4.2. The Eight on the Body as a Cave

Satto guhāyaṁ bahunābhichanno,

Tiṭṭhaṁ naro mohanasmiṁ pagāḷho;

Dūre vivekā hi tathāvidho so,

Kāmā hi loke na hi suppahāyā.

Icchānidānā bhavasātabaddhā,

Te duppamuñcā na hi aññamokkhā;

Pacchā pure vāpi apekkhamānā,

Ime va kāme purime va jappaṁ.

Kāmesu giddhā pasutā pamūḷhā,

Avadāniyā te visame niviṭṭhā;

Dukkhūpanītā paridevayanti,

Kiṁsū bhavissāma ito cutāse.

Tasmā hi sikkhetha idheva jantu,

Yaṁ kiñci jaññā visamanti loke;

Na tassa hetū visamaṁ careyya,

Appañhidaṁ jīvitamāhu dhīrā.

Passāmi loke pariphandamānaṁ,

Pajaṁ imaṁ taṇhagataṁ bhavesu;

Hīnā narā maccumukhe lapanti,

Avītataṇhāse bhavābhavesu.

Mamāyite passatha phandamāne,

Maccheva appodake khīṇasote;

Etampi disvā amamo careyya,

Bhavesu āsattimakubbamāno.

Ubhosu antesu vineyya chandaṁ,

Phassaṁ pariññāya anānugiddho;

Yadattagarahī tadakubbamāno,

Na lippatī diṭṭhasutesu dhīro.

Saññaṁ pariññā vitareyya oghaṁ,

Pariggahesu muni nopalitto;

Abbūḷhasallo caramappamatto,

Nāsīsatī lokamimaṁ parañcāti.

Guhaṭṭhakasuttaṁ dutiyaṁ.

SC 1SC Verse 779The person who’s to their body-cave
Clouded by many moods, and in delusion sunk,
Hard it is for that one, far from detachment,
To abandon sensual pleasures in the world.

SC 2SC Verse 780Bound the worldly pleasures of the past,
And hard to liberate are they in future time,
From others they’re not free, not liberated—
They’re attached to past and the future too.

SC 3SC Verse 781Those who are niggardly, who hank after pleasures,
infatuated they are, all their things—losses all!
But subjected to pain they lament their losses—
For how can all this be taken away, they wail?

SC 4SC Verse 782Therefore should a person train,
Seeing the roughness of the world,
To take not to a wicked way,
For the wise say, life is short!

SC 5SC Verse 783I see here trembling, fearful in the world,
These people gone under the sway of craving for births—
Base people floundering in the jaws of death,
Not free from craving for repeated birth.

SC 6SC Verse 784Look at them trembling with their egotistic selfishness,
Like fish in a stream fast drying-up,
Seeing it so, fare unselfish in this life,
And cease worrying on different states of being.

SC 7SC Verse 785No longer longing towards either extreme
Having understood touch, together with letting go,
One should do what others will praise and not blame,
A wise one is not stained by what is seen and heard.

SC 8SC Verse 786The sage has known perception and crossed the flood,
So with nothing tainted, nothing wrapped around,
They fare on in diligence with the arrow drawn,
Neither longing for this world nor for another.