Introduction

This poem is from the Theragatha. The Theragatha preserves 264 poems of elder monks and is the eighth section in the Khuddaka Nikāya. The Khuddaka Nikāya is a collection of short texts in (mostly) verse. The Khuddaka Nikāya is the last Nikaya (collection) of the Sutta Piṭaka, the second book of the Pāli Canon.

Throughout the Pali Canon, the metaphor of the malevolent deva Mara is used to portray a mind confused and deluded arising from clinging to views ignorant of Four Noble Truths.

Here, the monk Subhuti describes in concise and profoundly sublime detail the quality of an awakened mind.

Subhuti – A Comfortable Abode

Theragahta 1:1

My hut is roofed, comfortable,
free of drafts.
My mind well-concentrated,
released. (From clinging to wrong views)

I remain mindful, ardent, and aware.
Mara has no lodging here,
so let it rain.

End Of Poem

Through whole-hearted engagement with the Eightfold Path, Subhuti has developed a calm and peaceful mind and a true refuge from the entanglements of worldly events – let it rain!

1. Mara and Metaphor
2. Satipatthana Sutta – Four Foundations of Mindfulness
3. Anapanasati Sutta
4. Samadhi and Jhanas
5. Eightfold Path – The Magga-Vibhanga Sutta