Arañña sutta: Wilderness

At Sāvatthī.

Standing to one side, that deity addressed the Buddha in verse:

“Living in the wilderness,
peaceful spiritual practitioners
eat just one meal a day:
so why is their complexion so clear?”

“They don’t grieve for the past,
nor do they pray for the future;
they feed on whatever comes that day,
that’s why their complexion’s so clear.

Because they pray for the future,
and grieve for the past,
fools wither away,
like a green reed mowed down.”