The Theragatha, the eighth book of the Khuddaka Nikaya, consists of 264 poems — 1,291 stanzas in all — in which the early monks (bhikkhus) recount their struggles and accomplishments along the road to arahantship. Their stories are told with often heart-breaking honesty and beauty, revealing the deeply human side of these extraordinary men, and thus serve as inspiring reminders of our own potential to follow in their footsteps.
A selected anthology of 88 suttas from the Theragatha (and 32 from the Therigatha), Poems of the Elders: An Anthology from the Theragāthā & Therīgāthā, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, is distributed free of charge by Metta Forest Monastery. It is also available to read online and in various ebook formats at dhammatalks.org
For a complete translation, see Elders' Verses I translated by K.R. Norman (Oxford: Pali Text Society, 1995).
The translator appears in the square brackets []. Pali verse numbers appear in the braces {}.
Go ahead and rain!
Evil mind-states vanish with the breeze.
Discernment, like a fire in the night.
The rewards of allowing yourself to be tamed. [TB]
Steadfast in oneself.
Unsmeared with regard to all dhammas. [TB]
Refreshment in the wilderness.
There's no tying down one who knows.
A happiness not of the flesh.
Contemplation of the body.
Fearless.
Peacocks.
Seclusion.
Be careful, Mara!
Splitting a horse's hair with an arrow.
Shatter ignorance to bits!
Acquiescing to discomfort like an elephant in battle. [TB]
A fair trade.
Be good to all creatures. [TB]
Practice mindfully, as if your head were on fire.
Lightning can't shake one in jhana.
Free at last from three crooked things!
The delight of a well-focused mind.
Where neither rain nor wind can reach.
Are you wasting your hut?
Why hope for a new hut (i.e., rebirth)?
How far can you see?
Free of sorrows.
Three sights prompted this monk to leave home.
Who can make a fool wise?
When will the fool awaken?
A pleasure not of the flesh.
All paths do not lead to the same goal.
Raising myself from the flood. [TB]
Sensual pleasures are stressful.
Shun the evil companion!
Blanketed with the flowers of release. [TB]
How light my body!
With your faculties exposed, you’re prey to danger. [TB]
The perception of “wilderness.” [TB]
Ponder inconstancy, constantly.
Refreshment in the wilderness.
If you’re greedy for carcass pleasures, where will you gain excellence? [TB]
Aging drops on us like a curse.
Leave chitter-chatter. Do jhāna. [TB]
Cutting through the roots of suffering.
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