Lakuṇṭakatheragāthā

Suttapiṭaka · Khuddakanikāya · Vimānavatthu · Petavatthu · Theragāthā · Therīgāthā · Vol. 26 · Section 362

[362] 2. Beyond, in the Ambāṭaka Park, in a thicket of the forest, Bhaddiya, having plucked out craving (taṇhā) together with its root, meditates there — the fortunate one. Some find delight in drums, in lutes, and in tabors; but I, at the root of a tree, am delighted with the Buddha's teaching. If the Buddha were to grant me a boon, and if that boon might be obtained by me, I would take up, for the whole world, constant mindfulness occupied with the body (kāyagatāsati). Those who measured me by my form, and those who followed after me by my voice — possessed by desire and lust (chandarāga), those people do not know me. He neither knows the internal nor sees the external; a fool obstructed on every side — he indeed is carried away by voice. He does not know the internal, yet he clearly sees the external; seeing fruit outwardly, he too is carried away by voice. He both understands the internal and clearly sees the external; one of unobstructed vision — he is not carried away by voice. The Elder Lakuṇṭaka.

English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.