The Buddha answers Tissa Metteyya's questions about who is content in the world, who is not perturbed, and who has gone beyond the net of existence.
“Who here is content (satisfied, pleased [santusita]) in the world?”
(said the venerable Tissa Metteyya)
“For whom is there no perturbation [1]?
Being wise and having directly known [2] both ends,
who does not get entangled (smeared [lippati]) in the middle?
Whom do you call a great man?
Who here has gone beyond stitching [existence] [3]?”
“Living the spiritual life [4] among sensual pleasures,
(Metteyya,” said the Buddha)
“free from craving [5], ever mindful [6];
A bhikkhu who is quenched [7], having understood (comprehended [saṅkhāya]),
for him there is no perturbation.
Being wise and having directly known both ends,
he does not get entangled in the middle;
I call him a great man—
he has gone beyond stitching [existence].”
[1] perturbation [iñjita] ≈ agitation, disturbance, movement, turmoil
[2] directly known [abhiññāya] ≈ experientially understood
[3] stitching existence [sibbinī] ≈ A metaphor for craving, for craving sews into production this or that state of existence; lit. seamstress, needlewoman.
[4] spiritual life [brahmacariya] ≈ a life of celibacy, contemplation, and ethical discipline lived for the sake of liberation; oriented toward inner development rather than sensual pleasures
[5] free from craving [vītataṇhā] ≈ without wanting, yearning, longing, attachment
[6] mindful [sata] ≈ remembering to be present with continuous effort, observing the body in and of itself, feelings in and of itself, mind in and of itself, mental qualities in and of itself
[7] quenched [nibbuta] ≈ liberated from mental defilements
Picture: Wool string loom at a pioneer village showing 1800's era techniques for making fabric and rugs.
