Verses of the Elder Mittākāḷī (THIG5.6)

Verses of the Elder Bhikkhunīs

Chapter of the Fives

Verses of the Elder Mittākāḷī

“I went forth out of faith,

from the home life into homelessness;

I wandered here and there,

longing for gain and honor.

Disregarding the highest aim,

I pursued an inferior goal.

Controlled by defilements,

I did not understand the real purpose of the contemplative life.

While sitting in my hut,

I was struck with a sense of urgency:

‘I have entered upon the wrong path,

I am under the control of craving!

Decay and sickness are trampling

my trifling life.

There is no time to waste

before this body falls apart.’

In conformity with the truth, I observed

the rise and fall of the khandhas.

I stood up with a liberated mind,

having completed the teaching of the Buddha.”

The Elder Mittākaḷī