We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. Speak or act with an impure mind And trouble will follow you As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. Speak or act with a pure mind And happiness will follow you As your shadow, unshakable.
"Look how he abused me and beat me, How he threw me down and robbed me." Live with such thoughts and you live in hate.
"Look how he abused me and beat me, How he threw me down and robbed me." Abandon such thoughts, and live in love.
In this world Hate never yet dispelled hate. Only love dispels hate. This is the law, Ancient and inexhaustible. You too shall pass away. Knowing this, how can you quarrel?
How easily the wind overturns a frail tree. Seek happiness in the senses, Indulge in food and sleep, And you too will be uprooted.
The wind cannot overturn a mountain. Temptation cannot touch the man Who is awake, strong and humble, Who masters himself and minds the law.
The Dhammapada, Shambhala, 1976, ch 1, 1-6,
Rendering by Thomas Byrom
DHAMMAPADA, Choices cont.
One who lives as though the things of the world were pure, with senses unguarded and appetite immoderate, lazy and weak, will be overpowered by bedevilment, like a weak tree blown over by the wind.
One who lives as though the things of the world are impure, with senses guarded and appetite moderate, faithful and diligent, will not be overpowered by bedevilment, like a rock mountain unshaken by the wind.
Whoever is master of his own nature, Bright, clear and true, He may indeed wear the yellow robe.
Mistaking the false for the true And the true for the false, You overlook the heart And fill yourself with desire.
See the false as false, The true as true. Look into your heart. Follow your nature.
An unreflecting mind is a poor roof, Passion, like the rain, floods the house. But if the roof is strong, there is shelter.
Whoever follows impure thoughts Suffers in this world and the next. In both worlds he suffers And how greatly When he sees the wrong he has done.
But whoever follows the law Is joyful here and joyful there. In both worlds he rejoices And how greatly When he sees the good he has done.
For great is the harvest in this world, And greater still in the next.
However many holy words you read, However many you speak, What good will they do you If you do not act upon them?
Are you a shepherd Who counts another man's sheep, Never sharing the way?
Read as few words as you like And speak fewer. But act upon the law.
Give up the old ways- Passion, enmity, folly. Know the truth and find peace. Share the way.
The Dhammapada, Shambhala, Knopf, Boston, 1976
Rendering by Thomas Byrom, Ch 1: 13-20, pg 3-6.
Dhammapada 2.Wakefulness
DHAMMAPADA MEANS "THE PATH OF DHARMA" meaning - OF TRUTH, OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, OF THE CENTRAL LAW THAT ALL OF LIFE IS ONE. THE DHAMMAPADA IS AN ONGOING PATH, A "WAY OF PERFECTION"
2. Wakefulness
Wakefulness is the way to life. The fool sleeps As if he were already dead, But the master is awake And he lives forever.
He watches. He is clear.
How happy he is! For he sees that wakefulness is life. How happy he is, Following the path of the awakened.
With great perseverance He meditates, seeking Freedom and happiness.
So awake, reflect, watch. Work with care and attention. Live in the way And the light will grow in you.
By watching and working The master makes for himself an island Which the flood cannot overwhelm.
The fool is careless. But the master guards his watching. It is his most precious treasure.
He never gives in to desire. He meditates. And in the strength of his resolve He discovers true happiness.
He overcomes desire- And from the tower of wisdom He looks down with dispassion Upon the sorrowing crowd. From the mountaintop He looks down on those Who live close to the ground.
Mindful among the mindless, Awake while others dream, Swift as the race horse he outstrips the field.
By watching Indra became king of the gods. How wonderful it is to watch, How foolish to sleep.
The beggar who guards his mind And fears the waywardness of his thoughts Burns through every bond With the fire of his vigilance.
The beggar who guards his mind And fears his own confusion Cannot fall. He has found the way to peace.
The Dhammapada, Shambhala, Knopf, Boston, 1976
Rendering by Thomas Byrom, Ch 2:1- , pg 7-10.
Dhammapada 3. Mind
The DHAMMAPADA, Sayings of the Buddha, Shambhala, Thomas Byrom
3. Mind
As the fletcher whittles And makes straight his arrows, So the master directs His straying thoughts.
Like a fish out of water, Stranded on the shore, Thoughts thrash and quiver. For how can they shake off desire?
They tremble, they are unsteady, They wander at their will. it is good to control them, And to master them brings happiness.
But how subtle they are, How elusive! The task is to quiet them, And by ruling them to find happiness.
With single-mindedness The master quells his thoughts, he ends their wandering. Seated in the cave of the heart, He finds freedom.
How can a troubled mind Understand the way? If a man is disturbed He will never be filled with knowledge.
An untroubled mind, No longer seeking to consider What is right and what is wrong, A mind beyond judgments, Watches and understands.
Know that the body is a fragile jar, And make a castle of your mind. In every trial Let understanding fight for you To defend what you have won.
For soon the body is discarded. Then what does it feel? A useless log of wood, it lies on the ground, Then what does it know?
Your worst enemy cannot harm you As much as your own thoughts, unguarded.
But once mastered, No one can help you as much, Not even your father or your mother.
The Dhammapada, Shambhala, Knopf, Boston, 1976
Rendering by Thomas Byrom, Ch 3, pg 11-13.
Dhammapada 4. Flowers
The DHAMMAPADA, Sayings of the Buddha, Shambhala, Thomas Byrom
4. Flowers
Who shall conquer this world And the world of death with all its gods? Who shall discover The shining way of the law?
You shall, even as the man Who seeks flowers Finds the most beautiful, The rarest.
Understand that the body Is merely the foam of a wave, The shadow of a shadow. Snap the flower arrows of desire And then, unseen, Escape the king of death.
Death overtakes the man Who gathers flowers When with distracted mind and thirsty senses He searches vainly for happiness In the pleasures of the world. Death fetches him away As a flood carries off a sleeping village.
Death overcomes him When with distracted mind and thirsty senses He gathers flowers. He will never have his fill Of the pleasures of the world.
The bee gathers nectar from the flower Without marring its beauty or perfume. So let the master settle, and wander.
Look to your own faults, What you have done or left undone. Overlook the faults of others.
Like a lovely flower, Bright but scentless, Are the fine but empty words Of the man who does not mean what he says.
Like a lovely flower, Bright and fragrant, Are the fine and truthful words Of the man who means what he says.
Like garlands woven from a heap of flowers, Fashion from your life as many good deeds.
The perfume of sandalwood, Rosebay or jasmine Cannot travel against the wind.
But the fragrance of virtue Travels even against the wind, As far as the ends of the world.
How much finer Is the fragrance of virtue Than of sandalwood, rosebay, Of the blue lotus or jasmine?
The fragrance of sandalwood and rosebay Does not travel far. But the fragrance of virtue Rises to the heavens.
Desire never crosses the path Of virtuous wakeful men. Their brightness sets them free.
How sweetly the lotus grows In the litter of the wayside. Its pure fragrance delights the heart.
Follow the awakened And from among the blind The light of your wisdom Will shine out, purely.
The Dhammapada, Shambhala, Knopf, Boston, 1976
Rendering by Thomas Byrom, Ch 4, pg 14-18.
Fragrance of Virtue
Of all the fragrances - sandal, tagara, blue lotus and jasmine, - the fragrance of virtue is the sweetest.
Pupphavagga:Flowers (Dhp IV), #55
translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita.
Buddhist Publication Society
Dhammapada 5. The Fool
The DHAMMAPADA, Sayings of the Buddha, Shambhala, Thomas Byrom
5. The Fool
How long the night to the watchman, How long the road to the weary traveler, How long the wandering of many lives To the fool who misses the way.
If the traveler cannot find Master or friend to go with him, Let him travel on alone Rather than with a fool for company.
"My children, my wealth!" So the fool troubles himself. But how has he children or wealth? He is not even his own master.
The fool who knows he is a fool Is that much wiser. The fool who thinks he is wise Is a fool indeed.
Does the spoon taste the soup? A fool may live all his life In the company of a master And still miss the way.
The tongue tastes the soup. If you are awake in the presence of a master One moment will show you the way.
The fool is his own enemy. The mischief he does is his undoing. How bitterly he suffers.
Why do what you will regret? Why bring tears upon yourself?
Do only what you do not regret, And fill yourself with joy.
For a while the fool's mischief Tastes sweet, sweet as honey. But in the end it turns bitter. And how bitterly he suffers!
For months the fool may fast, Eating from the tip of a grass blade. Still he is not worth a penny Beside the master whose food is the way.
Fresh milk takes time to sour. So a fool's mischief Takes time to catch up with him. Like the embers of a fire it smolders within him.
Whatever a fool learns, It only makes him duller. Knowledge cleaves his head. For then he wants recognition, A place before other people, A place over other people.
"Let them know my work, Let everyone look to me for direction." Such are his desires, Such is his swelling pride.
One way leads to wealth and fame, The other to the end of the way.
Look not for recognition But follow the awakened And set yourself free.
The Dhammapada, Shambhala, Knopf, Boston, 1976
Rendering by Thomas Byrom, Ch 5, pg 19- 22
The Dhammapada 6. The Wise Man
The Dhammapada, Sayings of BUDDHA
The Wise Man
The wise man tells you where you have fallen And where you yet may fall - Invaluable secrets! Follow him, follow the way.
Let him chasten and teach you And keep you from mischief. The world may hate him. But good men love him.
Do not look for bad company Or live with men who do not care. Find friends who love the truth.
Drink deeply. Live in serenity and joy.
The wise man delights in the truth And follows the law of the awakened.
The farmer channels water to his land. The fletcher whittles his arrows. And the carpenter turns his wood. So the wise man directs his mind.
The wind cannot shake a mountain. Neither praise nor blame moves the wise man.
He is clarity. He is truth. He is like a lake. Pure and tranquil and deep.
The Wise Man (cont.)
Want nothing. Where there is desire, Say nothing.
Happiness or sorrow - Whatever befalls you, Walk on Untouched, unattached.
Do not ask for family or power or wealth, Either for yourself or for another. Can a wise man wish to rise unjustly?
Few cross over the river. Most are stranded on this side. On the riverbank they run up and down.
But the wise man, following the way, Crosses over, beyond the reach of death.
He leaves the dark way For the way of light.
He leaves his home, seeking Happiness on the hard road.
Free from desire, Free from possessions, Free from the dark places of the heart.
Free from attachment and appetite, Following the seven lights of awakening, And rejoicing greatly in his freedom, In this world the wise man Becomes himself a light, Pure, shining, free.
The Dhammapada, Trans. Thomas Byrom, Shambhala, p. 23-26
In this world the Wise man becomes himself a light, pure, shining, free.
From the DHAMMAPADA, Sayings of the Buddha
6. The Wise Man
The Dhammapada, Sayings of the Buddha (563-483 BCE) DHAMMA means law, justice, righteousness, discipline, truth. PADA means path, step, foot, foundation.
Translation by Thomas Byrom,
Shambhala, p. 23-26
DHAMMAPADA 7. THE MASTER
The Dhammapada, Shambhala, Thomas Byrom trans.
7. The Master
At the end of the way The master finds freedom From desire and sorrow - Freedom without bounds.
Those who awaken Never rest in one place. Like swans, they rise And leave the lake.
On the air they rise And fly an invisible course, Gathering nothing, storing nothing. Their food is knowledge. They live upon emptiness. They have seen how to break free.
Who can follow them? Only the master. Such is his purity.
Like a bird, He rises on the limitless air And flies an invisible course. He wishes for nothing. His food is knowledge. He lives upon emptiness. He has broken free.
He is the charioteer. He has tamed his horses, pride and his senses. Even the gods admire him.
Yielding like the earth, Joyous and clear like the lake, Still as the stone at the door, He is free from life and death.
7. The Master
His thoughts are still. His words are still. His work is stillness. He sees his freedom and is free.
The master surrenders his beliefs. He sees beyond the end and the beginning.
He cuts all ties. He gives up all his desires. He resists all temptations. And he rises.
And wherever he lives, In the city or the country, In the valley or in the hills, There is great joy.
Even in the empty forest He finds joy Because he wants nothing.
Dhammapada, The Sayings of Buddha Number 7. The Master Translation by Thomas Byrom Shambhala, p. 27-30
The Saint
Even the gods envy the saints, whose senses obey them like well-trained horses who are free from pride.
Wisdom has stilled their minds, and their thoughts, words, and deeds are filled with peace.
Freed from illusion and from personal ties, they have renounced the world of appearance to find reality. Thus they reached the highest.
They make holy wherever they dwell, in village or forest, on land or at sea. With their senses at peace and their minds full of joy, they make the forests holy.
The Dhammapada, Translated by Eknath Easwaran, Nilgiri Press, p. 102-103
Wisdom of Buddha
THE DHAMMAPADA 8. THE THOUSANDS
Dhammapada, Sayings of Buddha
8. The Thousands
Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.
Better than a thousand hollow verses is one verse that brings peace.
Better than a hundred hollow lines is one line of the law, bringing peace.
It is better to conquer yourself Than to win a thousand battles.
Then the victory is yours.
It cannot be taken from you, Not by angels or by demons, Heaven or hell.
Better than a hundred years of worship, Better than a thousand offerings, Better than giving up a thousand worldly ways In order to win merit, Better even than tending in the forest A sacred flame for a hundred years -
Is one moment's reverence For the man who has conquered himself.
8. The Thousands (cont.)
To revere such a man, A master old in virtue and holiness, Is to have victory over life itself, And beauty, strength, and happiness.
Better than a hundred years of mischief Is one day spent in contemplation.
Better than a hundred years of ignorance, Is one day spent in reflection.
Better than a hundred years of idleness Is one day spent in determination.
Better to live one day Wondering How all things arise and pass away.
Better to live one hour Seeing The one life beyond the way.
Better to live one moment In the moment Of the way beyond the way.
DHAMMAPADA, Sayings of Buddha, Translation Thomas Byrom, Shambhala, Ch 8, Thousands, p. 30-32
DHAMMAPADA 9. MISCHIEF
The Dhammapada, Shambhala, Thomas Byrom trans.
Mischief
Be quick to do good. If you are slow, The mind, delighting in mischief, Will catch you.
Turn away from evil. Again and again, turn away, Before sorrow befalls you.
Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again, And you will be filled with joy.
A fool is happy Until his mischief turns against him. And a good man may suffer Until his goodness flowers.
Do not make light of your failings, Saying, "What are they to me?" A jug fills drop by drop. So the fool becomes brimful of folly.
Do not belittle your virtues, Saying, "They are nothing." A jug fills drop by drop. So the wise man becomes brimful of virtue.
As the rich merchant with few servants Shuns a dangerous road And the man who loves life shuns poison, Beware the dangers of folly and mischief.
For an unwounded hand may handle poison. The innocent come to no harm. But as dust thrown against the wind, Mischief is blown back in the face Of the fool who wrongs the pure and harmless.
Some are reborn in hell, Some in this world, The good in heaven, But the pure are not reborn.
Nowhere! Not in the sky, Nor in the midst of the sea, Nor deep in the mountains, Can you hide from your own mischief.
Not in the sky, Nor in the midst of the ocean, Nor deep in the mountains, Nowhere Can you hide from your own death.
The Dhammapada, Translated by Thomaas Byrom
THE ONLY REAL FAILURE IN LIFE IS NOT TO BE TRUE TO THE BEST ONE KNOWS. - Buddha
10 Punishment
Everyone fears punishment; everyone fears death, just as you do. Therefore do not kill or cause to kill. Everyone fears punishment; everyone loves life, as you do. Therefore do not kill or cause to kill.
If, hoping to be happy, you strike at others who also seek happiness, you will be happy neither here nor hereafter. If, hoping to be happy, you do not strike at others who are also seeking happiness, you will be happy here and hereafter.
Speak quietly to everyone, and they too will be gentle in their speech. Harsh words hurt, and come back to the speaker. Like a broken gong be still, be silent. Know the stillness of freedom where there is no more striving.
Like herdsman driving their cows into the fields, old age and death will drive you before them. But the fool in his mischief forgets and he lights the fire wherein one day he must burn.
If one harms the innocent, suffering will come in these ten ways. He may suffer grief, infirmity, painful accident, serious illness, loss of mind, legal prosecution, fearful accusation, family bereavement, or financial loss; or his house may burn down, and after death he may be thrown into the fire of suffering.
Going about with matted hair, without food or bath, sleeping on the ground smeared with dust, or sitting motionless-no amount of penance can help a person whose mind is not purified. But one whose mind is serene and chaste, whose senses are controlled and whose life is nonviolent-such a one is a true brahmin, a true monk, even if he wears fine clothes.
As a well-trained horse needs no whip, a well-trained mind needs no prodding from the world to be good. Be like a well-trained horse, swift and spirited, and go beyond sorrow through faith, meditation, and energetic practice of the dharma.
The farmer channels water to his land The fletcher whittles his arrows. The carpenter turns his wood. And the wise man masters himself.
The Dhammapada, Translated by Eknath Easwaran
Those who seek the path to Enlightenment
must first remove all egoistic pride and be humbly willing to accept the light of Buddha's teachings. All the treasures of the world, all its gold and silver and honors, are not to be compared with wisdom and virtue.
To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's mind. If a person can control their mind they can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will come naturally to them.
the Teaching of Buddha, Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai
(Buddhist Promoting Foundation), Kosaido Printing, Tokyo, 1980
The Way of Purification, 6.
Let none find fault with others; let none see the omissions and commissions of others. But let one see one's own acts, done and undone.
