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In Pāli the Buddha's last words were: vayadhammā saṅkhārā appamādena sampādetha. They occur in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta in the Dīgha Nikāya (sutta no. 16). There are a number of English translations of the sutta. A common way of translating the words is some variant on: all things are of a nature to decay; vigilently strive on.

One needs to be a little wary of English translations as they may obscure aspects of the original. For instance the first two words might also be translated as "all things are disappointing. The word appamāda can be translated as "mindful" but it has a specific reference which is not brought out by this rendering. Appamāda could be translated as "not-blind-drunk on the objects of the senses" - which refers to the average persons intoxication with sensory and mental experiences. Sampādetha does mean "to strive" but clearly also suggests success.

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17y ago

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