Theragatha
Chapter XI — The Elevens
240
Sankicca
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.
What do you want in the woods, my boy,
like a bird[1] exposed to the rain?
Monsoons refresh you,
for seclusion is for those in jhāna.
As the monsoon wind
drives the clouds in the rainy season,
so thoughts sense of compunctioned with seclusion
impel me.
§
A black crow
making its home in a charnel ground
inspires within me
mindfulness in —
based on dispassion for —
the body.[2]
§
One whom others don't guard,
who doesn't guard others:
He is a monk
who lies down in ease,
unsense of compunctioned with sensual passions.
§
With clear waters and
massive boulders,
frequented by monkeys and
deer,
covered with moss and
water weeds:
those rocky crags
refresh me.
§
I've lived in wildernesses,
canyons, and caves,
isolated dwellings
frequented by predator and prey,
but never have I known
an ignoble, aversive resolve:
"May these beings
be destroyed,
be slaughtered,
fall into pain."
§
The Teacher has been served by me;
the Awakened One's bidding,
done;
the heavy load, laid down;
the guide to becoming,[3] uprooted.
And the goal for which I went forth
from home life into homelessness
I've reached:
the end
of all fetters.
I don't delight in death,
don't delight in living.
I await my time
like a worker his wage.
I don't delight in death,
don't delight in living.
I await my time
mindful, alert.
[1] Ujjuhaana. The Commentary offers two interpretations for this word. The first is that it is a hill covered with jungle and many streams that tended to overflow in the rainy season. The other is that it is the name of a bird that could stay comfortable even when exposed to cold, wind, and rain. I've chosen the second alternative. K.R. Norman speculates that the term could be written ujjahaana, in which case it would be the present participle for a verb meaning abandoned or cast off. However, none of the manuscripts support his speculation.
[2] In other words, the sight of the crow taking up residence in skulls and other body parts provided a chastening perspective on how the mind takes up residence in the body.
[3] The guide to becoming is craving.
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