5:12 Bhadrāvudha’s Question

I entreat the one who has

abandoned home—cutting through craving, unperturbed;

abandoned delight—crossed over the flood, released;

abandoned theory—very intelligent:

Having heard the Nāga, they will leave—

the many gathered

from many lands, hero,

in hopes of your words.

So tell them, please,

how this Dhamma has

been known to you.

The Buddha:

Subdue craving & grasping—all—

above, below,

across, in between.1

For whatever people cling to in the world,

it’s through that

that Māra pursues them.

So a monk, mindful,

seeing these people

entangled in grasping

as entangled in Death’s realm,

should cling to nothing

in all the world,

every world.

vv. 1101–1104

Note

1. For Nd II’s discussion of the various meanings of the objects of craving “above, below, across, in between,” see Sn 5:4, note 3. For further discussions of the many places where craving can arise, see DN 22 and SN 35:95, note 1.

See also: MN 26; MN 49; SN 4:19; SN 4:21; SN 35:115; SN 35:189; SN 35:199