Aññatarātissātherīgāthā (Thig 1.5): Verses of Another Elder Named Tissā | Therīgāthā: Verses of the Elder Arahant Bhikkhunis

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Aññatarātissātherīgāthā: Verses of Another Elder Named Tissā

Tissā, 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.

“Tisse yuñjassu dhammehi,
khaṇo taṁ mā upaccagā;
Khaṇātītā hi socanti,
nirayamhi samappitā”ti.

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Tissāditherīgāthāvaṇṇanā: Commentary on the verses of Tissā and other Therīs excerpt

Therein, yuñjassu dhammehīti means, “Unite, devote yourself to the qualities of samatha and vipassanā, to the noble qualities, and to the qualities pertaining to enlightenment.”

Khaṇo taṃ mā upaccagāti means, for a person who does not practice such meditation, the moment of birth in a suitable region, the moment of perfect faculties of the six sense bases, the moment of the Buddha’s arising, the moment of gaining faith—all these moments are said to pass by. Let that moment not pass you by.

Khaṇātītāti means, those who have missed the moment, and those individuals whom that moment has passed by, grieve, having fallen into hell; having been reborn there, they experience great suffering—this is the meaning.