Sātāgira
Today’s the lunar fifteenth day—
uposatha—a night divine arrived;
Let’s go to the Teacher Gotama,
him of high repute.

Hemavata
Is the mind of such a one
towards all beings well-disposed?
Within his power are his thoughts
towards the wished, the unwished too?

Sātāgira
Yes, the mind of such a one
towards all beings well-disposed.
Within his power are his thoughts
towards the wished and unwished too.

Hemavata
Is he the one who does not steal?
To beings he’s restrained?
Is he far from indolence?
Does jhāna he neglect?

Sātāgira
He is one who does not steal,
to beings he’s restained.
Buddha’s far from indolence;
jhāna he never neglects.

Hemavata
Is he not one who falsely speaks?
Does he use harsh or violent words
or employ slanderous ones?
Or a user of meaningless speech?

Sātāgira
He’s not one who falsely speaks,
nor uses harsh or violent words;
nor utters words of slander,
but wisdom speaks which benefits.

Hemavata
Does he not desire, indulge,
In mind he’s unattached?
Has delusion overcome?
’Mong Dharmas has he Eyes?

Sātāgira
He does not desire, indulge,
for his mind is unattached.
Delusions all he’s overcome—
’Mong Dharmas, Buddha’s Eyed.

Hemavata
Has true knowledge he attained?
Is his conduct perfect, pure?
Are his inflows now extinct?
Is he not again to be?

Sātāgira
Indeed true knowledge he’s attained
and his conduct’s perfect, pure,
for him all inflows are extinct,
so he’ll not again become.

Accomplished is the Sage’s mind,
his actions and his ways of speech,
of true Knowledge and conduct he’s possessed—
rightly he is praised.

Accomplished is the Sage’s mind,
his actions and his ways of speech,
of true Knowledge and conduct he’s possessed—
rightly you rejoice.

Accomplished is the Sage’s mind,
his actions and his ways of speech,
of true Knowledge and conduct he’s possessed—
it’s good that we see Gotama.

Who limbed like antelope and lean,
wise, with no greed and having little food,
Sage in the woods who meditates alone—
let us go see Gotama.

The Great One like a lion who lives alone,
among all pleasures he’s expectation-free,
let us draw near that we may ask of him
how to escape from the snarefulness of death.

O proclaimer of the Dharma, expounding it too,
one who’s beyond all dharmas’ Further Shore,
all fear and hatred you’ve utterly overcome
both of us then of Gotama inquire—

Hemavata
What co-arises with the world?
With what’s it make acquaintance?
The world grasps after what indeed?
Why’s the world afflicted?

Buddha
Six with the world do co-arise,
with six becomes acquainted,
the world’s attached to six indeed,
so, world’s by six afflicted.

Hemavata
The grasping—what is it then
by which the world’s afflicted?
When asked about this, please do speak:
how to be free from dukkha?

Buddha
The sensual pleasures five are taught
in the world with mind as six,
having let go of all desire for those,
be thus from dukkha free.

This for the world’s the leading out,
its “as-it-is” declared to you,
and this to you I do declare:
be thus from dukkha free.

Hemavata
Here, who goes across the flood,
who goes across the sea,
No standpoint or support,
who in the deep sinks not?

Buddha
That person ever virtuous,
with wisdom, concentrated well,
with mind turned inward, mindful—
crosses the flood that’s hard to cross.

Detached from thoughts of sense-desire,
all fetters overpassed,
delight-in-being quite destroyed—
who in the deep sinks not.

Hemavata
Behold the Great Seer of wisdom deep,
of subtle meanings Seer, one owning nought,
unattached to sensual being, free in every way,
proceeding along the pathway of the gods.

Behold the Great Seer of perfect repute,
of subtle meanings Seer, of wisdom the imparter,
unattached to the senses’ basis and greatly wise,
all-knower, treading the path of the Noble Ones.

Well-viewed by us today indeed,
well-dawned upon us, well-arisen:
the Awaken One we’ve seen,
crossed the flood, from inflows free.

These ten hundred Yakkhas here
of great power and renown,
all of them for refuge go—
You are our Teacher unexcelled!

Both
Village to village we shall roam,
mount to mount revering him,
the Fully Awakened One, as well
the Dharmaness of Perfect Dharma.