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Sutta Nipata V.16
Pingiya-manava-puccha
Pingiya's Question
For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma
Context of this sutta
Pingiya:
I'm old & weak,
my complexion dull.
I've blurry eyes
and trouble hearing,
but may I not perish deluded,
confused!
Teach me the Dhamma
so that I may know
the abandoning here
of birth & aging.
The Buddha:
Seeing people suffering
on account of their bodies --
heedless people are oppressed
on account of their bodies --
then heedful, Pingiya,
let go of the body
for the sake of no further becoming.
Pingiya:
In the four cardinal directions,
the four intermediate,
above & below
-- the ten directions --
there is nothing in the world
unseen, unheard,
unsensed, uncognized by you.
Teach me the Dhamma
so that I may know
the abandoning here
of birth & aging.
The Buddha:
Seeing people,
victims of craving --
aflame, overwhelmed with aging --
then heedful, Pingiya,
let go of craving
for the sake of no further becoming.
Revised: Sat 17 October 1998