“Who here is |content::satisfied, pleased [santusita]| in the world?”
(said the venerable Tissa Metteyya)
“For whom is there no |perturbation::agitation, disturbance, movement, turmoil [iñjita]|?
Having |directly known::experientially understood [abhiññāya]| |both ends::a pair of boundary points or conditions [ubhonte]|,
who does not get |entangled::smeared, stuck [lippati]| in the middle through wisdom?
Whom do you call a great man?
Who here has gone beyond |stitching [existence]::A metaphor for craving, for craving sews into production this or that state of existence; lit. seamstress, needlewoman. Read [AN 6.61](/an6.61) discourse for an explanation on this. [sibbinī]|?”
“Living the |spiritual life::a life of celibacy, contemplation, and ethical discipline lived for the sake of liberation; oriented toward inner development rather than sensual pleasures [brahmacariya]| among sensual pleasures,
(Metteyya,” said the Buddha)
“|free from craving::without wanting, yearning, longing, attachment [vītataṇhā]|, ever |mindful::remembering to be present with continuous effort, observing the body in and of itself, feelings in and of itself, mind in and of itself, mental qualities in and of itself [sata]|;
A bhikkhu who is |quenched::liberated from mental defilements [nibbuta]|, having |understood::comprehended [saṅkhāya]|,
for him there is no perturbation.
Having directly known both ends,
through wisdom, he does not get entangled in the middle;
I call him a great man—
he has gone beyond stitching [existence].”
See AN 6.61 for a detailed explanation of the Buddha's response to Tissa Metteyya's questions.