“Mendicants, seeing these five future perils is quite enough for a wilderness mendicant to meditate diligently, keenly, and resolutely for attaining the unattained, achieving the unachieved, and realizing the unrealized.

What five? Firstly, a wilderness mendicant reflects: ‘Currently I’m living alone in a wilderness. While living here alone I might get bitten by a snake, a scorpion, or a centipede. And if I died from that it would stop my practice. I’d better rouse up energy for attaining the unattained, achieving the unachieved, and realizing the unrealized.’ This is the first future peril …

Furthermore, a wilderness mendicant reflects: ‘Currently I’m living alone in a wilderness. While living here alone I might stumble and fall, or get food poisoning, or my bile or phlegm or stabbing wind might get upset. And if I died from that it would stop my practice. I’d better rouse up energy for attaining the unattained, achieving the unachieved, and realizing the unrealized.’ This is the second future peril …

Furthermore, a wilderness mendicant reflects: ‘Currently I’m living alone in a wilderness. While living here alone I might encounter wild beasts—a lion, a tiger, a leopard, a bear, or a hyena—which might take my life. And if I died from that it would stop my practice. I’d better rouse up energy for attaining the unattained, achieving the unachieved, and realizing the unrealized.’ This is the third future peril …

Furthermore, a wilderness mendicant reflects: ‘Currently I’m living alone in a wilderness. While living here alone I might encounter youths escaping a crime or on their way to commit one, and they might take my life. And if I died from that it would stop my practice. I’d better rouse up energy for attaining the unattained, achieving the unachieved, and realizing the unrealized.’ This is the fourth future peril …

Furthermore, a wilderness mendicant reflects: ‘Currently I’m living alone in a wilderness. But in a wilderness there are savage monsters who might take my life. And if I died from that it would stop my practice. I’d better rouse up energy for attaining the unattained, achieving the unachieved, and realizing the unrealized.’ This is the fifth future peril …

These are the five future perils, seeing which is quite enough for a wilderness mendicant to meditate diligently, keenly, and resolutely for attaining the unattained, achieving the unachieved, and realizing the unrealized.”