mn.131 Majjhima Nikāya (Middle Discourses)

One Fine Night

Knowing this, foster it—
unfaltering, unshakable.
So I have heard.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.
There the Buddha addressed the mendicants,
“Mendicants!”
“Venerable sir,” they replied.
The Buddha said this:
“I shall teach you the passage for recitation and the analysis of One Fine Night.
Listen and pay close attention, I will speak.”
“Yes, sir,” they replied.
The Buddha said this:
“Don’t run back to the past,
don’t hope for the future.
What’s past is left behind;
the future has not arrived;
and phenomena in the present
are clearly seen in every case.
Knowing this, foster it—
unfaltering, unshakable.
Today’s the day to keenly work—
who knows, tomorrow may bring death!
For there is no bargain to be struck
with Death and his mighty hordes.
The peaceful sage explained it’s those
who keenly meditate like this,
tireless all night and day,
who truly have that one fine night.
And how do you run back to the past?
You muster delight there, thinking: ‘I had such form in the past.’ … ‘I had such feeling … perception … choice … consciousness in the past.’
That’s how you run back to the past.
And how do you not run back to the past?
You don’t muster delight there, thinking: ‘I had such form in the past.’ … ‘I had such feeling … perception … choice … consciousness in the past.’
That’s how you don’t run back to the past.
And how do you hope for the future?
You muster delight there, thinking: ‘May I have such form in the future.’ … ‘May I have such feeling … perception … choice … consciousness in the future.’
That’s how you hope for the future.
And how do you not hope for the future?
You don’t muster delight there, thinking: ‘May I have such form in the future.’ … ‘May I have such feeling … perception … choice … consciousness in the future.’
That’s how you don’t hope for the future.
And how do you falter amid presently arisen phenomena?
It’s when an unlearned ordinary person has not seen the noble ones, and is neither skilled nor trained in the teaching of the noble ones. They’ve not seen good persons, and are neither skilled nor trained in the teaching of the good persons.
They regard form as self, self as having form, form in self, or self in form.
They regard feeling …
perception …
choices …
consciousness as self, self as having consciousness, consciousness in self, or self in consciousness.
That’s how you falter amid presently arisen phenomena.
And how do you not falter amid presently arisen phenomena?
It’s when a learned noble disciple has seen the noble ones, and is skilled and trained in the teaching of the noble ones. They’ve seen good persons, and are skilled and trained in the teaching of the good persons.
They don’t regard form as self, self as having form, form in self, or self in form.
They don’t regard feeling …
perception …
choices …
consciousness as self, self as having consciousness, consciousness in self, or self in consciousness.
That’s how you don’t falter amid presently arisen phenomena.
Don’t run back to the past,
don’t hope for the future.
What’s past is left behind;
the future has not arrived;
and phenomena in the present
are clearly seen in every case.
Today’s the day to keenly work—
who knows, tomorrow may bring death!
For there is no bargain to be struck
with Death and his mighty hordes.
The peaceful sage explained it’s those
who keenly meditate like this,
tireless all night and day,
who truly have that one fine night.
And that’s what I meant when I said: ‘I shall teach you the passage for recitation and the analysis of One Fine Night.’”

That is what the Buddha said.
Satisfied, the mendicants were happy with what the Buddha said.