Living in the wilderness,
staying peaceful, remaining chaste,
eating just one meal a day:
why are their faces
    so bright & serene?

[The Buddha:]

They don't sorrow over the past,
    don't long for the future.
They survive on the present.
That's why their faces
    are bright & serene.

From longing for the future,
from sorrowing over the past,
    fools wither away
like a green reed cut down.