Deep Commentary

These two verses (153 & 154) were the very first words spoken by the Buddha immediately after attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, and He later shared them with Venerable Ananda. They vividly express His long, arduous journey through countless past lives wandering in Samsara. Unlike ordinary beings who drift aimlessly driven by karma, the Buddha actively sought the root cause of suffering—the "house-builder" responsible for the relentless cycle of birth, aging, and death. Upon His awakening, He identified this builder as "Craving" (Tanha). Craving generates attachment and becoming, keeping beings trapped in existence. Having attained Arahantship and Supreme Buddhahood, He definitively destroyed this craving. The "rafters" representing defilements and the "ridgepole" of ignorance were entirely shattered. The physical and mental house of suffering could never be built again. His mind reached Nirvana, the Unconditioned state, completely transcending the pain of the cycle of rebirth.