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Thig 5.12 — Canda: The Beggar

translated from the Pāli by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Before, I had fallen on evil times: no husband, no children, no relatives, friends, no way to obtain clothing & food. So, taking a staff & bowl in hand, begging for alms from house to house, feverish from the cold & heat, I wandered for seven full years. Then seeing a nun obtaining food & drink, I approached her & said: "Let me go forth into homelessness." She, Patacara, from sympathy, let me go forth; then, exhorting me, urged me on to the highest goal. Hearing her words, I did her bidding. Her exhortation was not in vain. I'm a three-knowledge woman, fermentation-free.
Copyright © 1994 Thanissaro Bhikkhu. The text of this page (“Canda: The Beggar”, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. From Access to Insight (BCBS Edition), 30 November 2013.