Saṅkic­ca

“Like an ujjuhāna-bird in the rainy season,
Child, is there benefit for you in the grove?
The city of Verambhā is delightful for you—
Seclusion is for meditators.”
“Just as the wind in Verambhā
Scatters the clouds during the rainy-season,
So the city scatters
My perceptions connected with seclusion.
It’s all black and born of an egg—
The crow that lives in the charnel ground
Rouses my mindfulness,
Based on dispassion for the body.
Not protected by others,
Nor protecting others:
Such a monk sleeps happily,
Without longing for sensual pleasures.
The water is clear and the gorges are wide,
Monkeys and deer are all around;
Festooned with dewy moss,
These rocky crags delight me!
I’ve dwelt in the wilderness,
In caves and caverns,
And remote lodgings,
Frequented by beasts of prey.
‘May these beings be killed! May they be slaughtered!
May they suffer!’—
I’m not aware of having any such
Ignoble, hateful intentions.
I’ve attended on the teacher
And fulfilled the Buddha’s instructions.
The heavy burden is laid down,
I’ve undone the attachment to being reborn in any state of existence.
I’ve attained the goal
For the sake of which I went forth
From home life into homelessness—
The ending of all fetters.
I don’t long for death;
I don’t long for life;
I await my time,
Like a worker waiting for their wages.
I don’t long for death;
I don’t long for life;
I await my time,
Aware and mindful.”