Not identified; direct address to a second nun also named Tissā
Form
A single four-line verse, nothing more
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
★★☆☆☆ — the collection's first mention of hell as a consequence
Why this text
This poem shares its addressee's name with Thig 1.4, but not its tone. Where the first Tissā is told to train and resist being overcome, this second Tissā is warned about squandering time itself — the verse's closing line names a consequence, grief in hell, sharper than anything in this book's poems so far.
Reading guide
The same name, a different urgency
The title ‘Another Tissā’ signals directly that this is a different individual from Thig 1.4's addressee, sharing only a name — the collection is explicit about not conflating the two.
An instruction about timing, not just conduct
Rather than a general call to train, this verse's core instruction is about not missing an opportunity: ‘apply yourself to good qualities — don't let the moment pass you by.’
A stated cost for missing it
The verse names a specific consequence for delay: ‘if you miss your moment, you'll grieve when sent to hell’ — a starker warning than any offered to the first Tissā, or to Muttā or Puṇṇā before her.
Grief located after the fact, not during
The verse's warning is not about suffering while missing the moment, but about grief afterward, once the consequence has already arrived — framing urgency around a regret that cannot be undone once too late.
Key terms
Tissā — the name shared by this poem's addressee and Thig 1.4's, distinguished only by the title ‘Another Tissā’.
khaṇa — “moment” or “opportunity” — what this verse warns against letting pass by.
niraya — “hell” — named directly as the destination this verse warns of, the starkest consequence named so far in this book.
kusala — “good” or “skillful” — the quality Tissā is told to apply herself to before her moment passes.
cariyā — not used here; another of this book's several poems with no closing formula at all, unlike the Cariyapitaka's uniform pattern.
The text
The text in full: a single four-line verse, with no attribution. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Tissā, apply yourself to good qualities—don’t let the moment pass you by. For if you miss your moment, you’ll grieve when sent to hell.
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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 does the title 'Another Tissā' signal?
Correct: B. The collection is explicit about not conflating the two.
Question 2 of 10
What is this verse's central instruction?
Correct: B. An instruction about timing and opportunity, not general conduct alone.
Question 3 of 10
What consequence does the verse warn of for missing this moment?
Correct: B. The starkest warning offered in this book's poems so far.
Question 4 of 10
When does the verse locate the grief it describes?
Correct: B. Urgency framed around a regret that cannot be undone once too late.
Question 5 of 10
How does this poem's tone compare to Thig 1.4's?
Correct: B. The starkest tone shift so far within the Book of the Ones.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'khaṇa' mean?
Correct: A. The central concept this verse's warning turns on.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'niraya' mean?
Correct: B. Named directly as the consequence of missing one's moment.
Question 8 of 10
Does this poem have a closing attribution?
Correct: B. Continuing the bare, unattributed pattern begun with Thig 1.4.
Question 9 of 10
What position does this poem hold in the Book of the Ones?
Correct: B. Immediately following the first Tissā's poem.
Question 10 of 10
What does 'kusala' mean?
Correct: A. Named in the verse's opening instruction.
