Heartfelt Sayings 3.10

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1. Heartfelt Sayings 3.10
2. The World
3. So I have heard.
4. At one time, when he was first awakened, the Buddha was staying in Uruvelā at the root of the tree of awakening on the bank of the Nerañjarā River.
5. There the Buddha sat cross-legged for seven days without moving, experiencing the bliss of freedom.
6. When seven days had passed, the Buddha emerged from that state of immersion and surveyed the world with the eye of a Buddha.
7. He saw sentient beings tormented with many torments, and burning with many fevers
8. born of greed, hate, and delusion.
9. Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment:
10. “This world, born in torment,
11. overcome by contact, speaks of disease as the self.
12. For whatever it thinks it is,
13. it turns out to be something else.
14. The world is attached to continued existence,
    overcome by continued existence,
15. taking pleasure only in continued existence,
    yet it becomes something else.
16. What it enjoys, that is the fear;
17. what it fears, that is the suffering.
18. But this spiritual life is led
19. in order to give up continued existence.
20. Of the ascetics and brahmins who say that through continued existence one is freed from continued existence, none are themselves freed from continued existence, I say.
21. Of the ascetics and brahmins who say that through annihilation of existence one escapes from continued existence, none have themselves escaped from continued existence, I say.
22. For this suffering originates dependent on all attachment. With the ending of all grasping there is no origination of suffering.
23. Just look at this world!
24. Mired in all sorts of ignorance, beings in love with being are not released from continued existence.
25. Whatever states of continued existence there are—everywhere, all over—all are impermanent, suffering, and perishable.
26. One who sees truly like this,
27. with right wisdom,
28. gives up craving for continued existence,
29. while not looking forward to ending existence.
30. Extinguishment comes
    from the ending of all cravings;
31. fading away and cessation with nothing left over.
32. There is no further existence
33. for that mendicant extinguished without grasping.
34. Victorious in battle, such a one has defeated Māra;
35. they’ve gone beyond all states of existence.”