ārogyamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, bhikkhu … pe … jīvitamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattatīti.

---

8Byādhidhammā jarādhammā,
atho maraṇadhammino;
Yathādhammā tathāsantā,
jigucchanti puthujjanā.

9Ahañce taṁ jiguccheyyaṁ,
evaṁdhammesu pāṇisu;
Na metaṁ patirūpassa,
mama evaṁ vihārino.

10Sohaṁ evaṁ viharanto,
ñatvā dhammaṁ nirūpadhiṁ;
Ārogye yobbanasmiñca,
jīvitasmiñca ye madā.

11Sabbe made abhibhosmi,
Nekkhamme daṭṭhu khemataṁ;
Tassa me ahu ussāho,
Nibbānaṁ abhipassato.

12Nāhaṁ bhabbo etarahi,
Kāmāni paṭisevituṁ;
Anivatti bhavissāmi,
Brahmacariyaparāyaṇo"ti.

Navamaṁ.