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Dhammapada

A Translation
by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
(Geoffrey DeGraff)
2
Copyright Thanissaro Bhikkhu 1998
This book may be copied or reprinted for free distribution
without permission from the publisher.
Otherwise all rights resered.
!eised edition" #$11.
3
Contents
%reface
&ntroduction
& ' %airs
&& ' (eedfulness
&&& ' The )ind
&* ' Blossoms
* ' +ools
*& ' The ,ise
*&& ' -rahants
*&&& ' Thousands
&. ' /il
. ' The !od
.& ' -ging
.&& ' 0elf
.&&& ' ,orlds
.&* ' -wakened
.* ' (appy
.*& ' 1ear Ones
.*&& ' -nger
.*&&& ' &mpurities
.&. ' The 2udge
.. ' The %ath
4
..& ' )iscellany
..&& ' (ell
..&&& ' /lephants
..&* ' Craing
..* ' )onks
..*& ' Brahmans
(istorical 3otes
/nd 3otes
4lossary
-bbreiations
Bibliography
5
Preface
-nother translation of the 1hammapada.
)any other /nglish translations are already aailable5the fingers of at least fie people
would be needed to count them5so & suppose that a new translation has to be 6ustified" to
proe that it7s not 86ust9 another one. &n doing so" though" &7d rather not critici:e the efforts
of earlier translators" for & owe them a great deal. &nstead" &7ll ask you to read the
&ntroduction and (istorical 3otes" to gain an idea of what is distinctie about the approach
& hae taken" and the translation itself" which & hope will stand on its own merits. The
original impulse for making the translation came from my coniction that the te;t desered
to be offered freely as a gift of 1hamma. -s & knew of no e;isting translations aailable as
gifts" & made my own.
The e;planatory material is designed to meet with the needs of two sorts of readers'
those who want to read the te;t as a te;t" in the conte;t of the religious history of Buddhism
5iewed from the outside5and those who want to read the te;t as a guide to the personal
conduct of their lies. -lthough there is no clear line diiding these groups" the
&ntroduction is aimed more at the second group" and the (istorical 3otes more at the first.
The /nd 3otes and 4lossary contain material that should be of interest to both. *erses
marked with an asterisk in the translation are discussed in the /nd 3otes. %ali terms5as
well as /nglish terms used in a special sense" such as effluent, enlightened one, fabrication, stress,
and nbinding5when they appear in more than one erse" are e;plained in the 4lossary.
&n addition to the preious translators and editors from whose work & hae borrowed" &
owe a special debt of gratitude to 2eanne <arsen for her help in honing down the language
of the translation. -lso" 2ohn Bullitt" 4il +ronsdal" Charles (allisey" =aren =ing" -ndrew
Olend:ki" !uth 0tiles" Clark 0trand" %aula Trahan" and 2ane >udelman offered many
helpful comments that improed the ?uality of the book as a whole. -ny mistakes that
remain" of course" are my own responsibility.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
)etta +orest )onastery
*alley Center" C- 9#$8#@1A$9
1ecember" 199B
6
!ntroduction
The 1hammapada" an anthology of erses attributed to the Buddha" has long been
recogni:ed as one of the masterpieces of early Buddhist literature. Only more recently hae
scholars reali:ed that it is also one of the early masterpieces in the &ndian tradition of ka"ya,
or belles lettres.
This translation of the 1hammapada is an attempt to render the erses into /nglish in a
way that does 6ustice to both of the traditions to which the te;t belongs. -lthough it is
tempting to iew these traditions as distinct" dealing with form CkayaD and content
CBuddhismD" the ideals of kaya aimed at combining form and content into a seamless whole.
-t the same time" the early Buddhists adopted and adapted the conentions of kaya in a way
that skillfully doetailed with their iews of how teaching and listening played a role in their
path of practice. )y hope is that the translation presented here will coney the same
seamlessness and skill.
-s an e;ample of kaya" the 1hammapada has a fairly complete body of ethical and
aesthetic theory behind it" for the purpose of kaya was to instruct in the highest ends of life
while simultaneously giing delight. The ethical teaching of the 1hammapada is e;pressed
in the first pair of erses' the mind" through its actions (kamma), is the chief architect of
one7s happiness and suffering both in this life and beyond. The first three chapters elaborate
on this point" to show that there are two ma6or ways of relating to this fact' as a wise person"
who is heedful enough to make the necessary effort to train hisEher own mind to be a skillful
architectF and as a fool" who is heedless and sees no reason to train the mind.
The work as a whole elaborates on this distinction" showing in more detail both the path
of the wise person and that of the fool" together with the rewards of the former and the
dangers of the latter' the path of the wise person can lead not only to happiness within the
cycle of death and rebirth" but also to total escape into the 1eathless" beyond the cycle
entirelyF the path of the fool leads not only to suffering now and in the future" but also to
further entrapment within the cycle. The purpose of the 1hammapada is to make the wise
path attractie to the reader so that heEshe will follow it5for the dilemma posited by the
first pair of erses is not one in the imaginary world of fictionF it is the dilemma in which the
reader is already placed by the fact of being born.
To make the wise path attractie" the techni?ues of poetry are used to gie 8saor9 (rasa)
to the message. -ncient &ndian aesthetic treatises deoted a great deal of discussion to the
notion of saor and how it could be coneyed. The basic theory was this' -rtistic
composition e;pressed states of emotion or states of mind called #bha"a$% The standard list
of basic emotions included loe CdelightD" humor" grief" anger" energy" fear" disgust" and
astonishment. The reader or listener e;posed to these presentations of emotion did not
participate in them directlyF rather" heEshe saored them as an aesthetic e;perience at one
7
remoe from the emotion. Thus" the saor of grief is not grief" but compassion. The saor of
energy is not energy itself" but admiration for heroism. The saor of loe is not loe but an
e;perience of sensitiity. The saor of astonishment is a sense of the marelous. The proof
of the indirectness of the aesthetic e;perience was that some of the basic emotions were
decidedly unpleasant" while the saor of the emotion was to be en6oyed.
-lthough a work of art might depict many emotions" and thus5like a good meal5offer
many saors for the readerElistener to taste" one saor was supposed to dominate. ,riters
made a common practice of announcing the saor they were trying to produce" usually
stating in passing that their particular saor was the highest of all. The 1hammapada GHIAJ
states e;plicitly that the saor of 1hamma is the highest saor" which indicates that that is
the basic saor of the work. Classic aesthetic theory lists the saor of 1hamma" or 6ustice" as
one of the three basic arieties of the heroic saor Cthe other two deal with generosity and
warD' thus we would e;pect the ma6ority of the erses to depict energy" and in fact they do"
with their e;hortations to action" strong erbs" repeated imperaties" and fre?uent use of the
imagery from battles" races" and con?uests.
1hamma" in the Buddhist sense" implies more than the 86ustice9 of 1hamma in
aesthetic theory. (oweer" the long section of the 1hammapada deoted to 8The 2udge95
beginning with a definition of a good 6udge" and continuing with e;amples of good
6udgment5shows that the Buddhist concept of 1hamma has room for the aesthetic
meaning of the term as well.
Classic theory also holds that the heroic saor should" especially at the end of a piece"
shade into the marelous. This" in fact" is what happens periodically throughout the
1hammapada" and especially at the end" where the erses e;press astonishment at the
ama:ing and parado;ical ?ualities of a person who has followed the path of heedfulness to its
end" becoming 8pathless9 G9#@9HF 1B9@18$J5totally indescribable" transcending conflicts
and dualities of eery sort. Thus the predominant emotions that the erses e;press in %ali5
and should also e;press in translation5are energy and astonishment" so as to produce
?ualities of the heroic and marelous for the reader to saor. This saor is then what inspires
the reader to follow the path of wisdom" with the result that heEshe will reach a direct
e;perience of the true happiness" transcending all dualities" found at the end of the path.
Classic aesthetic theory lists a ariety of rhetorical features that can produce saor.
/;amples from these lists that can be found in the 1hammapada include' accumulation
(padoccaya) G1HB@1A$J" admonitions (upadista) GAB@A8" #AK@#A8" et. al.J" ambiguity
(aksarasamghata) G9B" #9A@#9IJ" benedictions (asis) GHHBJ" distinctions ("isesana) G19@#$" #1@
##" H18@H19J" encouragement (protsahana) GHI" AH" AK" et. al.J" etymology (nirukta) GH88J"
e;amples (drstanta) GH$J" e;planations of cause and effect (hetu) G1@#J" illustrations
(udaharana) GHAAJ" implications (arthapatti) GHA1J" rhetorical ?uestions (prccha) GAA" K#" 1AH"
et. al.J" praise (gunakirtana) GIA@IK" I8@I9" 9#@9H" et. al.J" prohibitions (pratisedha) G1#1@1##"
#B1@#B#" HB1" et. al.J" and ornamentation (bhusana) GpassimJ.
Of these" ornamentation is the most comple;" including four figures of speech and ten
8
8?ualities.9 The figures of speech are simile GpassimJ" e;tended metaphor GH98J" rhyme
Cincluding alliteration and assonanceD" and 8lamps9 GpassimJ. This last figure is a peculiarity
of %ali5a heaily inflected language5that allows" say" one ad6ectie to modify two different
nouns" or one erb to function in two separate sentences. CThe name of the figure deries
from the idea that the two nouns radiate from the one ad6ectie" or the two sentences from
the one erb.D &n /nglish" the closest we hae to this is parallelism combined with ellipsis. -n
e;ample from the translation is in erse B5
)ara oercomes him
as the wind" a weak tree
5where 8oercomes9 functions as the erb in both clauses" een though it is elided from the
second. This is how & hae rendered lamps in most of the erses" although in two cases G1BA"
#$KJ & found it more effectie to repeat the lamp@word.
The ten 8?ualities9 are more general attributes of sound" synta;" and sense" including
such attributes as charm" clarity" delicacy" eenness" e;altation" sweetness" and strength. The
ancient te;ts are not especially clear on what some of these terms mean in practice. /en
where they are clear" the terms deal in aspects of %aliE0anskrit synta; not always applicable
to /nglish. ,hat is important" though" is that some ?ualities are seen as more suited to a
particular saor than others' strength and e;altation" for e;ample" best coney a taste of the
heroic and marelous. Of these characteristics" strength (o&as) is the easiest to ?uantify" for it
is marked by long compounded words. &n the 1hammapada" appro;imately one tenth of the
erses contain compounds that are as long as a whole line of erse" and one erse GH9J has
three of its four lines made up of such compounds. By the standards of later 0anskrit erse"
this is rather mild" but when compared with erses in the rest of the %ali Canon and other
early masterpieces of kaya" the 1hammapada is ?uite strong.
The te;t also e;plicitly adds to the theory of characteristics in saying that 8sweetness9 is
not 6ust an attribute of words" but of the person speaking GHKHJ. &f the person is a true
e;ample of the irtue espoused" hisEher words are sweet. This point could be generali:ed to
coer many of the other ?ualities as well.
-nother point from classic aesthetic theory that may be releant to the 1hammapada is
the principle of how a literary work is gien unity. -lthough the te;t does not proide a
step@by@step se?uential portrait of the path of wisdom" as a lyric anthology it is much more
unified than most &ndian e;amples of that genre. The classic theory of dramatic plot
construction may be playing an indirect role here. On the one hand" a plot must e;hibit
unity by presenting a conflict or dilemma" and depicting the attainment of a goal through
oercoming that conflict. This is precisely what unifies the 1hammapada' it begins with the
duality between heedless and heedful ways of liing" and ends with the final attainment of
total mastery. On the other hand" the plot must not show smooth" systematic progressF
otherwise the work would turn into a treatise. There must be reersals and diersions to
maintain interest. This principle is at work in the fairly unsystematic ordering of the
1hammapada7s middle sections. *erses dealing with the beginning stages of the path are
9
mi;ed together with those dealing with later stages and een stages beyond the completion
of the path.
One more point is that the ideal plot should be constructed with a sub@plot in which a
secondary character gains hisEher goal" and in so doing helps the main character attain his or
hers. &n addition to the aesthetic pleasure offered by the sub@plot" the ethical lesson is one of
human cooperation' people attain their goals by working together. &n the 1hammapada" the
same dynamic is at work. The main 8plot9 is that of the person who masters the principle of
kamma to the point of total release from kamma and the round of rebirthF the 8sub@plot9
depicts the person who masters the principle of kamma to the point of gaining a good
rebirth on the human or heaenly planes. The second person gains hisEher goal" in part" by
being generous and respectful to the first person G1$K@1$9" 1BBJ" thus enabling the first
person to practice to the point of total mastery. &n return" the first person gies counsel to
the second person on how to pursue hisEher goal GBK@BB" HKHJ. &n this way the 1hammapada
depicts the play of life in a way that offers two potentially heroic roles for the reader to
choose from" and delineates those roles in such a way that all people can choose to be heroic"
working together for the attainment of their own true well being.
%erhaps the best way to summari:e the confluence of Buddhist and kaya traditions in
the 1hammapada is in light of a teaching from another early Buddhist te;t" the 0amyutta
3ikaya CII'ID" on the factors needed to attain one7s first taste of the goal of the Buddhist
path. Those factors are four' associating with people of integrity" listening to their
teachings" using appropriate attention to in?uire into the way those teachings apply to one7s
life" and practicing in line with the teachings in a way that does them 6ustice. /arly
Buddhists used the traditions of kaya5concerning saor" rhetoric" structure" and figures of
speech5primarily in connection with the second of these factors" in order to make the
teachings appealing to the listener. (oweer" the ?uestion of saor is related to the other
three factors as well. The words of a teaching must be spoken by a person of integrity who
embodies their message in hisEher actions if their saor is to be sweet G1I8" HKHJ. The listener
must reflect on them appropriately and then put them into practice if they are to hae more
than a passing" superficial taste. Thus both the speaker and listener must act in line with the
words of a teaching if it is to bear fruit. This point is reflected in a pair of erses from the
1hammapada itself GI1@I#J'
2ust like a blossom"
bright colored
but scentless'
a well@spoken word
is fruitless
when not carried out.
2ust like a blossom"
bright colored
L full of scent'
a well@spoken word
10
is fruitful
when well carried out.
-ppropriate reflection" the first step a listener should follow in carrying out the well@
spoken word" means contemplating one7s own life to see the dangers of following the path of
foolishness and the need to follow the path of wisdom. The Buddhist tradition recogni:es
two emotions as playing a role in this reflection. The first is sam"ega, a strong sense of
dismay that comes with reali:ing the futility and meaningless of life as it is normally lied"
together with a feeling of urgency in trying to find a way out of the meaningless cycle. The
second emotion is pasada, the clarity and serenity that come when one recogni:es a teaching
that presents the truth of the dilemma of e;istence and at the same time points the way out.
One function of the erses in the 1hammapada is to proide this sense of clarity" which is
why erse 8# states that the wise grow serene on hearing the 1hamma" and 1$# states that
the most worthwhile erse is the meaningful one that" on hearing" brings peace.
(oweer" the process does not stop with these preliminary feelings of peace and serenity.
The listener must carry through with the path of practice that the erses recommend.
-lthough much of the impetus for doing so comes from the emotions of samega and pasada
sparked by the content of the erses" the heroic and marelous saor of the erses plays a role
as well" by inspiring the listener to rouse within him or herself the energy and strength that
the path will re?uire. ,hen the path is brought to fruition" it brings the peace and delight
of the 1eathless GHBH@HBAJ. This is where the process initiated by hearing or reading the
1hamma bears its deepest saor" surpassing all others. &t is the highest sense in which the
meaningful erses of the 1hammapada bring peace.
M M M
&n preparing the following translation" & hae kept the aboe points in mind" motiated
both by a firm belief in the truth of the message of the 1hammapada" and by a desire to
present it in a compelling way that will induce the reader to put it into practice. -lthough
trying to stay as close as possible to the literal meaning of the te;t" &7e also tried to coney
its saor. &7m operating on the classic assumption that" although there may be a tension
between giing instruction Cbeing scrupulously accurateD and giing delight Cproiding an
en6oyable taste of the mental states that the words depictD" the best translation is one that
plays with that tension without submitting totally to one side at the e;pense of the other.
To coney the saor of the work" & hae aimed at a spare style fle;ible enough to e;press
not only its dominant emotions5energy and astonishment5but also its transient emotions"
such as humor" delight" and fear. -lthough the original erses conform to metrical rules" the
translations are in free erse. This is the form that re?uires the fewest deiations from literal
accuracy and allows for a terse directness that conforms with the heroic saor of the original.
The freedom & hae used in placing words on the page also allows many of the poetic effects
of %ali synta;5especially the parallelism and ellipsis of the 8lamps95to shine through.
& hae been relatiely consistent in choosing /nglish e?uialents for %ali terms"
especially where the terms hae a technical meaning. Total consistency" although it may be a
11
logical goal" is by no means a rational one" especially in translating poetry. -nyone who is
truly bilingual will appreciate this point. ,ords in the original were chosen for their sound
and connotations" as well as their literal sense" so the same principles5within reasonable
limits5hae been used in the translation. 1eiations from the original synta; are rare" and
hae been limited primarily to si; sorts. The first four are for the sake of immediacy'
occasional use of the -merican 8you9 for 8one9F occasional use of imperaties C81o thisN9D
for optaties C8One should do this9DF substituting actie for passie oiceF and replacing 8he
who does this9 with 8he does this9 in many of the erses defining the true brahman in
Chapter #K. The remaining two deiations are' making minor ad6ustments in sentence
structure to keep a word at the beginning or end of a erse when this position seems
important Ce.g." 1I8" H8ADF and changing the number from singular C8the wise person9D to
plural C8the wise9D when talking about personality types" both to streamline the language and
to lighten the gender bias of the original %ali. C-s most of the erses were originally
addressed to monks" & hae found it impossible to eliminate the gender bias entirely" and so
apologi:e for whateer bias remains.D
&n erses where & sense that a particular %ali word or phrase is meant to carry multiple
meanings" & hae e;plicitly gien all of those meanings in the /nglish" een where this has
meant a considerable e;pansion of the erse. C)any of these erses are discussed in the
notes.D Otherwise" & hae tried to make the translation as transparent as possible" in order to
allow the light and energy of the original to pass through with minimal distortion.
The 1hammapada has for centuries been used as an introduction to the Buddhist point
of iew. (oweer" the te;t is by no means elementary" either in terms of content or style.
)any of the erses presuppose at least a passing knowledge of Buddhist doctrineF others
employ multiple leels of meaning and wordplay typical of polished kaya. +or this reason" &
hae added notes to the translation to help draw out some of the implications of erses that
might not be obious to people who are new to either of the two traditions that the te;t
represents.
& hope that whateer delight you gain from this translation will inspire you to put the
Buddha7s words into practice" so that you will someday taste the saor" not 6ust of the words"
but of the 1eathless to which they point.
12
! ' Pairs
%henomena are preceded by the heart"
ruled by the heart"
made of the heart.
&f you speak or act
with a corrupted heart"
then suffering follows you5
as the wheel of the cart"
the track of the o;
that pulls it.
%henomena are preceded by the heart"
ruled by the heart"
made of the heart.
&f you speak or act
with a calm" bright heart"
then happiness follows you"
like a shadow
that neer leaes.
1@#M
O(e insulted me"
hit me"
beat me"
robbed me7
5for those who brood on this"
hostility isn7t stilled.
(e insulted me"
hit me"
beat me"
robbed me75
for those who don7t brood on this"
hostility is stilled.
13
(ostilities aren7t stilled
through hostility"
regardless.
(ostilities are stilled
through non@hostility'
this" an unending truth.
Pnlike those who don7t reali:e
that we7re here on the erge
of perishing"
those who do'
their ?uarrels are stilled.
H@K
One who stays focused on the beautiful"
is unrestrained with the senses"
knowing no moderation in food"
apathetic" unenergetic'
)ara oercomes him
as the wind" a weak tree.
One who stays focused on the foul"
is restrained with regard to the senses"
knowing moderation in food"
full of coniction L energy'
)ara does not oercome him
as the wind" a mountain of rock.
B@8M
(e who" depraed"
deoid
of truthfulness
L self@control"
puts on the ochre robe"
doesn7t desere the ochre robe.
But he who is free
of depraity
endowed
with truthfulness
L self@control"
well@established
in the precepts"
truly deseres the ochre robe.
9@1$
14
Those who regard
non@essence as essence
and see essence as non@"
don7t get to the essence"
ranging about in wrong resoles.
But those who know
essence as essence"
and non@essence as non@"
get to the essence"
ranging about in right resoles.
11@1#M
-s rain seeps into
an ill@thatched hut"
so passion"
the undeeloped mind.
-s rain doesn7t seep into
a well@thatched hut"
so passion does not"
the well@deeloped mind.
1H@1A
(ere he griees
he griees hereafter.
&n both worlds
the wrong@doer griees.
(e griees" he7s afflicted"
seeing the corruption
of his deeds.
(ere he re6oices
he re6oices hereafter.
&n both worlds
the merit@maker re6oices.
(e re6oices" is 6ubilant"
seeing the purity
of his deeds.
(ere he7s tormented
he7s tormented hereafter.
&n both worlds
the wrong@doer7s tormented.
15
(e7s tormented at the thought"
O&7e done wrong.7
(aing gone to a bad destination"
he7s tormented
all the more.
(ere he delights
he delights hereafter.
&n both worlds
the merit@maker delights.
(e delights at the thought"
O&7e made merit.7
(aing gone to a good destination"
he delights
all the more.
1I@18M
&f he recites many teachings" but
5heedless man5
doesn7t do what they say"
like a cowherd counting the cattle of
others"
he has no share in the contemplatie life.
&f he recites ne;t to nothing
but follows the 1hamma
in line with the 1hammaF
abandoning passion"
aersion" delusionF
alert"
his mind well@released"
not clinging
either here or hereafter'
he has his share in the contemplatie life.
19@#$
16
!! ' (eedfulness
(eedfulness' the path to the 1eathless.
(eedlessness' the path to death.
The heedful do not die.
The heedless are as if
already dead.
=nowing this as a true distinction"
those wise in heedfulness
re6oice in heedfulness"
en6oying the range of the noble ones.
The enlightened" constantly
absorbed in 6hana"
perseering"
firm in their effort'
they touch Pnbinding"
the une;celled rest
from the yoke.
Those with initiatie"
mindful"
clean in action"
acting with due consideration"
heedful" restrained"
liing the 1hamma'
their glory
grows.
#1@#AM
Through initiatie" heedfulness"
restraint" L self@control"
the wise would make
an island
no flood
can submerge.
#I
17
They7re addicted to heedlessness
5dullards" fools5
while one who is wise
cherishes heedfulness
as his highest wealth.
#K
1on7t gie way to heedlessness
or to intimacy
with sensual delight5
for a heedful person"
absorbed in 6hana"
attains an abundance of ease.
#B
,hen the wise person dries out
heedlessness
with heedfulness"
haing climbed the high tower
of discernment"
sorrow@free"
he obseres the sorrowing crowd5
as the enlightened man"
haing scaled
a summit"
the fools on the ground below.
#8
(eedful among the heedless"
wakeful among those asleep"
6ust as a fast horse adances"
leaing the weak behind'
so the wise.
#9
Through heedfulness" &ndra won
to lordship oer the deas.
(eedfulness is praised"
heedlessness censured5
always.
H$
18
The monk delighting in heedfulness"
seeing danger in heedlessness"
adances like a fire"
burning fetters
great L small.
The monk delighting in heedfulness"
seeing danger in heedlessness
5incapable of falling back5
stands right on the erge
of Pnbinding.
H1@H#
19
!!! ' The )ind
Quiering" waering"
hard to guard"
to hold in check'
the mind.
The sage makes it straight5
like a fletcher"
the shaft of an arrow.
<ike a fish
pulled from its home in the water
L thrown on land'
this mind flips L flaps about
to escape )ara7s sway.
(ard to hold down"
nimble"
alighting whereer it likes'
the mind.
&ts taming is good.
The mind well@tamed
brings ease.
0o hard to see"
so ery" ery subtle"
alighting whereer it likes'
the mind.
The wise should guard it.
The mind protected
brings ease.
,andering far"
going alone"
bodiless"
lying in a cae'
the mind.
Those who restrain it'
from )ara7s bonds
they7ll be freed.
HH@HBM
+or a person of unsteady mind"
not knowing true 1hamma"
20
serenity
set adrift'
discernment doesn7t grow full.
H8
+or a person of unsoddened mind"
unassaulted awareness"
abandoning merit L eil"
wakeful"
there is no danger
no fear.
H9M
=nowing this body
is like a clay 6ar"
securing this mind
like a fort"
attack )ara
with the spear of discernment"
then guard what7s won
without settling there"
without laying claim.
A$M
-ll too soon" this body
will lie on the ground
cast off"
bereft of consciousness"
like a useless scrap
of wood.
A1
,hateer an enemy might do
to an enemy"
or a foe to a foe"
the ill@directed mind
can do to you
een worse.
21
,hateer a mother" father
or other kinsman
might do for you"
the well@directed mind
can do for you
een better.
A#@AHM
22
!* ' Blossoms
,ho will penetrate this earth
L this realm of death
with all its godsR
,ho will ferret out
the well@taught 1hamma@saying"
as the skillful flower@arranger
the flowerR
The learner@on@the@path
will penetrate this earth
L this realm of death
with all its gods.
The learner@on@the@path
will ferret out
the well@taught 1hamma@saying"
as the skillful flower@arranger
the flower.
AA@AIM
=nowing this body
is like foam"
reali:ing its nature
5a mirage5
cutting out
the blossoms of )ara"
you go where the =ing of 1eath
can7t see.
AK
The man immersed in
gathering blossoms"
his heart distracted'
death sweeps him away5
as a great flood"
a illage asleep.
The man immersed in
gathering blossoms"
his heart distracted"
23
insatiable in sensual pleasures'
the /nd@)aker holds him
under his sway.
AB@A8M
-s a bee5without harming
the blossom"
its color"
its fragrance5
takes its nectar L flies away'
so should the sage
go through a illage.
A9
+ocus"
not on the rudenesses of others"
not on what they7e done
or left undone"
but on what you
hae L haen7t done
yourself.
I$
2ust like a blossom"
bright colored
but scentless'
a well@spoken word
is fruitless
when not carried out.
2ust like a blossom"
bright colored
L full of scent'
a well@spoken word
is fruitful
when well carried out.
I1@I#
2ust as from a heap of flowers
many garland strands can be made"
een so
one born L mortal
should do
5with what7s born L is mortal5
24
many a skillful thing.
IHM
3o flower7s scent
goes against the wind5
not sandalwood"
6asmine"
tagara.
But the scent of the good
does go against the wind.
The person of integrity
wafts a scent
in eery direction.
0andalwood" tagara"
lotus" L 6asmine'
among these scents"
the scent of irtue
is unsurpassed.
3e;t to nothing" this scent
5sandalwood" tagara5
while the scent of irtuous conduct
wafts to the deas"
supreme.
IA@IKM
Those consummate in irtue"
dwelling in heedfulness"
released through right knowing'
)ara can7t follow their tracks.
IBM
-s in a pile of rubbish
cast by the side of a highway
a lotus might grow
clean@smelling
pleasing the heart"
so in the midst of the rubbish@like"
people run@of@the@mill L blind"
there da::les with discernment
the disciple of the !ightly
0elf@-wakened One.
I8@I9
25
* ' +ools
<ong for the wakeful is the night.
<ong for the weary" a league.
+or fools
unaware of True 1hamma"
samsara
is long.
K$
&f" in your course" you don7t meet
your e?ual" your better"
then continue your course"
firmly"
alone.
There7s no fellowship with fools.
K1
O& hae sons" & hae wealth75
the fool torments himself.
,hen een he himself
doesn7t belong to himself"
how then sonsR
(ow wealthR
K#
- fool with a sense of his foolishness
is5at least to that e;tent5wise.
But a fool who thinks himself wise
really deseres to be called
a fool.
KH

/en if for a lifetime
the fool stays with the wise"
he knows nothing of the 1hamma5
as the ladle"
the taste of the soup.
/en if for a moment"
the perceptie person stays with the wise"
he immediately knows the 1hamma5
as the tongue"
the taste of the soup.
26
KA@KI
+ools" their wisdom weak"
are their own enemies
as they go through life"
doing eil
that bears
bitter fruit.
KK
&t7s not good"
the doing of the deed
that" once it7s done"
you regret"
whose result you reap crying"
your face in tears.
&t7s good"
the doing of the deed
that" once it7s done"
you don7t regret"
whose result you reap gratified"
happy at heart.
KB@K8
-s long as eil has yet to ripen"
the fool mistakes it for honey.
But when that eil ripens"
the fool falls into
pain.
K9
)onth after month
the fool might eat
only a tip@of@grass measure of food"
but he wouldn7t be worth
one si;teenth
of those who7e fathomed
the 1hamma.
B$
-n eil deed" when done"
doesn7t5like ready milk5
come out right away.
27
&t follows the fool"
smoldering
like a fire
hidden in ashes.
B1M
Only for his ruin
does renown come to the fool.
&t raages his bright fortune
L rips his head apart.
(e would want unwarranted status"
preeminence among monks"
authority among monasteries"
homage from lay families.
O<et householders L those gone forth
both think that this
was done by me alone.
)ay & alone determine
what7s a duty" what7s not7'
the resole of a fool
as they grow5
his desire L pride.
B#@BA
The path to material gain
goes one way"
the way to Pnbinding"
another.
!eali:ing this" the monk"
a disciple to the -wakened One"
should not relish offerings"
should cultiate seclusion
instead.
BI
28
*! ' The ,ise
!egard him as one who
points out
treasure"
the wise one who
seeing your faults
rebukes you.
0tay with this sort of sage.
+or the one who stays
with a sage of this sort"
things get better"
not worse.
<et him admonish" instruct"
deflect you
away from poor manners.
To the good" he7s endearingF
to the bad" he7s not.
BK@BB
1on7t associate with bad friends.
1on7t associate with the low.
-ssociate with admirable friends.
-ssociate with the best.
B8
1rinking the 1hamma"
refreshed by the 1hamma"
one sleeps at ease
with clear awareness L calm.
&n the 1hamma reealed
by the noble ones"
the wise person
always delights.
B9M
29
&rrigators guide the water.
+letchers shape the arrow shaft.
Carpenters shape the wood.
The wise control
themseles.
8$
-s a single slab of rock
won7t budge in the wind"
so the wise are not moed
by praise"
by blame.
81
<ike a deep lake"
clear" unruffled" L calm'
so the wise become clear"
calm"
on hearing words of the 1hamma.
8#
/erywhere" truly"
those of integrity
stand apart.
They" the good"
don7t chatter in hopes
of faor or gains.
,hen touched
now by pleasure"
now pain"
the wise gie no sign
of high
or low.
8HM
One who wouldn7t5
not for his own sake
nor that of another5
hanker for
wealth"
a son"
a kingdom"
his own fulfillment"
30
by unrighteous means'
he is righteous" rich
in irtue"
discernment.
8A
+ew are the people
who reach the +ar 0hore.
These others
simply scurry along
this shore.
But those who practice 1hamma
in line with the well@taught 1hamma"
will cross oer the realm of 1eath
so hard to transcend.
+orsaking dark practices"
the wise person
should deelop the bright"
haing gone from home
to no@home
in seclusion" so hard to en6oy.
There he should wish for delight"
discarding sensuality5
he who has nothing.
(e should cleanse himself5wise5
of what defiles the mind.
,hose minds are well@deeloped
in the factors for self@awakening"
who delight in non@clinging"
relin?uishing grasping5
resplendent"
their effluents ended'
they" in the world"
are Pnbound.
8I@89M
31
*!! ' Arahants
&n one who
has gone the full distance"
is free from sorrow"
is fully released
in all respects"
has abandoned all bonds'
no feer is found.
9$
The mindful keep actie"
don7t delight in settling back.
They renounce eery home"
eery home"
like swans taking off from a lake.
91
3ot hoarding"
haing comprehended food"
their pasture5emptiness
L freedom without sign'
their trail"
like that of birds through space"
can7t be traced.
/ffluents ended"
independent of nutriment"
their pasture5emptiness
L freedom without sign'
their trail"
like that of birds through space"
can7t be traced.
9#@9HM
(e whose senses are steadied
like stallions
well@trained by the charioteer"
his conceit abandoned"
free of effluent"
0uch'
32
een deas adore him.
<ike the earth" he doesn7t react5
cultured"
0uch"
like &ndra7s pillar"
like a lake free of mud.
+or him
50uch5
there7s no traeling on.
Calm is his mind"
calm his speech
L his deed'
one who7s released through right knowing"
pacified"
0uch.
9A@9KM
The man
faithless E beyond coniction
ungrateful E knowing the Pnmade
a burglar E who has seered connections
who7s destroyed
his chances E conditions
who eats omit' E has disgorged e;pectations'
the ultimate person.
9BM
&n illage or wilds"
alley" plateau'
that place is delightful
where arahants dwell.
98
1elightful wilds
where the crowds don7t delight"
those free from passion
delight"
for they7re not searching
for sensual pleasures.
99
33
*!!! ' Thousands
Better
than if there were thousands
of meaningless words is
one
meaningful
word
that on hearing
brings peace.
Better
than if there were thousands
of meaningless erses is
one
meaningful
line of erse
that on hearing
brings peace.
-nd better than chanting hundreds
of meaningless erses is
one
1hamma@saying
that on hearing
brings peace.
1$$@1$#M
4reater in battle
than the man who would con?uer
a thousand@thousand men"
is he who would con?uer
6ust one5
himself.
Better to con?uer yourself
than others.
,hen you7e trained yourself"
liing in constant self@control"
neither a dea nor gandhabba"
nor a )ara banded with Brahmas"
could turn that triumph
34
back into defeat.
1$H@1$I
>ou could" month by month"
at a cost of thousands"
conduct sacrifices
a hundred times"
or
pay a single moment7s homage
to one person"
self@cultiated.
Better than a hundred years of sacrifices
would that act of homage be.
>ou could" for a hundred years"
lie in a forest
tending a fire"
or
pay a single moment7s homage
to one person"
self@cultiated.
Better than a hundred years of sacrifices
would that act of homage be.
/erything offered
or sacrificed in the world
for an entire year by one seeking merit
doesn7t come to a fourth.
Better to pay respect
to those who7e gone
the straight way.
1$K@1$8M
&f you7re respectful by habit"
constantly honoring the worthy"
four things increase'
long life" beauty"
happiness" strength.
1$9
35
Better than a hundred years
lied without irtue" uncentered" is
one day
lied by a irtuous person
absorbed in 6hana.
-nd better than a hundred years
lied undiscerning" uncentered" is
one day
lied by a discerning person
absorbed in 6hana.
-nd better than a hundred years
lied apathetic L unenergetic" is
one day
lied energetic L firm.
-nd better than a hundred years
lied without seeing
arising L passing away" is
one day
lied seeing
arising L passing away.
-nd better than a hundred years
lied without seeing
the 1eathless state" is
one day
lied seeing
the 1eathless state.
-nd better than a hundred years
lied without seeing
the ultimate 1hamma" is
one day
lied seeing
the ultimate 1hamma.
11$@11I
36
!- ' ."il
Be ?uick in doing
what7s admirable.
!estrain your mind
from what7s eil.
,hen you7re slow
in making merit"
eil delights the mind.
11K
&f a person does eil"
he shouldn7t do it again L again"
shouldn7t deelop a penchant for it.
To accumulate eil
brings pain.
&f a person makes merit"
he should do it again L again"
should deelop a penchant for it.
To accumulate merit
brings ease.
11B@118
/en the eil
meet with good fortune
as long as their eil
has yet to mature.
But when it7s matured
that7s when they meet
with eil.
/en the good
meet with bad fortune
as long as their good
has yet to mature.
But when it7s matured
that7s when they meet
with good fortune.
119@1#$
37
1on7t underestimate eil
CO&t won7t amount to much7D.
- water 6ar fills"
een with water
falling in drops.
,ith eil5een if
bit
by
bit"
habitually5
the fool fills himself full.
1on7t underestimate merit
CO&t won7t amount to much7D.
- water 6ar fills"
een with water
falling in drops.
,ith merit5een if
bit
by
bit"
habitually5
the enlightened one fills himself full.
1#1@1##M
<ike a merchant with a small
but well@laden caraan
5a dangerous road"
like a person who loes life
5a poison"
one should aoid
5eil deeds.
1#H
&f there7s no wound on the hand"
that hand can hold poison.
%oison won7t penetrate
where there7s no wound.
There7s no eil
for those who don7t do it.
1#A
,hoeer harasses
an innocent man"
38
a man pure" without blemish'
the eil comes right back to the fool
like fine dust
thrown against the wind.
1#I
0ome are born in the human womb"
eildoers in hell"
those on the good course go
to heaen"
while those without effluent'
totally unbound.
1#KM
3ot up in the air"
nor in the middle of the sea"
nor going into a cleft in the mountains
5nowhere on earth5
is a spot to be found
where you could stay L escape
your eil deed.
3ot up in the air"
nor in the middle of the sea"
nor going into a cleft in the mountains
5nowhere on earth5
is a spot to be found
where you could stay L not succumb
to death.
1#B@1#8
39
- ' The /od
-ll
tremble at the rod"
all
are fearful of death.
1rawing the parallel to
yourself"
neither kill nor get others to kill.
-ll
tremble at the rod"
all
hold their life dear.
1rawing the parallel to
yourself"
neither kill nor get others to kill.
1#9@1H$
,hoeer takes a rod
to harm liing beings desiring ease"
when he himself is looking for ease"
meets with no ease after death.
,hoeer doesn7t take a rod
to harm liing beings desiring ease"
when he himself is looking for ease"
meets with ease after death.
1H1@1H#
0peak harshly to no one"
or the words will be thrown
right back at you.
Contentious talk is painful"
for you get struck by rods in return.
&f" like a flattened metal pot
you don7t resound"
you7e attained an PnbindingF
in you there7s found
no contention.
1HH@1HA
40
-s a cowherd with a rod
dries cows to the field"
so aging L death
drie the life
of liing beings.
1HI
,hen doing eil deeds"
the fool is obliious.
The dullard
is tormented
by his own deeds"
as if burned by a fire.
1HK
,hoeer" with a rod"
harasses an innocent man" unarmed"
?uickly falls into any of ten things'
harsh pains" deastation" a broken body" grae illness" mental
derangement" trouble with the goernment" iolent slander"
relaties lost" property dissoled" houses burned down.
-t the break@up of the body
this one with no discernment"
reappears in
hell.
1HB@1A$
3either nakedness nor matted hair
nor mud nor the refusal of food
nor sleeping on the bare ground
nor dust L dirt nor s?uatting austerities
cleanses the mortal
who7s not gone beyond doubt.
&f" though adorned" one lies in tune
with the chaste life
5calmed" tamed" L assured5
haing put down the rod toward all beings"
he7s a contemplatie
a brahman
a monk.
41
1A1@1A#
,ho in the world
is a man constrained by conscience"
who awakens to censure
like a fine stallion to the whipR
1AHM
<ike a fine stallion
struck with a whip"
be ardent L chastened.
Through coniction
irtue" persistence"
concentration" 6udgment"
consummate in knowledge L conduct"
mindful"
you7ll abandon this not@insignificant pain.
1AA
&rrigators guide the water.
+letchers shape the arrow shaft.
Carpenters shape the wood.
Those of good practices control
themseles.
1AI
42
-! ' Aging
,hat laughter" why 6oy"
when constantly aflameR
/neloped in darkness"
don7t you look for a lampR
1AK
<ook at the beautified image"
a heap of festering wounds" shored up'
ill" but the ob6ect
of many resoles"
where there is nothing
lasting or sure.
1AB
,orn out is this body"
a nest of diseases" dissoling.
This putrid conglomeration
is bound to break up"
for life is hemmed in with death.
1A8
On seeing these bones
discarded
like gourds in the fall"
pigeon@gray'
what delightR
1A9
- city made of bones"
plastered oer with flesh L blood"
whose hidden treasures are'
pride L contempt"
aging L death.
1I$
/en royal chariots
well@embellished
get run down"
43
and so does the body
succumb to old age.
But the 1hamma of the good
doesn7t succumb to old age'
the good let the ciili:ed know.
1I1
This unlistening man
matures like an o;.
(is muscles deelop"
his discernment not.
1I#M
Through the round of many births & roamed
without reward"
without rest"
seeking the house@builder.
%ainful is birth again
L again.
(ouse@builder" you7re seenN
>ou will not build a house again.
-ll your rafters broken"
the ridge pole dismantled"
immersed in dismantling" the mind
has attained to the end of craing.
1IH@1IAM
3either liing the chaste life
nor gaining wealth in their youth"
they waste away like old herons
in a dried@up lake
depleted of fish.
3either liing the chaste life
nor gaining wealth in their youth"
they lie around"
misfired from the bow"
sighing oer old times.
1II@1IK
44
-!! ' 0elf
&f you hold yourself dear
then guard" guard yourself well.
The wise person would stay awake
nursing himself
in any of the three watches of the night"
the three stages of life.
1IBM
+irst
he7d settle himself
in what is correct"
only then
teach others.
(e wouldn7t stain his name
' he is wise.
1I8
&f you7d mold yourself
the way you teach others"
then" well@trained"
go ahead L tame5
for" as they say"
what7s hard to tame is you
yourself.
1I9
>our own self is
your own mainstay"
for who else could your mainstay beR
,ith you yourself well@trained
you obtain the mainstay
hard to obtain.
1K$
The eil he himself has done
5self@born" self@created5
grinds down the dullard"
as a diamond" a precious stone.
45
1K1
,hen oerspread by e;treme ice5
like a sal tree by a ine5
you do to yourself
what an enemy would wish.
1K#M
They7re easy to do5
things of no good
L no use to yourself.
,hat7s truly useful L good
is truly harder than hard to do.
1KH
The teaching of those who lie the 1hamma"
worthy ones" noble'
whoeer maligns it
5a dullard"
inspired by eil iew5
bears fruit for his own destruction"
like the fruiting of the bamboo.
1KAM
/il is done by oneself"
by oneself is one defiled.
/il is left undone by oneself"
by oneself is one cleansed.
%urity L impurity are one7s own doing.
3o one purifies another.
3o other purifies one.
1KIM
1on7t sacrifice your own welfare
for that of another"
no matter how great.
!eali:ing your own true welfare"
be intent on 6ust that.
1KKM
46
-!!! ' ,orlds
1on7t associate with lowly ?ualities.
1on7t consort with heedlessness.
1on7t associate with wrong iews.
1on7t busy yourself with the world.
1KB
4et upN 1on7t be heedless.
<ie the 1hamma well.
One who lies the 1hamma
sleeps with ease
in this world L the ne;t.
<ie the 1hamma well.
1on7t lie it badly.
One who lies the 1hamma
sleeps with ease
in this world L the ne;t.
1K8@1K9
0ee it as a bubble"
see it as a mirage'
one who regards the world this way
the =ing of 1eath doesn7t see.
1B$M
Come look at this world
all decked out
like a royal chariot"
where fools plunge in"
while those who know
don7t cling.
1B1
,ho once was heedless"
but later is not"
brightens the world
like the moon set free from a cloud.
47
(is eil@done deed
is replaced with skillfulness'
he brightens the world
like the moon set free from a cloud.
1B#@1BH
Blinded this world5
how few here see clearlyN
2ust as birds who7e escaped
from a net are
few" few
are the people
who make it to heaen.
1BA
0wans fly the path of the sunF
those with the power fly through spaceF
the enlightened flee from the world"
haing defeated the armies of )ara.
1BI
The person who tells a lie"
who transgresses in this one thing"
transcending concern for the world beyond'
there7s no eil
he might not do.
1BKM
3o misers go
to the world of the deas.
Those who don7t praise giing
are fools.
The enlightened
e;press their approal for giing
and so find ease
in the world beyond.
1BB
48
0ole dominion oer the earth"
going to heaen"
lordship oer all worlds'
the fruit of stream entry
e;cels them.
178*
49
-!* ' A1akened
,hose con?uest can7t be undone"
whose con?uest no one in the world
can reachF
awakened" his pasture endless"
pathless'
by what path will you lead him astrayR
&n whom there7s no craing
5the sticky ensnarer5
to lead him anywhereer at allF
awakened" his pasture endless"
pathless'
by what path will you lead him astrayR
1B9@18$
They" the enlightened" intent on 6hana"
delighting in stilling
L renunciation"
self@awakened L mindful'
een the deas
iew them with eny.
181
(ard the winning of a human birth.
(ard the life of mortals.
(ard the chance to hear the true 1hamma.
(ard the arising of -wakened Ones.
18#
The non@doing of any eil"
the performance of what7s skillful"
the cleansing of one7s own mind'
this is the teaching
of the -wakened.
%atient endurance'
the foremost austerity.
Pnbinding'
the foremost"
50
so say the -wakened.
(e who in6ures another
is no contemplatie.
(e who mistreats another"
no monk.
3ot disparaging" not in6uring"
restraint in line with the %atimokkha"
moderation in food"
dwelling in seclusion"
commitment to the heightened mind'
this is the teaching
of the -wakened.
18H@18IM
3ot een if it rained gold coins
would we hae our fill
of sensual pleasures.
O0tressful"
they gie little en6oyment75
knowing this" the wise one
finds no delight
een in heaenly sensual pleasures.
(e is one who delights
in the ending of craing"
a disciple of the !ightly
0elf@-wakened One.
18K@18B
They go to many a refuge"
to mountains L forests"
to park L tree shrines'
people threatened with danger.
That7s not the secure refuge"
not the supreme refuge"
that7s not the refuge"
haing gone to which"
you gain release
from all suffering L stress.
But when" haing gone
to the Buddha" 1hamma"
L 0angha for refuge"
you see with right discernment
the four noble truths5
51
stress"
the cause of stress"
the transcending of stress"
L the noble eightfold path"
the way to the stilling of stress'
that7s the secure refuge"
that" the supreme refuge"
that is the refuge"
haing gone to which"
you gain release
from all suffering L stress.
188@19#M
&t7s hard to come by
a thoroughbred of a man.
&t7s simply not true
that he7s born eerywhere.
,hereer he7s born" an enlightened one"
the family prospers"
is happy.
19H
- blessing' the arising of -wakened Ones.
- blessing' the teaching of true 1hamma.
- blessing' the concord of the 0angha.
The austerity of those in concord
is a blessing.
19A
&f you worship those worthy of worship"
5-wakened Ones or their disciples5
who7e transcended
ob6ectification"
crossed oer
lamentation
L grief"
who are unendangered"
fearless"
unbound'
there7s no measure for reckoning
that your merit7s Othis much.7
19I@19KM
52
-* ' (appy
(ow ery happily we lie"
free from hostility
among those who are hostile.
-mong hostile people"
free from hostility we dwell.
(ow ery happily we lie"
free from misery
among those who are miserable.
-mong miserable people"
free from misery we dwell.
(ow ery happily we lie"
free from busyness
among those who are busy.
-mong busy people"
free from busyness we dwell.
(ow ery happily we lie"
we who hae nothing.
,e will feed on rapture
like the !adiant gods.
19B@#$$
,inning gies birth to hostility.
<osing" one lies down in pain.
The calmed lie down with ease"
haing set
winning L losing
aside.
#$1
There7s no fire like passion"
no loss like anger"
no pain like the aggregates"
no ease other than peace.
(unger' the foremost illness.
+abrications' the foremost pain.
+or one knowing this truth
53
as it actually is"
Pnbinding
is the foremost ease.
+reedom from illness' the foremost good fortune.
Contentment' the foremost wealth.
Trust' the foremost kinship.
Pnbinding' the foremost ease.
#$#@#$A
1rinking the nourishment"
the flaor"
of seclusion L calm"
one is freed from eil" deoid
of distress"
refreshed with the nourishment
of rapture in the 1hamma.
#$I
&t7s good to see 3oble Ones.
(appy their company5always.
Through not seeing fools
constantly" constantly
one would be happy.
+or" liing with a fool"
one griees a long time.
%ainful is communion with fools"
as with an enemy5
always.
(appy is communion
with the enlightened"
as with a gathering of kin.
0o'
the enlightened man5
discerning" learned"
enduring" dutiful" noble"
intelligent" a man of integrity'
follow him
5one of this sort5
as the moon" the path
of the :odiac stars.
#$K@#$8
54
-*! ' Dear 2nes
(aing applied himself
to what was not his own task"
and not haing applied himself
to what was"
haing disregarded the goal
to grasp at what he held dear"
he now enies those
who kept after themseles"
took themseles
to task.
#$9M
1on7t eer5regardless5
be con6oined with what7s dear
or undear.
&t7s painful
not to see what7s dear
or to see what7s not.
0o don7t make anything dear"
for it7s dreadful to be far
from what7s dear.
3o bonds are found
for those for whom
there7s neither dear
nor undear.
#1$@#11
+rom what7s dear is born grief"
from what7s dear is born fear.
+or one freed from what7s dear
there7s no grief
5so how fearR
+rom what7s loed is born grief"
from what7s loed is born fear.
+or one freed from what7s loed
there7s no grief
5so how fearR
55
+rom delight is born grief"
from delight is born fear.
+or one freed from delight
there7s no grief
5so how fearR
+rom sensuality is born grief"
from sensuality is born fear.
+or one freed from sensuality
there7s no grief
5so how fearR
+rom craing is born grief"
from craing is born fear.
+or one freed from craing
there7s no grief
5so how fearR
#1#@#1K
One consummate in irtue L ision"
6udicious"
speaking the truth"
doing his own task'
the world holds him dear.
#1B
&f
you7e gien birth to a wish
for what can7t be e;pressed"
are suffused with heart"
your mind not enmeshed
in sensual passions'
you7re said to be
in the up@flowing stream.
#18M
- man long absent
comes home safe from afar.
(is kin" his friends" his companions"
delight in his return.
&n 6ust the same way"
when you7e done good
L gone from this world
to the world beyond"
56
your good deeds receie you5
as kin" someone dear
come home.
#19@##$M
57
-*!! ' Anger
-bandon anger"
be done with conceit"
get beyond eery fetter.
,hen for name L form
you hae no attachment
5hae nothing at all5
no sufferings" no stresses" inade.
##1
,hen anger arises"
whoeer keeps firm control
as if with a racing chariot'
him
& call a master charioteer.
-nyone else"
a rein@holder5
that7s all.
###
Con?uer anger
with lack of angerF
bad with goodF
stinginess with a giftF
a liar with truth.
##H
By telling the truthF
by not growing angryF
by giing" when asked"
no matter how little you hae'
by these three things
you enter the presence of deas.
##A
4entle sages"
constantly restrained in body"
go to the unwaering state
where" haing gone"
58
there7s no grief.
##I
Those who always stay wakeful"
training by day L by night"
keen on Pnbinding'
their effluents come to an end.
##K
This has come down from old" -tula"
L not 6ust from today'
they find fault with one
who sits silent"
they find fault with one
who speaks a great deal"
they find fault with one
who measures his words.
There7s no one unfaulted in the world.
There neer was"
will be"
nor at present is found
anyone entirely faulted
or entirely praised.
##B@##8
&f knowledgeable people praise him"
haing obsered him
day after day
to be blameless in conduct" intelligent"
endowed with discernment L irtue'
like an ingot of gold5
who7s fit to find fault with himR
/en deas praise him.
/en by Brahma he7s praised.
##9@#H$
4uard against anger
erupting in bodyF
in body" be restrained.
(aing abandoned bodily misconduct"
lie conducting yourself well
in body.
59
4uard against anger
erupting in speechF
in speech" be restrained.
(aing abandoned erbal misconduct"
lie conducting yourself well
in speech.
4uard against anger
erupting in mindF
in mind" be restrained.
(aing abandoned mental misconduct"
lie conducting yourself well
in mind.
Those restrained in body
5the enlightened5
restrained in speech L in mind
5enlightened5
are the ones whose restraint is secure.
#H1@#HAM
60
-*!!! ' !mpurities
>ou are now
like a yellowed leaf.
-lready
>ama7s minions stand near.
>ou stand at the door to departure
but hae yet to proide
for the 6ourney.
)ake an island for yourselfN
,ork ?uicklyN Be wiseN
,ith impurities all blown away"
unblemished"
you7ll reach the diine realm
of the noble ones.
>ou are now
right at the end of your time.
>ou are headed
to >ama7s presence"
with no place to rest along the way"
but hae yet to proide
for the 6ourney.
)ake an island for yourselfN
,ork ?uicklyN Be wiseN
,ith impurities all blown away"
unblemished"
you won7t again undergo birth
L aging.
#HI@#H8M
2ust as a siler smith
step by
step"
bit by
bit"
moment to
moment"
blows away the impurities
of molten siler5
61
so the wise man" his own.
#H9
2ust as rust
5iron7s impurity5
eats the ery iron
from which it is born"
so the deeds
of one who lies sloenly
lead him on
to a bad destination.
#A$M
3o recitation' the ruinous impurity
of chants.
3o initiatie' of a household.
&ndolence' of beauty.
(eedlessness' of a guard.
&n a woman" misconduct is an impurity.
&n a donor" stinginess.
/il deeds are the real impurities
in this world L the ne;t.
)ore impure than these impurities
is the ultimate impurity'
ignorance.
(aing abandoned this impurity"
monks" you7re impurity@free.
#A1@#AH
<ife7s easy to lie
for someone unscrupulous"
cunning as a crow"
corrupt" back@biting"
forward" L brashF
but for someone who7s constantly
scrupulous" cautious"
obserant" sincere"
pure in his lielihood"
clean in his pursuits"
it7s hard.
#AA@#AI
62
,hoeer kills" lies" steals"
goes to someone else7s wife"
L is addicted to into;icants"
digs himself up
by the root
right here in this world.
0o know" my good man"
that bad deeds are reckless.
1on7t let greed L unrighteousness
oppress you with long@term pain.
#AK@#A8
%eople gie
in line with their faith"
in line with coniction.
,hoeer gets flustered
at food L drink gien to others"
attains no concentration
by day or by night.
But one in whom this is
cut through
up@ rooted
wiped out5
attains concentration
by day or by night.
#A9@#I$
There7s no fire like passion"
no sei:ure like anger"
no snare like delusion"
no rier like craing.
#I1
&t7s easy to see
the errors of others"
but hard to see
your own.
>ou winnow like chaff
the errors of others"
but conceal your own5
like a cheat" an unlucky throw.
&f you focus on the errors of others"
63
constantly finding fault"
your effluents flourish.
>ou7re far from their ending.
#I#@#IH
There7s no trail in space"
no outside contemplatie.
%eople are smitten
with ob6ectification"
but deoid of ob6ectification are
the Tathagatas.
There7s no trail in space"
no outside contemplatie"
no eternal fabrications"
no waering in the -wakened.
#IA@#IIM
64
-!- ' The 3udge
To pass 6udgment hurriedly
doesn7t mean you7re a 6udge.
The wise one" weighing both
the right 6udgment L wrong"
6udges others impartially5
unhurriedly" in line with the 1hamma"
guarding the 1hamma"
guarded by 1hamma"
intelligent'
he7s called a 6udge.
#IK@#IBM
0imply talking a lot
doesn7t mean one is wise.
,hoeer7s secure5
no hostility"
fear5
is said to be wise.
0imply talking a lot
doesn7t maintain the 1hamma.
,hoeer
5although he7s heard ne;t to nothing5
sees 1hamma through his body"
is not heedless of 1hamma'
he4s one who maintains the 1hamma.
#I8@#I9M
- head of gray hairs
doesn7t mean one7s an elder.
-danced in years"
one7s called an old fool.
But one in whom there is
truth" restraint"
rectitude" gentleness"
self@control5
he4s called an elder"
his impurities disgorged"
65
enlightened.
#K$@#K1
3ot by suae conersation
or lotus@like coloring
does an enious" miserly cheat
become an e;emplary man.
But one in whom this is
cut through
up@ rooted
wiped out5
he7s called e;emplary"
his aersion disgorged"
intelligent.
#K#@#KH
- shaen head
doesn7t mean a contemplatie.
The liar obsering no duties"
filled with greed L desire'
what kind of contemplatie7s heR
But whoeer tunes out
the dissonance
of his eil ?ualities
5large or small5
in eery way
by bringing eil to consonance'
he7s called a contemplatie.
#KA@#KIM
Begging from others
doesn7t mean one7s a monk.
-s long as one follows
householders7 ways"
one is no monk at all.
But whoeer puts aside
both merit L eil and"
liing the chaste life"
6udiciously
goes through the world'
he4s called a monk.
66
#KK@#KB
3ot by silence
does someone confused
L unknowing
turn into a sage.
But whoeer5wise"
as if holding the scales"
taking the e;cellent5
re6ects eil deeds'
he is a sage"
that7s how he7s a sage.
,hoeer can weigh
both sides of the world'
that7s how he7s called
a sage.
#K8@#K9M
3ot by harming life
does one become noble.
One is termed noble
for being gentle
to all liing things.
#B$
)onk"
don7t
on account of
your precepts L practices"
great erudition"
concentration attainments"
secluded dwelling"
or the thought" O& touch
the renunciate ease
that run@of@the@mill people
don7t know7'
eer let yourself get complacent
when the ending of effluents
is still unattained.
#B1@#B#M
67
-- ' The Path
Of paths" the eightfold is best.
Of truths" the four sayings.
Of ?ualities" dispassion.
Of two@footed beings"
the one with the eyes
to see.
#BHM
2ust this
is the path
5there is no other5
to purify ision.
+ollow it"
and that will be )ara7s
bewilderment.
+ollowing it"
you put an end
to suffering L stress.
& hae taught you this path
haing known
5for your knowing5
the e;traction of arrows.
&t7s for you to strie
ardently.
Tathagatas simply
point out the way.
Those who practice"
absorbed in 6hana'
from )ara7s bonds
they7ll be freed.
#BA@#BKM
,hen you see with discernment"
5All fabrications are inconstant46
you grow disenchanted with stress.
This is the path
to purity.
68
,hen you see with discernment"
5All fabrications are stressful46
you grow disenchanted with stress.
This is the path
to purity.
,hen you see with discernment"
5All phenomena are not7self46
you grow disenchanted with stress.
This is the path
to purity.
#BB@#B9
-t the time for initiatie
he takes no initiatie.
>oung" strong" but lethargic"
the resoles of his heart
e;hausted"
the la:y" lethargic one
loses the path
to discernment.
#8$
4uarded in speech"
well@restrainedin mind"
you should do nothing unskillful
in body.
%urify
these three courses of action.
Bring to fruition
the path that seers hae proclaimed.
#81
+rom striing comes wisdomF
from not" wisdom7s end.
=nowing these two courses
5to deelopment"
decline5
conduct yourself
so that wisdom will grow.
#8#
Cut down
the forest of desire"
69
not the forest of trees.
+rom the forest of desire
come danger L fear.
(aing cut down this forest
L its underbrush" monks"
be deforested.
+or as long as the least
bit of underbrush
of a man for women
is not cleared away"
the heart is fi;ated
like a suckling calf
on its mother.
Crush
your sense of self@allure
like an autumn lily
in the hand.
3urture only the path to peace
5Pnbinding5
as taught by the One ,ell 4one.
#8H@#8IM
O(ere &7ll stay for the rains.
(ere" for the summer L winter.7
0o imagines the fool"
unaware of obstructions.
That drunk@on@his@sons@L@cattle man"
all tangled up in the mind'
death sweeps him away5
as a great flood"
a illage asleep.
There are no sons
to gie shelter"
no father"
no family
for one sei:ed by the /nder"
no shelter among kin.
70
!eali:ing
this force of reasoning"
the wise man" restrained by irtue"
should make the path pure
5right away5
that goes all the way to Pnbinding.
#8K@#89M
71
--! ' )iscellany
&f" by forsaking
a limited ease"
he would see
an abundance of ease"
the enlightened man
would forsake
the limited ease
for the sake
of the abundant.
#9$
(e wants his own ease
by giing others dis@ease.
&ntertwined in the inter@
action of hostility"
from hostility
he7s not set free.
#91
&n those who
re6ect what should"
L do what shouldn7t be done
5heedless" insolent5
effluents grow.
But for those who
are well@applied" constantly"
to mindfulness immersed in the bodyF
don7t indulge
in what shouldn7t be doneF
L persist
in what should
5mindful" alert5
effluents come to an end.
#9#@#9HM

(aing killed mother L father"
two warrior kings"
the kingdom L its dependency5
72
the brahman" untroubled" traels on.
(aing killed mother L father"
two learned kings"
L" fifth" a tiger5
the brahman" untroubled" traels on.
#9A@#9IM
They awaken" always wide awake'
4otama7s disciples
whose mindfulness" both day L night"
is constantly immersed
in the Buddha.
They awaken" always wide awake'
4otama7s disciples
whose mindfulness" both day L night"
is constantly immersed
in the 1hamma.
They awaken" always wide awake'
4otama7s disciples
whose mindfulness" both day L night"
is constantly immersed
in the 0angha.
They awaken" always wide awake'
4otama7s disciples
whose mindfulness" both day L night"
is constantly immersed
in the body.
They awaken" always wide awake'
4otama7s disciples
whose hearts delight" both day L night"
in harmlessness.
They awaken" always wide awake'
4otama7s disciples
whose hearts delight" both day L night"
in deeloping the mind.
#9K@H$1M
(ard is the life gone forth"
hard to delight in.
(ard is the miserable
householder7s life.
73
&t7s painful to stay with dissonant people"
painful to trael the road.
0o be neither traeler
nor pained.
H$#
The man of coniction
endowed with irtue"
glory" L wealth'
whereer he goes
he is honored.
H$HM
The good shine from afar
like the snowy (imalayas.
The bad don7t appear
een when near"
like arrows shot into the night.
H$A
0itting alone"
resting alone"
walking alone"
untiring.
Taming himself"
he7d delight alone5
alone in the forest.
H$I
74
--!! ' (ell
(e goes to hell"
the one who asserts
what didn7t take place"
as does the one
who" haing done"
says" O& didn7t.7
Both5low@acting people5
there become e?ual'
after death" in the world beyond.
H$K
-n ochre robe tied 7round their necks"
many with eil ?ualities
5unrestrained" eil5
rearise" because of their eil acts"
in hell.
Better to eat an iron ball
5glowing" aflame5
than that" unprincipled L
unrestrained"
you should eat the alms of the country.
H$B@H$8
+our things befall the heedless man
who lies down with the wife of another'
a wealth of demeritF
a lack of good sleepF
third" censureF
fourth" hell.
- wealth of demerit" an eil destination"
L the brief delight of a
fearful man with a
fearful woman"
L the king inflicts a harsh punishment.
0o
no man should lie down
with the wife of another.
75
H$9@H1$
2ust as sharp@bladed grass"
if wrongly held"
wounds the ery hand that holds it5
the contemplatie life" if wrongly grasped"
drags you down to hell.
-ny slack act"
or defiled obserance"
or fraudulent life of chastity
bears no great fruit.
&f something7s to be done"
then work at it firmly"
for a slack going@forth
kicks up all the more dust.
&t7s better to leae a misdeed
undone.
- misdeed burns you afterward.
Better that a good deed be done
that" after you7e done it"
won7t make you burn.
H11@H1A
<ike a frontier fortress"
guarded inside L out"
guard yourself.
1on7t let the moment pass by.
Those for whom the moment is past
griee" consigned to hell.
H1I
-shamed of what7s not shameful"
not ashamed of what is"
beings adopting wrong iews
go to a bad destination.
0eeing danger where there is none"
L no danger where there is"
beings adopting wrong iews
go to a bad destination.
76
&magining error where there is none"
and no error where there is"
beings adopting wrong iews
go to a bad destination.
But knowing error as error"
and non@error as non@"
beings adopting right iews
go to a good
destination.
H1K@H19
77
--!!! ' .lephants
&5like an elephant in battle"
enduring an arrow shot from a bow5
will endure a false accusation"
for the mass of people
hae no principles.
H#$
The tamed is the one
they take into assemblies.
The tamed is the one
the king mounts.
The tamed who endures
a false accusation
is" among human beings"
the best.
H#1
/;cellent are tamed mules"
tamed thoroughbreds"
tamed horses from 0indh.
/;cellent" tamed tuskers"
great elephants.
But een more e;cellent
are those self@tamed.
+or not by these mounts could you go
to the land unreached"
as the tamed one goes
by taming" well@taming" himself.
H##@H#H
The tusker" 1hanapalaka"
deep in rut" is hard to control.
Bound" he won7t eat a morsel'
the tusker misses
the elephant wood.
H#AM
,hen torpid L oer@fed"
78
a sleepy@head lolling about
like a stout hog" fattened on fodder'
a dullard enters the womb
oer L
oer again.
H#I
Before" this mind went wandering
howeer it pleased"
whereer it wanted"
by whateer way that it liked.
Today & will hold it aptly in check5
as one wielding a goad" an elephant in rut.
H#K
1elight in heedfulness.
,atch oer your own mind.
<ift yourself up
from the hard@going way"
like a tusker sunk in the mud.
H#B

&f you gain a mature companion5
a fellow traeler" right@liing" enlightened5
oercoming all dangers
go with him" gratified"
mindful.
&f you don7t gain a mature companion5
a fellow traeler" right@liing" enlightened5
go alone
like a king renouncing his kingdom"
like the elephant in the )atanga wilds"
his herd.
4oing alone is better.
There7s no companionship with a fool.
4o alone"
doing no eil" at peace"
like the elephant in the )atanga wilds.
H#8@HH$M
- blessing' friends when the need arises.
- blessing' contentment with whateer there is.
79
)erit at the ending of life is a blessing.
- blessing' the abandoning of all suffering
L stress.
- blessing in the world' reerence to your mother.
- blessing' reerence to your father as well.
- blessing in the world' reerence to a contemplatie.
- blessing' reerence for a brahman" too.
- blessing into old age is irtue.
- blessing' coniction established.
- blessing' discernment attained.
The non@doing of eil things is
a blessing.
HH1@HHH
80
--!* ' Cra"ing
,hen a person lies heedlessly"
his craing grows like a creeping ine.
(e runs now here
L now there"
as if looking for fruit'
a monkey in the forest.
HHA
&f this sticky" uncouth craing
oercomes you in the world"
your sorrows grow like wild grass
after rain.
&f" in the world" you oercome
this uncouth craing" hard to escape"
sorrows roll off you"
like water beads off
a lotus.
HHI@HHK
To all of you gathered here
& say' 4ood fortune.
1ig up craing
5as when seeking medicinal roots" wild grass5
by the root.
1on7t let )ara cut you down
5as a raging rier" a reed5
oer L oer again.
HHBM
81
&f its root remains
undamaged L strong"
a tree" een if cut"
will grow back.
0o too if craing@obsession
is not rooted out"
this suffering returns
again
L
again.
HH8
(e whose HK streams"
flowing to what is appealing" are strong'
the currents5resoles based on passion5
carry him" of base iews" away.
They flow eery which way" the streams"
but the sprouted creeper stays
in place.
3ow" seeing that the creeper7s arisen"
cut through its root
with discernment.
HH9@HA$M
<oosened L oiled
are the 6oys of a person.
%eople" bound by enticement"
looking for ease'
to birth L aging they go.
HA1M
/ncircled with craing"
people hop round L around
like a rabbit caught in a snare.
Tied with fetters L bonds
they go on to suffering"
again L again" for long.
/ncircled with craing"
people hop round L around
like a rabbit caught in a snare.
0o a monk
should dispel craing"
82
should aspire to dispassion
for himself.
HA#@HAHM
Cleared of the underbrush
but obsessed with the forest"
set free from the forest"
right back to the forest he runs.
Come" see the person set free
who runs right back to the same old chainsN
HAA
That7s not a strong bond
5so say the enlightened5
the one made of iron" of wood" or of grass.
To be smitten" enthralled"
with 6ewels L ornaments"
longing for children L wies'
that7s the strong bond"
5so say the enlightened5
one that7s constraining"
elastic"
hard to untie.
But haing cut it" they
5the enlightened5go forth"
free of longing" abandoning
sensual ease.
Those smitten with passion
fall back
into a self@made stream"
like a spider snared in its web.
But" haing cut it" the enlightened set forth"
free of longing" abandoning
all suffering L stress.
HAI@HABM
4one to the beyond of becoming"
you let go of in front,
let go of behind,
let go of bet1een$
,ith a heart eerywhere let@go"
you don7t come again to birth
L aging.
83
HA8M
+or a person
forced on by his thinking"
fierce in his passion"
focused on beauty"
craing grows all the more.
(e7s the one
who tightens the bond.
But one who delights
in the stilling of thinking"
always mindful
cultiating
a focus on the foul'
(e7s the one
who will make an end"
the one who will cut )ara7s bond.
HA9@HI$M
-rried at the finish"
unfrightened" unblemished" free
of craing" he has cut away
the arrows of becoming.
This physical heap is his last.
+ree from craing"
ungrasping"
astute in e;pression"
knowing the combination of sounds5
which comes first L which after.
(e7s called a
last@body
greatly discerning
great man.
HI1@HI#M
-ll@con?uering"
all@knowing am &"
with regard to all things"
unadhering.
-ll@abandoning"
released in the ending of craing'
haing fully known on my own"
84
to whom should & point as my teacherR
HIHM
- gift of 1hamma con?uers all giftsF
the taste of 1hamma" all tastesF
a delight in 1hamma" all delightsF
the ending of craing" all suffering
L stress.
HIAM
!iches ruin the man
weak in discernment"
but not those who seek
the beyond.
Through craing for riches
the man weak in discernment
ruins himself
as he would others.
HII
+ields are spoiled by weedsF
people" by passion.
0o what7s gien to those
free of passion
bears great fruit.
+ields are spoiled by weedsF
people" by aersion.
0o what7s gien to those
free of aersion
bears great fruit.
+ields are spoiled by weedsF
people" by delusion.
0o what7s gien to those
free of delusion
bears great fruit.
+ields are spoiled by weedsF
people" by longing.
0o what7s gien to those
free of longing
bears great fruit.
HIK@HI9
85
--* ' )onks
!estraint with the eye is good"
good is restraint with the ear.
!estraint with the nose is good"
good is restraint with the tongue.
!estraint with the body is good"
good is restraint with speech.
!estraint with the heart is good"
good is restraint eerywhere.
- monk eerywhere restrained
is released from all suffering L stress.
HK$@HK1M
(ands restrained"
feet restrained
speech restrained"
supremely restrained5
delighting in what is inward"
content" centered" alone'
he7s what they call
a monk.
HK#
- monk restrained in his speaking"
giing counsel unruffled"
declaring the message L meaning'
sweet is his speech.
HKHM
1hamma his dwelling"
1hamma his delight"
a monk pondering 1hamma"
calling 1hamma to mind"
does not fall away
from true 1hamma.
HKA
4ains'
don7t treat your own with scorn"
86
don7t go coeting those of others.
- monk who coets those of others
attains
no concentration.
/en if he gets ne;t to nothing"
he doesn7t treat his gains with scorn.
<iing purely" untiring'
he7s the one
that the deas praise.
HKI@HKK
+or whom" in name L form
in eery way"
there7s no sense of mine,
L who doesn7t griee
for what7s not'
he7s deseredly called
a monk.
HKB
1welling in kindness" a monk
with faith in the -wakened One7s teaching"
would attain the good state"
the peaceful state'
stilling@of@fabrications ease.
HK8M
)onk" bail out this boat.
&t will take you lightly when bailed.
(aing cut through passion" aersion"
you go from there to Pnbinding.
HK9M
Cut through fie"
let go of fie"
L deelop fie aboe all.
- monk gone past fie attachments
is said to hae crossed the flood.
HB$M
%ractice 6hana" monk"
and don7t be heedless.
1on7t take your mind roaming
87
in sensual strands.
1on7t swallow5heedless5
the ball of iron aflame.
1on7t burn L complain' OThis is pain.7
HB1
There7s no 6hana
for one with no discernment"
no discernment
for one with no 6hana.
But one with both 6hana
L discernment'
he4s on the erge
of Pnbinding.
HB#
- monk with his mind at peace"
going into an empty dwelling"
clearly seeing the 1hamma aright'
his delight is more
than human.
(oweer it is"
howeer it is he touches
the arising@L@passing of aggregates'
he gains rapture L 6oy'
that" for those who know it"
is deathless"
the 1eathless.
HBH@HBA
(ere the first things
for a discerning monk
are guarding the senses"
contentment"
restraint in line with the %atimokkha.
(e should associate with admirable friends.
<iing purely" untiring"
hospitable by habit"
skilled in his conduct"
gaining a manifold 6oy"
he will put an end
to suffering L stress.
88
HBI@HBK
0hed passion
L aersion" monks5
as a 6asmine would"
its withered flowers.
HBB
Calmed in body"
calmed in speech"
well@centered L calm"
haing disgorged the baits of the world"
a monk is called
thoroughly
calmed.
HB8
>ou yourself should reproe yourself"
should e;amine yourself.
-s a self@guarded monk
with guarded self"
mindful" you dwell at ease.
HB9
>our own self is
your own mainstay.
>our own self is
your own guide.
Therefore you should
watch oer yourself5
as a trader" a fine steed.
H8$
- monk with a manifold 6oy"
with faith in the -wakened One7s teaching"
would attain the good state"
the peaceful state'
stilling@of@fabrications ease.
H81M
89
- young monk who stries
in the -wakened One7s teaching"
brightens the world
like the moon set free from a cloud.
H8#
90
--*! ' Brahmans
(aing strien" brahman"
cut the stream.
/;pel sensual passions.
=nowing the ending of fabrications"
brahman"
you know the Pnmade.
H8HM
,hen the brahman has gone
to the beyond of two things"
then all his fetters
go to their end5
he who knows.
H8AM
One whose beyond or
not7beyond or
beyond787not7beyond
can7t be foundF
unshackled" carefree'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
H8IM
0itting silent" dustless"
absorbed in 6hana"
his task done" effluents gone"
ultimate goal attained'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
H8K
By day shines the sunF
by night" the moonF
in armor" the warriorF
in 6hana" the brahman.
But all day L all night"
eery day L eery night"
91
the -wakened One shines
in splendor.
H8B
(e7s called a brahman
for haing banished his eil"
a contemplatie
for liing in consonance"
one gone forth
for haing forsaken
his own impurities.
H88M
One should not strike a brahman"
nor should the brahman
let loose with his anger.
0hame on a brahman7s killer.
)ore shame on the brahman
whose anger7s let loose.
H89M
3othing7s better for the brahman
than when the mind is held back
from what is endearing L not.
(oweer his harmful@heartedness
wears away"
that7s how stress
simply comes to rest.
H9$M
,hoeer does no wrong
in body"
speech"
heart"
is restrained in these three ways'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
H91
The person from whom
you would learn the 1hamma
taught by the !ightly
0elf@-wakened One'
92
you should honor him with respect5
as a brahman" the flame for a sacrifice.
H9#M
3ot by matted hair"
by clan" or by birth"
is one a brahman.
,hoeer has truth
L rectitude'
he is a pure one"
he" a brahman.
,hat7s the use of your matted hair"
you dullardR
,hat7s the use of your deerskin cloakR
The tangle7s inside you.
>ou comb the outside.
H9H@H9AM
,earing cast@off rags
5his body lean L lined with eins5
absorbed in 6hana"
alone in the forest'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
H9I
& don7t call one a brahman
for being born of a mother
or sprung from a womb.
(e7s called a Obho@sayer7
if he has anything at all.
But someone with nothing"
who clings to no thing'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
H9KM
(aing cut eery fetter"
he doesn7t get ruffled.
Beyond attachment"
unshackled'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
93
H9B
(aing cut the strap L thong"
cord L bridle"
haing thrown off the bar"
awakened'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
H98M
(e endures5unangered5
insult" assault" L imprisonment.
(is army is strengthF
his strength" forbearance'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
H99
+ree from anger"
duties obsered"
principled" with no oerbearing pride"
trained" a Olast@body7'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A$$M
<ike water on a lotus leaf"
a mustard seed on the tip of an awl"
he doesn7t adhere to sensual pleasures'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A$1
(e discerns right here"
for himself"
on his own"
his own
ending of stress.
Pnshackled" his burden laid down'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A$#M
94
,ise" profound
in discernment" astute
as to what is the path
L what7s notF
his ultimate goal attained'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A$H
Pncontaminated
by householders
L houseless ones alikeF
liing with no home"
with ne;t to no wants'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A$A
(aing put aside iolence
against beings fearful or firm"
he neither kills nor
gets others to kill'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A$I
Pnopposing among opposition"
unbound among the armed"
unclinging among those who cling'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A$K
(is passion" aersion"
conceit" L contempt"
hae fallen away5
like a mustard seed
from the tip of an awl'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A$B
95
(e would say
what7s non@grating"
instructie"
true5
abusing no one'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A$8
(ere in the world
he takes nothing not@gien
5long" short"
large" small"
attractie" not'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A$9
(is longing for this
L for the ne;t world
can7t be foundF
free from longing" unshackled'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A1$
(is attachments"
his homes"
can7t be found.
(e" through knowing"
is unperple;ed"
has come ashore
in the 1eathless'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A11M
(e has gone
beyond attachment here
for both merit L eil5
sorrowless" dustless" L pure'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
96
A1#M
0potless" pure" like the moon
5limpid L calm5
his delights" his becomings"
totally gone'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A1H
(e has made his way past
this hard@going path
5samsara" delusion5
has crossed oer"
has gone beyond"
is free from want"
from perple;ity"
absorbed in 6hana"
through no@clinging
Pnbound'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A1A
,hoeer" abandoning sensual passions here"
would go forth from home5
his sensual passions" becomings"
totally gone'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
,hoeer" abandoning craing here"
would go forth from home5
his craings" becomings"
totally gone'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A1I@A1K
(aing left behind
the human bond"
haing made his way past
the diine"
from all bonds unshackled'
97
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A1B
(aing left behind
delight L displeasure"
cooled" with no ac?uisitions5
a hero who has con?uered
all the world"
eery world'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A18
(e knows in eery way
beings7 passing away"
and their re@
arisingF
unattached" awakened"
well@gone'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A19
(e whose course they don7t know
5deas" gandhabbas" L human beings5
his effluents ended" an arahant'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A#$
(e who has nothing
5in front" behind" in between5
the one with nothing
who clings to no thing'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A#1M
- splendid bull" con?ueror"
hero" great seer5
free from want"
awakened" washed'
98
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A##
(e knows his former lies.
(e seesheaens L states of woe"
has attained the ending of birth"
is a sage who has mastered full@knowing"
his mastery totally mastered'
he7s what & call
a brahman.
A#HM
99
(istorical 9otes'
The Te:t 8 the Translation
There are many ersions of the 1hammapada now e;tant' seeral recensions of the %ali
1hammapada from Burma" Cambodia" <aos" 0ri <anka" and ThailandF two incomplete
manuscripts of a 4andhari 1harmapada found in central -siaF and a manuscript of a
Buddhist (ybrid@0anskrit 1harmapada found in a library in Tibet" called the %atna
1harmapada because photographs of this manuscript are now kept in %atna" &ndia. There is
also a Chinese translation of the 1harmapada made in the third century C./. from a %rakrit
original" now no longer e;tant" similar to5but not identical with5the %ali 1hammapada.
%arts of a 1harmapada te;t are included in the )ahaastu" a te;t belonging to the
<okottaraadin )ahasanghika school. &n addition" there are 0anskrit" Tibetan" and Chinese
ersions of a te;t called the Pdanaarga" which is known in at least four recensions" all of
them containing many erses in common with the 1hammapadaE1harmapada C1hpD te;ts.
To further complicate matters" there are 2ain anthologies that contain erses clearly related
to some of those found in these Buddhist anthologies as well.
1espite the many similarities among these te;ts" they contain enough discrepancies to
hae fueled a small scholarly industry. The different recensions of the %ali 1hp contain so
many ariant readings that there isn7t yet5een after more than a century of ,estern
scholarship on the topic5a single edition coering them all. The discrepancies among the
%ali and non@%ali ersions are een greater. They arrange erses in different orders" each
contains erses not found in the others" and among the erses in different ersions that are
related" the similarity in terms of imagery or message is sometimes fairly tenuous.
+ortunately for anyone looking to the 1hp for spiritual guidance" the differences
among the arious recensions5though many in number5range in importance from fairly
minor to minor in the e;treme. -llowing for a few obious scribal errors" none of them fall
outside the pale of what has long been accepted as standard early Buddhist doctrine as
deried from the %ali discourses. +or e;ample" does the milk in erse B1 come out or does it
curdleR &s the bond in erse HAK subtle" slack" or elasticR &s the brahman in erse H9H happy or
is he pureR +or all practical purposes" these ?uestions hardly matter. They become
important only when one is forced to take sides in choosing which ersion to translate" and
een then the nature of the choice is like that of a conductor deciding which of the many
ersions of a (andel oratorio to perform.
Pnfortunately for the translator" though" the scholarly discussions that hae grown
around these issues hae tended to blow them all out of proportion" to the point where they
100
call into ?uestion the authenticity of the 1hp as a whole. Because the scholars who hae
deoted themseles to this topic hae come up with such contradictory adice for the
potential translator5including the suggestion that it7s a waste of time to translate some of
the erses at all5we need to sort through the discussions to see what" if any" reliable
guidance they gie.
Those who hae worked on the issues raised by the ariant ersions of 1hp hae" by and
large" directed the discussion to figuring out which ersion is the oldest and most authentic"
and which ersions are later and more corrupt. <acking any outside landmarks against which
the ersions can be sighted" scholars hae attempted to reconstruct what must hae been the
earliest ersion by triangulating among the te;ts themseles. This te;tual trigonometry
tends to rely on assumptions from among the following three types'
1D -ssumptions concerning what is inherently an earlier or later form of a erse. These
assumptions are the least reliable of the three" for they inole no truly ob6ectie criteria. &f"
for instance" two ersions of a erse differ in that one is more internally consistent than the
other" the consistent ersion will seem more genuine to one scholar" whereas another scholar
will attribute the consistency to later efforts to 8clean up9 the erse. 0imilarly" if one ersion
contains a rendition of a erse different from all other renditions of the same erse" one
scholar will see that as a sign of deianceF another" as a sign of the authenticity that may hae
predated a later standardi:ation among the te;ts. Thus the conclusions drawn by different
scholars based on these assumptions tell us more about the scholars7 presuppositions than
they do about the te;ts themseles.
#D -ssumptions concerning the meter of the erses in ?uestion. One of the great
adances in recent %ali scholarship has been the rediscoery of the metrical rules underlying
early %ali poetry. -s the Buddha himself is ?uoted as saying" 8)eter is the structural
framework of erses.9 C03 1'K$D =nowledge of metrical rules thus helps the editor or
translator spot which readings of a erse deiate from the structure of a standard meter" and
which ones follow it. Theoretically" the obious choice would be to adopt the latter and
re6ect the former. &n practice" howeer" the issue is not so clear@cut. /arly %ali poetry dates
from a time of great metrical e;perimentation" and so there is always the possibility that a
particular poem was composed in an e;perimental meter that neer achieed widespread
recognition. There is also the possibility that5as the poetry was spontaneous and oral5a
fair amount of metrical license was allowed. This means that the more 8correct9 forms of a
erse may hae been the products of a later attempt to fit the poetry into standard molds.
Thus the conclusions based on the assumption of standard meters are not as totally reliable
as they might seem.
HD -ssumptions concerning the language in which the original 1hp was first composed.
These assumptions re?uire an e;tensie knowledge of )iddle &ndic dialects. - scholar will
assume a particular dialect to hae been the original language of the te;t" and will further
make assumptions about the types of translation mistakes that might hae been common
when translating from that dialect into the languages of the te;ts we now hae. The te;tual
trigonometry based on these assumptions often inoles such complicated methods of
101
sighting and computation that it can produce an 8original9 ersion of the te;t that is 6ust
that' ery original" coinciding with none of the ersions e;tant. &n other words" where the
current ariants of a erse might be a" b" and c" the added assumption about the 1hp7s
original language and the ineptitude of ancient translators and copyists leads to the
conclusion that the erse must hae been d. (oweer" for all the impressie erudition that
this method inoles" not een the most learned scholar can offer any proof as to what the
1hp7s original language was. &n fact" as we will consider below" it is possible that the Buddha
5assuming that he was the author of the erses5composed poetry in more than one
language" and more than one ersion of a particular erse. 0o" as with the first set of
assumptions" the methods of triangulation based on an assumed original language of the
1hp tell us more about the indiidual scholar7s position than they do about the position of
the te;t.
Thus" although the scholarship deoted to the different recensions of the 1hp has
proided a useful serice in unearthing so many ariant readings of the te;t" none of the
assumptions used in trying to sort through those readings for 8the original9 1hp hae led to
any definite conclusions. Their positie success has been limited mainly to offering food for
academic speculation and educated guesses.
On the negatie side" though" they hae succeeded in accomplishing something totally
useless' a wholesale sense of distrust for the early Buddhist te;ts" and the poetic te;ts in
particular. &f the te;ts contain so many arying reports" the feeling goes" and if their
translators and transmitters were so incompetent" how can any of them be trustedR This
distrust comes from accepting" unconsciously" the assumptions concerning authorship and
authenticity within which our modern" predominately literate culture operates' that only
one ersion of a erse could hae been composed by its original author" and that all other
ersions must be later corruptions. &n terms of the 1hp" this comes down to assuming that
there was only one original ersion of the te;t" and that it was composed in a single language.
(oweer" these assumptions are totally inappropriate for analy:ing the oral culture in
which the Buddha taught and in which the erses of the 1hp were first anthologi:ed. &f we
look carefully at the nature of that culture5and in particular at clear statements from the
early Buddhist te;ts concerning the eents and principles that shaped those te;ts5we will
see that it is perfectly natural that there should be a ariety of reports about the Buddha7s
teachings" all of which might be essentially correct. &n terms of the 1hp" we can iew the
multiple ersions of the te;t as a sign" not of faulty transmission" but of an allegiance to their
oral origins.
Oral prose and poetry are ery different from their written counterparts. This fact is
obious een in our own culture. (oweer" we hae to make an actie effort of the
imagination to comprehend the e;pectations placed on oral transmission between speakers
and listeners in a culture where there is no written word to fall back on. &n such a setting" the
erbal heritage is maintained totally through repetition and memori:ation. - speaker with
something new to say has to repeat it often to different audiences5who" if they feel inspired
by the message" are e;pected to memori:e at least its essential parts. Because
102
communication is face@to@face" a speaker is particularly pri:ed for an ability to tailor hisEher
message to the moment of communication" in terms of the audience7s background from the
past" its state of mind at present" and its hoped@for benefits in the future.
This puts a double imperatie on both the speaker and the listener. The speaker must
choose hisEher words with an eye both to how they will affect the audience in the present and
to how they will be memori:ed for future reference. The listener must be attentie" both to
appreciate the immediate impact of the words and to memori:e them for future use.
-lthough originality in teaching is appreciated" it is only one of a constellation of irtues
e;pected of a teacher. Other e;pected irtues include a knowledge of common culture and
an ability to play with that knowledge for the desired effect in terms of immediate impact or
memorability. The %ali 1hp Cerse AID itself makes this point in comparing the act of
teaching" not to creating something totally new out of nothing" but to selecting among
aailable flowers to create a pleasing arrangement 6ust right for the occasion.
Of course" there are situations in an oral culture where either immediate impact or
memorability is emphasi:ed at the e;pense of the other. &n a classroom" listening for impact
is sacrificed to the needs of listening for memori:ation" whereas in a theater" the emphasis is
reersed. -ll indications show" howeer" that the Buddha as a teacher was especially sensitie
to both aspects of oral communication" and that he trained his listeners to be sensitie to
both as well. On the one hand" the repetitious style of many of his recorded teachings seems
to hae been aimed at hammering them into the listener7s memoryF also" at the end of many
of his discourses" he would summari:e the main points of the discussion in an easy@to@
memori:e erse.
On the other hand" there are many reports of instances in which his listeners gained
immediate -wakening while listening to his words. -nd" there is a delightful section in one
of his discourses Cthe 0ama;;aphala 0uttanta, 13 #D satiri:ing the teachers of other
religious sects for their inability to break away from the formulaic mode of their teachings
to gie a direct answer to specific ?uestions C8&t7s as if" when asked about a mango" one were
to answer with a breadfruit"9 one of the interlocutors comments" 8or" when asked about a
breadfruit" to answer with a mango.9D The Buddha" in contrast" was famous for his ability to
speak directly to his listeners7 needs.
This sensitiity to both present impact and future use is in line with two well@known
Buddhist teachings' first" the basic Buddhist principle of causality" that an act has
repercussions both in the present and on into the futureF second" the Buddha7s reali:ation"
early on in his teaching career" that some of his listeners would attain -wakening
immediately on hearing his words" whereas others would be able to awaken only after taking
his words" contemplating them" and putting them into prolonged practice.
- surey of the Buddha7s prose discourses recorded in the %ali Canon gies an idea of
how the Buddha met the double demands placed on him as a teacher. &n some cases" to
respond to a particular situation" he would formulate an entirely original teaching. &n
others" he would simply repeat a formulaic answer that he kept in store for general use'
103
either teachings original with him" or more traditional teachings5sometimes lightly
tailored" sometimes not5that fit in with his message. &n still others" he would take
formulaic bits and pieces" and combine them in a new way for the needs at hand. - surey of
his poetry reeals the same range of material' original worksF set pieces5original or
borrowed" occasionally altered in line with the occasionF and recyclings of old fragments in
new 6u;tapositions.
Thus" although the Buddha insisted that all his teachings had the same taste5that of
release5he taught different ariations on the theme of that taste to different people on
different occasions" in line with his perception of their short@ and long@term needs. &n
reciting a erse to a particular audience" he might change a word" a line" or an image" to fit in
with their backgrounds and indiidual needs.
-dding to this potential for ariety was the fact that the people of northern &ndia in his
time spoke a number of different dialects" each with its own traditions of poetry and prose.
The %ali Cullaagga C*.HH.1D records the Buddha as insisting that his listeners memori:e his
teachings" not in a standardi:ed lingua franca" but in their own dialects. There is no way of
knowing whether he himself was multi@lingual enough to teach all of his students in their
own dialects" or e;pected them to make the translations themseles. 0till" it seems likely that"
as a well@educated aristocrat of the time" he would hae been fluent in at least two or three of
the most prealent dialects. 0ome of the discourses5such as 13 #15depict the Buddha as
an articulate connoisseur of poetry and song" so we can e;pect that he would also hae been
sensitie to the special problems inoled in the effectie translation of poetry5alie" for
instance" to the fact that skilled translation re?uires more than simply substituting
e?uialent words. The )ahaagga C*.1H.9D reports that the Buddha listened" with
appreciation" as a monk from the southern country of -anti recited some of his teachings
5apparently in the -anti dialect5in his presence. -lthough scholars hae often raised
?uestions about which language the Buddha spoke" it might be more appropriate to remain
open to the possibility that he spoke5and could compose poetry in5seeral. This
possibility makes the ?uestion of 8the9 original language or 8the9 original te;t of the 1hp
somewhat irreleant.
The te;ts suggest that een during the Buddha7s lifetime his students made efforts to
collect and memori:e a standardi:ed body of his teachings under a rubric of nine categories'
dialogues" narraties of mi;ed prose and erse" e;planations" erses" spontaneous
e;clamations" ?uotations" birth stories" ama:ing eents" ?uestion and answer sessions.
(oweer" the act of collecting and memori:ing was pursued by only a sub@group among his
monks" while other monks" nuns" and lay people doubtlessly had their own indiidual
memori:ed stores of teachings they had heard directly from the Buddha or indirectly
through the reports of their friends and ac?uaintances.
The Buddha had the foresight to ensure that this less standardi:ed fund of memories
not be discounted by later generationsF at the same time" he established norms so that
mistaken reports" deiating from the principles of his teachings" would not be allowed to
creep into the accepted body of doctrine. To discourage fabricated reports of his words" he
104
warned that anyone who put words in his mouth was slandering him C-3 #'#HD. This"
howeer" could in no way preent mistaken reports based on honest misunderstandings. 0o"
shortly before his death" he summari:ed the basic principles of his teachings' the HB ,ings
to -wakening (bodhi7pakkhiya dhamma5see the note to erse H$1D in the general framework
of the deelopment of irtue" concentration" and discernment" leading to release. Then he
announced the general norms by which reports of his teachings were to be 6udged. The
)ahaparinibbana 0uttanta C13 1KD ?uotes him as saying'
8There is the case where a monk says this' O&n the Blessed One7s presence hae &
heard this" in the Blessed One7s presence hae & receied this... &n the presence of a
community with well@known leading elders... &n a monastery with many learned
elders who know the tradition... &n the presence of a single elder who knows the
tradition hae & heard this" in his presence hae & receied this' This is the 1hamma"
this is the *inaya" this is the Teacher7s instruction.7 (is statement is neither to be
approed nor scorned. ,ithout approal or scorn" take careful note of his words and
make them stand against the discourses and tally them against the *inaya. &f" on
making them stand against the discourses and tallying them against the *inaya" you
find that they don7t stand with the discourses or tally with the *inaya" you may
conclude' OThis is not the word of the Blessed OneF this monk has misunderstood
it75and you should re6ect it. But if... they stand with the discourses and tally with
the *inaya" you may conclude' OThis is the word of the Blessed OneF this monk has
understood it rightly.79
Thus" a report of the Buddha7s teachings was to be 6udged" not on the authority of the
reporter or his sources" but on the principle of consistency' did it fit in with what was already
known of the doctrineR This principle was designed to ensure that nothing at odds with the
original would be accepted into the standard canon" but it did open the possibility that
teachings in line with the Buddha7s" yet not actually spoken by him" might find their way in.
The early redactors of the canon seem to hae been alert to this possibility" but not oerly
worried by it. -s the Buddha himself pointed out many times" he did not design or create the
1hamma. (e simply found it in nature. -nyone who deeloped the pitch of mental
strengths and abilities needed for -wakening could discoer the same principles as well.
Thus the 1hamma was by no means e;clusiely his.
This attitude was carried oer into the passages of the *inaya that cite four categories of
1hamma statements' spoken by the Buddha" spoken by his disciples" spoken by seers Cnon@
Buddhist sagesD" spoken by heaenly beings. -s long as a statement was in accordance with
the basic principles" the ?uestion of who first stated it did not matter. &n an oral culture"
where a saying might be associated with a person because he authored it" approed it"
repeated it often" or inspired it by hisEher words or actions" the ?uestion of authorship was
not the oerriding concern it has since become in literate cultures. The recent discoery of
eidence that a number of teachings associated with the Buddha may hae pre@ or post@
dated his time would not hae fa:ed the early Buddhists at all" as long as those teachings
were in accordance with the original principles.
105
0hortly after the Buddha7s passing away" the Cullaagga C.&D reports" his disciples met
to agree on a standardi:ed canon of his teachings" abandoning the earlier nine@fold
classification and organi:ing the material into something approaching the canon we hae
today. There is clear eidence that some of the passages in the e;tant canon do not date to
the first conocation" as they report incidents that took place afterwards. The ?uestion
naturally arises as to whether there are any other later additions not so obious. This
?uestion is particularly releant with regard to te;ts like the 1hp" whose organi:ation
differs considerably from redaction to redaction" and leads naturally to the further ?uestion
of whether a later addition to the canon can be considered authentic. The Cullaagga
C.&.1.11D recounts an incident that sheds light on this issue'
3ow at that time" *en. %urana was wandering on a tour of the 0outhern (ills
with a large community of monks" appro;imately I$$ in all. Then" haing stayed as
long as he liked in the 0outhern (ills while the elder monks were standardi:ing the
1hamma and *inaya" he went to the Bamboo %ark" the 0?uirrels7 0anctuary" in
!a6agaha. On arrial" he went to the elder monks and" after e;changing pleasantries"
sat to one side. -s he was sitting there" they said to him" 8+riend %urana" the
1hamma and *inaya hae been standardi:ed by the elders. 0witch oer to their
standardi:ation.9 G(e replied'J 8The 1hamma and *inaya hae been well@
standardi:ed by the elders. 0till" & will hold simply to what & hae heard and receied
in the Blessed One7s presence.9
&n other words" *en. %urana maintained5and undoubtedly taught to his followers5a
record of the Buddha7s teachings that lay outside the standardi:ed ersion" but was
neertheless authentic. -s we hae already noted" there were monks" nuns" and lay people
like him een while the Buddha was alie" and there were probably others like him who
continued maintaining personal memories of the Buddha7s teachings een after the latter7s
death.
This story shows the official early Buddhist attitude toward such differing traditions'
each accepted the trustworthiness of the others. -s time passed" some of the early
communities may hae made an effort to include these 8e;ternal9 records in the
standardi:ed canon" resulting in arious collections of prose and erse passages. The range
of these collections would hae been determined by the material that was aailable in" or
could be effectiely translated into" each indiidual dialect. Their organi:ation would hae
depended on the taste and skill of the indiidual collectors. Thus" for instance" we find erses
in the %ali 1hp that do not e;ist in other 1hps" as well as erses in the %atna and 4andhari
1hps that the %ali tradition assigns to the 2ataka or 0utta 3ipata. ,e also find erses in one
redaction composed of lines scattered among seeral erses in another. &n any eent" the fact
that a te;t was a later addition to the standardi:ed canon does not necessarily mean that it
was a later inention. 4ien the ad hoc way in which the Buddha sometimes taught" and the
scattered nature of the communities who memori:ed his teachings" the later additions to the
canons may simply represent earlier traditions that escaped standardi:ation until relatiely
late.
106
,hen Buddhists began committing their canons to writing" appro;imately at the
beginning of the common era" they brought a great change to the dynamic of how their
traditions were maintained. The adantages of written oer oral transmission are obious'
the te;ts are saed from the agaries of human long@term memory and do not die out if
those who hae memori:ed them die before teaching others to memori:e them as well. The
disadantages of written transmission" howeer" are less obious but no less real. 3ot only is
there the possibility of scribal error" but5because transmission is not face@to@face5there
can also be the suspicion of scribal error. &f a reading seems strange to a student" he has no
way of checking with the scribe" perhaps seeral generations distant" to see if the reading was
indeed a mistake. ,hen confronted with such problems" he may 8correct9 the reading to fit
in with his ideas of what must be right" een in cases where the reading was correct" and its
perceied strangeness was simply a result of changes in the spoken dialect or of his own
limited knowledge and imagination. The fact that manuscripts of other ersions of the te;t
were also aailable for comparison in such instances could hae led scribes to homogeni:e
the te;ts" remoing unusual ariants een when the ariants themseles may hae gone back
to the earliest days of the tradition.
These considerations of how the 1hp may hae been handed down to the present5and
especially the possibility that C1D ariant recensions might all be authentic" and that C#D
agreement among the recensions might be the result of later homogeni:ation5hae
determined the way in which & hae approached this translation of the %ali 1hp. Pnlike
some other recent translators" & am treating the %ali 1hp as a te;t with its own integrity5
6ust as each of the alternatie traditions has its own integrity5and hae not tried to
homogeni:e the arious traditions. ,here the different %ali recensions are unanimous in
their readings" een in cases where the reading seems strange Ce.g." B1" #$9" #I9" HAKD" & hae
stuck with the %ali without trying to 8rectify9 it in light of less unusual readings gien in the
other traditions. Only in cases where the different %ali redactions are at ariance with one
another" and the ariants seem e?ually plausible" hae & checked the non@%ali te;ts to see
which ariant they support. The translation here is drawn from three editions of the te;t'
the %ali Te;t 0ociety C%T0D edition edited by O. on (inSber and =.!. 3orman C199IDF the
O;ford edition edited by 2ohn !oss Carter and )ahinda %alihawadana" together with its
e;tensie notes C198BDF and the !oyal Thai edition of the %ali Canon C198#D. The pts edition
gies the most e;tensie list of ariant readings among the %ali recensions" but een it is not
complete. The !oyal Thai edition" for e;ample" contains A9 preferred and 8 ariant
readings not gien in the %T0 ersion at all. %assages where & hae differed from the %T0
reading are cited in the /nd 3otes.
1rawing selectiely on arious recensions in this way" & cannot guarantee that the
resulting reading of the 1hp corresponds e;actly to the Buddha7s words" or to any one te;t
that once e;isted in ancient &ndia. (oweer" as & mentioned at the beginning of this note" all
the recensions agree in their basic principles" so the ?uestion is immaterial. The true test of
the reading5and the resulting translation5is if the reader feels engaged enough by the
107
erses to put their principles into practice and finds that they do indeed lead to the release
that the Buddha taught. &n the final analysis" nothing else really counts.
108
.nd 9otes
(9umbers refer to "erses)
1@#' The fact that the word mano is paired here with dhamma would seem to suggest that
it is meant in its role as 8intellect"9 the sense medium that coneys knowledge of ideas or
mental ob6ects Ctwo possible meanings for the word dhammaD. (oweer" the illustrations in
the second sentence of each erse show that it is actually meant in its role as the mental
factor responsible for the ?uality of one7s actions Cas in mano7kamma), the factor of will and
intention" shaping not only mental eents but also physical reality Con this point" see 03
HI'1AID. Thus" following a Thai tradition" & hae rendered it here as 8heart.9
The images in these erses are carefully chosen. The cart" representing suffering" is a
burden on the o; pulling it" and the weight of its wheels obliterates the o;7s track. The
shadow" representing happiness" is no weight on the body at all.
-ll %ali recensions of this erse gie the reading" manomaya T made of the heart" while all
other recensions gie the reading mano&a"a T impelled by the heart.
B@8' +ocused on the foul' - meditatie e;ercise in focusing on the foul aspects of the
body so as to help undercut lust and attachment for the body Csee )3 119D. -3 H'1K gies a
standard definition for restraint with the senses' 8-nd how does a monk guard the doors to
his sense facultiesR There is the case where a monk" on seeing a form with the eye" does not
grasp at any theme or particulars by which5if he were to dwell without restraint oer the
faculty of the eye5eil" unskillful ?ualities such as greed or distress might assail him. (e
practices with restraint. (e guards the faculty of the eye. (e achiees restraint with regard
to the faculty of the eye. C0imilarly with the ear" nose" tongue" body L intellect.D This is how
a monk guards the doors to his sense faculties.9
11@1#' ,rong resoles T mental resoles for sensuality" ill will" or harmfulness. !ight
resoles T mental resoles for freedom from sensuality" for freedom from ill will" and for
harmlessness.
1B@18' 81estination9 in these two erses and throughout the te;t means one7s
destination after death.
#1' The 1eathless T Pnbinding (nibbana<nir"ana), which gies release from the cycle of
death and rebirth.
##' 8The range of the noble ones9' -ny of the four stages of -wakening" as well as the
total Pnbinding to which they lead. The four stages are' C1D stream@entry" at which one
abandons the first three mental fetters tying one to the round of rebirth' self@identity iews"
uncertainty" and grasping at habits and practicesF C#D once@returning" at which passion"
aersion" and delusion are further weakenedF CHD non@returning" at which sensual passion and
irritation are abandonedF and CAD arahantship" at which the final fie fetters are abandoned'
109
passion for form" passion for formless phenomena" conceit" restlessness" and ignorance. +or
other references to the 8range of the noble ones"9 see 9#@9H and 1B9@18$.
HB' 8<ying in a cae9' -ccording to the 1hp Commentary Chereafter referred to as
1hp-D" 8cae9 here means the physical heart" as well as the four great properties5earth
CsolidityD" water Cli?uidityD" fire CheatD" and wind CmotionD5that make up the body. 0n A'#
also compares the body to a cae.
H9' -ccording to 1hp-" 8unsoddened mind9 means one into which the rain of passion
doesn7t penetrate Csee 1H@1ADF 8unassaulted awareness9 means a mind not assaulted by anger.
8Beyond merit L eil9' The arahant is beyond merit and eil in that heEshe has none of the
mental defilements5passion" aersion" or delusion5that would lead to eil actions" and
none of the attachments that would cause hisEher actions to bear kammic fruit of any sort"
good or bad.
A$' 8,ithout settling there" without laying claim9' two meanings of the word
ani"esano$
A#' -3 B'K$ illustrates this point with seen ways that a person harms himEherself when
angry" bringing on results that an enemy would wish' (eEshe becomes ugly" sleeps badly"
mistakes profit for loss and loss for profit" loses wealth" loses hisEher reputation" loses
friends" and acts in such a way that5after death5heEshe reappears in a bad rebirth.
AA@AI' 81hamma@saying9' This is a translation for the term dhammapada. To ferret
out the well@taught 1hamma@saying means to select the appropriate ma;im to apply to a
particular situation" in the same way that a flower@arranger chooses the right flower" from a
heap of aailable flowers Csee IHD" to fit into a particular spot in the arrangement. 8The
learner@on@the@path9' - person who has attained any of the first three of the four stages of
-wakening Csee note ##D.
A8' -ccording to 1hp-" the /nd@maker is death. -ccording to another ancient
commentary" the /nd@maker is )ara.
IH' The last line of the %ali here can be read in two ways" either 8een so" many a skillful
thing should be done by one born L mortal9 or 8een so" many a skillful thing should be
done with what7s born L mortal.9 The first reading takes the phrase &atena maccena, born L
mortal" as being analogous to the flower@arranger implicit in the image. The second takes it
as analogous to the heap of flowers e;plicitly mentioned. &n this sense" 8what7s born L is
mortal9 would denote one7s body" wealth" and talents.
IA@IK' Tagara T a shrub that" in powdered form" is used as a perfume. -3 H'B9 e;plains
the how the scent of a irtuous person goes against the wind and wafts to the deas" by saying
that those human and celestial beings who know of the good character of a irtuous person
will broadcast one7s good name in all directions.
IB' 8!ight knowing9' the knowledge of full -wakening.
B1' 81oesn7t5like ready milk5come out right away9' -ll %ali recensions of this erse
110
gie the erb muccati58to come out9 or 8to be released95whereas 1hp- agrees with the
0anskrit recensions in reading the erb as if it were mucchati<murchati, 8to curdle.9 The
former reading makes more sense" both in terms of the image of the poem5which contrasts
coming out with staying hidden5and with the plain fact that fresh milk doesn7t curdle right
away. The Chinese translation of 1hp supports this reading" as do two of three scholarly
editions of the %atna 1hp.
B9' 81rinking the 1hamma" refreshed by the 1hamma9' two meanings of the word"
dhammapiti$ 8Clear U calm9' two meanings of "ipasannena$
8H' 80tand apart9' reading ca&anti with 1hp- and many -sian editions.
8K' The synta; of this erse yields the best sense if we take param as meaning 8across"9
and not as 8the far shore.9
89' +actors for self@awakening T mindfulness" analysis of ?ualities" persistence" rapture"
serenity" concentration" and e?uanimity.
9#@9H' 8(aing understood food U. independent of nutriment9' The first ?uestion in
the 3oice7s Questions C=hp AD is 8,hat is oneR9 The answer' 8-ll animals subsist on
nutriment.9 The concept of food and nutriment here refers to the most basic way of
understanding the causal principle that plays such a central role in the Buddha7s teaching.
-s 03 1#'KA points out" 8There are these four nutriments for the establishing of beings
who hae taken birth or for the support of those in search of a place to be born. ,hich fourR
%hysical nutriment" gross or refinedF contact as the second" consciousness the third" and
intellectual intention the fourth.9 The present erses make the point that the arahant has so
fully understood the process of physical and mental causality that heEshe is totally
independent of it" and thus will neer take birth again. 0uch a person cannot be
comprehended by any of the forms of understanding that operate within the causal realm.
9A' 80uch (tadin)%' an ad6ectie used to describe one who has attained the goal of
Buddhist practice" indicating that the person7s state is indefinable but not sub6ect to change
or influences of any sort. 8!ight knowing9' the knowledge of full -wakening.
9I' &ndra7s pillar T a post set up at the gate of a city. -ccording to 1hp-" there was an
ancient custom of worshipping this post with flowers and offerings" although those who
wanted to show their disrespect for this custom would urinate and defecate on the post. &n
either case" the post did not react.
9B' This erse is a series of puns. The negatie meanings of the puns are on the left side
of the slashesF the positie meanings" on the right. The negatie meanings are so e;tremely
negatie that they were probably intended to shock their listeners. One scholar has
suggested that the last word5uttamaporiso, the ultimate person5should also be read as a
pun" with the negatie meaning" 8the e;treme of audacity"9 but that would weaken the shock
alue of the erse.
1$$' -ccording to 1hp-" the word sahassam in this and the following erses means 8by
the thousands9 rather than 8a thousand.9 The same principle would also seem to hold for
111
satam58by the hundreds9 rather than 8a hundred95in 1$#.
1$8' 81oesn7t come to a fourth9' 1hp-' The merit produced by all sacrificial offerings
gien in the world in the course of a year doesn7t e?ual een one fourth of the merit made by
paying homage once to one who has gone the straight way to Pnbinding.
1#1@1##' 8CO&t won7t amount to much7D9' reading na mattam agamissati with the Thai
edition. Other editions read" na mantam agamissati, 8&t won7t come to me.9
1#K' (eaen and hell" in the Buddhist iew of the cosmos" are not eternal states. One
may be reborn on one of the arious leels of heaen or hell as the result of one7s kamma on
the human plane" and then leae that leel when that particular store of kamma wears out.
1AH' 0ome translators hae proposed that the erb apabodheti, here translated as
8awakens9 should be changed to appam bodheti, 8to think little of.9 This" howeer" goes
against the sense of the erse and of a recurrent image in the Canon" that the better@bred
the horse" the more sensitie it is een to the idea of the whip" to say nothing of the whip
itself. 0ee" for e;ample" -3 A'11H.
The ?uestion raised in this erse is answered in 03 1'18'
Those restrained by conscience
are rare5
those who go through life
always mindful.
(aing reached the end
of suffering L stress"
they go through what is uneen
eenlyF
go through what is out@of@tune
in tune.
1I#' )uscles' This is a translation of the %ali mansani, which is usually rendered in this
erse as 8flesh.9 (oweer" because the %ali word is in the plural form" 8muscles9 seems more
accurate5and more to the point.
1IH@1IA' 1hp-' These erses were the Buddha7s first utterance after his full -wakening.
+or some reason" they are not reported in any of the other canonical accounts of the eents
following on the -wakening.
1hp-' 8(ouse9 T selfhoodF house@builder T craing. 8(ouse9 may also refer to the nine
abodes of beings5the seen stations of consciousness and two spheres Csee =hp A and 13
1ID.
The word anibbisam in 1IH can be read either as the negatie gerund of nibbisati
C8earning" gaining a reward9D or as the negatie gerund of ni"isati, altered to fit the meter"
meaning 8coming to a rest" settled" situated.9 Both readings make sense in the conte;t of the
erse" so the word is probably intended to hae a double meaning' without reward" without
rest.
112
1IB' 8The three watches of the night9' this is the literal meaning of the erse" but 1hp-
shows that the image of staying up to nurse someone in the night is meant to stand for being
wakeful and attentie throughout the three stages of life' youth" middle age" and old age.
The point here is that it is neer too early or too late to wake up and begin nurturing the
good ?ualities of mind that will lead to one7s true benefit. On this point" see -3 H'I1@I#"
where the Buddha counsels two old brahmans" nearing the end of their life span" to begin
practicing generosity along with restraint in thought" word" and deed.
1K#' 1hp- completes the image of the poem by saying that one7s ice brings about
one7s own downfall" 6ust as a malu"a creeper ultimately brings about the downfall of the tree
it oerspreads. 0ee note A#.
1KA' - bamboo plant bears fruit only once and then dies soon after.
1KI' 83o one purifies another. 3o other purifies one.9 These are the two meanings of
the one phrase" na;;o a;;am "isodhaye$
1KK' -3 A'9I lists four types of people in descending order' those deoted to their own
true welfare as well as that of others" those deoted to their own true welfare but not that of
others" those deoted to the true welfare of others but not their own" and those deoted
neither to their own true welfare nor that of others. 03 AB'19 makes the point that if one is
truly deoted to one7s own welfare" others automatically benefit" in the same way that an
acrobat maintaining hisEher own balance helps hisEher partner stay balanced as well.
1B$' 0n I'1I reports a conersation between the Buddha and the brahman )oghara6a
with a point similar to that of this erse'
)oghara&a'
(ow does one iew the world
so as not to be seen
by 1eath7s kingR
The Buddha'
*iew the world" )oghara6a"
as empty5
always mindful
to hae remoed any iew
about self.
This way one is aboe L beyond death.
This is how one iews the world
so as not to be seen
by 1eath7s king.
1BK' This erse is also found at &ti #I" where the conte;t makes clear the meaning of
ekam dhammam, or 8this one thing9' the principle of truthfulness.
113
1B8' The fruit of stream entry is the first of the four stages of -wakening Csee note ##D.
- person who has attained stream entry5entry into the stream that flows ineitably to
Pnbinding5is destined to attain full -wakening within at most seen lifetimes" neer
falling below the human state in the interim.
18H@18I' These erses are a summary of a talk called the 2"ada Patimokkha, which the
Buddha is said to hae deliered to an assembly of 1"#I$ arahants in the first year after his
-wakening. *erse 18H is traditionally iewed as e;pressing the heart of the Buddha7s
teachings.
191' The noble eightfold path' right iew" right resole" right speech" right action" right
lielihood" right effort" right mindfulness" right concentration.
19I@19K' Ob6ectification T papa;ca$ -lternatie translations of this term would be
proliferation" elaboration" e;aggeration" complication. The term is used both in
philosophical conte;ts5in connection with troubles and conflict5and in artistic conte;ts"
in connection with the way in which an artistic theme is ob6ectified and elaborated. 0n A'1A
states that the classifications of ob6ectification begin with the perception by which one
ob6ectifies oneself58& am thinker95and then spread to ob6ectify the rest of e;perience
around the issues caused by that perception. )3 18 e;plains how this leads to conflict'
81ependent on eye L forms" eye@consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact.
,ith contact as a re?uisite condition" there is feeling. ,hat one feels" one perceies Glabels
in the mindJ. ,hat one perceies" one thinks about. ,hat one thinks about" one ob6ectifies.
Based on what a person ob6ectifies" the perceptions L categories of ob6ectification assail
himEher with regard to past" present" L future forms cogni:able ia the eye. G0imilarly with
the other senses.J U. 3ow" with regard to the cause whereby the perceptions L categories of
ob6ectification assail a person' if there is nothing there to relish" welcome" or remain
fastened to" then that is the end of obsession with passion" irritation" iews" uncertainty"
conceit" passion for becoming" L ignorance. That is the end of taking up rods L bladed
weapons" of arguments" ?uarrels" disputes" accusations" diisie tale@bearing" L false speech.
That is where these eil" unskillful actions cease without remainder.9
#$9' This erse plays with the arious meanings of yoga Ctask" striing" application"
meditationD and a related term" anuyu;&ati Ckeeping after something" taking someone to
taskD. &n place of the %ali reading attanuyoginam, 8those who kept after themseles"9 the
%atna 1hp reads atthanuyoginam, 8those who kept afterEremained deoted to the goal.9
#18' 8The up@flowing stream9' 1hp-' the attainment of non@returning" the third of
the four stages of -wakening Csee note ##D.
#19@##$' The %ali in these erses repeats the word 8comes9 three times" to emphasi:e
the idea that if the results of meritorious actions await one after death" one7s going to the
ne;t world is more like a homecoming.
#H1@#HH' Bodily misconduct T killing" stealing" engaging in illicit se;. *erbal misconduct
T lies" diisie speech" harsh speech" idle chatter. )ental misconduct T coetousness" ill will"
wrong iews.
114
#HI' >ama T the god of the underworld. >ama7s minions or underlings were belieed to
appear to a person 6ust prior to the moment of death.
#HK' &mpurities" blemishes T passion" aersion" delusion" and their arious permutations"
including eny" miserliness" hypocrisy" and boastfulness.
#A$' 8One who lies sloenly9' -s 1hp- makes clear" this refers to one who uses the
re?uisites of food" clothing" shelter" and medicine without the wisdom that comes with
reflecting on their proper use. The %ali term here is atidhonacarin, a compound built around
the word dhona, which means clean or pure. The ati7 in the compound could mean 8oerly"9
thus yielding" 8one oerly scrupulous in his behaior"9 but it can also mean 8transgressing"9
thus" 8transgressing against what is clean9 T 8sloenly.9 The latter reading fits better with
the image of rust as a deficiency in the iron resulting from carelessness.
#IA@#II' 83o outside contemplatie9' 3o true contemplatie" defined as a person who
has attained any of the four stages of -wakening" e;ists outside of the practice of the
Buddha7s teachings Csee note ##D. &n 13 1K" the Buddha is ?uoted as teaching his final
student' 8&n any doctrine L discipline where the noble eightfold path is not found" no
contemplatie of the firstU secondU thirdU fourth order Gstream@winner" once@returner"
non@returner" or arahantJ is found. But in any doctrine L discipline where the noble
eightfold path is found" contemplaties of the firstU secondU thirdU fourth order are found.
The noble eightfold path is found in this doctrine L discipline" and right here there are
contemplaties of the firstU secondU thirdU fourth order. Other teachings are empty of
knowledgeable contemplaties. -nd if the monks dwell rightly" this world will not be empty
of arahants.9 COn the noble eightfold path" see note 191.D
On 8ob6ectification"9 see note 19I@19K.
#IK@#IB' The sense of the erse" confirmed by 1hp-" suggests that the %ali word
dhammattho means 86udge.9 This" in fact" is the theme tying together the erses in this
chapter. The duty of a 6udge is to correctly determine attha, a word that denotes both
8meaning9 and 86udgment"9 these two senses of the word being connected by the fact that
the 6udge must interpret the meanings of words used in rules and principles to see how they
correctly apply to the particulars of a case so that he can pass a correct erdict. The
remaining erses in this chapter gie e;amples of interpreting attha in an appropriate way.
#I9' 80ees 1hamma through his body9' The more common e;pression in the %ali
Canon Ce.g." in -3 K'AK and -3 9'AID is to touch 1hamma through or with the body
(phusati or phassati, 8he touches"9 rather than passati, 8he sees9D. The 0anskrit recensions and
the %atna 1hp all support the reading" 8he would touch"9 but all %ali recensions are
unanimous in the reading" 8he sees.9 0ome scholars regard this latter reading as a corruption
of the erseF & personally find it a more striking image than the common e;pression.
#KI' This erse plays with a number of nouns and erbs related to the ad6ectie sama,
which means 8een"9 8e?ual"9 8on pitch"9 or 8in tune.9 Throughout ancient cultures" the
terminology of music was used to describe the moral ?uality of people and acts. 1iscordant
interals or poorly@tuned musical instruments were metaphors for eilF harmonious
115
interals and well@tuned instruments" for good. Thus in %ali" samana, or contemplatie" also
means a person who is in tune with the principles of rightness and truth inherent in nature.
(ere and in H88" &7e attempted to gie a hint of these implications by associating the word
8contemplatie9 with 8consonance.9
#K8@#K9' This erse contains the Buddhist refutation of the idea that 8those who know
don7t speak" those who speak don7t know.9 +or another refutation of the same idea" see 13
1#. &n *edic times" a sage (muni) was a person who took a ow of silence (mona) and was
supposed to gain special knowledge as a result. The Buddhists adopted the term muni, but
redefined it to show how true knowledge was attained and how it e;pressed itself in the
sage7s actions. +or a fuller portrait of the ideal Buddhist sage" see -3 H'#H and 0n 1'1#.
#B1@#B#' This erse has what seems to be a rare construction" in which na V
instrumental nouns V a erb in the aorist tense gies the force of a prohibitie C81on7t" on
account of ;" do y9D. 8The renunciate ease that run@of@the@mill people don7t know"9
according to 1hp-" is the state of non@returning" the third of the four stages of -wakening
Csee note ##D. Because non@returners are still attached to subtle states of becoming on the
leel of form and formlessness" 1hp- dries home the message that een non@returners
should not be complacent by paraphrasing a passage from -3 1 C#$# in the Thai editionF at
the end of Chapter 19 in the %T0 editionD that reads" 82ust as een a small amount of
e;crement is foul@smelling" in the same way & do not praise een a small amount of
becoming" een for the e;tent of a fingersnap.9
#BH' The four truths' stress" its cause" its cessation" and the path to its cessation Cwhich is
identical to the eightfold pathD. 0ee note 191.
#BI' 8& hae taught you this path9' reading akkhato "o maya maggo with the Thai edition"
a reading supported by the %atna 1hp. 8(aing known5for your knowing9' two ways of
interpreting what is apparently a play on the %ali word" a;;aya, which can be either be the
gerund of a&anati or the datie of a;;a$ On the e;traction of arrows as a metaphor for the
practice" see )3 KH and )3 1$I.
#8I' -lthough the first word in this erse" ucchinda, literally means 8crush"9 8destroy"9
8annihilate"9 & hae found no preious /nglish translation that renders it accordingly. )ost
translate it as 8cut out9 or 8uproot"9 which weakens the image. On the role played by self@
allure in leading the heart to become fi;ated on others" see -3 B'A8.
#88' /nder T death.
#9H' )indfulness immersed in the body T the practice of focusing on the body at all
times simply as a phenomenon in and of itself" as a way of deeloping meditatie absorption
(&hana) and remoing any sense of attraction to" distress oer" or identification with the body.
)3 119 lists the following practices as instances of mindfulness immersed in the body'
mindfulness of breathing" awareness of the four postures of the body Cstanding" sitting"
walking" lying downD" alertness to all the actions of the body" analysis of the body into its H#
parts" analysis of it into its four properties Cearth" water" fire" windD" and contemplation of
the body7s ineitable decomposition after death.
116
#9A' This erse and the one following it use terms with ambiguous meanings to shock
the listener. -ccording to 1hp-" mother T craingF father T conceitF two warrior kings T
iews of eternalism Cthat one has an identity remaining constant through all timeD and of
annihilationism Cthat one is totally annihilated at deathDF kingdom T the twele sense spheres
Cthe senses of sight" hearing" smell" taste" feeling" and ideation" together with their respectie
ob6ectsDF dependency T passions for the sense spheres.
#9I' 1hp-' two learned kings T iews of eternalism and annihilationismF a tiger T the
path where the tiger goes for food" i.e." the hindrance of uncertainty" or else all fie
hindrances Csensual desire" ill will" torpor L lethargy" restlessness L an;iety" and
uncertaintyD. (oweer" in 0anskrit literature" 8tiger9 is a term for a powerful and eminent
manF if that is what is meant here" the term may stand for anger.
#99' 0ee note #9H.
H$1' 81eeloping the mind9 in terms of the HB ,ings to -wakening' the four frames of
reference Cardent" mindful alertness to body" feelings" mind states" and mental ?ualities in
and of themselesD" the four right e;ertions Cto abandon and aoid eil" unskillful mental
?ualities" and to foster and strengthen skillful mental ?ualitiesD" the four bases of power
Cconcentration based on desire" persistence" intentness" and discriminationD" the fie
strengths and fie faculties Cconiction" persistence" mindfulness" concentration" and
discernmentD" the seen factors for self@awakening Csee note 89D" and the noble eightfold
path Csee note 191D. +or a full treatment of this topic" see The ,ings to -wakening
C1hamma1ana %ublications" 199KD.
H$H' 1hp-' ,ealth T both material wealth and the seen forms of noble wealth (ariya7
dhana)' coniction" irtue" shame" compunction Cat the thought of doing eilD" erudition"
generosity" discernment.
H#A' 1hp-' 1hanapalaka was a noble elephant captured for the king of =asi. -lthough
gien palatial ?uarters with the finest food" he showed no interest" but thought only of the
sorrow his mother felt" alone in the elephant wood" separated from her son.
H#9@HH$' 1hp-' The bull elephant named )atanga" reflecting on the inconeniences of
liing in a herd crowded with she@elephants and young elephants5he was pushed around as
he went into the rier" had to drink muddied water" had to eat leaes that others had already
nibbled" etc.5decided that he would find more pleasure in liing alone. (is story parallels
that of the elephant in -3 9'A$ and elephant the Buddha met in the %arileyyaka +orest
C)...A.K@BD.
HHB' This erse proides a Buddhist twist to the typical benedictions found in works of
kaya. &nstead of e;pressing a wish that the listeners meet with wealth" fame" status" or other
worldly forms of good fortune" it describes the highest good fortune" which can be
accomplished only through one7s own skillful kamma' the uprooting of craing and the
resulting state of total freedom from the round of death and rebirth. - similar twist on the
theme of good fortune is found in the )angala 0utta C=hp I" 0n #'AD" which teaches that the
best protectie charm is to deelop skillful kamma" ultimately deeloping the mind to the
117
point where it is untouched by the agaries of the world.
HH9' HK streams T three forms of desire for each of the internal and e;ternal sense spheres
Csee note #9AD5H ; # ; K T HK. -ccording to one sub@commentary" the three forms of desire
are desires focused on the past" present" and future. -ccording to another" they are craing
for sensuality" for becoming" and for non@becoming.
HA$' 8/ery which way9' !eading sabbadhi with the Thai and Burmese editions. The
creeper" according to 1hp-" is craing" which sends thoughts out to wrap around its ob6ects"
while it itself stays rooted in the mind.
HA1' This erse contains an implied simile' the terms 8loosened L oiled"9 here applied to
6oys" were commonly used to describe smooth bowel moements.
HAH' +or the arious meanings that attano58for himself95can hae in this erse" see
note A$#.
HAK' 8/lastic9' The usual translation for sithilam58slack95does not fit in this erse"
but all the %ali recensions are unanimous on this reading" so & hae chosen a near synonym
that does. The %atna 1hp renders this term as 8subtle"9 whereas the Tibetan commentary
to the Pdanaarga e;plains the line as a whole as meaning 8hard for the slack to untie.9
Both alternaties make sense" but may be attempts to 8correct9 a term that could well hae
originally meant 8elastic"9 a meaning that got lost with the passage of time.
HA8' 1hp-' &n front T the aggregates of the pastF behind T the aggregates of the futureF
in between T the aggregates of the present. 0ee also note H8I.
HI$' 8- focus on the foul9' - meditatie e;ercise in focusing on the foul parts of the
body so as to help undercut lust and attachment for the body. 0ee note B@8.
HI#' 8-stute in e;pression" knowing the combination of sounds5which comes first L
which after9' 0ome arahants" in addition to their ability to oercome all of their defilements"
are also endowed with four forms of acumen (patisambhida), one of which is acumen with
regard to e;pression (nirutti7patisambhida), i.e." a total mastery of linguistic e;pression. This
talent in particular must hae been of interest to the anthologistCsD who put together the
1hp.
8<ast@body9' Because an arahant will not be reborn" this present body is hisEher last.
HIH' -ccording to )3 #K and ).&.K.B" one of the first people the Buddha met after his
-wakening was an ascetic who commented on the clarity of his faculties and asked who his
teacher was. This erse was part of the Buddha7s response.
HIA' This erse contains seeral terms related to aesthetics. Both dhamma C6usticeD and
dana CgiftEgenerosityD are sub@types of the heroic rasa, or saor. C0ee the &ntroduction.D The
third sub@type of the heroic5yuddha CwarfareD5is suggested by the erb 8con?uer"9 which
occurs four times in the %ali. /ati CdelightEloeD is the emotion (bha"a) that corresponds to
the sensitie rasa. &n effect" the erse is saying that the highest forms of rasa and emotion are
those related to 1hammaF the highest e;pression of the heroic 1hamma rasa is in the
118
ending of craing.
HK$@HK1' 0ee note B@8.
HKH' 8Counsel9' &n the conte;t of &ndian literary theory" this is the meaning of the word
manta" which can also mean 8chant.9 The literary conte;t seems to be the proper one here.
HK8' 80tilling@of@fabrications ease9' the true ease and freedom e;perienced when all fie
aggregates are stilled.
HK9' 1hp-' The boat T one7s own personhood (atta7bha"a, the body@mind comple;DF
the water that needs to be bailed out T wrong thoughts Cimbued with passion" aersion" or
delusionD.
HB$' 1hp-' Cut through fie T the fie lower fetters that tie the mind to the round of
rebirth Cself@identity iews" uncertainty" grasping at habits L practices" sensual passion"
irritationDF let go of fie T the fie higher fetters Cpassion for form" passion for formless
phenomena" conceit" restlessness" ignoranceDF deelop fie T the fie faculties Cconiction"
persistence" mindfulness" concentration" discernmentDF fie attachments T passion" aersion"
delusion" conceit" iews.
H81' 0ee note HK8.
H8H' This erse" addressed to a member of the brahman caste" is one of the few in 1hp
where the word brahman is used in its ordinary sense" as indicating caste membership" and
not in its special Buddhist sense as indicating an arahant.
H8A' 1hp-' two things T tran?uility meditation and insight meditation.
H8I' 1hp-' This erse refers to a person who has no sense of 8&9 or 8mine"9 either for
the senses C8not@beyond9D or their ob6ects C8beyond9D. The passage may also refer to the
sense of total limitlessness that makes the e;perience of Pnbinding totally ineffable" as
reflected in the following conersation C0n I'KD'
pasi"a'
(e who has reached the end'
1oes he not e;ist"
or is he for eternity free from dis@easeR
%lease" sage" declare this to me
as this phenomenon has been known by you.
The Buddha'
One who has reached the end has no criterion
by which anyone would say that5
it doesn7t e;ist for him.
,hen all phenomena are done away with"
all means of speaking are done away with as well.
119
H88' 0tains T the impurities listed in note #HK. On 8consonance"9 see note #KI.
H89' The word 8anger9 here is added from 1hp-" which interprets the 8letting loose9 as
the act of retaliating with anger against one7s assailant. 0ome translators read 8brahman9 as
the sub6ect not only of the second line" but also the first' 8- brahman shouldEwould not
strike a brahman.9 (oweer" this reading is unlikely" for a brahman Cin this conte;t" an
arahantD would not strike anyone at all. &f a brahman retaliates with anger to being struck"
that is a sign that he is not a true brahman' thus more shame on him for haing assumed a
status not truly his. On the topic of how to react to iolent attack" see )3 #1 and )3 1AI.
H9$' 8,hat7s endearing L not9' &n the phrase manaso piyehi, piyehi can be read straight
as it is" as 8endearing"9 or as an elided form of apiyehi, 8not endearing.9 The former reading
is more straightforward" but gien the reference to 8harmful@heartedness9 in the ne;t line"
the latter reading seres to tie the stan:a together. &t is also consistent with the fact that
1hp- takes this erse to be a continuation of H89. 4ien the way in which kaya cultiated a
taste for ambiguities and multiple interpretations" both readings may hae been intended.
H9#' 8Brahman9 here is used in its ordinary sense" as indicating caste membership" and
not in its special Buddhist sense as indicating an arahant.
H9H' 8(e is a pure one9' reading so suci with the Thai edition" a reading supported by the
Chinese translation of the 1hp.
H9A' &n &ndia of the Buddha7s day" matted hair" etc." were regarded as isible signs of
spiritual status.
H9K' #Bho@sayer95Brahmans addressed others as #bho% as a way of indicating their Cthe
brahmans7D superior caste. 8&f he has anything9 Creading sa ce with the Burmese editionD T if
heEshe lays claim to anything as hisEher own.
H98' 1hp-' strap T hatredF thong T craingF cord T K# forms of wrong iew Clisted in the
Brahma&ala 0uttanta, 13 1DF bridle T obsessions Csensuality" becoming" anger" conceit" iews"
uncertainty" ignoranceD.
A$$' 8,ith no oerbearing pride9' reading anussadam with the Thai and Burmese
editions. 8<ast@body9' see note HI#.
A$#' #+or himself, on his o1n, his o1n ending of stress9' three different ways that the one
word attano functions in this erse.
A11' -ccording to 1hp-" 8attachmentsEhomes (alaya)% T craings. 8=nowing9' the
knowledge of full -wakening (a;;a)$
A1#' 0ee note H9.
A#1' 0ee note HA8.
120
A#H' The forms of mastery listed in this erse correspond to the three knowledges that
comprised the Buddha7s -wakening' knowledge of preious lies" knowledge of how beings
pass away and are reborn in the arious leels of being" and knowledge of the ending of the
effluents that maintain the process of birth.
121
Glossary
Aggregate (khandha)' -ny one of the fie bases for clinging to a sense of self' form
Cphysical phenomena" including the bodyD" feelings" perceptions Cmental labelsD" thought@
fabrications" consciousness. 0anskrit form' 0kandha$
Arahant' - 8worthy one9 or 8pure oneF9 a person whose mind is free of defilement and
thus is not destined for further rebirth. - title for the Buddha and the highest leel of his
noble disciples.
Becoming (bha"a)' 0tates of being that deelop first in the mind and allow for birth on
any of three leels' the leel of sensuality" the leel of form" and the leel of formlessness.
Brahma' -n inhabitant of the highest" non@sensual leels of heaen.
Brahman' The Brahmans of &ndia hae long maintained that they" by their birth" are
worthy of the highest respect. Buddhists borrowed the term #brahman% to apply to arahants
to show that respect is earned not by birth" race" or caste" but by spiritual attainment
through following the right path of practice. )ost of the erses in the 1hammapada use the
word brahman in this special senseF those using the word in its ordinary sense are indicated
in the notes.
De"a' <iterally" 8shining one.9 -n inhabitant of the heaenly realms.
Dhamma' C1D /entF a phenomenon in and of itselfF C#D mental ?ualityF CHD doctrine"
teachingF CAD nibbana$ 0anskrit form' Dharma$
.ffluent (asa"a)' One of four ?ualities5sensuality" iews" becoming" and ignorance5
that 8flow out9 of the mind and create the flood of the round of death and rebirth.
.nlightened one (dhira)' Throughout this translation & hae rendered buddha as
8-wakened"9 and dhira as 8enlightened.9 -s 2an 4onda points out in his book" The *ision
of the *edic %oets" the word dhira was used in *edic and Buddhist poetry to mean a person
who has the heightened powers of mental ision needed to perceie the 8light9 of the
underlying principles of the cosmos" together with the e;pertise to implement those
principles in the affairs of life and to reeal them to others. - person enlightened in this
sense may also be awakened" but is not necessarily so.
+abrication (sankhara)' 0ankhara literally means 8putting together"9 and carries
connotations of 6erry@rigged artificiality. &t is applied to physical and to mental processes" as
well as to the products of those processes. &n some conte;ts it functions as the fourth of the
fie aggregates5thought@fabricationsF in others" it coers all fie.
Gandhabba' Celestial musician" a member of one of the lower dea realms.
(eart (manas)' The mind in its role as will and intention.
122
!ndra' =ing of the deas in the (eaen of the Thirty@three.
3hana' )editatie absorption. - state of strong concentration" deoid of sensuality or
unskillful thoughts" focused on a single physical sensation or mental notion that is then
e;panded to fill the whole range of one7s awareness. 2hana is synonymous with right
concentration" the eighth factor in the noble eightfold path Csee note 191D.
=amma' &ntentional act" bearing fruit in terms of states of becoming and birth. 0anskrit
form' =arma$
)ara' The personification of eil" temptation" and death.
Patimokkha' Basic code of monastic discipline" composed of ##B rules for monks and H11
for nuns.
0amsara' TransmigrationF the 8wandering@on9F the round of death and rebirth.
0angha' On the conentional (sammati) leel" this term denotes the communities of
Buddhist monks and nunsF on the ideal (ariya) leel" it denotes those followers of the
Buddha" lay or ordained" who hae attained at least stream@entry Csee note ##D.
0tress (dukkha)' -lternatie translations for dukkha include suffering" burdensomeness"
and pain. (oweer5despite the unfortunate connotations it has picked up from programs
in 8stress@management9 and 8stress@reduction95the /nglish word stress" in its basic
meaning as the reaction to strain on the body or mind" has the adantage of coering much
the same range as the %ali word dukkha. &t applies both to physical and mental phenomena"
ranging from the intense stress of acute anguish or pain to the innate burdensomeness of
een the subtlest mental or physical fabrications. &t also has the adantage of being
uniersally recogni:ed as something directly e;perienced in all life" and is at the same time a
useful tool for cutting through the spiritual pride that keeps people attached to especially
refined or sophisticated forms of suffering' once all suffering" no matter how noble or
refined" is recogni:ed as being nothing more than stress" the mind can abandon the pride
that keeps it attached to that suffering" and so gain release from it. 0till" in some of the
erses of the 1hammapada" stress seems too weak to coney the meaning" so in those erses
& hae rendered dukkha as pain" suffering" or suffering L stress.
Tathagata' <iterally" 8one who has become authentic (tatha7agata),% or 8one who is
really gone (tatha7gata),% an epithet used in ancient &ndia for a person who has attained the
highest religious goal. &n Buddhism" it usually denotes the Buddha" although occasionally it
also denotes any of his arahant disciples.
nbinding (nibbana)' Because nibbana is used to denote not only the Buddhist goal" but
also the e;tinguishing of a fire" it is usually rendered as 8e;tinguishing9 or" een worse"
8e;tinction.9 (oweer" a study of ancient &ndian iews of the workings of fire Csee The
)ind <ike +ire PnboundD reeals that people of the Buddha7s time felt that a fire" in going
out" did not go out of e;istence but was simply freed from its agitation" entrapment" and
attachment to its fuel. Thus" when applied to the Buddhist goal" the primary connotation of
nibbana is one of release" along with cooling and peace. 0anskrit form' 9ir"ana$
123
Abbre"iations
-3 -nguttara 3ikaya
13 1igha 3ikaya
1hp 1hammapadaE1harmapada
1hp- 1hammapada Commentary
&ti &tiuttaka
=hp =huddakapatha
)3 )a66hima 3ikaya
) )ahaagga
%T0 %ali Te;t 0ociety
03 0amyutta 3ikaya
0n 0utta 3ipata
124
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1989 and 199$.
&n addition to the aboe works" & hae also consulted many preious /nglish translations and
renderings of the 1hammapada" complete and incomplete" including those by *en. -nanda
)aitreya" Babbitt" Beyer" *en. Buddharakkhita" Byrom" Cleary" +ronsdal" =airatna" *ens.
=hantipalo and 0usaWWa" )ascaro" *en. 3arada" *en. %iyadassi" !adhakrishnan" and
,annapok" as well as Thai translations by %lengithaya and ,annapok. &n addition" & hae
consulted translations of the Pdanaarga5again" complete and incomplete5by 0parham
and 0trong. & hae also drawn from the !oyal Thai /dition of the %ali Canon" published by
)ahamakut !a6aidalaya %ress" Bangkok" 198#.
125
Colophon
The font used is &)@+/<<@1ouble@%ica@%!O . Typeface from the types
be?ueathed in 1K8K to the Pniersity of O;ford by 2ohn +ell. Originally cut by %eter 1e
,alpergen. -c?uisition in 1K9# Cafter the be?uestD. XThe +ell Types are digitally
reproduced by &gino )arini. www.iginomarini.comY
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