This two-legged body is dirty and stinking, full of different carcasses, and oozing all over the place—but still it is cherished!
Like a lurking deer by a trick, like a fish by a hook, like a langur by tar—they trap an ordinary person.
Sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touches so delightful: these five kinds of sensual stimulation are seen in a woman’s body.
Those ordinary people, their minds full of lust, who pursue those women: they swell the horrors of the charnel ground, piling up future lives.
One who, being mindful, avoids them like a snake’s head with their foot, gets over clinging to the world.
Seeing the danger in sensual pleasures, seeing renunciation as sanctuary, I’ve escaped all sensual pleasures, and attained the ending of defilements.
Sabbakāmi
Thag 6.14 · Sabbakāmittheragāthā
Connections
Collection & context
- TheragāthāThe 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
About this edition
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato and Jessica Walton · 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.