At Sāvatthi.
While standing to one side, that deity addressed the Blessed One with a verse:
“For those dwelling in the wilderness,
peaceful ones who live the spiritual life;
Eating only one meal a day,
how does their complexion become serene?”
[The Blessed One]: “They don’t grieve over the past,
nor do they yearn for the future;
They continue to live through the present,
by this, their complexion becomes |serene::bright, clear [pasīdati]|.
By |yearning::praying, longing [pajappati]| for the future,
and grieving over the past;
Through this, ignorant persons dry up and wither away,
like a green reed cut down.”