5.3. Tissamettaya’s Questions (SNP5.3)

Tissa
Who has contentment in the world?
Who is not agitated?
Who has experienced both extremes,
but wise, in the middle does not stick?
Who do you say’s a person great?
Who, seamstress-craving’s gone beyond?

Buddha
A pure life leading ’mid pleasures of sense,
ever mindful and craving-free,
a bhikkhu cool, after reflection deep,
agitation’s none in such a one.

Who has experienced both extremes,
who wise, in the middle does not stick,
he, I say, is a person great,
who the seamstress-craving’s gone beyond.

Translated by Laurence Khantipalo Mills.

This translation was edited by Bhikkhu Sujato as part of the full translation of the Sutta Nipāta with commentary prepared from a draft handwritten and typed manuscript of Laurence Khantipalo Mills in 2015. The project was managed by Laurence’s students Michael Wells and Gary Dellora, and initial digitizing of the text was by Sean Read. Full text is available at https://suttacentral.net/downloads

In addition to the suttas noted, Bhikkhu Sujato also translated verses 46, 78, 232, 465, 500, 589–597, 865, 885–890, 894–5, 897–901, 902–916, and 919–921.

This text is released dedicated to the Public Domain by way of Creative Commons Zero. No rights reserved.