Living in Suffering

Iti 28 · Dukkhavihārasutta

Moonlight reflected in a still woodland pool beside fallen leaves and reeds.

This was said by the Buddha, the Perfected One: that is what I heard.

“Mendicants, when a mendicant has two qualities they live unhappily in this very life—with distress, anguish, and fever—and when the body breaks up, after death, they can expect a bad rebirth. What two? Not guarding the sense doors and eating too much. When a mendicant possesses these two qualities they live unhappily in this very life—with distress, anguish, and fever—and when the body breaks up, after death, they can expect a bad rebirth.”

The Buddha spoke this matter. On this it is said:

“Eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and likewise mind: a mendicant who leaves these sense doors unguarded—
immoderate in eating, sense faculties unrestrained—reaps suffering both physical and mental.
Burning in body, burning in mind, by day or by night such a person lives in suffering.”

This too is a matter that was spoken by the Blessed One: that is what I heard.

Connections

Collection & context

ItivuttakaThe collection containing this text
The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting

Books

Handful of Leaves: an Anthology from the Sutta PiṭakaEarly Buddhist discourses; Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (translator and compiler) · Included in anthology

About this edition

Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.