Thus have I heard,

Once, the Awakened One lived in Sāvatthi

in Jeta’s Grove, anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

On that occasion, the Buddha was instructing,

encouraging, inspiring and gladdening the monks

with a discourse on nibbāna.

The monks gave their full attention to what was being spoken

And centred their whole minds and ears to listening to Dhamma.

Realizing the significance of the moment

the Awakened One exclaimed these heartfelt verses:

“There is, monks, a state, [1]

where there is no earth,

no water, no fire, no air,

no plane of endless space,

no plane of endless consciousness,

no plane of bare awareness,, 

no plane between perception and non-perception,

no world, nor any world beyond,

no sun and no moon.

There, monks, I say

there is no arriving,

no departing,

no abiding, no passing away,

no coming upon

no falling away, 

it is unmoving,

without an object or support. [2]

Just this is the end of trouble. 

[1] “Atthi, bhikkhave, tadāyatanaṁ: I choose to translate āyatana as state here for nibbāna and as plane for the rest since in my opinion, this is more transferable to one’s direct practice.

[2] Tatrāpāhaṁ, bhikkhave, neva āgatiṁvadāmi, na gatiṁ, na ṭhitiṁ, na cutiṁ, na upapattiṁ; appatiṭṭhaṁ, appavattaṁ, anārammaṇamevetaṁ.