A laywoman also named Visākhā is famous elsewhere as the Buddha's most eminent lay female patron; this reading guide does not assume the two are the same person, and treats this poem's Visākhā as a nun in her own right.
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — simple, practical, and refreshingly concrete
Why this text
Most poems in this book speak in fairly abstract terms — yokes, sanctuary, cessation. This verse is different: it gives an almost step-by-step practical instruction — wash your feet, find a discreet spot, sit down — grounding the promise of ‘no regret’ in the ordinary mechanics of settling down to meditate.
Reading guide
A promise before the instruction
The verse opens with reassurance rather than a bare command: ‘do the Buddha's bidding, you won't regret it’ — framing what follows as trustworthy before describing what it actually involves.
An unusually concrete sequence of actions
Where most of this book's instructions describe an inner state or attitude, this verse describes a physical sequence: wash the feet, then find a discreet place, then sit to meditate — ordinary, replicable steps rather than an abstract exhortation.
Not the famous lay patron of the same name
A laywoman named Visākhā is well known elsewhere in the canon as the Buddha's most eminent female lay supporter, famed for her wealth and generosity. This poem's Visākhā is presented here as a nun, and this reading guide treats the two as distinct individuals sharing only a name, rather than assuming an identity between them.
Practicality as its own kind of teaching
By keeping its instruction this concrete, the verse suggests that settling the body correctly — clean feet, a private spot, an actual seated posture — is not separate from the spiritual content of practice, but part of it.
Key terms
Visākhā — the nun this verse addresses; a laywoman of the same name is separately famous as the Buddha's most eminent female lay patron, presumably a different individual.
Buddhavacana — not used directly in this translation, but the underlying idea behind ‘the Buddha's bidding’ — instruction coming from the Buddha's own authority.
paṭisallāna — “seclusion” or “retreat” — the underlying practice this verse's instruction to find ‘a discreet place’ points toward.
bhāvanā — “meditation” or “development” — named directly as what Visākhā is instructed to sit down and do.
cariyā — not used here; another of this book's unattributed poems, notable for its concrete, procedural instruction.
The text
The text in full: a single four-line verse, with no attribution. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Do the Buddha’s bidding, you won’t regret it. Having quickly washed your feet, sit in a discreet place to meditate.
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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 open?
Correct: B. Framing the instruction as trustworthy before describing it.
Question 2 of 10
What kind of instruction does the rest of the verse give?
Correct: B. Unusually practical compared to most of this book's more abstract verses.
Question 3 of 10
Is this poem's Visākhā the same person as the famous lay patron of that name?
Correct: B. Presumably distinct individuals sharing only a name.
Question 4 of 10
What is the famous lay Visākhā known for, elsewhere in the canon?
Correct: B. A well-known figure separate from this poem's addressee.
Question 5 of 10
What does the verse suggest about physical preparation for meditation?
Correct: B. Clean feet, a private spot, and an actual seated posture, all named directly.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'bhāvanā' mean?
Correct: A. Named directly as the verse's closing instruction.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'paṭisallāna' refer to?
Correct: A. The underlying idea behind this verse's instruction to find a private spot.
Question 8 of 10
What position does this poem hold in the Book of the Ones?
Correct: B. Following Dhammadinnā's impersonal verse.
Question 9 of 10
Does this poem have a closing attribution?
Correct: B. Continuing the bare, unattributed pattern of several poems in this book.
Question 10 of 10
How does this verse's approach compare to most of this book's other instructions?
Correct: B. A refreshingly practical exception among this book's more abstract verses.
