“What’s the lamp for the world? What in the world is wakeful? Who are one’s work colleagues? What is one’s walk of life?
What nurtures the idle and the tireless, like a mother her child? By what do the creatures who live off the earth sustain their life?”
“Wisdom is the lamp for the world. Mindfulness in the world is wakeful. Cattle are one’s work colleagues, and the furrow is one’s walk of life.
Rain nurtures the idle and the tireless, like a mother her child. The creatures who live off the earth sustain their life by rain.”
Lamp
SN 1.80 · Pajjotasutta
Connections
Collection & context
- Saṃyutta NikāyaThe 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
- The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṃyutta NikāyaBhikkhu Bodhi; Bhikkhu Bodhi (translator) · Complete collection edition
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.