Good-Hearted

At one time Venerable Vaṅgīsa was staying near Āḷavī, at Āḷavī’s premier shrine, together with his mentor, Venerable Nigrodhakappa.

Now at that time Venerable Vaṅgīsa looked down upon other good-hearted mendicants because of his own eloquence.

Then he thought,

“It’s my loss, my misfortune,

that I look down on other good-hearted mendicants because of my own eloquence.”

Then, on the occasion of arousing remorse in himself, he recited these verses:

“Give up conceit, Gotama! ^[1]

Completely abandon the different kinds of conceit!

Besotted with the different kinds of conceit,

you’ve had regrets for a long time.

Smeared by smears and slain by conceit,

people fall into hell.

When people slain by conceit are reborn in hell,

they grieve for a long time.

But a mendicant who practices rightly,

a path-victor, never grieves. ^[2]

They enjoy happiness and a good reputation,

and they rightly call him a ‘Seer of Truth’.

So being not hard-hearted, but energetic,

with hindrances given up, pure;

and having completely given up conceit,

the one who makes an end with knowledge is assuaged.” ^[3]