“Sukhumālo ahaṃ, bhikkhave, paramasukhumālo accantasukhumālo. Mama sudaṃ, bhikkhave, pitu nivesane pokkharaṇiyo kāritā honti. Ekattha sudaṃ, bhikkhave, uppalaṃ vappati, ekattha padumaṃ, ekattha puṇḍarīkaṃ, yāvadeva mamatthāya. Na kho panassāhaṃ, bhikkhave, akāsikaṃ candanaṃ dhāremi. Kāsikaṃ, bhikkhave, su me taṃ veṭhanaṃ hoti, kāsikā kañcukā, kāsikaṃ nivāsanaṃ, kāsiko uttarāsaṅgo. Rattindivaṃ kho pana me su taṃ, bhikkhave, setacchattaṃ dhārīyati— ‘mā naṃ phusi sītaṃ vā uṇhaṃ vā tiṇaṃ vā rajo vā ussāvo vā’ti.

Tassa mayhaṃ, bhikkhave, tayo pāsādā ahesuṃ— eko hemantiko, eko gimhiko, eko vassiko. So kho ahaṃ, bhikkhave, vassike pāsāde vassike cattāro māse nippurisehi tūriyehi paricārayamāno na heṭṭhāpāsādaṃ orohāmi. Yathā kho pana, bhikkhave, aññesaṃ nivesane dāsakammakaraporisassa kaṇājakaṃ bhojanaṃ dīyati bilaṅgadutiyaṃ, evamevassu me, bhikkhave, pitu nivesane dāsakammakaraporisassa sālimaṃsodano dīyati.

Tassa mayhaṃ, bhikkhave, evarūpāya iddhiyā samannāgatassa evarūpena ca sukhumālena etadahosi— ‘assutavā kho puthujjano attanā jarādhammo samāno jaraṃ anatīto paraṃ jiṇṇaṃ disvā aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati attānaṃyeva atisitvā, ahampi khomhi jarādhammo jaraṃ anatīto. Ahañceva kho pana jarādhammo samāno jaraṃ anatīto paraṃ jiṇṇaṃ disvā aṭṭīyeyyaṃ harāyeyyaṃ jiguccheyyaṃ na metaṃ assa patirūpan’ti. Tassa mayhaṃ, bhikkhave, iti paṭisañcikkhato yo yobbane yobbanamado so sabbaso pahīyi.

Assutavā kho puthujjano attanā byādhidhammo samāno byādhiṃ anatīto paraṃ byādhitaṃ disvā aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati attānaṃyeva atisitvā— ‘ahampi khomhi byādhidhammo byādhiṃ anatīto, ahañceva kho pana byādhidhammo samāno byādhiṃ anatīto paraṃ byādhikaṃ disvā aṭṭīyeyyaṃ harāyeyyaṃ jiguccheyyaṃ, na metaṃ assa patirūpan’ti. Tassa mayhaṃ, bhikkhave, iti paṭisañcikkhato yo ārogye ārogyamado so sabbaso pahīyi.

Assutavā kho puthujjano attanā maraṇadhammo samāno maraṇaṃ anatīto paraṃ mataṃ disvā aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati attānaṃyeva atisitvā— ‘ahampi khomhi maraṇadhammo, maraṇaṃ anatīto, ahaṃ ceva kho pana maraṇadhammo samāno maraṇaṃ anatīto paraṃ mataṃ disvā aṭṭīyeyyaṃ harāyeyyaṃ jiguccheyyaṃ, na metaṃ assa patirūpan’ti. Tassa mayhaṃ, bhikkhave, iti paṭisañcikkhato yo jīvite jīvitamado so sabbaso pahīyīti.

Tayome, bhikkhave, madā. Katame tayo? Yobbanamado, ārogyamado, jīvitamado. Yobbanamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano kāyena duccaritaṃ carati, vācāya duccaritaṃ carati, manasā duccaritaṃ carati. So kāyena duccaritaṃ caritvā, vācāya duccaritaṃ caritvā, manasā duccaritaṃ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṃ maraṇā apāyaṃ duggatiṃ vinipātaṃ nirayaṃ upapajjati. Ārogyamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano…pe… jīvitamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano kāyena duccaritaṃ carati, vācāya duccaritaṃ carati, manasā duccaritaṃ carati. So kāyena duccaritaṃ caritvā, vācāya duccaritaṃ caritvā, manasā duccaritaṃ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṃ maraṇā apāyaṃ duggatiṃ vinipātaṃ nirayaṃ upapajjati.

Yobbanamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sikkhaṃ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati. Ārogyamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, bhikkhu…pe… jīvitamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sikkhaṃ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattatīti.

Byādhidhammā jarādhammā,
Atho maraṇadhammino;
Yathādhammā tathāsantā,
Jigucchanti puthujjanā.

Ahañce taṃ jiguccheyyaṃ,
Evaṃdhammesu pāṇisu;
Na metaṃ patirūpassa,
Mama evaṃ vihārino.

Sohaṃ evaṃ viharanto,
Ñatvā dhammaṃ nirūpadhiṃ;
Ārogye yobbanasmiñca,
Jīvitasmiñca ye madā.

Sabbe made abhibhosmi,
Nekkhamme daṭṭhu khemataṃ;
Tassa me ahu ussāho,
Nibbānaṃ abhipassato.

Nāhaṃ bhabbo etarahi,
Kāmāni paṭisevituṃ;
Anivatti bhavissāmi,
Brahmacariyaparāyaṇo”ti.

"Monks, I lived in refinement, utmost refinement, total refinement. My father even had lotus ponds made in our palace: one where red-lotuses bloomed, one where white lotuses bloomed, one where blue lotuses bloomed, all for my sake. I used no sandalwood that was not from Varanasi. My turban was from Varanasi, as were my tunic, my lower garments, & my outer cloak. A white sunshade was held over me day & night to protect me from cold, heat, dust, dirt, & dew.

"I had three palaces: one for the cold season, one for the hot season, one for the rainy season. During the four months of the rainy season I was entertained in the rainy-season palace by minstrels without a single man among them, and I did not once come down from the palace. Whereas the servants, workers, & retainers in other people's homes are fed meals of lentil soup & broken rice, in my father's home the servants, workers, & retainers were fed wheat, rice, and meat.

"Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: 'When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to aging, not beyond aging, sees another who is aged, he is horrified, humiliated, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he too is subject to aging, not beyond aging. If I — who am subject to aging, not beyond aging — were to be horrified, humiliated, & disgusted on seeing another person who is aged, that would not be fitting for me.' As I noticed this, the [typical] young person's intoxication with youth entirely dropped away.

"Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: 'When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to illness, not beyond illness, sees another who is ill, he is horrified, humiliated, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he too is subject to illness, not beyond illness. And if I — who am subject to illness, not beyond illness — were to be horrified, humiliated, & disgusted on seeing another person who is ill, that would not be fitting for me.' As I noticed this, the healthy person's intoxication with health entirely dropped away.

"Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: 'When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to death, not beyond death, sees another who is dead, he is horrified, humiliated, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he too is subject to death, not beyond death. And if I — who am subject to death, not beyond death — were to be horrified, humiliated, & disgusted on seeing another person who is dead, that would not be fitting for me.' As I noticed this, the living person's intoxication with life entirely dropped away.

"Monks, there are these three forms of intoxication. Which three? Intoxication with youth, intoxication with health, intoxication with life. Drunk with the intoxication of youth, an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person engages in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct. Having engaged in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct, he — on the break-up of the body, after death — reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. Drunk with the intoxication of health, an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person... Drunk with the intoxication of life, an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person engages in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct. Having engaged in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct, he — on the break-up of the body, after death — reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell.

"Drunk with the intoxication of youth, a monk leaves the training and returns to the lower life. Drunk with the intoxication of health, a monk... Drunk with the intoxication of life, a monk leaves the training and returns to the lower life."

'Subject to illness, subject to aging,
subject to death,
run-of-the-mill people
are repelled by those who suffer
from that to which they are subject.
And if I were to be repelled
by beings subject to these things,
it would not be fitting for me,
living as they do.'

As I maintained this attitude —
knowing the Dhamma
without acquisitions —
I overcame all intoxication
with health, youth, & life
as one who sees
renunciation as rest.

For me, energy arose,
Unbinding was clearly seen.
There's now no way
I could partake of sensual pleasures.
Having followed the holy life,
I will not return.