thag.15.2 Theragatha

Udāyī

Awakened as a human being,
self-tamed and immersed in samādhi,
following the spiritual path,
he loves peace of mind.
Revered by people,
gone beyond all things,
even the gods revere him;
so I’ve heard from the perfected one.
He has transcended all fetters,
and escaped from entanglements.
Delighting to renounce sensual pleasures,
he’s freed like gold from stone.
That giant outshines all,
like the Himalaya beside other mountains.
Of all those named “giant”,
he is truly named, supreme.
I shall extol the giant for you,
for he does nothing monstrous.
Gentleness and harmlessness
are two feet of the giant.
Mindfulness and awareness
are his two other feet.
Faith is the giant’s trunk,
and equanimity his white tusks.
Mindfulness is his neck, his head is wisdom—
investigation and thinking about principles.
His belly is the sacred hearth of the Dhamma,
and his tail is seclusion.
Practicing absorption, enjoying the breath,
he is serene within.
The giant is serene when walking,
the giant is serene when standing,
the giant is serene when lying down,
and when sitting, the giant is serene.
The giant is restrained everywhere:
this is the accomplishment of the giant.
He eats blameless things,
he doesn’t eat blameworthy things.
When he gets food and clothes,
he avoids storing them up.
Having severed all bonds,
fetters large and small,
wherever he goes,
he goes without concern.
A white lotus,
fragrant and delightful,
sprouts in water and grows there,
but the water doesn’t cling to it.
Just so the Buddha is born in the world,
and lives in the world,
but the world doesn’t stick to him,
as water does not stick to the lotus.
A great blazing fire
dies down when the fuel runs out.
And when the coals have gone out
it’s said to be “extinguished”.
This simile is taught by the discerning
to express the meaning clearly.
Great giants will understand
what the giant taught the giant.
Free of greed, free of hate,
free of delusion, undefiled;
the giant, giving up his body,
undefiled, will be fully extinguished.