Linked Discourses 1.10

1. A Reed

Wilderness

At Sāvatthī.

Standing to one side, that deity addressed the Buddha in verse:

“Living in the wilderness,

peaceful spiritual practitioners

eat just one meal a day:

so why is their complexion so clear?”

“They don’t grieve for the past,

nor do they pray for the future;

they feed on whatever comes that day,

that’s why their complexion’s so clear.

Because they long for the future,

and grieve for the past,

fools wither away,

like a green reed mowed down.”