With Subrahmā

Standing to one side, the god Subrahmā addressed the Buddha in verse:

“This mind is always anxious,
this mind is always stressed
about stresses that haven’t arisen
and those that have.
If there is a state free of anxiety,
please answer my question.”

“Not without understanding and austerity,
not without restraining the sense faculties,
not without letting go of everything,
do I see safety for living creatures.”

That is what the Buddha said. … The god vanished right there.

This reflection is from the Pāli Canon, With Subrahmā, Subrahmā Sutta SN 2:17, translated into English by Bhikkhu Sujato.