The Wilderness
Arañña Sutta  (SN 1:10)

Standing to one side, a devatā addressed the Blessed One with a verse:

“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.”

See also: AN 3:35; Ud 2:10; Thag 1:14; Thag 1:41; Thag 1:49; Thag 18