Deep Commentary

This verse, taught by the Buddha at Jetavana Monastery, concerns a young monk disciple of Sariputta. According to the account, the disciple, a handsome young man from a family of silversmiths, had a strong attachment to sensual desire. Aware of this, Sariputta instructed him to meditate on the contemplation of impurity. Obediently, the disciple went deep into the forest to practice. After more than a month, he showed no progress and reported back to his teacher. Sariputta advised him to continue practicing, but even after three more months, there was no advancement. Despite his sharp intellect, he could not succeed in the assigned meditation. Sariputta reflected on how to assist him and then they approached the Buddha. The Buddha, discerning the disciple’s karmic disposition, realized that meditating on impurity was unsuitable because he had been a silversmith for many past lives and thus inclined toward beauty. The Buddha then instructed him to meditate on a lotus flower. The disciple took a lotus from a pond and placed it in a pile of sand, then practiced deep concentration on the lotus. Observing the difference between the fresh lotus in water and the wilted one on sand, he clearly perceived the impermanence, suffering, and non-self of all phenomena. Recognizing the dependent origination of all things, his defilements ceased, and he attained a purified mind. The Buddha appeared and delivered the verse, and the disciple attained Arahantship. The teaching emphasizes choosing a meditation practice appropriate to one’s disposition and the importance of selecting a teacher and method that align with one’s capabilities and tendencies. True liberation arises when attachment is entirely cut off, as illustrated by the metaphor of plucking a lotus in autumn: the mind becomes pure and attains Nibbana through diligent cultivation of the path of serenity.