Norman
39. Twenty-five years have passed since I went forth. I am not aware of having obtained peace of mind at any time.
40. Without peace of mind, my mind being unsubmissive, then I reached a state of religious excitement, remembering the teaching of the conqueror.
41. Delighting in vigilance because of many painful objects, I have obtained the annihilation of craving. I have done the Buddha’s teaching. Today is the seventh day since my craving was dried up.
Weingast
After twenty-five years on the Path,
I’d experienced almost everything—
except peace.
When I was young,
my mother told me
that I would find true happiness
only in marriage.
Remembering her words all those years later,
something in me began to tremble.
I gave myself to the trembling—
and it showed me
all the pain
this little heart
had ever known.
And how countless lives of searching
had brought me
at last
to the present moment,
which I happily married.
Can you imagine?
We’ve been
living together
ever since,
without
a single
argument.