# Dhammapada - Sayings of the Buddha 3 (tr. J. Richards)

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> Sayings of Buddha 
> 
> Dhammapada - Sayings of the Buddha (Translated by S. Wannapok)
> 
> 1. The Pairs
> Mind foreruns all mental conditions,
> Mind is chief, mind-made are they;
> If one speaks or acts with a wicked mind,
> Then suffering follows him
> Even as the wheel, the hoof of the ox.
> 
> Mind foreruns all mental conditions,
> Mind is chief, mind-made are they;
> If one speaks or acts with a pure mind,
> Then happiness follows him
> Even as the shadow that never leaves.
> 
> He abused me, he beat me,
> He defeated me, he robbed me,'
> In those who harbour such thoughts
> Hatred never ceases.
> 
> He abused me, he beat me,
> He defeated me, he robbed me'
> In those who harbour not such thoughts
> Hatred finds its end.
> 
> At any time in this world,
> Hatred never ceases by hatred,
> But through non-hatred it ceases
> This is an eternal law.
> 
> The common people know not
> That in this quarrel they will perish,
> But those who realize this truth
> Have their quarrels calmed thereby.
> 
> As the wind overthrows a weak tree,
> So does Mâra overpower him
> Who lives attached to sense pleasures,
> Who lives with his senses uncontrolled,
> Who knows not moderation in his food,
> And who is indolent and inactive.
> 
> As the wind does not overthrow a rocky mount,
> So Mâra indeed does not overpower him
> Who lives unattached to sense pleasures,
> Who lives with his sense well-controlled,
> Who knows moderation in his food,
> And who is full of faith and high vitality.
> 
> Whosoever, not freed from defilements,
> Without self-control and truthfulness,
> Should put on the yellow robe -
> He is not worthy of it.
> 
> But he who has discarded defilements,
> Firmly established in moral precepts,
> Possessed of self-control and truth,
> is indeed worthy of the yellow robe.
> 
> In the unessential they imagine the essential,
> In the essential they see the unessential;
> They who feed on wrong thoughts as such
> Never achieve the essential.
> 
> Knowing the essential as the essential,
> And the unessential as the unessential,
> They who feed on right thoughts as such
> Achieve the essential.
> 
> Even as rain gets into an ill-thatched house,
> Even so lust penetrates an undeveloped mind.
> 
> Even as rain gets not into a well-thatched house,
> Even so lust penetrates not a well-developed mind.
> 
> Here he grieves, hereafter he grieves,
> In both worlds the evil-doer grieves,
> He mourns, he is afflicted,
> Beholding his own impure deeds.
> 
> Here he rejoices, hereafter he rejoices
> In both worlds the well-doer rejoices
> He rejoices, exceedingly rejoices,
> Seeing his own pure deeds.
> 
> Here he laments, hereafter he laments
> In both worlds the evil-doer laments;
> Thinking: Evil have I done,' thus he laments.
> Furthermore he laments,
> When gone to a state of woe.
> 
> Here he is happy, hereafter he is happy,
> In both worlds the well-doer is happy
> Thinking: Good have I done,' thus he is happy
> Furthermore he is happy,
> When gone to the state of bliss.
> 
> Though much he recites the Sacred Texts,
> But acts not accordingly. That heedless man 
> Is like the cowherd who counts other's kine;
> He has no share in religious life.
> 
> Though little he recites the Sacred Texts,
> But puts the precepts into practice,
> Ridding himself of craving, hatred and delusion,
> Possessed of right knowledge with mind well-freed,
> Cling to nothing here or hereafter,
> He has a share in religious life.
> 
> 2. Heedfulness
> Heedfulness is the way to the Deathless,
> Heedlessness is the way to death.
> The heedful do not die,
> The heedless are like unto the dead.
> 
> Realizing this distinction,
> The wise rejoice in heedfulness,
> Which is the way of the Noble.
> 
> The wise, constantly meditative,
> Ever earnestly persevering,
> Attain the bond-free supreme Nibbana.
> 
> Of him who is energetic, mindful,
> Pure in deed, considerate, self-restrained,
> Who lives the Dhamma and who is heedful,
> Reputation steadily increases.
> 
> By diligence, vigilance,
> Restraint and self-mastery,
> Let the wise make for himself an island
> That no flood can overwhelm.
> 
> The ignorant, foolish folk
> Indulge in heedlessness,
> But the wise preserve heedfulness
> As their greatest treasure.
> 
> Devote not yourselves to negligence;
> Have no intimacy with sensuous delights.
> The vigilant meditative person
> Attain sublime Bliss.
> 
> When the wise man banishes carelessness by carefulness,
> This sorrowless one climbs up the terrace of wisdom,
> And surveys the ignorant sorrowing folk
> As one standing on a mountain, the groundlings.
> 
> Heedful among the heedless,
> Wide awake among those asleep,
> The wise man advances
> As a swift horse leaving a weak nag behind.
> 
> By vigilance it was that
> Indra attained the lordship of the gods.
> Earnestness is ever praised,
> Carelessness is ever despised.
> 
> The bhikkhu who delights in earnestness
> And discerns dangers in negligence,
> Advances, consuming all fetters,
> Like fire burning fuel, both small and great.
> 
> The bhikkhu who delights in earnestness,
> And discerns dangers in negligence,
> Is not liable to fall away;
> He is certainly in the present of Nibbana.
> 
> 3. The Mind
> The flickering, fickle mind,
> Difficult to guard, difficult to control,
> The wise man straightens,
> As a fletcher, an arrow.
> 
> Like a fish drawn from its watery abode
> And thrown upon land,
> Even so does the mind flutter.
> Hence should the realm of Mâra be shunned.
> 
> Good is it to control the mind
> Which is hard to check and swift
> And flits wherever it desires.
> A subdued mind is conducive to happiness.
> 
> Hard to perceive and extremely subtle is the mind,
> It roams wherever it desires.
> Let the wise man guard it;
> A guarded mind is conducive to happiness.
> 
> Faring afar, solitary, bodiless,
> Lying in a cave, is the mind.
> Those who subdue it are freed
> From the bond of Mara.
> 
> He whose mind is inconstant,
> He who knows not the true doctrine,
> He whose confidence wavers -
> The wisdom of such a one is never fulfilled.
> 
> He who is vigilant,
> He whose mind is not overcome by lust and hatred,
> He who has discarded both good and evil
> For such a one there is no fear.
> 
> Realizing that this body is fragile as a pot
> And establishing hi mind as firm as a fortified city,
> He should attack Mara with the weapon of wisdom.
> He should guard his conquest
> And afford no rest to Mara.
> 
> Soon alas will this body lie
> Upon the ground, unheeded,
> Devoid of consciousness,
> Even as a useless log.
> 
> Whatever harm a foe may do to a foe,
> Or a hater to a hater,
> An ill-directed mind
> Can harm one even more.
> 
> What neither mother, nor father,
> Nor any other relative can do,
> A well-directed mind does
> And thereby elevates one.
> 
> 4. The Flowers
> Who will conquer this earth (life)
> With Yama's realm and with celestial world?
> Who will investigate the well-taught Dhamma-verses
> Even as a skilful garland-maker plucks flowers?
> 
> A learner (sekha) will conquer this earth
> With Yama's realm and with celestial world.
> He will investigate the well-taught Dhamma Verses.
> Even as a skilful garland-maker plucks flowers.
> 
> Perceiving this body to be similar unto foam
> And comprehending its mirage-nature,
> One should destroy the flower-tipped arrows of Love
> And pass beyond the sight of the King of Death.
> 
> The man who gathers flowers of sensual pleasures,
> Whose mind is distracted -
> Death carries him off
> As the great flood, a sleeping villager.
> 
> The man who gathers flowers of sensual pleasures,
> Whose mind is distracted
> And who is insatiate in desires -
> Him the Destroyer brings under his way.
> 
> As the bee takes honey from the flowers,
> Leaving its colour and fragrance unharmed,
> So should the sage wander in the village.
> 
> Pay no attention to the faults of others,
> Things done or left undone by others.
> Consider only what by oneself
> Is done or left undone.
> 
> As a flower that is lovely
> And colourful, but scentless,
> Even so fruitless is the well-spoken word
> Of one who follows it not.
> 
> As a flower that is lovely,
> Colourful, and fragrant
> Even so fruitful is the well-spoken word
> Of one who practises it.
> 
> As from a heap of flowers
> Many kinds of garlands can be made,
> So many good deeds should be done
> By one born a mortal.
> 
> The perfume of flower blows not against the wind,
> Nor does the fragrance of sandal-wood, tagara and jasmine,
> But the fragrance of the virtuous blows against the wind.
> The virtuous man pervades all directions.
> 
> Sandal-wood, tagara, lotus and wild jasmine -
> Of all these kinds of fragrance,
> The fragrance of virtue is by far the best.
> 
> Little is the fragrance of tagara
> And sandal-wood,
> But the fragrance of virtue is excellent
> And blows even among the devas.
> 
> Of those who possess these virtues,
> Who live without negligence,
> Who are freed by perfect knowledge,
> Mâra finds not their way.
> 
> Just as on a heap of rubbish
> Thrown upon the highway
> Grows the lotus sweetly fragrant
> And delighting the heart.
> 
> Even so among those blinded mortals
> Who are like rubbish,
> The disciple of the Fully-Enlightened One
> Shines with exceeding glory by his wisdom.
> 
> 5. The Fool
> Long is the night to the wakeful,
> Long is the yojana to one who is weary,
> Long is Saæsara to the foolish
> Who know not the true doctrine.
> 
> If, as he fares, he finds no companion
> Who is better or equal,
> Let him firmly pursue his solitary career;
> There is no fellowship with the fool.
> 
> I have sons, I have wealth;'
> So thinks the fool and is troubled.
> He himself is not his own,
> How then are sons, how wealth?
> 
> The fool aware of his stupidity
> Is in so far wise,
> But the fool thinking himself wise
> Is called a fool indeed.
> 
> Though through all his life
> A fool associates with a wise man,
> He yet understands not the Dhamma,
> As the spoon, the flavour of soup.
> 
> Though, for a moment only,
> An intelligent man associates with a wise man
> Quickly he understands the Dhamma,
> As the tongue, the flavour of soup.
> 
> Fool of little wit
> Behave to themselves as enemies,
> Doing evil deeds
> The fruits whereof are bitter.
> 
> That deed is not well-done,
> After doing which one feels remorse
> And the fruit whereof is received
> With tears and lamentations.
> 
> Well-done is that deed
> Which, done, brings no regret;
> The fruit whereof is received
> With delight and satisfaction.
> 
> As sweet as honey the fool thinks an evil deed
> So long as it does not bear fruit;
> But when it ripens,
> The fool comes to grief.
> 
> Month after month the fool may eat his food
> With the tip of kusa grass;
> Nonetheless he is not worth the sixteenth part 
> Of those who have well understood the Dhamma.
> 
> An evil deed committed
> Does not immediately bear fruit,
> Just as milk curdles not at once;
> Smouldering like fire covered by ashes,
> It follows the fool.
> 
> The fool gains knowledge
> Only for his ruin;
> It destroys his good actions
> And cleaves his head.
> 
> A foolish monk desires undue reputation,
> Precedence among monks,
> Authority in the monasteries,
> Honour among other families.
> 
> Let both laymen and monks think,
> By me only was this done;
> In every work, great or small,
> Let them refer to me.'
> Such is the ambition of the fool;
> His desire and pride increase.
> 
> One is the way to worldly gain;
> To Nibbâna another leads.
> Clearly realizing this,
> The bhikkhu, disciple of the Buddha,
> Should not delight in worldly favour,
> But devote himself to solitude.
> 
> 6. The Wise
> Should one see a wise man,
> Who, like a revealer of treasures,
> Points out faults and reproves,
> Let one associate with such a one,
> Well is it, not ill, to associate with such a one.
> 
> Let him admonish, exhort,
> And shield from wrong.
> Truly, pleasing is he to the good,
> Displeasing is he to the bad.
> 
> Associate not with evil friends;
> Associate not with mean men;
> Associate with good friend;
> Associate with noble men.
> 
> He who imbibes the Dhamma
> Lives happily with the mind at rest.
> The wise man ever delights
> In the Dhamma revealed by the Noble.
> 
> Irrigators lead water;
> Fletchers fashion shafts;
> Carpenters bend wood;
> The wise tame themselves.
> 
> Even as a solid rock
> Is not shaken by the wind.
> So do the wise remain unmoved
> By praise or blame.
> 
> Just as a lake, deep, clear, and still
> Even so, on hearing the Dhamma,
> The wise become exceedingly peaceful.
> 
> The good renounce everything
> And do not speak hankering after desires.
> Touched by sorrow or happiness,
> The wise become neither elated nor depressed.
> 
> Neither for one's own nor another's sake
> Should one commit any wrong,
> Nor, by unjust means, should one desire
> Sons, wealth, state or one's own success.
> He should be virtuous, wise, and righteous.
> 
> Few are there among men
> Who go to the further shore,
> The rest of this mankind
> Only run up and down the hither bank.
> 
> Those who conform themselves to the Dhamma
> That has been well-expounded -
> Those are they who will reach the further shore,
> Crossing the realm of death, so hard to cross.
> 
> Coming from home to the homeless,
> The wise man should abandon dark state
> And cultivate the bright.
> He should seek great delight in solitude,
> So hard to enjoy.
> 
> Giving up sensual pleasures,
> With no attachment,
> The wise man should cleanse himself
> Of the impurities of the mind.
> 
> Whose minds are well perfected
> In the Factors of Enlightenment,
> Who without clinging, delight in detachment-
> They, the corruption-free, radiant ones,
> Have attained Nibbana in the Here-and-Now.
> 
> 7. The Worthy
> For him who has completed his journey course
> For him who is wholly free from all,
> For him who has destroyed all bonds
> The fever of passion exists not.
> 
> The mindful ones who leave their homes
> To no abode are they attached;
> Like swans that quit their pools,
> Home after home they leave behind.
> 
> Those for whom there is no accumulation,
> Who reflect well over their food,
> Who have perceived void and unconditioned freedom -
> Their path is hard to trace,
> Like that of birds in the air.
> 
> He whose corruptions are destroyed,
> He who is not attached to food,
> He who has perceived void and unconditioned freedom -
> His track cannot be traced,
> Like that of birds in the air.
> 
> He whose senses are subdued,
> Like steeds well-trained by a charioteer;
> He who is free from pride and corruption -
> Such a steadfast one even the gods hold dear.
> 
> Like the earth the worthy one resents not;
> Like the chief post is he of a firm mind;
> Like an unsullied pool is he of pure conduct;
> To such a one life's wanderings are no more.
> 
> Calm is his mind;
> Calm is his speech;
> Calm is his bodily action;
> Who, through right knowledge, is wholly freed,
> Perfectly peaceful and equipoised.
> 
> He who is not credulous,
> He who knows the uncreated,
> He who has severed all ties,
> He who has put an end to opportunity,
> He who has removed all desires
> He, indeed, is the greatest of men.
> 
> Whether in village or in forest,
> Whether in vale or on hill,
> Wherever the Worthy Ones dwell,
> Delightful, indeed, is that spot.
> 
> Delightful are the forests
> Where worldings find no joy,
> There the passionless rejoice
> For they seek no sensual pleasures.
> 
> 8. The Thousands
> Better than a thousand useless words
> Is one beneficial single word,
> Hearing which one is pacified.
> 
> Better than a thousand useless verses
> Is one beneficial single line,
> Hearing which one is pacified.
> 
> Should one recite a hundred useless verses,
> Better is one single word of the Dhamma,
> Hearing which one is pacified.
> 
> Though one should conquer in battle
> A thousand times a thousand men,
> Yet should one conquer just oneself
> One is indeed the greatest victor.
> 
> Better indeed is it to conquer oneself,
> Neither a god nor a Gandhabba,
> Neither Mara nor Brahma
> Could turn into defeat the victory of such a man
> Who is self-mastered and self-controlled.
> 
> Better indeed is it to conquer oneself,
> Neither a god nor a Gandhabba,
> Neither Mara nor Brahma
> Could turn into defeat the victory of such a man
> Who is self-mastered and self-controlled.
> 
> Though month after month, with a thousand,
> One should sacrifice for a hundred years,
> Yet, if only for a moment,
> One should honour the self-restrained,
> That honour, indeed, is better
> Than a century of sacrifice.
> 
> Though one for a century,
> Should tend the fire in the forest,
> Yet, if only for a moment,
> He should honour the self-restrained,
> That honour, indeed, is better
> Than a century of sacrifice.
> 
> Whatever oblations and sacrifices
> One might offer for a year,
> Seeking merit hereby,
> All that is not worth a single quarter.
> Better is homage towards the upright.
> 
> He who ever reverences and respects elders
> Four qualities for him increase:
> Long life, fame, happiness and strengh.
> 
> Though one should live a hundred years,
> Without conduct and concentration,
> Yet, better is a single day's life
> Of one who is moral and meditative.
> 
> Though one should live a hundred years,
> Without wisdom and concentration,
> Yet, better is a single day's life
> Of one who is wise and meditative.
> 
> Though one should live a hundred years,
> Sluggish and inactive
> Yet, better is a single day's life
> Of one who intensely exerts himself.
> 
> Better is a single day's life of one
> Who discerns the rise and fall of things
> Than a hundred years's life of one
> Who is not comprehending.
> 
> Better is a single day's life of one
> Who sees the Deathless
> Than a hundred years's life of one
> Who sees not that state.
> 
> Better is a single day's life of one
> Who understands the truth sublime
> Than a hundred years's life of one
> Who knows not that truth, so high.
> 
> 9. The Evil
> Make haste in doing good,
> And check your mind from evil
> Who is slow in making merit -
> His mind delights in evil.
> 
> Should a man commit evil,
> Let him not do it again and again,
> Nor turn his heart to delight therein;
> Painful is the heaping-up of evil.
> 
> Should a man perform merit,
> Let him do it again and again,
> And turn his mind to delight therein;
> Blissful is the piling-up of merit.
> 
> For the evil-doer all is well,
> While the evil ripens not;
> But when his evil yields its fruit,
> He sees the evil results.
> 
> For the good man, perhaps, all is ill
> While as yet his good is not ripe;
> But when it bears its fruit,
> He sees the good results.
> 
> Despise not evil,
> Saying it will not come to me'
> Drop by drop, is the water pot filled,
> Likewise the fool, gathering little by little,
> Fills himself with evil.
> 
> Despise not merit,
> Saying It will not come to me'
> Drop by drop, is the water pot filled,
> Likewise the wise, gathering little by little,
> Fills himself with merit.
> 
> Just as a rich merchant, with small escort,
> Evoids a dangerous path,
> Just as one who loves life avoids poison,
> Even so should one shun evil.
> 
> If no wound there be in the hand,
> One may handle poison;
> Poison does not effect one who has no wound;
> There is no ill for him who does no wrong.
> 
> Whosoever offends a harmless person,
> One pure and guiltless,
> Upon that very fool the evil recoils
> Even as fine dust thrown against the wind.
> 
> Some are born in the womb again,
> The evil-doers in Hell;
> The good go to Heaven;
> The undefiled ones attain Nibbana.
> 
> Neither in the sky nor in mid-ocean,
> Nor in the clefts of the rocks,
> Nowhere in the world is a place to be found
> Where abiding one may escape from
> (the consequences of) an evil deed.
> 
> Neither in the sky nor in mid-ocean,
> Nor in the clefts of the rocks,
> Nowhere in the world is found that place
> Where abiding one will not be overcome by death.
> 
> 10. The Punishment
> All tremble at punishment;
> All fear death;
> Comparing others with oneself,
> One should neither kill nor cause to kill.
> 
> All tremble at punishment;
> To all life is dear;
> Comparing others with oneself,
> One should neither kill nor cause to kill.
> 
> Whoso, himself seeking happiness,
> Harms with rod pleasure loving beings -
> He gets no happiness hereafter.
> 
> Whoso, himself seeking happiness,
> Harms not with rod pleasure loving beings -
> He gets happiness hereafter.
> 
> Speak not harshly to anyone.
> Those thus addressed will retort.
> Painful indeed is vindictive speech.
> Blows in exchange may bruise you.
> 
> If you silence yourself as a broken gong,
> You have already attained Nibbana.
> No contention will be found in you.
> 
> As with a staff the cowherd drives
> His cattle out to pasture-ground,
> So do old age and death compel
> The life of beings (all around).
> 
> When a fool does wicked deeds,
> He does not know their future fruit.
> The witless one is tormented by his own deeds.
> 
> He who inflicts punishment on those
> Who are harmless and who offend no one
> Speedily comes to one of these ten states:
> 
> To grievous bodily pain, to disaster,
> To bodily injury, to serious illness,
> To loss of mind, will he come.
> 
> To oppression by the king,
> To grave accusation,
> To loss of relatives,
> To destruction of wealth, (will he come).
> 
> Or his house will be burnt up with fire,
> And that unwise one will pass to
> Hell in the world to come.
> 
> Not nakedness, nor matted hair,
> Nor dirt, nor fasting,
> Nor lying on the ground,
> Nor besmearing oneself with ashes,
> Nor squatting on the heels,
> Can purify a mortal
> Who has not overcome doubts.
> 
> In whatever he be decked,
> If yet he cultivates tranquility of mind,
> Is calm, controlled, certain and chaste,
> And has ceased to injure all other beings,
> He is indeed, a brahman, a samana, a bhikkhu.
> 
> Rarely is found in this world
> Anyone who is restrained by shame and wide-awake
> As a thorough-bred horse avoids the whip.
> 
> Even as a thorough-bred horse once touched by the whip,
> Becomes agitated and exertes himself greatly,
> So be strenuous and filled with religious emotion.
> By confidence, virtue, effort and concentration,
> By the investigation of the Doctrine,
> By being endowed with knowledge and conduct
> And by keeping your mind alert,
> Will you leave this great suffering behind.
> 
> Irigators lead water;
> Fletchers fashion shafts;
> Carpenters bend wood;
> The good tame themselves.
> 
> 11. Old Age
> What this laughter, what this joy
> When the world is ever on fire?
> Shrouded all about by darkness,
> Will you not then look for light?
> 
> Behold this beautiful body,
> A mass of sores, a bone-gathering,
> Diseased and full of hankerings,
> With no lasting, no persisting.
> 
> Thoroughly worn out is this body -
> A net of diseases and very frail.
> This heap of corruption breaks to pieces -
> For life indeed ends in death.
> 
> As gourds are cast away in Autumn,
> So are these dove-hued bones.
> What pleasure is there found
> For one who looks at them?
> 
> Of bones is this city made,
> Plastered with flesh and bones.
> Herein dwell decay and death,
> Pride and detraction.
> 
> Splendid royal chariots wear away,
> The body too comes to old age.
> But the good's teaching knows not decay.
> Indeed, the good teach the good in this way.
> 
> Just as the ox grows old,
> So ages he of little learning
> His flesh increases,
> His wisdom is waning.
> 
> Seeking but not finding the House Builder,
> I hurried through the rounds of many births.
> Painful is birth ever again and again.
> 
> O House Builder, you have been seen,
> You shall not build the house again.
> Your rafters have been broken,
> Your ridge pole demolished too.
> My mind has now attained the Unconditioned.
> And reached the end of all craving.
> 
> Having led neither a good life,
> Nor acquired riches while young,
> They pine away as aged herons
> Around a fishless pond.
> 
> Having led neither a good life,
> Nor acquired riches while young,
> They lie about like broken bows,
> Sighing about the past.
> 
> 12. The Self
> If one holds oneself dear,
> One should protect oneself well.
> During any of the three watches (of life)
> The wise should keep vigil.
> 
> One should first establish oneself
> In what is proper,
> And then instruct others.
> A wise man who acts in this way
> Shall never get defiled.
> 
> As he instructs others
> He should himself act.
> Himself fully controlled,
> He should control others.
> Difficult indeed is to control oneself.
> 
> Oneself indeed is master of oneself,
> Who else could other master be?
> With oneself perfectly trained,
> One obtains a refuge hard to gain.
> 
> The evil, done by oneself,
> Self-begotten and self-produced,
> Crushes the witless one,
> As the diamond grinds the hardest gem.
> 
> An exceedingly corrupted man is like
> A Mâluva creeper strangling a sal-tree
> Surely, he does unto himself
> What his enemy would wish for him.
> 
> Easy to do are those kammas
> Which are bad and not benefitting oneself
> But those which are good and beneficial
> Are difficult indeed to be performed.
> 
> Whoso on account of false views
> Scorns the teaching of the Noble Ones,
> The Worthy and Righteous Ones,
> He, the foolish man, destroys himself
> Like the bamboo, seeding, finds its end.
> 
> By oneself is evil done,
> By oneself does one get defiled,
> By oneself is evil left undone,
> By oneself is one purified.
> Purity or impurity depends on oneself,
> No one can purify another.
> 
> Fall not away from one's own purpose
> For the sake of another, however great,
> When once one has seen one's own goal,
> One should hold to it fast and firm.
> 
> 13. The World
> Do not follow mean thing,
> Do not live in heedlessness,
> Do not embrace false views,
> Do not be a world-upholder'.
> 
> Arise! Be not negligent!
> Lead a righteous life.
> For one who lives a righteous life
> Dwells in peace here and hereafter.
> 
> By Dhamma should one lead one's life
> And not embrace corrupted means.
> For one who lives the Dhamma life
> Dwells in peace here and hereafter.
> 
> Whoso would look upon the world
> Just as one would see a bubble
> And as one would view a mirage -
> Him the King of Death finds not.
> 
> Come you all and behold this world
> Like an ornamented royal chariot,
> Wherein the fools are deeply sunk.
> But for those who know there is not bond.
> 
> Whoso was previously negligent
> But afterwards practises vigilance -
> He illumines the world here and now
> Like the moon emerging from the cloud.
> 
> Who by his wholesome deeds
> Removes the evil done -
> He illumines the world here and now
> Like the moon emerging from the cloud.
> 
> Blind is this world,
> Few are they who clearly see
> As the birds escaping from a net,
> Few are they who go to Heaven.
> 
> Swans fly on the path of the sun,
> Magicians pass through the air.
> The wise go forth out of the world,
> Having conquered Mâra with all his troop.
> 
> By him who breaks the fourth precept,
> Who at all time speaks untruth,
> Who regards not the world beyond,
> There is no evil that cannot be done.
> 
> Verily, the misers go not to celestial realms.
> Fools do not indeed praise liberality.
> The wise, however, rejoice in giving
> And thereby become happy hereafter.
> 
> Than sole sovereighnty over the earth,
> Than going to celestial worlds,
> Than lordship over all the worlds,
> Is the fruit of a Stream-winner.
> 
> 14. The Enlightened One
> Whose conquest is not turned into defeat,
> Whom not even a bit of conquered passion follows -
> That trackless Buddha of infinite range,
> By which way will you lead him?
> 
> Whom no entangling and poisonous
> Passions can lead astray -
> That trackless Buddha of infinite range,
> By which way will you lead him?
> 
> Absorbed in meditation practice,
> Delighting in renunciation's peace,
> Mindful, wise and fully enlightened -
> Such men even the gods hold dear.
> 
> Hard is it to be born as a man,
> Hard is the life of immortals,
> Hard is it to hear the Truth Sublime,
> Hard as well is the Buddha's rise.
> 
> Abstention from all evil,
> Cultivation of the wholesome,
> Purification of the heart;
> This is the Message of the Buddhas.
> 
> Forbearance is the highest ascetic practice,
> 'Nibbâna is supreme'; say the Buddhas.
> He is not a gone forth' who harms another.
> He is not a recluse who molests another.
> 
> To speak no ill,
> To do no harm,
> To observe the Rules,
> To be moderate in eating,
> To live in a secluded abode,
> To devote oneself to meditation;
> This is the Message of the Buddhas.
> 
> Not in a rain of golden coins
> Is satisfaction to be found,
> 'Of little joy, but paintful are sesual pleasures';
> Thus the wise man clearly comprehends.
> Even in the heavenly pleasures
> He finds no satisfaction.
> In the destruction of all desires,
> The fully-Awakened One's disciple delights.
> 
> Not in a rain of golden coins
> Is satisfaction to be found,
> 'Of little joy, but paintful are sesual pleasures';
> Thus the wise man clearly comprehends.
> Even in the heavenly pleasures
> He finds no satisfaction.
> In the destruction of all desires,
> The fully-Awakened One's disciple delights.
> 
> Many men in their fear
> Betake themselves for a refuge
> To hills, woods, gardens
> Sacred trees and shrines.
> 
> Such a refuge is not secure,
> Such a refuge is not supreme.
> To such a refuge should one go,
> One is not released from all sorrow.
> 
> He who takes refuge in
> The Buddha, the Dhamma and the Saõgha
> Sees with wisdom the Four Noble Truths;
> Suffering,
> The cause of suffering,
> The cessation of suffering,
> The Noble Eightfold Path leading to
> The cessation of suffering.
> 
> He who takes refuge in
> The Buddha, the Dhamma and the Saõgha
> Sees with wisdom the Four Noble Truths;
> Suffering,
> The cause of suffering,
> The cessation of suffering,
> The Noble Eightfold Path leading to
> The cessation of suffering.
> 
> Such indeed is a refuge secure,
> Such indeed is a refuge supreme.
> To such a refuge should one go,
> One is released from all sorrow.
> 
> Hard to find is the Man Supreme,
> He is not born everywhere.
> But where such a wise one is born,
> That family thrives happily.
> 
> Happy is the birth of the Buddha,
> Happy is the preaching of the Sublime Dhamma,
> Happy is the unity of the Sangha,
> Happy is the striving of the united ones.
> 
> He who venerates those venerable ones
> Be they the Buddhas or disciples;
> Those who have overcome obstacles
> And gone beyond distress and lamentation;
> Those who are serene and all-secure.
> No one is able to calculate
> His merit as such and such'.
> 
> He who venerates those venerable ones
> Be they the Buddhas or disciples;
> Those who have overcome obstacles
> And gone beyond distress and lamentation;
> Those who are serene and all-secure.
> No one is able to calculate
> His merit as such and such'.
> 
> 15. Happiness
> Happily indeed do we live
> Unhating among those hating men.
> Among many hate-filled men,
> Thus we dwell unhating.
> 
> Happily indeed do we live
> Not yearning among those who yearn.
> Among many yearning men,
> Thus we dwell unyearning.
> 
> Happily indeed do we live
> Not anxious among those anxious men.
> Among many anxious men,
> Thus we dwell unanxious.
> 
> Happily indeed do we live -
> We that call nothing our own.
> Feeders on joy shall we be
> Even as the Abhassara gods.
> 
> The victor begets hate,
> While the defeated lives in distress.
> Happily the peaceful lives,
> Having given up victory and defeat.
> 
> No fire is there like dust,
> No crime like hatred,
> No ill like the Five Aggregates,
> No higher bliss than Nibbana's peace.
> 
> Off all diseases hunger is the greatest,
> Of all pains the compound things,
> Knowing this (the wise realize Nibbana)
> Which is the bliss supreme.
> 
> Health is the highest gain,
> Contentment is the greatest wealth,
> Trustful are the best kinsmen,
> Nibbana is the highest bliss.
> 
> Having tasted the flavour of
> Seclusion and Nibbana's peace,
> Woesless and stainless becomes he,
> Drinking the taste of the Dhamma's joy.
> 
> Good is it to see the Noble Ones,
> To dwell with them is happiness,
> By not seeing foolish men,
> One may ever be happy.
> 
> Frequenting the company of fools
> One surely grieves for long;
> For association with fools is ever ill
> Just as ever that of foes.
> But to dwell with the wise is happiness
> Just as relatives together meet.
> 
> Therefore --
> Him the intelligent, the wise, the learned,
> The devout, the dutiful and the Noble one -
> Such a wise and intelligent man
> Should one ever follow
> As the moon follows the track of stars.
> 
> 16. Affections
> Exerting oneself in what should be shunned,
> Not exerting where one should exert,
> Rejecting the good and grasping at the pleasant,
> One comes to envy those who exert themselves.
> 
> Be not attached to the beloved
> And never with the unbeloved.
> Not to meet the beloved is painful
> As also to meet with the unbeloved.
> 
> Therefore hold nothing dear,
> For separation from the beloved is painful.
> There are no bonds for those
> To whom nothing is dear or not dear.
> 
> From endearment springs grief,
> From endearment springs fear;
> For him who is free from endearment
> There is neither grief nor fear.
> 
> From love springs grief,
> From love springs fears;
> For him who is free from love
> There is neither grief nor fear.
> 
> From attachment springs grief,
> From attachment springs fear;
> For him who is free from attachment
> There is neither grief nor fear.
> 
> From lust springs grief,
> From lust springs fear;
> For him who is free from lust
> There is neither grief nor fear.
> 
> From craving springs grief,
> From craving springs fear;
> For him who is free from craving
> There is neither grief nor fear.
> 
> He who is perfect in virtue and insight,
> Is established in the Dhamma;
> Who speaks the truth and fulfills his own duty -
> Him do people hold dear.
> 
> He who has developed a wish for Nibbana,
> He whose mind is thrilled (with the Three Fruits),
> He whose mind is not bound by sensual pleasures,
> Such a person is called Upstream-bound one'.
> 
> After a long absence a man comes home
> Safe and sound from afar,
> Kinsmen and freinds gladly welcome him.
> 
> Likewise, good deeds well receive the doer
> Who has gone from here to the next world,
> As kinsmen receive a dear friend on his return.
> 
> 17. Anger
> One should give up anger and pride,
> One should overcome all fetters.
> Ill never befalls him who is passionless,
> Who clings not to Name and Form.
> 
> Whoso, as rolling chariot, checks
> His anger which has risen up -
> Him I call charioteer.
> Others merely hold the reins.
> 
> Conquer anger by love,
> Conquer evil by good,
> Conquer the miser by liberality,
> Conquer the liar by truth.
> 
> One should speaks the truth
> One should not give way to anger.
> If asked for little one should give.
> One may go, by these three means,
> To the presence of celestials.
> 
> Those sages who are harmless
> And in body ever controlled
> Go to the Everlasting State
> Where gone they grieve no more.
> 
> Of those who are wide awake
> And train themselves by night and day
> Upon Nibbana ever intent -
> The defilements fade away.
> 
> Not only today, O Atula,
> From days of old has this been so:
> Sitting silent - him they blame,
> Speaking too much - him they blame,
> Talking little - him they blame,
> There is no one in the world who is not blamed.
> 
> There never was, and never will be,
> Nor is there now to be found
> A person who is wholly blamed or wholly praised.
> 
> He whom the intelligent praise
> After careful examination,
> He who is of flawless life, wise,
> And endowed with knowledge and virtue
> Who would dare to blame him
> Who is like refined gold?
> Even the gods praise him,
> By Brahma too he is admired.
> 
> He whom the intelligent praise
> After careful examination,
> He who is of flawless life, wise,
> And endowed with knowledge and virtue
> Who would dare to blame him
> Who is like refined gold?
> Even the gods praise him,
> By Brahma too he is admired.
> 
> One should guard against bodily hastiness,
> One should be restrained in body.
> Giving up bodily misconduct,
> One should be of good bodily conduct.
> 
> One should guard against hastiness in word,
> One should be restrained in word.
> Giving up verbal misconduct,
> One should be of good verbal conduct.
> 
> One should guard against hastiness of mind,
> One should be restrained in thought.
> Giving up mental misconduct,
> One should be of good mental conduct.
> 
> The wise are restrained in deed,
> In speech too they are restrained,
> They are restrained in mind as well -
> Verily, they are fully restrained.
> 
> 18. Impurity
> Like a withered leaf are you now,
> Death's messagers wait for you.
> One the threshold of departure you stand,
> But provision for your journey you have done.
> 
> Make a refuge unto yourself,
> Quickly strive and become wise.
> Purged of taint and free from stain,
> To heavenly state of the Noble will you attain.
> 
> Your life has come near to an end now,
> To the presence of Death you are setting out.
> No halting place is there for you on the way,
> And provision for your journey you have none.
> 
> Make a refuge unto yourself,
> Quickly strive and become wise.
> Purged of taint and free from stain,
> To birth-and-decay will you not come again.
> 
> By gradual practice,
> From moment to moment,
> And little by little,
> Let the wise man blow out
> His own impurities,
> Just as a smith removes
> The dross of ore.
> 
> As rust, springing from iron,
> Eats itself away, once formed,
> Even so to states of woe
> Lead his own deeds the transgressor.
> 
> Non-recitation is the bane of scriptures.
> Non-repair is the bane of houses.
> Sloth is the bane of beauty.
> Negligence is the bane of a watcher.
> 
> Misconduct is defilement of a woman.
> Stinginess is defilement of a donor.
> Tainted indeed are all evil things,
> Both in this world and the world to come.
> 
> A greater taint than these is ignorance,
> The worst taint of all.
> Rid yourselves of ignorance, monks,
> And be without taint.
> 
> Easy is the life of a shameless one
> Who is as bold as a crow,
> A back-biting, a forward,
> An arrogant and a corrupted one.
> 
> Hard is the life of a modest one
> Who ever seeks after purity,
> Who is strenous, humble,
> Cleanly of life, and discerning.
> 
> Whoso destroys life,
> Tells lies,
> Takes what is not given,
> Commits sexual misconduct,
> And is addicted to intoxicating drinks -
> Such a one roots out oneself in this very world.
> 
> Whoso destroys life,
> Tells lies,
> Takes what is not given,
> Commits sexual misconduct,
> And is addicted to intoxicating drinks -
> Such a one roots out oneself in this very world.
> 
> Know this, O good man,
> Not easy to control are evil things.
> Let not greed and wickedness drag you
> To protacted misery!
> 
> People give according to their faith
> And as they are pleased.
> Whoso among them is envious
> Of others' food and drink -
> He attains no peace of mind
> Either by day or by night.
> 
> He who thinks not in such a way
> Gains peace of mind every night and day.
> 
> No fire is there like lust.
> No captor like hatred.
> No snare like delusion.
> No torrent like craving.
> 
> Easy to perceive are others' faults,
> One's own, however, are hard to see.
> Like chaff one winnows others' faults,
> But conceals one' own
> Just as a cheating gambler hides
> An ill-thrown dice.
> 
> He who sees other's faults
> And is ever censorious -
> Defilements of such a one grow
> Far is he from destroying them.
> 
> No track is there in the sky.
> No samanas are there outside.
> Mankind delights in obstacles,
> Far from them are the Tathagatas.
> 
> No track is there in the sky.
> No samanas are there outside.
> No eternal compounded thing.
> No instability is there in the Buddhas.
> 
> 19. The Just
> He who hastily arbitrates
> Is not known as just'
> The wise investigating right and wrong
> (is known as such).
> 
> He who judges others with due deliberation,
> With judgement righteous and just -
> Such a wise one, guardain of the law,
> Is called righteous'.
> 
> A man is not called Pandit
> Merely because he speaks much.
> Secure, hateless and fearless -
> Such a man is called Pandit.
> 
> He is not a Dhamma-holder'
> Merely because he speaks much.
> He who hears little of the teaching
> But mentally sees the Truth
> And who is not heedless of the Truth-
> He is indeed a Dhamma-holder'.
> 
> A man is not an Elder'
> Merely because his heads is grey.
> Ripe is his age,
> And old-in-vain' is he called.
> 
> In whom there are truth, virtue, harmlessness,
> Self-mastery, and self-restaint,
> Who is free from defilements and is wise
> He, indeed, is called an Elder'.
> 
> Not by mere eloquence,
> Nor by beautiful complexion
> Does a man become good natured'.
> Should he be jealous, selfish and deceitful.
> 
> In whom such behaviour
> Is cut off and wholly uprooted,
> That wise man who has cast out impurities,
> Is indeed called good-nature'.
> 
> Not by a shaven head does an undisciplined
> And lying man become an ascetic.
> How can he become an ascetic
> Who is full of desire and greed?
> 
> Whosoever makes an end of all evil,
> Both small and great -
> He is called an ascetic,
> Since he has overcome all evil.
> 
> A man is not a bhikkhu
> Simply because he begs from others.
> By adapting householder's manner,
> One does not truly become a bhikkhu.
> 
> Herein he who has abandoned both merit and demerit,
> He who is leading a pure life,
> He who lives in the world with wisdom -
> He indeed is called a bhikkhu.
> 
> Not by silence does one become a sage
> If one be both ignorant and dull.
> But the wise who, as if holding a pair of scales,
> Embraces the best and shuns evil -
> He is indeed, for that reason, a sage.
> He that understands both worlds is called a sage.
> 
> Not by silence does one become a sage
> If one be both ignorant and dull.
> But the wise who, as if holding a pair of scales,
> Embraces the best and shuns evil -
> He is indeed, for that reason, a sage.
> He that understands both worlds is called a sage.
> 
> By harming living beings
> Not thus is one a noble man.
> By harmlessness towards all beings
> One is then called a noble man.
> 
> Not by mere conduct and vows,
> Nor again by much learning,
> Nor even by gaining concentration,
> Nor by living alone in solitude,
> At the thought: I enjoy the bliss of renunciation
> Not resorted to by the worlding',
> Should you, O monks, rest content
> Without reaching the extinction of corruption.
> 
> Not by mere conduct and vows,
> Nor again by much learning,
> Nor even by gaining concentration,
> Nor by living alone in solitude,
> At the thought: I enjoy the bliss of renunciation
> Not resorted to by the worlding',
> Should you, O monks, rest content
> Without reaching the extinction of corruption.
> 
> 20. The Path
> Best of paths is the Eightfold Path,
> Best of truths is the Four Noble Truths
> Best of conditions is Passionlessness.
> Best of men is the Seeing One.
> 
> This is the only way;
> None other is there for purity of vision.
> Enter upon this path,
> Which is the bewilderment of Mara.
> 
> When a walking along this path,
> You shall make an end of suffering
> This is the Way made known by me
> When I had learned to remove all darts.
> 
> You yourself should make an effort,
> The Tathagata can but show the Way.
> The meditative one who walks this path
> Is released from the bonds of Mara.
> 
> Impermanent are all conditioned things',
> When thus one sees with wisdom,
> Then is one disgusted with ill.
> This is the path to purity.
> 
> Full of ill are all conditioned things',
> When thus one sees with wisdom,
> Then is one disgusted with ill.
> This is the path to purity.
> 
> Lacking permanent entity are all events',
> When thus one sees with wisdom,
> Then is one disgusted with ill.
> This is the path to purity.
> 
> The idler who strives not when he should strive,
> Who though young and strong is slothful,
> Is feeble in maintaining right-mindedness,
> And is sluggish and inert,
> Such a one finds not they way to wisdom.
> 
> Ever watchful in speech,
> Restrained in mind let him be,
> Let him commit no evil in deed.
> These three ways of action let him purity,
> And so win the way
> Proclaimed by the Sages.
> 
> Indeed from concentration springs wisdom,
> Without concentration wisdom wanes.
> Knowing this twofold way of loss and gain,
> Let him so conduct himself
> That wisdom may grow well.
> 
> Cut down the forest (of passion) but not real trees,
> In the forest (of passion) is danger.
> Cut the forest and brushwood (of passion),
> Be forestless, O bhikkhus.
> 
> As long as the brushwood of lust, however small,
> Of a man towards a woman is not destroyed,
> So long is his mind attached (to existence)
> As a sucking calf is to its mother-cow.
> 
> Root out your affection
> As the autumn lily is plucked
> Cultivate Nibbâna, the Path of Peace,
> Made known by the Blessed One.
> 
> Here shall I live in the rains,
> Here in the autumn and in the summer',
> Thus thinks the fool,
> But realizes not the danger (of life).
> 
> On children and flocks
> Whose mind is attached and set,
> Him Death carries away
> As a great flood a sleeping village.
> 
> No sons are there for protection,
> Neither father nor even kinsmen.
> For one who is assailed by death
> No protection is there found among kinsmen.
> 
> Thoroughly knowing this fact,
> The wise man, restrained in the rules,
> Delays not to clear the way
> That leads to Nibbana.
> 
> 21. Miscellaneous
> If by giving up a slight happiness
> One may behold a greater one,
> Let the wise man renounce the lesser,
> Having regard to the greater.
> 
> Whosoever wishes his own happiness
> Yet inflicts suffering on others -
> He is not free from hatred,
> Entangled in the tangles of anger.
> 
> What ought to be done is left undone;
> What ought not to be done is done,
> For those who are naughty and heedless
> Corruptions greatly progress.
> 
> They who develop well mindfulness of the body,
> Who never do what ought not to be done,
> And ever do what ought to be done -
> Of those mindful and reflective ones
> Defilements come to extinction.
> 
> Having slain mother and father,
> And two warrior kings,
> Having destroyed a country,
> With its governor,
> Ungrieving goes a brahman.
> 
> Having slain mother and father,
> And two learned kings,
> Having destroyed the five ways of a tiger,
> Scatheless goes the brahman.
> 
> Ever well awake
> Are the disciples of Gotama
> Who ever day and night
> Recollect the Buddha's virtues.
> 
> Ever well awake
> Are the disciples of Gotama
> Who ever day and night
> Recollect the Dhamma's virtues.
> 
> Ever well awake
> Are the disciples of Gotama
> Who ever day and night
> Recollect the Sangha's virtues.
> 
> Ever well awake
> Are the disciples of Gotama
> Who ever day and night
> Recollect the body's nature.
> 
> Ever well awake
> Are the disciples of Gotama
> Whose mind ever day and night
> Takes delight in harmlessness.
> 
> Ever well awake
> Are the disciples of Gotama
> Whose mind ever day and night
> Takes delight in meditation.
> 
> Hard is the going forth'.
> Hard is it to delight therein.
> Hard is household life.
> Ill is association with unequals.
> Ill is also to wander in Saæsâra.
> Be therefore no more a wanderer
> Nor be a pursuer of suffering.
> 
> He who if full of faith and virtue,
> Possessed of repute and wealth -
> In whatever land he travels,
> He is honoured everywhere.
> 
> The good shine from far away
> Just as the Himalayan peaks.
> The wicked are not seen, though near,
> Just as an arrow shot at night.
> 
> Alone should he sit and rest alone.
> Alone should he the active walk.
> Alone should he himself subdue.
> Alone should he in forest delight.
> 
> 22. Hell
> He who always lies goes to Hell
> And he who denies what he has done.
> These two, the men of base actions,
> Share the same destiny in the world to come.
> 
> Clad in the yellow robes,
> Ill-behaved and uncontrolled,
> By evil deeds, those evil ones,
> Shall go to the realm of woe.
> 
> Better for an immoral and uncontrolledd man
> To eat a red-hot and flaming ball
> Than to eat the alms of people in the land.
> 
> Four misfortunes befall that man
> Who, heedless, courts the neighbour's wife:
> Acquisition of demerit is acquired by him,
> He has a bad sleep at night,
> Ill-repute he, thirdly, gains,
> And Hell, fourthly, he attains.
> 
> There is a gain of demerit and evil destiny,
> Brief is the joy of frightened couple,
> And the king imposes heavy punishment.
> Therefore let no man commit adultery.
> 
> As kusa grass when wrongly grasped
> Cuts the seizing hand,
> So a recluse's life when wrongly handled
> Drags one to Hell.
> 
> An act loosely performed,
> A vow corruptly observed,
> A Holy life unwillingly lived -
> This yields not much fruit.
> 
> Let one do with all one's might
> What ought to be performed.
> A loose monastic life stirs up
> The dust of passions all the more.
> 
> Better left undone is an evil deed,
> For it torments one afterwards.
> Better done is a wholesome deed,
> After doing which one feels no remorse.
> 
> Just as a border city
> Is well-guarded within and without,
> Even so do you guard yourselves.
> Do not let slip this oppurtunity.
> For those missing the opportunity grieve,
> Having been consigned to Hell.
> 
> Of what is not shameful they are ashamed,
> But of the shameful they are not ashamed.
> Embracing false views as such,
> Those beings go to a woeful realm.
> 
> What is not to be feared they fear,
> What is fearsome they fear not.
> Embracing false views as much,
> Those beings go to a woeful realm.
> 
> They think there is harm where there is none,
> And they do not see where harm exists.
> Embracing false views as such,
> Those beings go to a woeful realm.
> 
> Perceiving wrong as wrong,
> Perceiving right as right,
> Beings of such right views
> In a blissful realm arise.
> 
> 23. The Elephant
> As an elephant in the battle field
> Withstands the arrows shot from a bow,
> Even so will I endure abuse,
> For people's conduct is mostly low.
> 
> The tamed elephant is led to crowds.
> The tamed do the kings mount.
> The well-tamed is best among men,
> Who endures abuse.
> 
> Excellent are well trained mules.
> So are thorough-bred ones from Sindhu
> And likewise noble fighting elephants.
> More excellent is the self-trained man.
> 
> Surely never by those vehicles
> Whould one go to the untrodden land
> As does one who is controlled
> Though his subdued and well-trained self.
> 
> The great elephant called Dhanapâlaka
> In time of rust is uncontrollable;
> Tied fast he refuses his food
> Since he calls to mind the elephant wood.
> 
> A sluggard, or glutton, too,
> Rolling himself about in gross sleep
> Like a big hog nursed on pig-wash -
> That foolish one endlessly comes to birth.
> 
> Formerly this mind went wandering
> Where it liked, as it wished, as it listed.
> I will now control it with attentiveness
> As the driver with his hook, the wild-elephant.
> 
> Take delight in heedfulness
> And guard well your own minds;
> Draw yourselves out of evil ways
> Like an elephant sunk in the mire.
> 
> If for the faring-on you can find
> A friend, well-behaved, prudent and wise,
> Walk with him joyfully and mindfully,
> Overcoming dangers (open and concealed).
> 
> If for the faring-on you cannot find
> A friend, well-behaved, prudent and wise,
> Fare alond as a king renoucing his conquered land
> And as an elephant roaming alone in the wilds.
> 
> Better is it to fare alone;
> There is no friendship with a fool.
> Fare alone and commit no sin,
> Being care-free as an elephant in the wilds.
> 
> Happy is it to have a friend in need
> Happy is contentment with whatever betides
> Happy is merit at the end of life.
> Happy is it to leave all-sorrow behind.
> 
> Happy is it to honour mother.
> Happy is it to honour father.
> Happy is it to honour ascetics.
> Happy is it to honour the Noble Ones.
> 
> Happy is virtue until old age.
> Happy is faith that firmly stands.
> Happy is it to gain insight.
> Happy is it to commit no sin.
> 
> 24. Craving
> Of the person addicted to heedless living
> Craving grows like creeping Maluva.
> Such a man jumps from life to life
> Like in the forest monkey craving fruit.
> 
> Whoso in the world is overcome
> By this craving poisonous and base,
> For him all sorrow increases
> As virana grass that is watered well.
> 
> But whoso in the world overcomes
> This base craving, difficult to overcome,
> His sorrow falls away from him
> As water droos from a lotus leaf.
> 
> This I say unto you
> Good luck to you all who have assembled here.
> As one roots out fragrant virana grass,
> So dig up craving by its root.
> Let no Mâra crush you again and again
> As the river flood crushing a reed.
> 
> As a tree cut down sprouts forth again
> If its roots remain undamaged and firm,
> Even so, while latent craving is not removed,
> This sorrow springs up again and again.
> 
> In whom are strong the thirty-six torrents
> Of craving flowing towards pleasurable objects,
> Then the great flood of lustful thoughts
> Carries off that misunderstanding man.
> 
> Everywhere flow the (cravings)-streams,
> Everywhere the creepers sprout and stand.
> Seeing the creepers that have sprung high
> Do you cut their roots with your wisdom-(knife).
> 
> To brings there arise wide-ranging pleasures
> That are moistened with lustful desires.
> Bent on pleasures, seeking after sexual joys,
> They, verily, fall prey to birth-and-decay.
> 
> Enwrapped in lust, beings run about,
> Now here now there like a captive hare.
> Held fast by fetters they suffer
> Again and again for long.
> 
> Enwrapped in lust, beings run about,
> Now here now there like a captive hare.
> So let a bhikkhu share off craving
> If he wishes his own passionlessness.
> 
> Released from jungle of the household life,
> He turns to the bhikkhu jungle-life.
> Though freed from the household wilds
> He runs back to that very home again.
> Come indeed and behold such a man.
> Freed he turns to that bondage again.
> 
> Not strong are bonds made of iron,
> Or wood, or hemp, thus say the wise.
> But attachment to jewelled ornaments,
> Children and wives is a strong tie.
> 
> This is a strong bond, says the wise,
> Down-hurling, loose but hard to untie.
> This too they cut off and leave the world,
> With no longing, renouncing the sense-pleasures.
> 
> They who are attached to lust fall back
> To (craving's) streams as a spider self-spun web;
> This too the wise cut off and go forth',
> With no longing, leaving all sorrow behind.
> 
> Let go the past, let go the future too,
> Let go the present and go beyond becoming.
> With mind released from everything,
> To birth-and-decay you shall come no more.
> 
> For him who is of restless mind,
> Who is of powerful passions,
> Who sees but the pleasurable,
> Craving increases all the more.
> Indeed he makes the bond strong.
> 
> He who delights in subduing thoughts,
> He who meditates on impurities of things,
> He who is ever full of mindfulness,-
> It is he who will make an end of suffering
> And destroy the Mara's bond.
> 
> He has reached the final goal,
> He is fearless, without lust, without passions.
> He has broken the shafts of existence.
> Of such an arahant this body is his last.
> 
> Free from craving and grasping,
> Well versed in analytical knowledge,
> Knowing the textual orders and their sequence,
> He of his last body is, indeed, called
> 'One of great wisdom' and a great man'.
> 
> All have I overcome,
> All do I know,
> From all am I detached,
> All have I removed,
> Thoroughly freed am I
> Through the destruction of craving,
> Having realized all by myself,
> Whom shall I call my teacher?
> 
> All gifts the gift of Truth excels.
> All tastes the taste of Truht excels.
> All delights the delight in Truth excels.
> All sorrows the end of craving excels.
> 
> Riches ruin the fool
> But not those seeking the Beyond.
> Craving for wealth,the foolish man
> Ruins himself by destroying others.
> 
> Weeds are the bane of fields,
> Lust is the bane of mankind.
> Hence offerings made to lustless ones
> Yiel abundant fruit.
> 
> Weeds are the bane of fields,
> Hate is the bane of mankind.
> Hence offerings made to hateless ones
> Yield abundant fruit.
> 
> Weeds are the bane of fields,
> Delusion is the bane of mankind.
> Hence offerings made to delusionless ones
> Yield abundant fruit.
> 
> Weeds are the bane of fields,
> Thirst is the bane of mankind.
> Hence offerings made to thirstless ones
> Yield abundant fruit.
> 
> 25. The Monk
> Good is restraint in the eye.
> Good is restraint in the ear.
> Good is restraint in the nose.
> Good is restraint in the tongue.
> 
> Good is restraint in deed.
> Good is restraint in speech.
> Good is restraint in thought.
> Good is restraint everywhere.
> The bhikkhu restrained everywhere
> Shall leave all sorrow behind.
> 
> He who is controlled in hand and foot.
> He who is controlled in speech and body.
> He who is with inward joy and settled mind.
> He who is solitarily controlled -
> Such a one they call a bhikkhu'.
> 
> The bhikkhu who is well controlled in tongue,
> Who speaks with wisdom and who is not proud,
> Who explains the text and its meaning-
> Sweet indeed is his speech.
> 
> Dwelling in the Dhamma,
> Delighting in the Dhamma,
> Investigating the Dhamma,
> Remembering the Dhamma,
> That bhikkhu falls not away
> From the Dhamma sublime.
> 
> Let him not despise his own gains
> Let him not envy those of others.
> The bhikkhu envying the other's gains,
> Does not attain concentration.
> 
> Though a recipient of little,
> A bhikkhu despises not his own.
> Him of pure and strenuous life,
> Devas look up to high.
> 
> He who grasps at neither I' nor Mine',
> Neither in mentality nor in materiality,
> Who grieves not for what is not -
> Such a one indeed is called a bhikkhu'.
> 
> The bhikkhu who abides in Loving-kindness,
> And who is pleased with the Buddha's teaching,
> Shall attain to the Peaceful State,
> The happy stilling of conditioned things.
> 
> Empty this boat, O bhikkhu!
> When emptied, it will swiftly move
> Cutting off lust and hatred
> To Nibbana will you thereby go.
> 
> Cut off the Five, give up the Five
> Cultivate further more the Five.
> The bhikkhu, from the Five Fetters freed,
> 'The Flood-Crosser' is he called.
> 
> Meditate, O bhikkhu!
> Be not heedless!
> Let not your mind dwell
> On sensual pleasures!
> Do not carelessly swallow
> A red-hot iron ball!
> Do not as you burn bewail
> 'O this indeed is ill.'
> 
> There is no concentration
> For one who lacks wisdom,
> Nor is there wisdom
> For one who lacks concentration
> In whom are found
> Both concentration and wisdom -
> He indeed is in the presence of Nibbana.
> 
> The bhikkhu gone to solitude,
> Having calmed his mind,
> Clearly perceiving the Teaching,
> Experiences as peaceful joy
> That has never before been
> Tasted by the worldlings.
> 
> Whenever he reflects
> On the rise and fall of Aggregates,
> He experiences joy and happiness,
> To the knowing ones that is Deathless.
> 
> For the wise bhikkhu in this Sâsana
> These are the first things to cultivate:
> Sense-control, contentment,
> Observance of the Rules,
> Association with keen friends
> Who lead a pure life.
> 
> Let him live a life of cordiality.
> Let him be skilled in good conduct.
> And full of joy thereby,
> He will put an end to ill.
> 
> Just as the jasmine shed
> Its own withered flowers,
> So should you, O bhikkhu,
> Cast off lust and hatred.
> 
> Calm in body, calm in speech,
> Serene and composed of heart,
> Whoso has cast off worldly gains -
> 'Truly tranquil' is such a one called.
> 
> By yourself censure yourself.
> By yourself examine yourself.
> Thus self-guarded and mindful, too,
> Shall you, bhikkhu, live in bliss.
> 
> One is one's own lord.
> One has one's own course.
> Control therefore your own self,
> As a merchant, a noble steed.
> 
> The bhikkhu who is full of joy,
> Who is pleased with the Buddha's teaching,
> Shall attain to the Peaceful State,
> The happy stilling of conditioned things.
> 
> Whosoever, although still young,
> Devotes himself to the Buddha's teaching -
> He illumines all the world,
> As the moon emerging from the cloud.
> 
> 26. The Brahman
> Strive and stop the stream,
> Discard, O brahman, sense-desires.
> Knowing conditioned things, brahman,
> You will know the unconditioned.
> 
> When depending on the twofold means,
> A brahman has reached the Other Shore,
> Then of that one who knows,
> All fetters remain no more.
> 
> For whom there exists
> Neither the Hither Shore and the Farther Shore,
> Nor both this Shore and the Other,
> He who is undistressed and unbound-
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> Meditative, dwelling alone,
> Free from passion taint,
> Having done what should be done,
> Devoid of all corruptions,
> And having reached the Highest Goal -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> By day the sun shines.
> By night the moon is bright.
> Amoured shines the warrior.
> In meditation the brahman glows.
> But all day and all night,
> The Buddha shines in splendour.
> 
> Without evil he is called a brahman'.
> He who lives in peace is called a samana'.
> With all impurities gone,
> 'A pabbajita' is he called.
> 
> One should not strike a brahman,
> Nor such a brahman vent his wrath on him.
> Woe to him who strikes a brahman -
> More woe to him who gives way to his wrath.
> 
> Naught is better for a brahman
> Than restraint of mind from what is dear.
> Whenever his ill-will has been put aside,
> Then and then only his sorrow subsides.
> 
> He in whom there is no evil done,
> Through body, speech or mind,
> He who is restrained in these three modes
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> From whom one knows the Truth Sublime
> Which the Awakened One proclaimed,
> Devotedly should one revere him,
> As a brahman tends the sacrificial fire.
> 
> Not by matted hair, nor by clan, nor by birth,
> Does one become a brahman.
> In whom there are truth and righteousness,
> Pure is he, a brahman is he.
> 
> What use of your matted hair, O foolish one?
> And what of your entelope-garment?
> Full of impurities is you mind,
> You embellish only the outside.
> 
> Clad in rag-robes and lean,
> With body overspread by veins,
> Meditating in the forest alone -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> I do not call him a brahman
> Merely because he is born of a womb
> Or sprung from a brahman mother.
> He is merely a brahman by name,
> If he is full of impediments.
> He who is free from impediments and clinging-
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who has cut off all bonds,
> He who trembles not,
> He who is free and unbound -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who has cut off the strap (of hatred),
> The thong (of craving),
> The rope (of heresies),
> Together with all tendencies;
> He who has thrown up the cross-bar (ignorance),
> And has realized the Truth -
> Him do I called a brahman'.
> 
> He who is not wrathful
> Bears reviling, blows and bonds,
> Whose power, the potent army, is patience-
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who is free from anger,
> He who is dutiful and righteous,
> He who is without craving, and controlled;
> And he who bears his final body -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> Like water on a lotus-leaf,
> Like a mustard seed on a needle's point,
> He who clings not to sensual pleasures -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who has realized in this world
> The destruction of his own ill,
> Who has put aside the burden and is freed -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He whose wisdom is deep,
> Who is wise and skilled
> In the right and wrong means,
> Who has reached the Highest Goal -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who is not intimate
> With both householder and homeless,
> Who with no fixed abode
> Wanders, wanting but little -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who has given up harming creatures,
> Whether feeble or strong,
> Who neither kills nor causes to kill -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> Friendly among the nostile,
> Peaceful among the violent,
> Ungrasping among the grasping -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> In whom lust, hatred, pride,
> Detraction are fallen off,
> As a mustard seed from the needle's point -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who utters words
> Gentle, instructive and true,
> He who gives offence to none -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who in this world
> Takes not what is not given,
> Be it long or short,
> Small or great, fair or foul -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who has no longing
> Either for this world or next world,
> Who is detached and emancipated -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who has no more longing,
> Who through knowledge is free from doubts,
> Who has plunged deep into the Deathless -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who has passed beyond
> Good and bad and attachment,
> Who is sorrowless, stainless and pure -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who is pure as the spotless moon,
> He who is serene and clear,
> He who has ended delight in existence -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who has passed beyond
> This quagmire, this difficult path;
> The ocean (of life) and delusion,
> Who has crossed and gone beyond;
> Who is meditative, desireless and doubtless,
> Who, clinging to nought, has attained Nibbâna
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who, giving up sensual pleasures,
> Would renounce and become a homeless one,
> Who has removed the lust of becoming -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who, giving up craving,
> Would renounce and become a homeless one,
> Who has destroyed the craving for existence -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who, discarding human ties,
> And transcending celestial ties,
> Is completely freed from all ties -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who has given up delight and aversion,
> Who is cooled and without attachments,
> Strenuous and victorious over the whole world -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> He who perfectly understands
> The rise and fall of all beings,
> Who is detached well-gone and enlightened -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> Whose way is unknown
> To gods, gandhâbbas and men,
> Who has destroyed all defilements
> And who has become enlightened -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> Who clings not to the past,
> The present and the future, too,
> Who has no clinging and grasping -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> The fearless, the noble, the hero,
> The great sage, the conqueror,
> The desireless, the pure, the enlightened -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
> The sage who knows his previous births,
> Who sees heaven and hell,
> Who has reached the end of births
> Attained to insight-wisdom,
> And accomplished with all accomplishments -
> Him do I call a brahman'.
> 
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> — *Dhammapada - Sayings of the Buddha 3 (tr. J. Richards)*