Samiddhi — The Book of the Ones · Chapter Five · Poem 6 of 10
Setting
No narrative setting; a calm report of growth, then a direct challenge to an unnamed 'you'
Speaker
Samiddhi, describing his own progress, then confronting an unnamed adversary
Form
One six-line verse
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
This reading guide does not assert a specific matching text for this poem in other Buddhist literatures.
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — a calm report pivoting sharply into direct defiance
Why this text
Samiddhi's verse opens quietly — faith, growing mindfulness and wisdom, a serene mind — before pivoting sharply: ‘make whatever illusions you want, it doesn't bother me’, a direct challenge to an unnamed adversary, never named outright.
Reading guide
A calm report, then a sudden pivot to defiance
The verse's first four lines read as a settled, unremarkable self-report — faith, growth, serenity. Its final two lines shift register entirely, addressing someone directly with an open challenge, ‘make whatever illusions you want’.
An adversary implied, not named
Unlike Nandiya's verse (Thag 1.25), which addresses Māra directly as ‘Dark One’, this verse's ‘you’ is never named — the conjuring of rūpāni, illusory forms or apparitions, strongly implies the same adversary without stating it outright.
Illusion specifically named as the threat
Rūpāni, ‘forms’ or ‘illusions’, names the specific kind of attack being dismissed — not physical harm or argument, but conjured appearances meant to disturb, declared powerless against Samiddhi's serenity.
Key terms
saddhā — “faith” — the stated reason Samiddhi went forth.
vuḍḍha — “grown” or “increased” — describing his mindfulness and wisdom.
susamāhita — “well immersed” or “serene” — describing his mind before the verse's pivot.
rūpa — “form” or “illusion” — the specific kind of conjured attack this verse dismisses.
byādhayissasi — “you will afflict” — the verb this verse denies has any power over Samiddhi.
The text
The text in full: one verse, with no separate attribution line in this chapter. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1I went forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness. My mindfulness and wisdom have grown, my mind is serene. Make whatever illusions you want, it doesn’t bother me.
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Self-check quiz
Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 10
How does this verse's first four lines read?
Correct: B. Faith, growth, and serenity, before the verse's pivot.
Question 2 of 10
What happens in this verse's final two lines?
Correct: C. A sudden pivot from calm report to open challenge.
Question 3 of 10
Does this verse name its adversary directly, as Nandiya's verse names Māra?
Correct: B. Strongly implied through the mention of conjured illusions, but not stated outright.
Question 4 of 10
What kind of attack does this verse's challenge dismiss?
Correct: A. Rūpāni, illusory forms, named specifically.
Question 5 of 10
Why did Samiddhi say he went forth?
Correct: D. The verse's opening stated motivation.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'vuḍḍha' mean?
Correct: A. Describing his mindfulness and wisdom.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'susamāhita' describe?
Correct: D. Samiddhi's mental state before the verse's pivot.
Question 8 of 10
What does the verse claim about the effect of these illusions on Samiddhi?
Correct: B. A flat denial of any power over him.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'rūpa' mean in this verse's closing lines?
Correct: A. The specific kind of conjured attack being dismissed.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this poem fall in Chapter Five?
Correct: C. Continuing the chapter's sequence of ten poems.
