Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Therigatha · 5.6

Mittākāḷī

Mittākāḷī — The Book of the Fives · Poem 6 of 12

Setting
A hut, where a moment of urgency strikes while sitting
Speaker
The nun Mittākāḷī, recounting drift after her own ordination, then a turning point
Form
Five four-line verses
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 rare account of failure occurring after, not before, going forth

Why this text

Most confessions of failure in this collection describe struggle before ordination. Mittākāḷī's account is different: she went forth ‘in faith’, then admits to years of ‘jealous of possessions and honors’, neglecting the very goal she had ordained for — until a moment of sudden urgency, sitting alone in her hut, turned her toward the practice she had been avoiding.

Reading guide

Drift after ordination, not before it

‘Having gone forth in faith... I wandered here and there, jealous of possessions and honors’ describes backsliding within monastic life itself — a distinct kind of failure from Vimalā's or Sīhā's struggles, which took place entirely before they ever went forth.

A verdict spoken to herself, quoted directly

‘I'm walking the wrong path, under the sway of craving’ is presented as her own words to herself, quoted directly — an unusually candid piece of internal speech, naming her own drift without excuse.

Mortality named as the spur to change

‘My life is short, trampled by old age and sickness... there is no time for me to be careless’ gives her urgency a specific cause: not a vision or a teacher's rebuke, but a plain recognition of how little time remains.

A named method, not just a stated result

‘I examined in line with the truth the rise and fall of the aggregates’ names the specific practice that followed her urgency — a stated technique, not only a claim of liberation.

Key terms

Mittākāḷī — this poem's speaker, whose account of backsliding after ordination is unusual in this collection.
lābhasakkāra — “possessions and honors” — what she admits to pursuing jealously, at the expense of ‘the highest goal’.
saṁvega — the sense of urgency that struck her while sitting in her hut, explicitly named as her turning point.
khandhānaṅ udayabbaya — “the rise and fall of the aggregates” — the specific practice she names as what she examined, leading to her liberation.
vimuttacittā — “mind liberated” — how this poem describes her at its close, having fulfilled the Buddha's instructions.

The text

The text in full: five verses. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1Having gone forth in faith from the lay life to homelessness, I wandered here and there, jealous of possessions and honors.

§2Neglecting the highest goal, I pursued the lowest. Under the sway of corruptions, I never knew the goal of the ascetic life.

§3I was struck with a sense of urgency as I was sitting in my hut: “I’m walking the wrong path, under the sway of craving.

§4My life is short, trampled by old age and sickness. Before this body breaks apart, there is no time for me to be careless.”

§5I examined in line with the truth the rise and fall of the aggregates. I stood up with mind liberated, having fulfilled the Buddha’s instructions.

· · ·

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 did Mittākāḷī go forth, according to this poem's opening line?
Correct: B. 'Having gone forth in faith from the lay life to homelessness.'
Question 2 of 10
What does she admit to doing after ordination, rather than before it?
Correct: D. A rare account of drift occurring within monastic life itself.
Question 3 of 10
What words does the poem quote her saying to herself, at her turning point?
Correct: A. An unusually candid piece of internal speech, quoted directly.
Question 4 of 10
What does the poem name as the specific cause of her urgency?
Correct: C. Mortality itself, plainly stated, rather than a vision or external event.
Question 5 of 10
What specific practice does the poem name as what she examined?
Correct: A. A stated technique, not only a claim of liberation.
Question 6 of 10
How does this poem's structure differ from Vimalā's or Sīhā's accounts?
Correct: D. A distinct kind of drift, occurring within monastic life itself.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'lābhasakkāra' mean?
Correct: A. Named directly as what she pursued at the expense of the highest goal.
Question 8 of 10
How does the poem describe her at its close?
Correct: B. A direct statement of completed liberation.
Question 9 of 10
What position does this poem hold in the Book of the Fives?
Correct: C. Following Thig 5.5, continuing the Book of the Fives.
Question 10 of 10
What does 'saṁvega' name in this poem?
Correct: D. Explicitly named as her turning point.
Answered 0 of 10 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousThig 5.5 · Nanduttarā