SN 16.1
CDB i 662
Santu.t.tha.m Sutta: Contentment
translated from the Pali by
Maurice O'Connell Walshe
The Pali title of this sutta is based on the PTS (Feer) edition.

"Monks, Kassapa [1] here is content with any old robe. He praises contentment with any robe, nor does he commit any offense of unseemliness or impropriety [2] on account of a robe. If he has not got a robe, he does not worry; if he has got a robe he enjoys the use of it without clinging or foolish attachment, not committing any offense, aware of the danger and wisely avoiding it. [3] Kassapa is content with whatever alms he gets... whatever lodging... whatever requisites in the way of medicines for sickness... he enjoys the use of these things without clinging or foolish attachment, not committing any offense, aware of the danger and wisely avoiding it.

"Therefore, monks, you should train yourselves thus: We will be content with whatever robe,... alms... lodging... medicines... we may get... We will enjoy the use of these things without clinging or foolish attachment, not committing any offense, aware of the danger and wisely avoiding it.

"Monks, I will exhort you by the example of Kassapa, or one like Kassapa. So exhorted, you should practice to gain the goal." [4]

Notes

1 .
This is Kassapa the Great (Mahaa-Kassapa), one of the Buddha's chief disciples and later leader of the Sangha. Not to be confused with Kassapa mentioned in SN 12.17 .
2 .
Unlike, e.g., Nanda ( SN 21.8 ).
3 .
Nissara.napañño : lit. "wise as to deliverance."
4 .
Tathatta: "the state of thusness," Nibbaana. With a different suffix there is the almost equivalent term tathataa , found mainly in Mahaayaana texts, but also occurring in VM XVII, 6, etc., where it means "the state of being really so."