Middle Discourses: The Middle Fifty
ฉบับแปลอังกฤษ · Volume 13 · Page 511
เข้าสู่ระบบเพื่อคั่นหน้า

Furthermore, I have walked and wandered from monastery to monastery and from park to park. There I’ve seen some ascetics and brahmins who are thin, haggard, pale, and veiny—hardly a captivating sight for people, you’d think. It occurred to me: ‘Clearly these venerables lead the spiritual life dissatisfied, or they’re hiding some bad deed they’ve done. That’s why they’re thin, haggard, pale, and veiny—hardly a captivating sight for people, you’d think.’ I went up to them and said: ‘Venerables, why are you so thin, haggard, pale, and veiny—hardly a captivating sight for people, you’d think?’ They say: ‘We have jaundice, Great King.’ But here I see mendicants always smiling and joyful, obviously happy, with cheerful faces, living relaxed, unruffled, surviving on charity, their hearts free as a wild deer. It occurred to me: ‘Clearly these venerables have realized a higher distinction in the Buddha’s instructions than they had before. That’s why these venerables are always smiling and joyful, obviously happy, with cheerful faces, living relaxed, unruffled, surviving on charity, their hearts free as a wild deer.’ So I infer this about the Buddha from the teaching: ‘The Blessed One is a fully awakened Buddha. The teaching is well explained. The Saṅgha is practicing well.’