Aranna Sutta

Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Standing to one side, a devata addressed the Blessed One with a verse:

Living in the wilderness,

staying peaceful, remaining chaste,

eating just one meal a day:

why are their faces

so bright & serene?

[The Buddha:]

They don't sorrow over the past,

don't long for the future.

They survive on the present.

That's why their faces

are bright & serene.

From longing for the future,

from sorrowing over the past,

fools wither away

like a green reed cut down.