“When, the wise, knows aging and death to be a problem,

to which, those living on the earth are bound to, carelessly,

and meditates, with open awareness, having left behind all problems, ¹

 

       There is no higher joy than this. ²

 

When attachments are experienced as troublesome,

and mental propagation is directly seen as a disturbance,

One meditates, with open awareness, having discarded thirst,

 

       There is no higher joy than this.

 

When, using this auspicious eight-spoked path,

The foremost method to cleanse all impurities, ³

One meditates, with open awareness, seeing with wisdom,

 

       There is no higher joy than this.

 

When, by way of the Sorrowless, Stainless, Unforced,

Peaceful State, where all impurities are wiped clean,

One trains to break all shackles and fetters, ⁴

 

       There is no higher joy than this.

 

When the sky roars and the clouds thunder,

And the rain comes streaming down

on the birds’ kingdom and all around,

A monk meditates, safe in the steep cliffs, ⁵

 

       There is no higher joy than this.

 

When sitting on a river bank,

which is garlanded with flowers,

ornamented and wrapped around

        with fragrant grass ⁶

one meditates with an uplifted mind, ⁷

 

       There is no higher joy than this.

 

When, at midnight, in the vast forest,

with no one around,

rain slowly trickles down as the lion roars,

A monk meditates, safe in the steep cliffs,

 

       There is no higher joy than this.

 

When thinking is brought to an end within one,

and, drawn to the mountains, to the caves,

One meditates, rid of distress and discontent, ⁸

 

       There is no higher joy than this.

 

For a happy vanquisher of the stains,

          Of dissatisfaction and sorrow,

Unimpeded, without desires and beyond hurt,

One meditates, all distractions cast aside, ⁹

 

       There is no higher joy than this.”

 

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1 Dukkhaṁ pariññāya satova jhāyat: Here I translate pariññāya as the notion of leaving behing or letting go rather than the more usual ‘fully understanding’ because for one who ‘fully understands’, the only choice is to let go. There for this meaning is implicit but few readers understand. After the first two noble truths come the third and the fourth ones.

2 Tato ratiṁ paramataraṁ na vindati.

3 Yadā sivaṁ dvecaturaṅgagāminaṁ, Magguttamaṁ sabbakilesasodhanaṁ;

4 Yadā asokaṁ virajaṁ asaṅkhataṁ, Santaṁ padaṁ sabbakilesasodhanaṁ; Bhāveti saṁyojanabandhanacchidaṁ,

5 Bhikkhū ca pabbhāragatova jhāyati,

6 The fragrant grass cyperus rotundus (Vāneyyaṃ)

7 Tīre nisinno sumanova jhāyati,

8 Yadā vitakke uparundhiyattano, Nagantare nagavivaraṁ samassito; Vītaddaro vītakhilova jhāyati,

9 Yadā sukhī malakhilasokanāsano, Niraggaḷo nibbanatho visallo; Sabbāsave byantikatova jhāyati,