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Dhammapada
- Dhammapada 1
- The Pairs
- translated by Acharya Buddharakkhita
1. Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they
are all mind-wrought. If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts suffering follows him
like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox.
2. Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they
are all mind-wrought. If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows him
like his never-departing shadow
3. "He abused me, he struck me, he overpowered me, he
robbed me." Those who harbor such thoughts do not still their hatred.
4. "He abused me, he struck me, he overpowered me, he
robbed me." Those who do not harbor such thoughts still their hatred.
5. Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By
non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.
6. There are those who do not realize that one day we all must
die. But those who do realize this settle their quarrels.
7. Just as a storm throws down a weak tree, so does Mara
overpower the man who lives for the pursuit of pleasures, who is uncontrolled in his
senses, immoderate in eating, indolent, and dissipated. [1]
8. Just as a storm cannot prevail against a rocky mountain, so
Mara can never overpower the man who lives meditating on the impurities, who is controlled
in his senses, moderate in eating, and filled with faith and earnest effort. [2]
9. Whoever being depraved, devoid of self-control and
truthfulness, should don the monk's yellow robe, he surely is not worthy of the robe.
10. But whoever is purged of depravity, well-established in
virtues and filled with self-control and truthfulness, he indeed is worthy of the yellow
robe.
11. Those who mistake the unessential to be essential and the
essential to be unessential, dwelling in wrong thoughts, never arrive at the essential.
12. Those who know the essential to be essential and the
unessential to be unessential, dwelling in right thoughts, do arrive at the essential.
13. Just as rain breaks through an ill-thatched house, so
passion penetrates an undeveloped mind.
14. Just as rain does not break through a well-thatched house,
so passion never penetrates a well-developed mind.
15. The evil-doer grieves here and hereafter; he grieves in
both the worlds. He laments and is afflicted, recollecting his own impure deeds.
16. The doer of good rejoices here and hereafter; he rejoices
in both the worlds. He rejoices and exults, recollecting his own pure deeds.
17. The evil-doer suffers here and hereafter; he suffers in
both the worlds. The thought, "Evil have I done," torments him, and he suffers
even more when gone to realms of woe.
18. The doer of good delights here and hereafter; he delights
in both the worlds. The thought, "Good have I done," delights him, and he
delights even more when gone to realms of bliss.
19. Much though he recites the sacred texts, but acts not
accordingly, that heedless man is like a cowherd who only counts the cows of others -- he
does not partake of the blessings of the holy life.
20. Little though he recites the sacred texts, but puts the
Teaching into practice, forsaking lust, hatred, and delusion, with true wisdom and
emancipated mind, clinging to nothing of this or any other world -- he indeed partakes of
the blessings of a holy life.