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Thag 18 — Maha Kassapa Thera: At Home in the Mountains

translated from the Pāli by Andrew Olendzki

Strung with garlands of flowering vines, This patch of earth delights the mind; The lovely calls of elephants sound — These rocky crags do please me so! The shimmering hue of darkening clouds, Cool waters in pure streams flowing; Enveloped by Indra's ladybugs — These rocky crags do please me so! Like the lofty peaks of looming clouds, Like the most refined of palaces; The lovely calls of tuskers sound — These rocky crags do please me so! The lovely ground is rained upon, The hills are full of holy seers; Resounding with the cry of peacocks — These rocky crags do please me so! Being clothed in flaxen flowers, As the sky is covered in clouds; Strewn with flocks of various birds — These rocky crags do please me so! Not occupied by village folk, But visited by herds of deer; Strewn with flocks of various birds — These rocky crags do please me so! With clear waters and broad boulders, Holding troops of monkey and deer; Covered with moist carpets of moss — These rocky crags do please me so! [But] there is not so much contentment For me in the five-fold music, As in truly seeing Dhamma With a well-concentrated mind.
Copyright © 2005 Andrew Olendzki. The text of this page (“Maha Kassapa Thera: At Home in the Mountains”, by Andrew Olendzki) is licensed under a Buddhist Publication Society free-distribution licence. From Access to Insight (BCBS Edition), 30 November 2013. You may copy, reformat, reprint, republish, and redistribute this work in any medium whatsoever, provided that: (1) you only make such copies, etc. available free of charge; (2) you clearly indicate that any derivatives of this work (including translations) are derived from this source document; and (3) you include the full text of this license in any copies or derivatives of this work. Otherwise, all rights reserved. This presentation is a derivative of that source document: it has been restyled and its links rewritten. The translation itself is unaltered.