Sutta Nipāta 4-10: Purābhedasutta

1. ‘With what view and with what virtue is one called calm, tell me that, O Gotama, (when) asked about the best man?’ (848)

2. ‘He whose desire is departed before the dissolution (of his body),’—so said Bhagavat,—‘who does not depend upon beginning and end, nor reckons upon the middle, by him there is nothing preferred. (849)

3. ‘He who is free from anger, free from trembling, free from boasting, free from misbehaviour, he who speaks wisely, he who is not elated, he is indeed a Muni who has restrained his speech. (850)

4. ‘Without desire for the future he does not grieve for the past, he sees seclusion in the phassas (touch), and he is not led by (any philosophical) views. (851)

5. ‘He is unattached, not deceitful, not covetous, not envious, not impudent, not contemptuous, and not given to slander. (852)

6. ‘Without desire for pleasant things and not given to conceit, and being gentle, intelligent, not credulous, he is not displeased (with anything). (853)

7. ‘Not from love of gain does he learn, and he does not get angry on account of loss, and untroubled by desire he has no greed for sweet things. (854)

8. ‘Equable (upekhaka), always thoughtful, he does not think himself equal (to others) in the world, nor distinguished, nor low: for him there are no desires (ussada). (855)

9. ‘The man for whom there is nothing upon which he depends, who is independent, having understood the Dhamma, for whom there is no desire for coming into existence or leaving existence, (856)

10. ‘Him I call calm, not looking for sensual pleasures; for him there are no ties, he has overcome desire. (857)

11. ‘For him there are no sons, cattle, fields, wealth, nothing grasped or rejected is to be found in him, (858)

12. ‘That fault of which common people and Samaṇas and Brāhmaṇas say that he is possessed, is not possessed by him, therefore he is not moved by their talk. (859)

13. ‘Free from covetousness, without avarice, the Muni does not reckon himself amongst the distinguished, nor amongst the plain, nor amongst the low, he does not enter time, being delivered from time. (860)

14. ‘He for whom there is nothing in the world (which he may call) his own, who does not grieve over what is no more, and does not walk amongst the Dhammas (after his wish), he is called calm. ’ (861)

Purābhedasutta is ended.