Kimbila — The Book of the Twos · Chapter Two · Poem 8 of 10
Setting
The Park of the East-Raftered Hall (Pācīnavaṁsa)
Speaker
Kimbila, describing himself and his Sakyan friends practicing together
Form
Two four-line verses, without a translated attribution
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 settled, contented description of shared practice
Why this text
Kimbila describes himself and his Sakyan friends in the Park of the East-Raftered Hall, having given up great wealth for the scraps in their bowls, energetic and resolute, delighting in the Dhamma rather than mundane pleasures — a scene Sujato's own comment directly identifies with the famous grove of MN 31 and MN 128.
Reading guide
A named place, and friends practicing together
Unlike most poems in this book, this one opens with a specific location: the Pācīnavaṁsadāya, ‘Park of the East-Raftered Hall’, where ‘the Sakyan friends’, having given up great wealth, are ‘happy with the scraps in their bowls’ — a scene of shared, communal contentment rather than a solitary meditator's report.
Confirmed by comment: the grove of MN 31 and MN 128
Sujato's own comment on this poem's opening line states directly that this is a reference to MN 31 and MN 128, ‘where Anuruddha, Kimbila, and Nandiya were practicing together in this grove’ — this site's own MN 128, ‘Corruptions’, is already translated, and this comment supplies a direct, explicit confirmation rather than a same-name guess.
A numbering quirk, worth flagging
This poem is labeled Kimbila (2nd), while the Book of the Ones already carries a Kimbila (1st) at Thag 1.118 — whose guide, written without any comment to draw on, could only note the same-name connection to MN 31/128 cautiously, as unconfirmed. The stronger, comment-confirmed link to that famous grove attaches to this poem, Kimbila (2nd), not to the (1st) — a reminder that bilara-data's own ordinal numbering doesn't track which poem carries the better-supported identification.
Energetic delight in the Dhamma, not mundane pleasures
The second verse describes the friends as ‘energetic, resolute’, ‘always staunchly vigorous’, having given up mundane delights to ‘enjoy the delights of the Dhamma’ instead — a settled, positive picture of communal renunciate life, without the danger-of-honor or danger-of-gains themes surrounding it elsewhere in this chapter.
Key terms
Pācīnavaṁsadāya — “Park of the East-Raftered Hall” — the named location opening this poem, identified by comment with the grove of MN 31 and MN 128.
sakyaputtā — “Sakyan friends” — describing Kimbila and his companions, sharing the Buddha's own clan name.
uñchāpattāgate — “the scraps that come into the bowl” — what the friends are said to be happy with, having given up great wealth.
dhammaratiyā — “the delight of the Dhamma” — what the friends are said to enjoy, in place of mundane delights.
lokiyaṁ ratiṁ — “mundane delights” — what has been given up in favor of the Dhamma's own delight.
The text
The text in full: two verses, without a translated attribution. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1In the Park of the East-Raftered Hall the Sakyan friends, having given up great wealth, are happy with the scraps in their bowls.
§2Energetic, resolute, always staunchly vigorous; having given up mundane delights, they enjoy the delights of the Dhamma.
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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
What specific location does this poem name?
Correct: C. A named setting, unusual for this book's poems.
Question 2 of 10
What does Sujato's own comment say about this location?
Correct: D. A direct, explicit confirmation rather than a same-name guess.
Question 3 of 10
How does this poem's confirmed connection compare to Kimbila (1st) at Thag 1.118?
Correct: B. The comment-confirmed link attaches to the (2nd), not the (1st).
Question 4 of 10
What does this poem say the friends gave up?
Correct: C. A contrast between renounced wealth and contented simplicity.
Question 5 of 10
What do the friends delight in, according to the second verse?
Correct: D. Dhammaratiyā, replacing lokiyaṁ ratiṁ.
Question 6 of 10
What does this project's own MN 128 discourse cover?
Correct: B. Already live, and directly linked by Sujato's comment on this poem.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'sakyaputtā' mean?
Correct: A. Describing Kimbila and his companions.
Question 8 of 10
What tone does this poem carry, compared to several other poems in this chapter?
Correct: D. A different register from several neighboring poems.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'uñchāpattāgate' describe?
Correct: A. What the friends are content with, having given up wealth.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this poem fall in Chapter Two?
Correct: B. Following Mahācunda, Jotidāsa, Heraññakāni, Somamitta, Sabbamitta, Mahākāḷa, and Tissa (3rd).
