Fall'n on Hard Times
I HEAR TELL:
Once upon a time Bhagava around Savatthi revisiting, Jeta-woods, Anathapindika's Park.
There to the Beggars gathered round he said:
Beggars!
And "Eldest!", the Beggars responded.
Then Bhagava said:
Out of reach of the mind, beggars,
is the start of one's run-around,
not known is the beginning point
of beings reigned in by blindness,
bridled by thirst,
rolled-up in this our run'n-round.
Should you, beggars,
happen to see one who has fallen on hard times,
someone hard to look at,
you can say:
"Such is such as such as I
in this long inconstant time gone bye."
How come?
Out of reach of the mind, beggars,
is the start of one's run-around,
not known is the beginning point
of beings reigned in by blindness,
bridled by thirst,
rolled-up in this our run'n-round.
Many a long day, beggars,
have you lived tortured by pain,
tortured by terror,
tortured by bad luck,
filling the cemeteries.
Enough is enough, beggars!
Enough to have had enough of every confounded thing,
enough for disinterest in it,
enough for freedom from it.
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