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← Saṃyutta Nikāya

Recitation

SN 9.10 · Sajjhāyasutta

Low morning mist above a wide quiet river.

At one time one of the mendicants was staying in the land of the Kosalans in a certain forest grove.

Now at that time that mendicant had previously been spending too much time rehearsing. But some time later they adhered to passivity and silence. Not hearing the teaching, the deity haunting that forest approached that mendicant, and addressed them in verse:

“Mendicant, why don’t you recite passages of the teaching, living together with other mendicants? Hearing the teaching, one garners confidence; and in this very life, one garners praise.”

“I used to be zealous for passages of the teaching, until I encountered dispassion. When I encountered dispassion, whatever was seen, heard, and thought, this, good people say, is the laying down by complete understanding.”

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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.