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DHAMMAPADA

A

TRANSLATION

DHAMMAPADA

A

TRANSLATION

Thanissaro

Bhikkhu

(GeoffreyDeGraff)

PRINTED

FOR

DHAMMA BARRE

CENTER

BARRE,

FREE

DANA FOR

DISTRIBUTION

PUBLICATIONS BUDDHIST

MASSACHUSETTS

STUDIES

COPYRIGHT © THANISSAROBHIKKHU 1998

Thisbookmaybecopiedor reprinted/or/ree distribution withoutpermission fromthepublisher. Otherwise all rightsreserved. CoverPhoto© GregoryM. Smith. Usedwith permission. Printed

in the United

States of America.

Libraryof Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Datapending. Third edition, revised, 2003

CONTENTS

PREFACE INTRODUCTION

i iii

i: PAIRS

i

ii: HEEDFULNESS

7

in: THE MIND

10

iv: BLOSSOMS

13

v : FOOLS

18

vi: THE WISE

23

vii: ARAHANTS

27

vni: THOUSANDS

30

ix : EVIL

34

x: THE ROD

38

xi: AGING

42

xii: SELF

45

xin : WORLDS

48

xiv : AWAKENED

51

xv : HAPPY

56

xvi: DEAR ONES

59

xvn : ANGER

62

xvin:

66

IMPURITIES

xix : THE JUDGE

71

xx : THE PATH

76

xxi:

MISCELLANY

xxn:

HELL

81

85

xxm:

ELEPHANTS

89

xxiv:

CRAVING

93

xxv: xxvi:

MONKS

100

BRAHMANS

HISTORICAL

NOTES

106

119

END NOTES

137

GLOSSARY

l6l

ABBREVIATIONS

l66

BIBLIOGRAPHY

167

PREFACE

Anothertranslationof theDhammapada. Many other Englishtranslationsarealreadyavailable-the fingersof at leastfivepeoplewouldbeneeded to countthem-so I suppose that a newtranslationhas to bejustified,to provethat it'snot "just"anotherone.In doingso,though,I'd rathernot criticizethe effortsof earliertranslators, for I owethema greatdeal Instead, I'll askyou to readthe Introduction and Historical Notes,to gain an ideaof what is distinctiveaboutthe approachI havetaken,andthe translationitself,which I

hopewill standon its ownmerits.The originalimpulse for makingthe translationcamefrommyconvictionthat the text deservedto be offered freely as a gift of Dhamma.As I knewof no existingtranslations available asgifts,I mademyown. The explanatory materialis designedto meetwith the needs of two sorts of readers: those who want to read

the text asa text,in the contextof the religioushistory of Buddhism-viewed

from the outside-and

those

whowantto readthetext asaguideto thepersonal conduct of their lives. Although there is no clear line dividingthesegroups,the Introductionis aimedmoreat the second group,andthe HistoricalNotesmoreat the

first. The End NotesandGlossarycontainmaterialthat should be of interest asterisk

to both.

in the translation

Verses marked

are discussed

with

an

in the End

Notes. Pali terms-as well as Englishterms usedin a

specialsense, suchaseffluent, enlightened one, fabrication, stress, and Unbinding-whenthey appearin morethan oneverse, areexplained in theGlossary. In addition to the previoustranslatorsand editors

from whosework I haveborrowed, I owea specialdebt of gratitudeto JeanneLarsenfor her help in honing downthe language of the translation. Also,JohnBullitt, CharlesHallisey,KarenKing, AndrewOlendzki,Ruth Stiles,Clark Strand,PaulaTrahan,andJaneYudelman

offeredmanyhelpfulcomments that improvedthequality of thebookasa whole.Any mistakes that remain,of course, aremyownresponsibility. Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Metta ForestMonastery

ValleyCenter,CA 92082-1409 December,1997

II

INTRODUCTION

The Dhammapada, an anthologyof verses attributed to the Buddha,haslong beenrecognized asoneof the masterpieces of earlyBuddhistliterature.Only more recentlyhavescholars realizedthat it is alsooneof the earlymasterpieces in the Indian tradition of kavya,or belles lettres.

This translationof the Dhammapada is an attemptto

rendertheverses into Englishin a waythatdoesjusticeto bothof thetraditionstowhichthetextbelongs. Although it is temptingto viewthesetraditionsasdistinct,dealing with form(kavya)andcontent(Buddhism), the idealsof kavyaaimedatcombiningformandcontentinto a seamlesswhole.At thesametime,theearlyBuddhists adopted andadapted the conventions of kavyain a waythat skillfully dovetailedwith their viewsof how teachingand listeningplayedarolein their pathof practice.My hope is that the translationpresentedherewill conveythe same seamlessness and skill.

As an exampleof kavya,the Dhammapadahas a fairly completebody of ethical and aesthetictheory behindit, for the purposeof kavyawasto instructin the highestendsof life whilesimultaneously givingdelight. The ethicalteaching of theDhammapada is expressed in the first pair of verses:the mind, throughits actions in

(kamma), is the chiefarchitectof oneshappiness andsuf-

fering both in this life and beyond.The first three chapterselaborate on this point,to showthat thereare two majorwaysof relatingto thisfact:asa wiseperson, who is heedfulenoughto makethe necessary effortto train his/her own mind to be a skillful architect;and asa fool, who is heedlessand seesno reason to train the mind. The work as a whole elaborates on this distinction,

showingin moredetailboththe pathof thewiseperson and that of the fool, togetherwith the rewardsof the formerandthedangers of thelatter:thepathof thewise personcanleadnot onlyto happiness withinthe cycleof deathand rebirth, but alsoto total escapeinto the Deathless, beyondthe cycleentirely;the pathof the fool leadsnotonlyto sufferingnowandin thefuture,but also to furtherentrapment within the cycle.The purposeof the Dhammapada is to makethe wisepathattractiveto the reader so that he/she will follow it-for

the dilemma

positedbythe first pairof verses is not onein theimaginary world of fiction; it is the dilemmain which the readeris already placed bythefactof beingborn. To makethe wisepathattractive,the techniques of poetryare usedto give"savor"(rasa)to the message. AncientIndianaesthetic treatises devotedagreatdealof discussion

to the notion

of savor and how it could be

conveyed. The basictheorywasthis: Artistic composition expressed statesof emotionor statesof mindcalled "bhava." The standard

list of basic emotions

included

love(delight),humor,grief,anger,energy, fear,disgust, IV

and astonishment. The readeror listenerexposedto thesepresentations of emotiondid not participatein them directly;rather,he/shesavoredthem asan aesthetic experience at oneremovefrom the emotion.Thus,

the savorof griefis not grief,but compassion. The savor of energyis not energyitself,but admirationfor heroism.The savorof loveis not lovebut an experience of sensitivity.The savorof astonishment is a senseof the marvelous. The proofof the indirectness of theaesthetic experiencewas that someof the basic emotionswere

decidedly unpleasant, whilethe savorof theemotionwas to beenjoyed. Althoughaworkof art mightdepictmanyemotions, andthus-like a goodmeal-offer manysavorsfor the reader/listener to taste,onesavorwassupposed to dominate.Writersmadea commonpracticeof announcing the savortheyweretryingto produce,usuallystatingin passing that theirparticularsavorwasthe highestof all. The Dhammapada [354]statesexplicitlythat the savor of Dhammais the highestsavor,whichindicatesthat that is the basic savor of the work.

Classic

aesthetic

theorylists the savorof Dhamma,or justice,asoneof the three basicvarietiesof the heroic savor(the other

twodealwith generosity andwar):thuswewouldexpect the majorityof the versesto depictenergy,andin fact theydo, with their exhortations to action,strongverbs, repeatedimperatives, and frequentuseof the imagery from battles,races,andconquests.

Dhamma,in the Buddhistsense,impliesmorethan

the "justice"of Dhammain aesthetic theory*However, the long sectionof the Dhammapada devotedto "The Judge"-beginningwith a definitionof a goodjudge, and continuingwith examplesof goodjudgmentshowsthat the Buddhistconceptof Dhammahasroom

for theaesthetic meaning of thetermaswell Classictheory also holds that the heroic savor should,especially at the endof a piece,shadeinto the marvelous. This, in fact, is what happensperiodically throughoutthe Dhammapada, andespecially atthe end, wherethe versesexpress astonishment at the amazing andparadoxical qualitiesof a personwhohasfollowed the path of heedfulness to its end,becoming "pathless" [92-93;179-180]-totally indescribable, transcending conflictsanddualitiesof everysort.Thus the predominant emotions that the versesexpressin Pali-and

should also expressin translation-are energyand astonishment, so asto producequalitiesof the heroic and marvelous for the reader to savor. This savor is then

what inspiresthe readerto followthe path of wisdom, with the resultthat he/shewill reacha directexperience

of thetruehappiness, transcending all dualities,foundat theendof thepath. Classic aesthetic theorylistsa varietyof rhetorical featuresthat canproducesavor.Examples from theselists that canbe foundin the Dhammapada include:accumulation(padoccaya) [137-140], admonitions (upadista) [47-48, 246-248, et.al.],ambiguity(aksarasamgbata) [97,294-295], VI

benedictions(asis)[337],distinctions(visesana) [19-20,21-

22,318-319], encouragement (protsahana) [35,43,46,et.aL], etymology (nirukta)[388],examples (drstanta) [30],explanations of causeand effect (hetu) [1-2], illustrations

(udaharana) [344],implications (arthapatti) [341],rhetorical questions (prccha) [44,62,143,et. aL],praise(gunakirtana) [54'56,58-59,92-93,et.aL],prohibitions(pratisedha) [121122,271-272,371,et. aL], and ornamentation (bbusana)

[passim].

Of these,ornamentation is the most complex, includingfour figuresof speech andten "qualities." The figuresof speech aresimile[passim], extended metaphor [398],rhyme(includingalliterationandassonance), and "lamps"[passim].This last figureis a peculiarity of Pali-a heavilyinflectedlanguage-thatallows,say,one adjective to modifytwo differentnouns,or oneverbto functionin two separate sentences. (The nameof the figurederivesfrom the ideathat the two nounsradiate from the oneadjective, or the two sentences from the oneverb.)In English,the closest wehaveto thisis parallelism combined with ellipsis. An examplefrom the translation is in verse 7Mara overcomes him

as the wind, a weak tree -where

"overcomes"

functions

as the verb in both

clauses, eventhoughit is elidedfromthesecond. This is how I have rendered lamps in most of the verses,

althoughin two cases [174,206]I foundit moreeffective to repeatthelamp-word. VII

The ten "qualities"are more generalattributes of

sound,syntax,and sense,includingsuchattributesas charm,clarity,delicacy, evenness, exaltation,sweetness, andstrength.The ancienttextsarenot especially clear on what someof thesetermsmeanin practice.Even wherethey are clear,the terms deal in aspectsof Pali/Sanskritsyntaxnot alwaysapplicable to English. What is important,though,is that somequalitiesare seenas more suited to a particular savorthan others:

strengthandexaltation, for example, bestconveya taste of the heroic and marvelous. Of these characteristics,

strength(ojas)is the easiest to quantify,for it is marked by long compoundedwords. In the Dhammapada, approximatelyone tenth of the versescontaincompoundsthat areaslongasa wholelineof verse, andone verse[39] hasthreeof its four linesmadeup of such compounds. Bythe standards of laterSanskritverse, this is rathermild, but whencompared with versesin the restof the Pali Canonandotherearlymasterpieces of kavya,theDhammapada is quitestrong. The text alsoexplicitlyaddsto the theoryof characteristicsin sayingthat"sweetness" is notjust anattribute of words,but of the personspeaking [363].If the person is a true exampleof the virtueespoused, his/herwords aresweet. This point couldbegeneralized to covermany of theotherqualitiesaswell. Anotherpoint fromclassicaesthetic theorythat may berelevant to theDhammapada is theprincipleof howa literarywork is givenunity.Althoughthe text doesnot VIII

providea step-by-step sequential portraitof the pathof wisdom,asa lyric anthologyit is muchmoreunified than most Indian examplesof that genre.The classic theoryof dramaticplot constructionmaybe playingan indirectrolehere.On the onehand,a plot mustexhibit unity by presenting a conflictor dilemma,anddepicting the attainmentof a goalthroughovercoming that conflict. This is precisely what unifiesthe Dhammapada: it beginswith the dualitybetweenheedless and heedful waysof living, and endswith the final attainmentof total mastery.On the other hand,the plot must not showsmooth,systematic progress; otherwisethe work would turn into a treatise. There must be reversals and

diversions to maintaininterest.This principleis at work in the fairlyunsystematic orderingof the Dhammapada's middle sections.Versesdealingwith the beginning stages of the patharemixedtogetherwith thosedealing with laterstages andevenstages beyondthe completion of thepath. One morepoint is that the idealplot shouldbe constructedwith a sub-plotin whicha secondary character gainshis/hergoal,andin sodoinghelpsthemaincharacter attainhisor hers.In additionto theaesthetic pleasure offeredby the sub-plot, the ethical lessonis one of humancooperation: peopleattaintheirgoalsby working together.In the Dhammapada, the samedynamicis at work.The main"plot"is that of thepersonwhomasters theprincipleof kammato thepoint of total release from kammaandthe roundof rebirth;the "sub-plot"depicts

IX

the personwhomastersthe principleof kammato the pointofgainingagoodrebirthon thehumanor heavenly planes. The second persongainshis/hergoal,in part,by beinggenerous andrespectful to thefirstperson[106-109, 177],thus enablingthe first personto practiceto the point of total mastery.In return,the first persongives counsel to the second personon howto pursuehis/her goal[76-77,363],In this waythe Dhammapada depicts theplayof life in awaythat offerstwopotentiallyheroic roles for the reader to choose from, and delineates those

rolesin sucha way that all peoplecanchooseto be heroic,workingtogetherfor theattainmentof their own truewellbeing. Perhaps thebestwayto summarize theconfluence of Buddhistandkavyatraditionsin the Dhammapada is in light of a teachingfromanotherearlyBuddhisttext,the SamyuttaNikaya(iv*5),on the factorsneeded to attain one'sfirst tasteof the goalof the Buddhistpath.Those factorsarefour:associating with peopleof integrity,listeningto their teachings, usingappropriate attentionto inquireinto the waythoseteachings applyto oneslife, andpracticingin line with the teachings in a waythat doesthemjustice.EarlyBuddhists usedthe traditionsof kavya-concerning savor,rhetoric,structure,andfigures of speech-primarilyin connectionwith the secondof thesefactors,in orderto maketheteachings appealing to thelistener.However, the questionof savoris relatedto the otherthreefactorsaswell.The wordsof a teaching mustbe spokenby a personof integritywhoembodies

their message in his/her actionsif their savoris to be sweet [158,363]*The listener must reflect on them

appropriately andthenput theminto practiceif theyare to havemorethana passing, superficial taste.Thusboth the speaker andlistenermustactin linewith the words of a teachingif it is to bearfruit. This point is reflected in apairof verses fromtheDhammapada itself [51-52]: Justlike a blossom,

brightcolored but scentless:

a well-spoken word is fruitless when not carried out.

Justlike a blossom,

brightcolored & full of scent:

awell-spoken word is fruitful when well carried out.

Appropriatereflection, the first stepalistenershould followin carryingout thewell-spoken word,meanscontemplatingone'sownlife to seethe dangers of following the path of foolishness andthe needto followthe path of wisdom.The Buddhisttraditionrecognizes twoemotions asplayinga role in this reflection.The first is samvcga, a strongsense of dismaythatcomeswith realizing the futility andmeaningless of life asit is normally

XI

lived,togetherwith a feelingof urgencyin tryingto find a wayout of the meaningless cycle.The second emotion is pasada, the clarityand serenitythat comewhenone recognizesa teachingthat presentsthe truth of the dilemmaof existence and at the sametime pointsthe wayout. Onefunctionof theverses in the Dhammapada is to providethis sense of clarity whichis whyverse82 statesthatthewisegrowserene onhearingtheDhamma, and 102 states that the most worthwhile

verse is the

meaningful onethat,on hearing,bringspeace. However,the process doesnot stopwith thesepreliminaryfeelings of peace andserenity. Thelistenermust carrythroughwith the pathof practicethat the verses recommend. Althoughmuchof the impetusfor doingso comes fromtheemotionsof samvega andpasada sparked by the contentof the verses, the heroicand marvelous savorof theverses playsaroleaswell,byinspiringthelistener to rousewithin him or herselfthe energyand strengththat the path will require.When the path is broughtto fruition,it bringsthepeace anddelightof the Deathless [373-374]. This iswheretheprocess initiatedby hearingor readingthe Dhammabearsits deepest savor, surpassing all others.It is thehighestsense in whichthe meaningful verses of theDhammapada bringpeace. In preparingthe followingtranslation,I havekept the abovepoints in mind, motivatedboth by a firm beliefin the truth of the message of the Dhammapada, andby adesireto presentit in acompelling waythat will XII

inducethereaderto put it into practice.Althoughtrying to stayascloseaspossibleto the literalmeaningof the text,I've alsotried to conveyits savor.I'm operatingon theclassic assumption that,althoughtheremaybeatension betweengiving instruction (beingscrupulously accurate)and giving delight (providing an enjoyable tasteof thementalstatesthatthewordsdepict),thebest translationis onethat playswith that tensionwithout submittingtotallyto onesideat theexpense of theother. To conveythe savorof the work,I haveaimedat a sparestyleflexibleenoughto express not onlyits dominantemotions-energyandastonishment-butalsoits transientemotions,suchashumor,delight,and fear. Althoughthe originalverses conformto metricalrules, the translations

are in free verse. This

is the form

that

requiresthe fewestdeviationsfrom literal accuracy and allows

for a terse directness

that

conforms

with

the

heroicsavorof the original.The freedomI haveusedin placingwordson thepagealsoallowsmanyof thepoetic effectsof Pali syntax-especiallythe parallelismand ellipsisof the"lamps"-to shinethrough. I havebeenrelativelyconsistent in choosingEnglish equivalentsfor Pali terms,especiallywherethe terms havea technicalmeaning. Totalconsistency, althoughit maybea logicalgoal,is by no means a rationalone,especiallyin translating poetry.Anyonewhois truly bilingual will appreciate this point. Wordsin the originalwere chosen for their sound and connotations, as well as their

literal sense, sothe sameprinciples-within reasonable XIII

limits-have

been used in the translation.

Deviations

from the original syntaxarerare,andhavebeenlimited

primarilyto six sorts.The first four arefor the sakeof immediacy:occasional useof the American"you"for "one";occasional useof imperatives ("Do this!")for optatives ("One should do this"); substitutingactivefor passive voice;andreplacing "hewhodoesthis"with "he doesthis"in manyof the verses definingthe truebrahmanin Chapter26,The remainingtwo deviations are: makingminoradjustments in sentence structureto keep a wordatthe beginning or endof aversewhenthisposition seemsimportant(e.g*,158,384);and changingthe numberfromsingular("thewiseperson")to plural("the wise")whentalking aboutpersonalitytypes,both to streamline thelanguage andto lightenthegenderbiasof the originalPali,(As mostof the verses wereoriginally addressed to monks,I havefound it impossibleto elimi-

nate the genderbias entirely,and so apologizefor whateverbiasremains,) In verseswhereI sensethat a particularPaliword or

phraseis meantto carry multiple meanings,I have explicitlygivenall of thosemeanings in the English,even wherethis has meanta considerable expansionof the verse.(Manyof theseverses arediscussed in the notes,) Otherwise, I have tried to make the translation as trans-

parentaspossible, in orderto allowthelight andenergy of theoriginalto passthroughwith minimaldistortion. The Dhammapada hasfor centuries beenusedasan introductionto the Buddhistpoint of view.However, XIV

the text is by no meanselementaryeitherin termsof contentor style.Manyof theverses presuppose at leasta passingknowledge of Buddhistdoctrine;othersemploy multiplelevelsof meaningandwordplaytypicalof polishedkavya.For this reason,I haveaddednotesto the translationto helpdrawout someof theimplicationsof verses that mightnot be obviousto peoplewhoarenew to eitherof thetwotraditionsthatthe textrepresents, I hopethat whatever delightyougainfromthistranslation will inspireyou to put the Buddha'swordsinto practice, sothatyouwill someday tastethesavor, notjust of thewords,but of the Deathless to whichtheypoint.

xv

i:

PAIRS

Phenomena are preceded by theheart, ruledbytheheart, made of the heart*

If youspeakor act with acorruptedheart, thensufferingfollowsyouas the wheel of the cart, the track of the ox

that pullsit. Phenomena are preceded bythe heart, ruledbythe heart, made of the heart.

If youspeakor act with acalm,brightheart, thenhappiness followsyou, like a shadow that never leaves. 1-2*

'He

insulted me, hit me, beat me, robbed me'

"for those who brood on this,

hostilityisn'tstilled.

'He insulted me, hit me, beat me, robbed me'-

for those who don't brood on this,

hostility is stilled* Hostilities

aren't stilled

throughhostility, regardless. Hostilities

are stilled

throughnon-hostility: this,anunendingtruth. Unlike those who don't realize

that we'rehereon theverge ofperishing, those who do:

theirquarrels arestilled, 3-6

Onewhostaysfocused onthebeautiful, is unrestrained with the senses,

knowingno moderation in food, apathetic, unenergetic: Mara overcomes him

as the wind, a weak tree.

Onewhostaysfocused on thefoul, is restrained with regardto thesenses, knowingmoderation in food, full of conviction& energy: Mara does not overcome him

as the wind, a mountain of rock.

He who, depraved, devoid of truthfulness

& self-control,

puts on the ochrerobe, doesn't deserve the ochre robe. But he who is

free

of depravity endowed with truthfulness

& self-control, well-established

in theprecepts, truly deserves the ochrerobe. 9-10

Thosewhoregard non-essence

as

essence

and seeessenceas non-,

don'tgetto theessence, rangingaboutin wrongresolves.

But those who know essence

as essence,

and non-essenceas non-,

getto theessence, rangingaboutin rightresolves. As rain seepsinto an ill-thatched hut,

sopassion,

theundeveloped mind. As raindoesn'tseepinto a well-thatched hut,

sopassiondoesnot,

thewell-developed mind. 13-14

Here

hegrieves hegrieves hereafter.

In both worlds

thewrong-doer grieves. Hegrieves, he'safflicted, seeing thecorruption of his deeds.

Here

he rejoices he rejoices hereafter.

In both worlds

themerit-maker rejoices. He rejoices, isjubilant, seeing thepurity of his deeds.

Here

he's tormented he's tormented

hereafter.

In both worlds

thewrong-doer's tormented. He'stormented atthethought, I've donewrong/ Havinggoneto abaddestination, he's tormented all the more.

Here

hedelights hedelights hereaften

In both worlds

themerit-maker delights. He delightsat thethought, I've made merit,'

Havinggoneto agooddestination, hedelights all the more, 15-18*

If he recitesmanyteachings, but -heedless

man-

doesn'tdowhattheysay, like acowherdcountingthecattleof others,

hehasno sharein the contemplative life.

If he recitesnext to nothing but follows the Dhamma

in line with the Dhamma;

abandoning passion, aversion, delusion; alert, his mind well-released,

not clinging either here or hereafter:

hehashissharein thecontemplative life, 19-20

ii:

HEEDFULNESS

Heedfulness:thepathto theDeathless. Heedlessness: thepathto death. The heedful do not die. The heedless are as if

alreadydead. Knowingthisasa truedistinction, those wise

in heedfulness

rejoice in heedfulness, enjoyingthe rangeof thenobleones. Theenlightened, constantly absorbed injhana, persevering, firm in their effort:

theytouchUnbinding, theunexcelled safetyfrombondage. Those with initiative, mindful, clean in action,

actingwith dueconsideration, heedful, restrained,

livingtheDhamma: theirglory grows. 21-24*

Through initiative,needfulness, restraint, & self-control, the wise would make an island no flood

cansubmerge, 25

They'readdictedto heedlessness -dullards,

fools-

while one who is wise cherishes heedfulness

ashishighestwealth, 26

Don'tgivewayto heedlessness or to intimacy

with sensual delightfor a heedfulperson, absorbed injhana, attains an abundance of ease, 27

When the wisepersondrivesout heedlessness

with heedfulness,

havingclimbedthehightower of discernment, sorrow-free,

heobserves thesorrowingcrowd-

astheenlightened man, havingscaled a summit,

thefoolson thegroundbelow. Heedfulamongtheheedless, wakefulamongthoseasleep, just asa fasthorseadvances, leavingtheweakbehind: so the wise. 29

Throughheedfulness, Indrawon to lordshipoverthegods. Heedfulness is praised, heedlessness censured-

always. 30

Themonkdelightingin heedfulness, seeing dangerin heedlessness, advanceslike a fire,

burningfetters great& small. Themonkdelightingin heedfulness, seeing dangerin heedlessness -incapableof fallingbackstandsrighton theverge of Unbinding. 31-32

in : THE MIND

Quivering,wavering,

hardto guard, to hold in check: the mind.

Thesagemakes it straightlike a fletcher, the shaft of an arrow* Like a fish

pulledfrom its homein the water SCthrown on land:

thismindflips& flapsabout to escape Mara'ssway. Hard to hold down, nimble,

alightingwherever it likes: the mind.

Its tamingis good. The mind well-tamed

bringsease. So hard to see,

sovery,verysubtle, alightingwherever it likes: the mind.

Thewiseshouldguardit. 10

The mindprotected bringsease*

Wanderingfar, goingalone, bodiless,

lying in a cave: the mind. Those who restrain it: from Mara's bonds

they'llbefreed. 33-37*

Forapersonof unsteady mind, not knowingtrueDhamma, serenity set

adrift:

discernment doesn'tgrowfull 38

Forapersonof unsoddened mind, unassaulted awareness,

abandoning merit& evil, wakeful,

thereis

no danger no fear. 39*

II

Knowingthis body is like a clayjar, securingthis mind like a fort, attack Mara

with thespearof discernment, thenguardwhat'swon withoutsettlingthere, withoutlayingclaim. 40*

All toosoon,thisbody will lie on theground cast off, bereft of consciousness,

like a uselessscrap of wood. 41

Whateveranenemymightdo to an enemy,

or a foe to a foe, the ill-directed

mind

candoto you even

worse.

Whatever a mother, father or other kinsman

mightdo for you, the well-directed

mind

cando for you even better. 42-43*

12

iv:

BLOSSOMS

Who will penetrate thisearth & this realm of death

with all its gods? Who will ferret out

thewell-taughtDhamma-saying, asthe skillfulflower-arranger the flower?

The learner-on-the-path will penetratethis earth & this realm of death

with all its gods. The learner-on-the-path will ferret out

thewell-taughtDhamma-saying, astheskillfulflower-arranger the flower. 44'45*

Knowingthisbody is like foam,

realizingits nature -a miragecutting out the blossoms of Mara,

yougo wheretheKingof Death cant

see*

46

The man immersed in

gathering blossoms, his heart distracted:

deathsweeps him awayasagreatflood, a villageasleep. The man immersed in

gathering blossoms, his heart distracted,

insatiable in sensual pleasures: the End-Maker

holds him

underhissway, <-""" 47-48*

As abee-without harming the blossom, its color,

its fragrancetakesits nectar& fliesaway: soshouldthesage gothroughavillage, 49

Focus,

not on the rudenessesof others,

not on whatthey'vedone or left undone,

but on whatyou have & haven't done

yourself. 50

Justlike a blossom,

brightcolored but scentless:

awell-spoken word is fruitless when not carried out.

Justlike a blossom,

brightcolored & full of scent:

awell-spoken word is fruitful when well carried out, 51-52

Justasfroma heapof flowers manygarlandstrandscanbemade, even

so

one born & mortal should do -with

what's born & is mortal-

manyaskillfulthing, 53*

No flower's scent

goesagainst thewindnot sandalwood,

jasmine, tagara.

Butthescentofthegood doesgoagainst thewind* Thepersonof integrity wafts a scent

in everydirection. Sandalwood, tagara, lotus,& jasmine: amongthesescents, the scent of virtue

is unsurpassed.

Nextto nothing,thisfragrance -sandalwood,tagarawhile the scent of the virtuous

waftsto thegods, supreme.

54-56*

Those consummate in virtue,

dwelling in heedfulness, releasedthroughright knowing: Mara can't follow their tracks. 57*

16

As in apileof rubbish castbythesideof ahighway alotusmightgrow clean-smelling pleasing theheart, so in the midst of the rubbish-like,

peoplerun-of-the-mill& blind, there dazzles with discernment

thediscipleof theRightly Self-Awakened

One. 58-59

v:

FOOLS

Longfor thewakefulis thenight. Longfor theweary, aleague. For fools

unaware of True Dhamma, samsara

is long. 60

If, in yourcourse, youdon'tmeet yourequal,yourbetter, thencontinueyourcourse, firmly, alone.

There'sno fellowship with fools, 61

1 have sons, I have wealth'the fool torments

himself.

When even he himself

doesn'tbelongto himself, how then sons? How wealth? 62

18

A fool with a sense of his foolishness is-at

least to that extent-wise.

But a fool who thinks himself wise

reallydeserves to becalled a fool 63

Even if for a lifetime

thefool stayswith thewise, heknowsnothingof theDhammaas the ladle,

thetasteof thesoup. Even if for a moment,

theperceptive personstayswith thewise, he immediately knowstheDhammaasthetongue, thetasteof the soup, 64-65

Fools, their wisdom weak, are their own enemies

astheygothroughlife, doingevil that bears bitter fruit. 66

Its not good,

thedoingof thedeed that,

once its done,

you regret,

whoseresultyoureapcrying, yourfacein tears. Its good, thedoingof thedeed that,

once its done,

youdont regret, whoseresultyoureapgratified, happyatheart, 67-68

As longasevilhasyetto ripen, thefool mistakes it for honey. But whenthat evil ripens, the fool falls into

pain, 69

Month

after month

thefoolmighteat onlyatip-of-grass measure of food, but he wouldn't

be worth

one sixteenth of those who've fathomed the Dhamma, 70

20

An evil deed, when done,

doesn't-likereadymilkcomeout right away. It follows the fool,

smoldering like a fire hidden in ashes. 71*

Only for hisruin does renown come to the fool

It ravages hisbrightfortune & rips hishead apart. He would want unwarranted status,

preeminence amongmonks, authority amongmonasteries, homage fromlayfamilies. 'Lethouseholders & thosegoneforth both think that this

wasdoneby mealone. MayI alonedetermine what'saduty,what'snot': the resolve of a fool

astheygrowhisdesire& pride. 72-74

21

Thepathto materialgain goes one way,

thewayto Unbinding, another.

Realizing this,themonk, a discipleto the AwakenedOne,

shouldnot relishofferings, should cultivate

seclusion

instead. 75

22

vi:

THE WISE

Regardhim asonewho points out treasure,

the wise one who

seeing yourfaults rebukes you. Staywith thissortof sage. Fortheonewhostays with a sageof thissort, thingsgetbetter, not

worse.

Let him admonish, instruct,

deflectyou awayfrompoormanners, To thegood,he'sendearing; to the bad, he's not, 76-77

Don't associate with bad friends. Don't associate with the low. Associate with admirable friends. Associate with the best, 78

23

DrinkingtheDhamma, refreshedby the Dhamma, onesleepsat ease with clear awareness & calm. In the Dhamma

revealed

bythenobleones, thewiseperson alwaysdelights, 79*

Irrigatorsguide Fletchersshape Carpentersshape

the water. the arrowshaft. the wood.

The wise control themselves. 80

As asingleslabof rock won'tbudgein thewind, so the wise are not moved

bypraise, byblame. 81

Like a deeplake, clear, unruffled, & calm: so the wise become clear, calm,

onhearingwordsofthe Dhamma. 82

24

Everywhere, truly, thoseof integrity stand apart. They,thegood, don'tchatterin hopes of favoror gains. When touched

nowbypleasure, now pain,

thewisegiveno sign of high or low, 83* One who wouldn'tnot for his own sake nor that of anotherhanker for

wealth, a son,

a kingdom, his own fulfillment,

by unrighteous means: heis righteous, rich in virtue, discernment, 84

Fewarethe people who reach the Far Shore, These others

simplyscurryalong this shore.

But thosewho practiceDhamma in line with the well-taughtDhamma, will cross over the realm of Death so hard to transcend.

Forsaking darkpractices, thewiseperson

shoulddevelop thebright, havinggonefromhome to no-home

in seclusion, sohardto enjoy. Therehe shouldwishfor delight, discarding sensualityhe who hasnothing. He should cleanse himself-wiseof what defiles the mind.

Whosemindsarewell-developed

in thefactorsfor self-awakening, who delightin non-clinging,

relinquishing graspingresplendent, their effluents ended:

they,in theworld, are Unbound, 85-89*

26

vii:

ARAHANTS

In one who

hasgonethefull distance, is free from sorrow,

is fully released in all respects, has abandoned all bonds: no fever is found, 90

The mindfulkeepactive, don'tdelightin settlingback. Theyrenounce everyhome, everyhome, likeswanstakingoff froma lake, 91

Not hoarding, havingunderstood food, their pasture-emptiness

& freedomwithoutsign: their trail,

likethatof birdsthroughspace, can't be traced.

27

Effluents ended,

independentof nutriment, their pasture-emptiness

& freedomwithoutsign: their trail,

likethat ofbirdsthroughspace, can't be traced, 92-93*

He whose senses are steadied like stallions

well-trained bythecharioteer, his conceit abandoned, free of effluent, Such: even devas adore him.

Like the earth, he doesn't reactcultured, Such,

like Indra'spillar, like a lake free of mud. For him -Such-

there's no travelingon, r^ i is Calm " his 1 " mind,

calmhis speech & his deed:

onewho'sreleased throughrightknowing, pacified, Such. 94-96*

28

The man

faithless/ beyondconviction ungrateful/ knowingthe Unmade a burglar/ whohassevered connections who'sdestroyed his chances / conditions

whoeatsvomit: / hasdisgorged expectations: the ultimate person, 97*

In villageor wilds, valley,plateau: thatplaceis delightful where arahants dwell 98

Delightfulwilds wherethecrowdsdon'tdelight, thosefreefrompassion delight, for they'renot searching for sensual pleasures, 99

29

viii:

THOUSANDS

Better

than if there were thousands

of meaningless wordsis one

meaningful word

thaton hearing bringspeace. Better

than if there were thousands

of meaningless verses is one

meaningful verse

that on hearing bringspeace. And betterthanchantinghundreds of meaningless verses is one

Dhamma-saying thaton hearing bringspeace.

30

Greater in battle

thanthe manwhowouldconquer a thousand-thousand men,

is he who would conquer just onehimself.

Betterto conqueryourself than others.

Whenyou'vetrainedyourself, livingin constantself-control, neitheradevanorgandhabba, nor a Mara banded with Brahmas,

couldturn thattriumph back into defeat. 103-105

Youcould,monthby month, at a cost of thousands, conduct sacrifices

a hundred times, or

payasinglemoment's homage to one person, self-cultivated.

Betterthanahundredyearsof sacrifices wouldthatactof homage be.

Youcould,for a hundredyears, live in a forest

tendinga fire, or

paya singlemoment's homage to one person, self-cultivated.

Betterthanahundredyearsof sacrifices wouldthat actof homage be. Everything offered or sacrificed in the world

for anentireyearbyoneseeking merit doesn't come to a fourth.

Betterto payrespect

to thosewho'vegone the straightway. 106-108*

If you'rerespectful byhabit, constantly honoringtheworthy, fourthingsincrease: longlife,beauty, happiness, strength. 109

Betterthanahundredyears lived without virtue, uncentered, is

oneday livedby avirtuousperson absorbed injhana. 32

Andbetterthana hundredyears livedundiscerning, uncentered, is oneday livedby adiscerning person absorbed injhana. Andbetterthanahundredyears livedapathetic& unenergetic, is oneday livedenergetic & firm. And betterthanahundredyears livedwithoutseeing arising& passingaway,is

oneday livedseeing arising& passingaway.

And betterthana hundredyears livedwithoutseeing the Deathless state, is

oneday livedseeing the Deathless state.

Andbetterthanahundredyears livedwithoutseeing the ultimate Dhamma, is

oneday livedseeing the ultimate

Dhamma. 110-115

33

ix : EVIL

,

Bequickin doing what's admirable.

Restrain yourmind from what's evil

When you'reslow

in makingmerit, evildelightsthe mind. 116

If apersondoesevil, heshouldn'tdo it again& again, shouldn'tdevelop apenchant for it. To accumulate evil

bringspain.

If apersonmakes merit, heshoulddo it againScagain, shoulddevelop apenchant for it. To accumulate merit , . 6 ease, brings 117-118

34

Even the evil

meetwith goodfortune aslongastheirevil hasyetto mature. But when it's matured

that'swhentheymeet with evil

Eventhegood meet with bad fortune

aslongastheirgood hasyetto mature. But when it's matured

that'swhentheymeet with goodfortune. 119-120

Don't be heedless of evil

('It won'tcometo me).

A waterjar fills, even with water

falling With

in

evil-even

drops. if

bit

by bit,

habituallythe fool fills himself full.

35

Don't be heedless of merit

(It won'tcometo me').

A waterjar fills, even with water

falling With

in

merit-even

drops. if

bit

by bit,

habituallytheenlightened onefillshimselffull Like a merchant with a small but well-laden caravan

-a dangerous road, likeapersonwholoveslife -a poison, one should avoid -evil

deeds, 123

If there's no wound on the hand,

that handcanhold poison. Poisonwont penetrate where there's no wound. There's no evil for those who don't do it. 124

Whoever harasses an innocent man,

amanpure,withoutblemish: theevilcomesrightbackto thefool like fine dust

thrownagainst thewind. 125

Some are born

in the human womb,

evildoers

in hell,

thoseon thegoodcoursego to heaven, while those without

effluent:

totallyunbound* 126*

Not up in the air, nor in the middle of the sea,

norgoinginto acleftin the mountains -nowhere

on earth-

is a spotto be found

whereyoucouldstay& escape your evil deed. Not up in the air, nor in the middle of the sea,

nor goinginto acleftin themountains -nowhere

on earth-

is a spotto be found

whereyoucouldstay& not succumb to death. 127-128

37

x : THE ROD

All

tremble at the rod, all are fearful of death.

Drawingtheparallelto yourself, neitherkill norgetothersto kill All

tremble at the rod, all hold their life dean

Drawingtheparallelto yourself, neitherkill norgetothersto kill. 129-130

Whoever takes a rod

to harmlivingbeingsdesiringease, whenhehimselfis lookingfor ease, meets with no ease after death. Whoever doesn't take a rod

to harmlivingbeingsdesiringease, whenhehimselfislookingfor ease, meets with ease after death. 131-132

Speakharshlyto no one, or the words will be thrown

rightbackatyou. Contentious talkis painful, for yougetstruckby rodsin return. 133

If, like a flattenedmetalpot

youdon'tresound, you've attainedan Unbinding; in youthere'sfound no contention. 134

As a cowherd with a rod

drives cows to the field,

soaging& death drive the life

of livingbeings, 135

Whendoingevildeeds, the fool is oblivious. The dullard is tormented

by hisowndeeds, asif burnedby afire. 136

39

Whoever, with a rod, harasses an innocent man, unarmed,

quicklyfallsinto anyof tenthings: harshpains,devastation, a brokenbody,graveillness, mental derangement, trouble with the government, violentslander, relatives lost,propertydissolved, houses burned down.

At thebreak-up of thebody this one with no discernment,

reappearsin hell 137-140

Neither nakedness nor matted hair nor mud nor the refusal of food

norsleeping on thebareground nordust& dirt norsquattingausterities cleanses the mortal

who'snot gonebeyonddoubt. If, thoughadorned, onelivesin tune with the chaste life

-calmed,

tamed, & assured-

havingput downtherodtowardallbeings, he's a contemplative a brahman a monk, 141-142

40

Who in the world

is amanconstrained by conscience, who awakens

to censure

like a fine stallion

to the whip? 143*

Like a fine stallion

struckwith awhip, be ardent & chastened.

Throughconviction virtue, persistence,

concentration, judgment, consummate in knowledge & conduct, mindful,

you'llabandon thisnot-insignificant pain. 144

Irrigatorsguide thewater. Fletchers shape thearrowshaft. Carpenters shape thewood. Thoseofgoodpractices control themselves. H5

xi:

AGING

Whatlaughter, whyjoy, whenconstantly aflame? Enveloped in darkness, don'tyoulookfor alamp? 146

Lookatthebeautified image, aheapof festering wounds,shoredup: ill, but theobject of manyresolves, wherethereis nothing lastingor sure, 147

Worn out is thisbody, a nestof diseases, dissolving. This putrid conglomeration isboundto breakup, for life is hemmed in with death* 148

On seeing thesebones discarded

likegourdsin thefall, pigeon-gray:

whatdelight? 149

42

A citymadeof bones, plastered overwith flesh& blood, whose hidden treasures are:

pride & contempt,

aging& death. 150

Evenroyalchariots well-embellished

getrun down, andsodoesthebody succumb to oldage, Butthe Dhammaof thegood doesn'tsuccumb to oldage: thegoodlet thecivilizedknow. 151

This unlisteningman matures like an ox.

His musclesdevelop, his discernment

not. 152*

Throughthe roundof manybirthsI roamed without reward, without rest,

seeking thehouse-builder. Painfulis birth again & again.

43

House-builder, you'reseen! Youwill not build ahouseagain. All yourraftersbroken, theridgepoledestroyed, goneto the Unformed, themind hascometo theendofcraving, 153-154*

Neitherlivingthechaste life norgainingwealthin theiryouth, theywasteawaylikeoldherons in a dried-uplake depletedof fish.

Neitherlivingthechaste life norgainingwealthin theiryouth, theylie around, misfired from the bow,

sighingoveroldtimes, 155-156

44

xii:

SELF

If youholdyourselfdear thenguard,guardyourselfwell Thewisepersonwouldstayawake nursinghimself in anyof thethreewatches of thenight, thethreestages of life. 157* First

he'd settle himself

in what is correct,

onlythen teach others. He wouldn't

stain his name

: he is wise* 158

If you'dmoldyourself thewayyouteachothers, then, well-trained,

goahead& tamefor,astheysay, what'shardto tameisyou yourself 159

45

Your own self is

your own mainstay

for whoelsecouldyourmainstay be? With youyourself well-trained youobtainthemainstay hard to obtain. 160

The evil he himself has done

-self-born,

self-created-

grindsdownthedullard, asa diamond,a preciousstone. 161

Whenoverspread byextreme vicelikea saltreebyavineyoudo to yourself whatan enemy wouldwish. 162*

They'reeasyto dothingsof no good & nouseto yourself* What'struly useful& good is truly harderthanhardto do. 163

46

The teaching of those who live the Dhamma,

worthyones,noble: whoevermalignsit -a

dullard

inspiredby evilviewbears fruit for his own destruction,

likethefruitingof thebamboo. 164*

Evilis done byoneself byoneselfis onedefiled. Evilis leftundoneby oneself byoneselfis onecleansed. Purity& impurityareonesowndoing* No onepurifiesanother. No otherpurifiesone. ,65*

Don'tsacrifice yourownwelfare for that of another,

no matterhowgreat. Realizingyourowntruewelfare, beintentonjust that. 166*

47

xiii:

WORLDS

Don'tassociate with lowlyqualities* Don't consort with heedlessness.

Don'tassociate with wrongviews. Don'tbusyyourself with theworld. 167

Get up!Don'tbeheedless. Live the Dhamma well One who lives the Dhamma

sleeps with ease in this world & the next. Live the Dhamma

well.

Don'tliveit badly. One who lives the Dhamma

sleeps with ease in this world & the next. 168-169

See it

as a bubble,

seeit

asa mirage:

onewhoregards theworldthisway theKingof Deathdoesn'tsee. 170*

Come, look at this world all decked out

likea royalchariot, wherefoolsplungein, while those who know

don'tcling, 171

Who once was heedless, but later is not,

brightenstheworld like the moon set free from a cloud. His evil-done deed

is replaced with skillfulness: hebrightenstheworld like the moon set free from a cloud, 172-173

Blinded this world-

howfewhereseeclearly! Justasbirdswho'veescaped from a net are

few, few

arethe people who make it to heaven.

49

Swansfly thepathof thesun; thosewith thepowerfly throughspace; theenlightened fleefromtheworld, havingdefeated thearmiesof Mara. 175

The personwhotells a lie,

whotransgresses in thisonething, transcending concern for theworldbeyond: there's no evil

hemightnot do.

No misersgo to the world of the devas.

Thosewhodon'tpraisegiving are fools.

Theenlightened express theirapproval for giving and so find ease

in theworldbeyond. 177

Sole dominion over the earth,

goingto heaven, lordshipoverallworlds: thefruit of Stream-entry excels them. 178*

xiv:

AWAKENED

Whoseconquest cant be undone,

whoseconquest no one in the world

can reach;

awakened, hispastureendless, pathless:

bywhatpathwill youleadhim astray? In whomthere's no craving -the stickyensnarerto leadhim anywherever atall; awakened, hispastureendless, pathless:

bywhatpathwill youleadhim astray? 179-180

They,theenlightened, intentonjhana, delightingin stilling & renunciation, self-awakened & mindful: even the devas

viewthemwith envy. 181

Hard

thewinningofa humanbirth.

Hard

the life of mortals.

Hard

the chance to hear the true Dhamma.

Hard

thearisingof Awakened Ones, 182

The non-doing ofanyevil, theperformanceof what'sskillful,

thecleansing of one's ownmind: thisis theteaching of the Awakened. Patient endurance:

theforemostausterity. Unbinding: the foremost,

sosaytheAwakened. He whoinjuresanother is no contemplative. He who mistreats another, no monk.

Not disparaging, not injuring, restraint

in line with the Patimokkha,

moderation

in food,

dwelling in seclusion, commitment to theheightened mind: thisis theteaching of the Awakened. 183-185*

Not evenif it rainedgoldcoins would we have our fill

of sensual pleasures. 'Stressful,

theygivelittle enjoyment'knowingthis,thewiseone findsno delight evenin heavenly sensual pleasures. He is onewhodelights in theendingof craving, adiscipleof theRightly Self-Awakened

One. 186-187

Theygoto manyarefuge, to mountains & forests,

to park& treeshrines: peoplethreatened with danger. That'snot thesecure refuge, not thesupreme refuge, that'snot therefuge, havinggoneto which, yougainrelease fromallsuffering& stress. Butwhen,havinggone to the Buddha, Dhamma,

& Sangha for refuge, youseewith rightdiscernment the four noble truths-

53

stress,

the cause of stress,

thetranscending of stress, & thenobleeightfoldpath, thewayto thestillingof stress: that'sthesecure refuge, that,thesupreme refuge, thatis therefuge, havinggoneto which, yougainrelease fromall suffering & stress, 188-192*

It'shardto comeby a thoroughbred of aman. It'ssimplynot true that he'sborneverywhere. Whereverhe'sborn,anenlightened one, thefamilyprospers, is happy. 193

A blessing: thearisingof Awakened Ones. A blessing: the teaching of trueDhamma. A blessing: the concordof theSangha. The austerityof thosein concord is ablessing. 194

54

If youworshipthoseworthyofworship, -Awakened Onesor their discipleswho've transcended

complications, lamentation,

& grief, whoareunendangered, fearless, unbound:

there'sno measure for reckoning thatyourmerit'sthismuch/ 195-196

55

xv:

HAPPY

How veryhappilywelive, freefromhostility amongthosewhoarehostile* Amonghostilepeople, freefromhostilitywedwell How veryhappilywelive, freefrommisery amongthosewhoaremiserable. Amongmiserable people, freefrommiserywedwell Howveryhappilywelive, freefrombusyness amongthosewhoarebusy. Amongbusypeople, freefrombusyness wedwell How veryhappilywelive, wewhohavenothing. We will feedon rapture

liketheRadiantgods. 197-200

Winninggivesbirth to hostility. Losing,oneliesdownin pain. The calmed lie down with ease,

havingset winning& losing aside. 2OI

There'sno firelikepassion, nolosslikeanger, nopainliketheaggregates, no ease otherthanpeace. Hunger:theforemostillness. Fabrications: theforemostpain. Foroneknowingthistruth asit actuallyis, Unbinding is the foremost ease.

Freedom fromillness:theforemost goodfortune. Contentment:

the foremost wealth.

Trust:theforemostkinship. Unbinding:the foremost ease. 202-204

Drinkingthenourishment, the flavor, of seclusion & calm, one is freed from evil, devoid of distress,

57

refreshed with the nourishment

of rapturein the Dhamma, 205

It'sgoodto seeNobleOnes, Happytheircompany-always. Throughnot seeing fools constantly, constantly onewouldbehappy. For,livingwith afool, onegrieves alongtime. Painful is communion with fools,

aswith anenemyalways, Happy is communion

with theenlightened, aswith agathering ofkin. So:

theenlightened mandiscerning, learned, enduring,dutiful,noble, intelligent,amanofintegrity: follow him -one

of this sort-

asthe moon,the path of the zodiac stars, 206-208

xvi:

DEAR ONES

Havingappliedhimself to what was not his own task,

andnot havingappliedhimself to what was,

havingdisregarded thegoal to graspat whathehelddear, he now envies those

who

keptafterthemselves, took themselves to task. 209*

Don'tever-regardlessbeconjoined with what'sdear or undear.

It'spainful not to see what's dear or to see what's not.

Sodon'tmakeanythingdear, for it's dreadful to be far from what's dean No bonds are found for those for whom there's neither dear nor undean 2IO2II

59

Fromwhat'sdearis borngrief, from what's dear is born fear. For one freed from what's dear

there'snogrief -so

how fear?

Fromwhat'slovedis borngrief, from what's loved is born fear. For one freed from what's loved

there's nogrief -so

how fear?

Fromdelightis borngrief, fromdelightis bornfean Foronefreedfromdelight there's no grief -so

how fear?

Fromsensuality is borngrief, fromsensuality is bornfean Foronefreedfromsensuality there's no grief -so

how fear?

Fromcravingis borngrief, fromcravingis bornfean Foronefreedfromcraving there'sno grief -so

Ihow rear? r ;, 212-216 -

60

One consummate

in virtue SCvision,

judicious, speaking thetruth, doinghisowntask: the world holds him dean 217

If

you've givenbirth to awish for what can'tbe expressed, are suffused with heart,

yourmindnot enmeshed in sensualpassions:

you'resaidto be in theup-flowingstream. 218*

A manlongabsent comes home safe from afar.

His kin, his friends,hiscompanions,

delightin hisreturn. Injust thesameway, whenyou'vedonegood & gonefromthisworld to theworldbeyond, yourgooddeeds receive youas kin, someone dear come home. 219-220

61

xvii:

ANGER

Abandonanger, be done with conceit,

getbeyondeveryfetter. When for name & form

youhaveno attachment -have nothingat allno sufferings, no stresses, invade* 221

Whenangerarises, whoeverkeepsfirm control asif with a racingchariot: him I call a master charioteer.

Anyoneelse, a rein-holderthat's all 222

Conqueranger

with lackof anger; bad,with good; stinginess, with generosity; a liar, with truth, 223

62

Bytellingthetruth; by not growingangry;

bygiving,whenasked, no matterhowlittle youhave: bythesethreethings youenterthepresence of devas. 224

Gentlesages, constantly restrained in body, goto the unwavering state where,havinggone, there'snogrief, 225

Thosewhoalwaysstaywakeful, trainingby day& by night, keenon Unbinding: their effluents come to an end, 226

This has come down from old, Atula,

& notjust fromtoday: theyfind faultwith one who sits silent,

theyfind faultwith one whospeaks agreatdeal, theyfind faultwith one who measures his words. There's no one unfaulted in the world.

There never was, will be,

nor at presentis found

anyoneentirelyfaulted or entirelypraised. 227-228

If knowledgeable peoplepraisehim, havingobserved him dayafterday to be blameless in conduct,intelligent, endowed with discernment

& virtue:

likeaningotofgoldwho's fit to find fault with him?

Evendevas praisehim. Evenby Brahma he'spraised. 229-230

Guardagainst anger eruptingin body; in body,berestrained. Havingabandoned bodilymisconduct, liveconducting yourself well in body. Guardagainstanger eruptingin speech; in speech, berestrained. Havingabandoned verbalmisconduct, liveconducting yourselfwell in speech. 64

Guardagainst anger eruptingin mind; in mind, be restrained.

Havingabandoned mentalmisconduct, liveconducting yourselfwell in mind.

Thoserestrained in body -the enlightenedrestrainedin speechSCin mind

-enlightenedare the ones whose restraint is secure. 231-234*

xvin

: IMPURITIES

You are now

likea yellowed lea£ Already Yama's minions stand near.

Youstandatthedoorto departure but haveyetto provide for thejourney. Makeanislandfor yourself! Workquickly!Bewise! With impuritiesall blownaway unblemished,

you'llreachthedivinerealm of the noble ones. You are now

right attheendofyourtime. You are headed

to Yama'spresence,

with no placeto restalongtheway, but haveyetto provide for thejourney. Makean islandfor yourself! Workquickly!Bewise! 66

With impuritiesall blownaway, unblemished,

youwon'tagainundergo birth & aging. 235-238*

Justasa silversmith

stepby step,

bit by

bit,'

moment

to

moment,

blowsawaytheimpurities of molten silver-

so the wise man, his own. 239

Just asrust

-iron's impurityeatstheveryiron from which it is born, so the deeds

of onewholivesslovenly lead him on to a bad destination. 240*

67

No recitation: theruinousimpurity of chants, No initiative:

of a household.

Indolence: of beauty, Heedlessness: of aguard. In awoman,misconduct is animpurity. In adonor,stinginess. Evil deeds aretherealimpurities in this world & the next.

Moreimpurethantheseimpurities is theultimateimpurity: ignorance.

Havingabandoned thisimpurity, monks,you'reimpurity-free, 241-243

Life'seasyto live for someoneunscrupulous, cunning asa crow,

corrupt,back-biting, forward, & brash;

but for someone who'sconstantly scrupulous,cautious, observant, sincere,

pure in hislivelihood,

cleanin hispursuits, it's hard, 244-245

68

Whoever kills, lies, steals,

goesto someone else's wife, & is addicted to intoxicants,

digshimselfup bythe root right herein thisworld. Soknow,mygoodman, that bad deeds are reckless.

Don'tletgreed& unrighteousness oppress youwith long-termpain, 246-248

Peoplegive in line with their faith, in line with conviction.

Whoevergetsflustered at food& drinkgivento others, attains

no concentration

by dayor by night. But one in whom this is

cut

through

up- rooted wiped out attains

concentration

by dayor by night. 249-250

69

There's no firelikepassion, no seizure likeanger, no snare like delusion,

no riverlikecraving, 251

Its easyto see the errors of others, but hard to see your own. You winnow like chaff

the errors of others,

but conceal yourownlikeacheat,anunluckythrow. If youfocuson theerrorsof others, constantly findingfault, youreffluentsflourish. You'refar fromtheirending, 252-253

There'sno trail in space, no outsidecontemplative. Peoplearesmitten with complications,

but devoidof complication are theTathagatas, There'sno trail in space, no outsidecontemplative, no eternal fabrications,

no wavering in theAwakened, 254-255*

70

xix : THE JUDGE To passjudgmenthurriedly doesn'tmeanyou'reajudge. Thewiseone,considering both therightjudgment& wrong; judgesothersimpartiallyunhurriedly, in linewith theDhamma, guardingtheDhamma, guarded by Dhamma, intelligent: he'scalledajudge, 256-257*

Simplytalkinga lot doesn't mean one is wise. Whoever's

no

secure-

hostility, fear-

is said to be wise.

Simplytalkingalot doesn't maintain

the Dhamma.

Whoever

-althoughhe'sheardnextto nothingseesDhammathroughhisbody, is not heedless of Dhamma: he'sone who maintains

the Dhamma. 258-259*

A headofgrayhairs doesn't mean one's an elden

Advanced in years, one's called an old fool But one in whom there is

truth, restraint,

rectitude, gentleness, self-control-

he'scalled an elder,

hisimpuritiesdisgorged, enlightened. 260-261

Not bysuave conversation or lotus-likecoloring doesan envious, miserlycheat become anexemplary man. But one in whom this is

cut

through

up-

rooted j

wiped outL

he'scalledexemplary, 1 ' hisaversion disgorged, intelligent. t> 262-263

72

A shaven head

doesn'tmeana contemplative. The liarobserving no duties, filledwith greed& desire: whatkindof contemplative's he? But whoever tunes out the dissonance

of hisevilqualities -large or smallin everyway

bybringingevilto consonance: he'scalleda contemplative. 264-265*

Begging fromothers doesn't mean one's a monk.

As longasonefollows householders' ways, one is no monk at all.

But whoever putsaside both merit & evil and,

livingthechaste life, judiciously goesthroughtheworld: he'scalled a monk. 266-267

73

Not bysilence does someone confused

& unknowing turn into a sage. But whoever-wise,

asif holdingthescales, takingtheexcellentrejectsevildeeds: heis a sage, that'showhe'sasage. Whoevercanweigh both sides of the world: that's how he's called a sage. 268-269*

Not by harminglife does one become noble. One is termed

noble

for being gentle to alllivingthings. 270

Monk, don't on account of

your precepts& practices,

greaterudition, concentration

attainments,

secluded dwelling, 74

or thethought,1 touch the renunciate ease

that run-of-the-mill people don't know':

everlet yourselfgetcomplacent whentheendingof effluents is still unattained. 271-272*

75

xx : THE PATH

Of paths,theeightfoldis best. Of truths,thefoursayings. Of qualities, dispassion. Of two-footedbeings, theonewith theeyes to

see.

273*

Justthis

is thepath -there

is no other-

to purifyvision. Follow it, and that will be Mara's bewilderment.

Followingit, youput anend to suffering& stress. I havetaughtyouthispath havingknown-for yourknowingthe extraction

of arrows.

Its for youto strive ardently. Tathagatas simply pointout theway.

Thosewho practice,

absorbed injhana: from Mara's bonds

they'llbefreed. 274-276*

Whenyouseewith discernment, 'Allfabrications areinconstant'yougrowdisenchanted with stress. This is thepath to purity. Whenyouseewith discernment, 'Allfabrications arestressful'yougrowdisenchanted with stress. This is thepath to purity. Whenyouseewith discernment, All phenomena arenot-self'yougrowdisenchanted with stress. This is thepath to purity. 277-279

At the time for initiative he takes no initiative.

Young,strong,but lethargic, the resolves of his heart

exhausted,

thelazy,lethargicone losesthepath to discernment. 280

77

Guarded in speech, well-restrained

in mind,

do nothingunskillful in body. Purify these three courses of action.

Bringto fruition thepaththatseershaveproclaimed, 281

Fromstrivingcomes wisdom; from not, wisdoms end.

Knowingthesetwocourses -to

development, decline-

conductyourself sothat wisdomwill grow, 282

Cut down

the forest of desire, not the forest of trees. From the forest of desire

comedanger& fear. Havingcutdownthisforest & its underbrush, monks, be deforested.

Foraslongastheleast bit of underbrush of a man for women

is not cleared away, the heart is fixated

likeasucklingcalf on its mother. Crush

yoursense of self-allure likeanautumnlily in the hand.

Nurtureonlythepathto peace -UnbindingastaughtbytheOneWellGone. 283-285*

'HereI'll stayfor therains. Here, for the summer & winter.'

Soimagines thefool, unaware of obstructions.

That drunk-on-his'sons'&'cattle

man,

all tangledup in themind: deathsweeps him awayasagreatflood, a villageasleep. 286-287

79

There are no sons

to giveshelter, no father,

no family for oneseizedbythe Ender, no shelteramongkin. Conscious

of thiscompelling reason, thewiseman,restrained byvirtue, shouldmakethe path pure

-right awaythatgoesall thewayto Unbinding. 288-289*

80

xxi:

MISCELLANY

If, 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. 290

He wants his own ease

bygivingothersdis-ease. Intertwined

in the inter-

actionof hostility, fromhostility he's not set free. 291

In those who

rejectwhatshould, & do what shouldn't be done

-heedless, insolent-

effluentsgrow.

81

But for those who

arewell-applied, constantly, to mindfulness immersed in thebody; don'tindulge in what shouldn't be done

& persist in what should

-mindful,

alert-

effluents come to an end* 292-293*

Havingkilledmother& father, twowarriorkings, thekingdom& its dependencythe brahman, untroubled, travels on.

Havingkilledmother& father, twolearnedkings, &, fifth, atigerthe brahman, untroubled, travels on. 294-295*

Theyawaken, always wideawake: Gotama'sdisciples

whosemindfulness, bothday& night, is constantly immersed in the Buddha,

82

Theyawaken, always wideawake: Gotama's disciples whosemindfulness, bothday& night, is constantlyimmersed in the Dhamma,

Theyawaken, alwayswideawake: Gotama's disciples whosemindfulness, bothday& night, is constantly immersed in theSangha, Theyawaken, alwayswideawake: Gotama'sdisciples

whosemindfulness, bothday& night, is constantly immersed in thebody. Theyawaken, always wideawake: Gotama'sdisciples

whoseheartsdelight,bothday& night, in harmlessness.

Theyawaken, always wideawake: Gotama's disciples whoseheartsdelight,bothday& night, in developing themind, 296-301*

Hard is thelifegoneforth, hard to delightin. Hard

is the miserable householder's life.

Its painfulto staywith dissonant people, painful

to travelthe road.

So be neither traveler

nor pained, 302

The man of conviction

endowed with virtue,

glory,& wealth: wherever hegoes he is honored* 303*

Thegoodshinefromafar like thesnowyHimalayas, The baddon'tappear even when near,

likearrowsshotinto the night, 304

Sittingalone, restingalone, walkingalone, untiring.

Taminghimself, he'ddelightalonealone in the forest, 305

84

xxii

: HELL

He goesto hell, the one who asserts

what didn't takeplace, as does the one

who,havingdone, says,1 didn't/ Both-low-actingpeopletherebecome equal: afterdeath,in theworldbeyond* 306

An ochre robe tied 'round their necks,

manywith evilqualities -unrestrained,

evil-

rearise, because of their evil acts, in hell Better to eat an iron ball

-glowing, aflamethan that, unprincipled& unrestrained,

youshouldeatthe almsof thecountry, 307-308

Fourthingsbefalltheheedless man who lies down with the wife of another:

a wealth of demerit;

a lackofgoodsleep; third, censure; fourth, hell A wealth of demerit, an evil destination,

& thebriefdelightof a fearful man with a

fearful woman,

SCthekinginflictsaharshpunishment* So

no man should lie down with the wife of another, 309-310

Justassharp-bladed grass, if wronglyheld, woundstheveryhandthatholdsitthecontemplative life,if wronglygrasped, dragsyoudownto hell Anyslackact, or defiled observance,

or fraudulent life of chastity bearsno greatfruit.

86

If something's to bedone, thenworkatit firmly, for a slackgoing-forth kicksup all themoredust. It's better to leave a misdeed undone.

A misdeedburnsyouafterward. Betterthat agooddeedbedone that,afteryou'vedoneit, won'tmakeyouburn. 311-314

Like a frontier fortress,

guarded inside& out, guardyourself. Don'tlet themomentpassby. Thosefor whomthemomentis past grieve,consigned to hell. 315

Ashamed of what's not shameful, not ashamed of what is,

beingsadoptingwrongviews goto abaddestination. Seeing dangerwherethereis none, & no dangerwherethereis, beingsadoptingwrongviews goto abaddestination.

Imaginingerror wherethereis none,

andseeing no errorwherethereis, beingsadoptingwrongviews goto abaddestination. Butknowingerroraserror, and non-error as non-,

beingsadoptingrightviews goto agood destination, 316-319

88

xxin

: ELEPHANTS

I-like anelephantin battle, enduringanarrowshotfromabowwill endure a false accusation,

for themassof people have no principles, 320

The tamed is the one

theytakeinto assemblies. The tamed is the one

thekingmounts. The tamed who endures a false accusation

is,amonghumanbeings, the best. 321

Excellent are tamed mules,

tamedthoroughbreds, tamed horses from Sindh.

Excellent, tamed tuskers,

greatelephants. But even more excellent are those

self-tamed.

Fornot bythesemountscouldyougo to the land unreached,

asthetamedonegoes bytaming,well-taming, himself, 322-323

Thetusker,Dhanapalaka, deepin rut, is hardto control Bound, he won't eat a morsel: the tusker misses

theelephant wood. 324*

When torpid & over-fed, L

a sleepy-head lollingabout likea stouthog,fattenedon fodder: a dullard enters the womb over

&

overagain, 325

Before, thismindwentwandering however it pleased, wherever it wanted,

bywhatever waythatit liked. TodayI will holdit aptlyin checkasonewieldingagoad,an elephant in rut, 326

90

Delightin needfulness. Watchoveryourownmind. Lift yourselfup fromthehard-going way like a tusker sunk in the mud. 327

If yougaina maturecompanionafellowtraveler, right-living,enlightenedovercoming all dangers gowith him,gratified, mindful

If youdon'tgaina maturecompaniona fellowtraveler, right-living,enlightenedgo alone likea kingrenouncing hiskingdom, like theelephant in theMatangawilds, his herd.

Goingaloneis better. There'sno companionship with afool. Go alone,

doingno evil,atpeace, liketheelephantin theMatangawilds. 328-330*

A blessing: friendswhentheneedarises* A blessing: contentment with whatever thereis. Merit at theendingof lifeis ablessing, A blessing: the abandoning of allsuffering & stress.

A blessing in theworld: reverence to yourmother. A blessing: reverence to yourfatheraswell A blessing in theworld: reverence to a contemplative.

A blessing:

reverence for abrahman, too.

A blessing into oldageis virtue. A blessing: conviction established. A blessing: discernment attained. Thenon-doing of evilthingsis ablessing. 331-333

92

xxiv:

CRAVING

Whenapersonlivesheedlessly, hiscravinggrowslikea creeping vine. He runs now here

& now

there,

asiflooking for fruit: amonkeyin theforest, 334

If thissticky,uncouthcraving overcomes youin theworld, yoursorrows growlikewild grass after rain.

If, in theworld,youovercome thisuncouthcraving, hardto escape, sorrowsroll off you, like water beads off a lotus, 335-336

To all of yougathered here I say:Goodfortune. Dig up craving

-as whenseeking medicinal roots,wild grassby theroot. 93

Don'tlet Maracutyoudown -as a ragingriver,a reedover & over again* 337"

If its root remains

undamaged & strong, a tree, even if cut,

will growback* Sotoo if latentcraving is not rooted out,

thissufferingreturns again &

again. 338

He whose36 streams,

flowingto whatis appealing, arestrong: the currents-resolvesbasedon passion-

carryhim,of baseviews,away. Theyfloweverywhichway,thestreams, but thesprouted creeper stays in place.

Now,seeing that thecreeper's arisen, cutthroughits root with discernment. 339-340*

94

Loosened & oiled

arethejoysofa person. People, boundbyenticement, lookingfor ease: to birth & agingtheygo. 341*

Encircled with craving, peoplehop 'round& around

likea rabbitcaughtin a snare. Tied with fetters & bonds

theygoon to suffering, again& again,for long. Encircledwith craving, peoplehop'round& around likea rabbitcaughtin asnare. So a monk

shoulddispel shouldaspire

craving, to dispassion

for himself. 342-343* Cleared of the underbrush

but obsessedwith the forest, set free from the forest,

right backto theforestheruns. Come,seethepersonsetfree whorunsrightbackto thesameoldchains! 344

95

That'snot astrongbond -so saytheenlightenedtheonemadeof iron,of wood,or ofgrass. To be smitten, enthralled,

with jewelsSCornaments, longingfor children& wives:

that'sthestrongbond, -so saytheenlightenedonethat'sconstraining, elastic, hard to untie.

But havingcutit, they -the enlightened-goforth, freeof longing,abandoning sensual ease.

Thosesmittenwith passion fallback

into a self-made stream,

like a spidersnaredin its web.

But,havingcutit, theenlightened setforth, freeof longing,abandoning allsuffering& stress. 345-347*

Goneto thebeyondof becoming, youletgo of infront, letgoof behind, letgoof between.

With ahearteverywhere let-go, youdon'tcomeagainto birth & aging. 348*

For a person

forcedon byhisthinking, fiercein hispassion, focused on beauty, cravinggrowsall themore. He's the one

whotightensthebond. Butonewhodelights in the stillingof thinking, always mindful cultivating a focus on the foul: He's the one

who will make an end, the one who will cut Mara's bond. 349-350*

Arrived at the finish,

unfrightened, unblemished, free of craving, hehascutaway thearrowsof becoming. This physical heapishislast. Freefromcraving, ungrasping,

97

astutein expression,

knowingthecombination of soundswhich comes first & which after. He's called a

last-body greatlydiscerning great man. 351-352

All-conquering, all-knowing amI, with regardto allthings, unadhering* All-abandoning, released in theendingof craving: havingfullyknownon myown, to whomshouldI point asmyteacher? 353:

A gift of Dhammaconquers allgifts; the taste of Dhamma,

all tastes;

adelightin Dhamma, theendingof craving,

all delights; all suffering & stress. 354'

Riches ruin the man

weak in discernment, but not those who seek

thebeyond.

Throughcravingfor riches the man weak in discernment ruins

himself

as he would

others, 355

Fieldsarespoiledbyweeds; people,bypassion. Sowhat'sgivento those freeof passion bearsgreatfruit. Fieldsarespoiledbyweeds; people,byaversion. Sowhat'sgivento those free of aversion

bearsgreatfruit. Fieldsarespoiledbyweeds; people,bydelusion. Sowhat'sgivento those free of delusion

bearsgreatfruit. Fieldsarespoiledbyweeds; people,by longing. Sowhat'sgivento those freeof longing bearsgreatfruit. 356-359

99

:

xxv:

MONKS

Restraint with theeyeisgood, goodis restraintwith theear. Restraint with thenoseis good, goodis restraintwith thetongue. Restraintwith thebodyisgood, goodis restraintwith speech. Restraintwith theheartis good, goodis restraint everywhere, A monkeverywhere restrained is released fromall suffering& stress, 360-361*

Hands restrained, feet restrained

speech restrained, supremely restraineddelightingin whatis inward, content, centered, alone:

he'swhat they 7 call ,

a monk, 362

100

A monkrestrained in hisspeaking, givingcounsel unruffled, declaring themessage & meaning: sweetis his speech, 363*

Dhammahisdwelling, Dhammahisdelight, amonkponderingDhamma, callingDhammato mind, doesnot fall away from true Dhamma, 364

Gains:

don'ttreatyourownwith scorn, don'tgocoveting thoseof others, A monk who covets those of others attains no concentration,

Evenif hegetsnextto nothing, he doesn'ttreathisgainswith scorn. Livingpurely,untiring: he's the one

that the devaspraise, 365-366

101

For whom, in name & form

in everyway, there's no sense of mine,

& whodoesn't grieve for what's not:

he'sdeservedly called a monk, 367

Dwellingin kindness, a monk with faith in theAwakened One'steaching, wouldattainthegoodstate, thepeaceful state: stilling'of-fabrications ease* 368*

Monk, bail out this boat.

It will takeyoulightlywhenbailed. Havingcutthroughpassion, aversion, yougofromthereto Unbinding, 369*

Cut throughfive, letgoof five, & develop fiveabove all, A monkgonepastfiveattachments is said to have crossed the flood. 370*

IO2

Practicejhana, monk, and don't be heedless.

Don'ttakeyourmindroaming in sensual strands. Don't swallow-heedlessthe ball of iron aflame.

Don't burn & complain:'This is pain.' 371

There'snojhana for one with

no discernment, no discernment

for onewith nojhana. Butonewith bothjhana & discernment:

he's on theverge of Unbinding. 372

A monkwith his mind at peace,

goinginto an emptydwelling, clearlyseeing theDhammaaright: hisdelightis more than human. However it is, however it is he touches

thearising'&'passing of aggregates: hegainsrapture& joy:

103

that, for those who know it, is deathless, the Deathless. 373-374

Herethefirst things for a discerning monk are guardingthesenses, contentment,

restraint in line with the Patimokkha. He should associate with admirable friends.

Livingpurely,untiring, hospitable by habit, skilled in his conduct,

gainingamanifoldjoy, he will put an end

to suffering & stress, 375-376

Shedpassion & aversion, monks-

asajasminewould, its withered

flowers, 377

Calmedin body, calmedin speech, well-centered & calm,

havingdisgorged thebaitsoftheworld, a monk is called

thoroughly calmed, 378

104

Youyourselfshouldreprove yourself, shouldexamine yourself As aself-guarded monk with guardedself, mindful,youdwellatease. 379

Your own self is

your own mainstay. Your own self is

yourownguide. Therefore youshould watchoveryourselfas a trader, a fine steed. 380

A monkwith a manifoldjoy, with faithin theAwakened One'steaching, wouldattainthegoodstate, thepeaceful state: stilling-of-fabrications ease. 381*

A youngmonkwhostrives in theAwakened One'steaching, brightenstheworld like the moon set free from a cloud. 382

105

'

xxvi:

"

BRAHMANS

Havingstriven,brahman, cut the stream.

Expelsensual passions. Knowingtheendingof fabrications, brahman,

youknowtheUnmade. 383*

Whenthebrahmanhasgone to thebeyondof twothings, then all his fetters

goto theirendhe who knows, 384*

Onewhosebeyond or riot-beyond or beyond'&'not'beyond cant be found; unshackled, carefree: he's what I call a brahman, 385*

106

Sittingsilent,dustless, absorbed in jhana, histaskdone,effluents gone, ultimategoalattained: he's what I call a brahman, 386

Bydayshinesthesun; by night,themoon; in armor, the warrior;

injhana,thebrahman. Butall day& all night, everyday& everynight, the Awakened One shines

in splendor, 387

He's called a brahman

for havingbanished hisevil, a contemplative

for livingin consonance, onegoneforth for havingforsaken his own impurities, 388*

107

One should not strike a brahman, nor should the brahman

let loosewith hisanger. Shame on a brahman's killer. More shame on the brahman

whoseangerslet loose, 389*

Nothing'sbetterfor thebrahman than when the mind is held back

fromwhatis endearing & not. However his harmful-heartedness wears away, that's how stress

simplycomes to rest, 390*

Whoeverdoesnowrong in body, speech, heart;

is restrained in thesethreeways: he's what I call a brahman, 391

Thepersonfromwhom youwouldlearntheDhamma taughtby theRightly Self-Awakened

One:

youshouldhonorhim with respectasa brahman, the flame for a sacrifice, 392*

108

Not by mattedhair, by clan,or bybirth, is one a brahman. Whoever

has truth

& rectitude:

heis apureone, he, a brahman.

What'stheuseof yourmattedhair, youdullard? What'stheuseof yourdeerskincloak? Thetangle's insideyou. You comb the outside, 393-394*

Wearingcast-offrags -his bodylean& linedwith veinsabsorbed injhana, alone in the forest: he's what I call a brahman, 395

I don't call one a brahman

for beingbornof amother or sprungfromawomb. He'scalleda 'bho-sayer' if hehasanythingat all. Butsomeone with nothing, whoclingsto no thing: he's what I call a brahman, 396*

109

Havingcuteveryfetter, hedoesn'tgetruffled. Beyondattachment, unshackled: he's what I call a brahman. 397

Havingcutthestrap& thong, cord & bridle,

havingthrownoff thebar, awakened: he's what I call a brahman. 398"

He endures-unangeredinsult,assault, Scimprisonment. His armyis strength; hisstrength,forbearance: he's what I call a brahman. 399

Freefromanger, duties observed,

principled,with no overbearing pride, trained,a last-body': he's what I call a brahman. 400*

no

Like water on a lotus leaf,

a mustardseed on the tip of an awl, he doesn'tadhere to sensualpleasures: he's what I call a brahman, 401

He discerns righthere, for himself, on his own, his own

endingof stress. Unshackled, his burden laid down: he's what I call a brahman. 402*

Wise,profound in discernment, astute

asto what is the path & what's not;

hisultimategoalattained: he's what I call a brahman. 403

in

Uncontaminated

byhouseholders & houseless ones alike;

livingwith no home, with next to no wants: he's what I call a brahman* 404

Havingput asideviolence

against beingsfearfulor firm, he neither kills nor

getsothersto kill: he's what I call a brahman. 405

Unopposing

unbound unclinging

amongopposition,

amongthearmed, amongthosewhocling:

he's what I call a brahman. 406

His passion,aversion, conceit, & contempt,

havefallenawaylike a mustard seed

from the tip of an awl: he's what I call a brahman. 407

112

He wouldsay what's non-grating, instructive, true-

abusingno one: he's what I call a brahman. 408

Here in the world

hetakesnothingnot-given -long, short, large,small, attractive, not: he's what I call a brahman, 409

His longingfor this & for the next world

can't be found;

freefromlonging,unshackled: he's what I call a brahman, 410

113

His attachments, his homes, can't be found.

Throughknowing, heis unperplexed, hasattainedtheplunge into Deathlessness: he's what I call a brahman.

He hasgone beyondattachment here for both merit & evil-

sorrowless, dustless,& pure: he's what I call a brahman. 412*

Spotless, pure,likethemoon -limpid & calmhisdelights,hisbecomings, totallygone: he's what I call a brahman. 413

114

He hasmadehiswaypast thishard-going path -samsara,

delusion-

has crossed over,

hasgonebeyond, is free

from want,

fromperplexity, absorbed in jhana, throughno-clinging Unbound: he's what I call a brahman, 414

Whoever,abandoning sensual passions here, wouldgoforth fromhomehissensual passions, becomings, totallygone: he's what I call a brahman.

Whoever,abandoning cravinghere, wouldgo forthfromhomehiscravings, becomings, totallygone: he's what I call a brahman. 415-416

115

Havingleftbehind the human bond,

havingmadehiswaypast the divine, from all bonds unshackled: he's what I call a brahman* 417

Havingleft behind delight& displeasure, cooled, with no acquisitionsaherowhohasconquered all the world,

everyworld: he's what I call a brahman* 418

He knowsin everyway beings'passing away, and their re-

arising; unattached, awakened,

well-gone: he's what I call a brahman, 419

116

He whosecoursetheydon'tknow -devas, gandhabbas; & humanbeingshis effluents ended, an arahant: he's what I call a brahman. 420

He whohasnothing -in

front, behind, in between-

theonewith nothing whoclingsto no thing: he's what I call a brahman* 421*

A splendidbull,conqueror, hero,greatseerfree from want, awakened, washed: he's what I call a brahman. 422

He knows

his former lives.

He sees

heavens & states of woe,

hasattained theendingof birth, is a sage whohasmastered full-knowing, his mastery totallymastered: he's what I call a brahman. 423*

117

HISTORICAL NOTES: THE TEXT & THE TRANSLATION

There are many versionsof the Dhammapadanow extant:several recensions of the PaliDhammapada from Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Thailand; two

incompletemanuscriptsof a GandhariDharmapada foundin centralAsia;and a manuscriptof a Buddhist Hybrid-Sanskrit Dharmapada foundin a libraryin Tibet, calledthe PatnaDharmapada because photographs of this manuscriptarenowkept in Patna,India.Thereis alsoa Chinesetranslationof the Dharmapada madein the third centuryC.E.from a Prakrit original,now no longerextant,similarto-but not identicalwith-the Pali Dhammapada.Partsof a Dharmapadatext are included in the Mahavastu,a text belongingto the Lokottaravadin Mahasanghika schoolIn addition,there are Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese versions of a text

calledthe Udanavarga, whichis knownin at leastfour recensions,all of them containing many versesin commonwith the Dhammapada/Dharmapada (Dhp) texts. To further complicatematters,there areJain anthologies that containverses clearlyrelatedto someof thosefoundin theseBuddhistanthologies aswell. Despitethe manysimilaritiesamongthesetexts, theycontainenoughdiscrepancies to havefueleda small

119

scholarlyindustry.The differentrecensions of the Pali Dhp containsomanyvariantreadingsthat thereisn't yet-evenaftermorethana centuryof Westernscholarshipon thetopic-a singleeditioncovering themall The discrepancies amongthe Pali andnon-Paliversions are evengreater. Theyarrange verses in differentorders,each containsverses not foundin the others,andamongthe verses in differentversions thatarerelated, thesimilarityin termsof imageryor message is sometimes fairlytenuous. Fortunately for anyone lookingto theDhpfor spiritual guidance, the differences amongthevariousrecensionsthoughmanyin number-rangein importance fromfairly minorto minorin theextreme. Allowingfor a fewobviousscribalerrors,noneof themfall outsidethe paleof whathaslongbeenaccepted asstandardearlyBuddhist doctrine

as derived from the Pali discourses. For exam-

ple,doesthe milk in verse71comeout, or doesit curdle? Is the bond in verse 346 subtle, slack, or elastic?Is the

brahman in verse 393happy, or is hepure?Forall practical purposes, thesequestionshardlymatter.They become importantonlywhenoneis forcedto takesidesin choosing whichversionto translate, andeventhenthe nature of thechoiceis likethat of aconductor deciding whichof themanyversions of a Handeloratorioto perform. Unfortunatelyfor the translator,though,the scholarly discussions that havegrownaroundtheseissues havetendedto blowthemall out of proportion,to the point wherethey call into questionthe authenticityof the Dhp as a whole.Because the scholarswho have 120

devotedthemselves to this topichavecomeup with such contradictory advicefor thepotentialtranslator-including the suggestion that it's a wasteof time to translate someof the verses at all-we needto sort throughthe discussions to seewhat,if any,reliableguidance theygive. Thosewhohaveworkedon the issuesraisedby the variantversions of Dhp have,by andlarge,directedthe discussion to figuringout whichversionis theoldestand most authentic, and which versions are later and more

corrupt.Lackingany outsidelandmarksagainstwhich the versions canbe sighted,scholars haveattemptedto reconstruct whatmusthavebeenthe earliestversionby triangulatingamongthe textsthemselves. This textual trigonometrytendsto relyon assumptions fromamong the followingthreetypes: i) Assumptions concerning whatis inherently an earlieror laterformofa verse. Theseassumptions arethe leastreliableof the three,for they involveno truly objective criteria. If, for instance, two versions of a verse differ in

that oneis moreinternallyconsistent thantheother,the consistentversion will seemmore genuineto one scholar, whereasanother scholar will attribute the con-

sistencyto latereffortsto "cleanup" theverse.Similarly, if one version contains

a rendition

of a verse different

from all other renditions of the same verse, one scholar

will seethat asa signof deviance; another,asa signof theauthenticitythat mayhavepredated a laterstandardizationamongthe texts.Thustheconclusions drawnby different scholarsbasedon theseassumptionstell us

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moreaboutthe scholars' presuppositions than they do about the texts themselves.

2) Assumptions concerning themeteroftheverses in question.Oneof thegreatadvances in recentPalischolarship hasbeenthe rediscovery of themetricalrulesunderlying earlyPali poetry.As the Buddhahimselfis quotedas saying,"Meter is the structural frameworkof verses."

(S.i.60) Knowledgeof metricalrules thus helpsthe editoror translatorspotwhichreadings of a versedeviate from the structure of a standard meter, and which

onesfollowit. Theoreticallythe obviouschoicewould be to adoptthe latterandrejectthe former.In practice, however, the issueis not soclear-cut.EarlyPalipoetry datesfroma timeof greatmetricalexperimentation, and sothereis alwaysthe possibilitythat a particularpoem wascomposedin an experimentalmeter that never achieved widespread recognition. Thereis alsothepossibility that-as the poetrywasspontaneous andoral-a fair amount

of metrical license was allowed. This means

that the more"correct"formsof a versemayhavebeen the productsof a later attemptto fit the poetry into standard

molds.

Thus

the conclusions

based on the

assumption of standardmetersarenot astotallyreliable astheymightseem. 3) Assumptions concerning thelanguage in whichtheoriginalDhpwasfirst composed. Theseassumptions requirean extensive knowledge of MiddleIndiedialects.A scholar will assume aparticulardialectto havebeenthe original language of the text,andwill furthermakeassumptions 122

aboutthe typesof translationmistakes that mighthave beencommonwhentranslatingfrom that dialectinto the languagesof the texts we now have.The textual

trigonometrybasedon theseassumptions ofteninvolves suchcomplicated methodsof sightingandcomputation that it canproducean "original"versionof the text that is just that: veryoriginal,coincidingwith noneof the versions extant. In other words, where the current vari-

antsof aversemightbea,b,andc,the addedassumption aboutthe Dhp'soriginallanguage andthe ineptitudeof ancienttranslatorsandcopyistsleadsto the conclusion that the verse must have been d. However, for all the

impressive eruditionthat this methodinvolves, not even the mostlearnedscholarcanofferanyproofasto what the Dhp'soriginallanguage was.In fact,aswewill considerbelow,it is possiblethat the Buddha-assuming that he wasthe authorof the verses-composed poetry in morethanonelanguage, andmorethanoneversionof a particularverse.So,aswith the first setof assumptions,themethodsof triangulation basedon anassumed originallanguage of the Dhptell usmoreabouttheindividualscholar's positionthantheydo abouttheposition of the text.

Thus,althoughthescholarship devotedto the different recensions of the Dhp hasprovideda usefulservice in unearthing somanyvariantreadings of thetext,none of the assumptions usedin tryingto sort throughthose readingsfor "theoriginal"Dhp haveled to anydefinite conclusions.Their positivesuccess hasbeenlimited

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mainlyto offeringfood for academic speculationand educated guesses. On the negative side,though,theyhavesucceeded in accomplishing somethingtotally useless:a wholesale senseof distrustfor the earlyBuddhisttexts,and the poetictextsin particular.If the textscontainso many varyingreports,the feelinggoes,andif their translators andtransmitterswereso incompetent, howcananyof thembe trusted?This distrustcomesfrom accepting, unconsciously, the assumptions concerning authorship and authenticitywithin whichour modern,predominatelyliteratecultureoperates: thatonlyoneversionof a versecouldhavebeencomposed by its originalauthor, andthat all otherversions mustbe latercorruptions. In termsof the Dhp, this comesdownto assumingthat therewasonlyoneoriginalversionof the text,andthat it wascomposed in asinglelanguage. However,theseassumptions aretotally inappropriatefor analyzingthe oral culturein whichthe Buddha taughtand in whichthe versesof the Dhp werefirst anthologized.If welook carefullyat the natureof that culture-and in particularat clearstatements from the earlyBuddhisttextsconcerning the eventsandprinciplesthat shapedthosetexts-we will seethat it is perfectlynaturalthat thereshouldbeavarietyof reports aboutthe Buddha'steachings,all of which might be essentially correct.In termsof theDhp, wecanviewthe multipleversions of thetext asasign,not of faultytransmission, but of anallegiance to their oralorigins.

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Oral proseandpoetryareverydifferentfrom their written counterparts. This factis obviousevenin our own culture. However, we have to make an active effort of the

imaginationto comprehend the expectations placedon oral transmissionbetweenspeakers and listenersin a culture where there is no written

word to fall back on. In

sucha setting,the verbalheritageis maintainedtotally throughrepetitionandmemorization.A speaker with somethingnewto sayhasto repeatit oftento different audiences-who, if theyfeelinspiredby themessage, are expected to memorize at leastits essential parts.Because communication is face-to-face, a speaker is particularly prized for an ability to tailor his/her message to the moment of communication,

in terms of the audience's

background from the past,its stateof mind at present, anditshoped-forbenefits in thefuture. This puts a doubleimperativeon both the speaker andthelistener. The speaker mustchoose his/herwords with an eyeboth to howtheywill affectthe audience in the presentand to how they will be memorizedfor future reference. The listener must be attentive, both to

appreciate the immediateimpactof the wordsand to memorizethemfor futureuse.Althoughoriginalityin teachingis appreciated, it is onlyoneof a constellation of virtuesexpectedof a teacher.Other expectedvirtues includeaknowledge of commoncultureandanabilityto playwith that knowledge for the desiredeffectin terms of immediateimpactor memorability.The Pali Dhp (verse45)itselfmakesthispoint in comparing theactof

125

teaching,not to creatingsomethingtotally newout of nothing, but to selectingamongavailableflowersto createapleasing arrangement just rightfor theoccasion. Of course, there are situations in an oral culture

whereeither immediateimpact or memorabilityis emphasized at the expense of the other.In a classroom, listeningfor impactis sacrificed to theneedsof listening for memorization, whereas in a theater,the emphasis is reversed. All indications show, however, that the Buddha

asa teacherwasespecially sensitiveto both aspects of oral communication, and that he trained his listeners to

besensitive to bothaswell.On theonehand,the repetitious styleof manyof his recordedteachings seemsto havebeenaimedat hammering theminto the listeners memory;also,at the endof manyof his discourses, he wouldsummarize the mainpointsof the discussion in an easy-to-memorizeverse.

On theotherhand,therearemanyreportsofinstances in whichhislisteners gainedimmediate Awakening while listeningto hiswords.And,thereis a delightfulsectionin oneof his discourses (theSamannaphala Suttanta,D.2) satirizingthe teachers of otherreligioussectsfor their inabilityto breakawayfromthe formulaicmodeof their teachings to givea directanswer to specific questions ("Its asif, whenaskedabouta mango, onewereto answer with a breadfruit,"one of the interlocutorscomments,"or, when

askedabouta breadfruit, to answer with a mango.") The Buddha,in contrast,wasfamousfor hisabilityto speak directlyto hislisteners' needs. 126

This sensitivity to bothpresentimpactandfutureuse is in linewith twowell-knownBuddhistteachings: first, the basicBuddhistprincipleof causality, that an acthas repercussions bothin thepresentandon into the future; second, the Buddha's realization, earlyon in histeaching career, that someof hislisteners wouldattainAwakening immediately on hearinghiswords,whereas otherswould be ableto awakenonlyaftertakinghis words,contemplatingthem,andputtingtheminto prolonged practice. A surveyof the Buddha's prosediscourses recorded in the PaliCanongivesan ideaof howthe Buddhamet the doubledemands placedon him asateacher. In some cases, to respondto a particularsituation,he wouldformulateanentirelyoriginalteaching. In others,he would simplyrepeata formulaicanswerthat he kept in store for generaluse:eitherteachingsoriginalwith him, or moretraditionalteachings-sometimes lightly tailored, sometimesnot-that fit in with his message. In still others,he would take formulaicbits and pieces,and combinethem in a newwayfor the needsat hand.A surveyof his poetryreveals the samerangeof material: originalworks;setpieces-originalor borrowed,occasionallyalteredin linewith the occasion; andrecyclings of oldfragments in newjuxtapositions. Thus, althoughthe Buddhainsistedthat all his teachingshad the sametaste-that of release-he taughtdifferentvariationson the themeof that tasteto differentpeopleon differentoccasions, in line with his perception of theirshort-andlong-term needs. In reciting

127

averse to aparticularaudience, hemightchange aword,a line, or an image,to fit in with their backgrounds and individual

needs*

Addingto thispotentialfor varietywasthefactthat the peopleof northernIndiairr histime spokeanumber of different

dialects, each with its own traditions

of

poetryandprose.The Pali Cullavagga (v*33*i)records the Buddhaasinsistingthat his listeners memorizehis teachings, not in a standardized lingua franca,but in their own dialects*Thereis no wayof knowingwhetherhe himselfwasmulti-lingualenoughto teachall of his students in their own dialects,or expectedthem to make

the translations themselves* Still, it seems likelythat,as a well-educated aristocrat of the time, he would have

beenfluentin at leasttwo or threeof the mostprevalent dialects.Someof the discourses-suchas D*2i-depict

the Buddhaasan articulateconnoisseur of poetryand song,sowecanexpectthat hewouldalsohavebeensensitiveto the specialproblemsinvolvedin the effective translationof poetry-alive,for instance, to the factthat skilledtranslationrequiresmorethansimplysubstituting equivalentwords*The Mahavagga (v*i3*9)reports that the Buddhalistened,with appreciation, asa monk fromthe southerncountryof Avantirecitedsomeof his teachings-apparentlyin the Avanti dialect-in his presence* Althoughscholars haveoftenraisedquestions aboutwhichlanguage the Buddhaspoke,it might be moreappropriate to remainopento the possibilitythat he spoke-and couldcompose poetryin-several*This

128

possibilitymakesthe questionof "the"originallanguage or "the"originaltextof the Dhpsomewhat irrelevant, The textssuggest that evenduringthe Buddha's lifetime his students made efforts to collect and memorize a

standardized bodyof histeachings underarubricof nine categories: dialogues, narratives of mixedproseandverse, explanations, verses, spontaneous exclamations, quotations,birth stories,amazingevents, questionandanswer sessions. However, the actof collecting andmemorizing waspursuedby only a sub-groupamonghis monks, whileothermonks,nuns,andlaypeopledoubtlessly had their ownindividualmemorized storesof teachings they hadhearddirectlyfromtheBuddhaor indirectlythrough thereportsof theirfriendsandacquaintances, The Buddhahadtheforesightto ensurethat thisless standardized fund of memoriesnot be discountedby latergenerations; atthe sametime,he established norms so that mistakenreports,deviatingfrom the principles of his teachings, wouldnot be allowedto creepinto the acceptedbody of doctrine.To discouragefabricated reportsof his words,he warnedthat anyonewho put wordsin his mouthwasslandering him (A.n.23).This, however,could in no way preventmistakenreports basedon honestmisunderstandings. So,shortlybefore his death, he summarizedthe basic principles of his

teachings: the 37Wings to Awakening(bodbi-pakkkiya dhamma-seenote to verse301)in the generalframework of the development of virtue,concentration, and discernment, leadingto release. Thenhe announced the

129

generalnormsby whichreportsof his teachings wereto be judged* The Mahaparinibbana Suttanta (D,i6)

quoteshim assaying: "Thereis the casewherea monksaysthis:In the BlessedOne'spresence haveI heardthis, in the BlessedOnespresencehaveI receivedthis*,,Inthe

presence of a communitywith well-known leading elders,,,Ina monastery with manylearnedelders who know the tradition,,Jn the presenceof a singleelderwho knowsthe tradition haveI heard

this, in his presence haveI receivedthis: This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the Teachers instruction/

His statement

is neither

to

be approvednor scorned.Without approvalor scorn, take careful note of his words and make

themstandagainstthe discourses andtally them againstthe Vinaya,If, on makingthem stand againstthe discourses and tallying themagainst the Vinaya,youfind thattheydon'tstandwith the discourses or tally with the Vinaya,you mayconclude: 'This is not the word of the Blessed One;

this monkhasmisunderstood it'-and youshould rejectit. But if,,,theystandwith the discourses and tally with the Vinaya,you mayconclude: 'This is the word of the Blessed One; this monk has

understood it rightly,'" Thus,a reportof the Buddha's teachings wasto be judged, not on the authority of the reporter or his sources, but on theprincipleof consistency: did it fit in 130

with whatwasalready knownof the doctrine? This principlewasdesigned to ensurethat nothingat oddswith the originalwouldbe accepted into the standardcanon, but it did openthepossibilitythat teachings in linewith the Buddha's, yetnot actuallyspokenbyhim, mightfind their wayin* The earlyredactors of the canonseemto havebeenalertto this possibility, but not overlyworried by it. As theBuddhahimselfpointedout manytimes,he did not designor createthe Dhamma,He simplyfound it in nature.Anyonewhodeveloped the pitch of mental strengthsandabilitiesneededfor Awakening coulddiscoverthesameprinciples aswell ThustheDhammawas by nomeansexclusively his. This attitudewascarriedoverinto the passages of the Vinayathat citefour categories of Dhammastatements:spokenby the Buddha,spokenby his disciples, spokenby seers(non-Buddhist sages), spokenby heavenlybeings.As long asa statementwasin accordance with the basicprinciples, the questionof whofirst stated it did not matter.In an oral culture,wherea saying mightbe associated with a personbecause he authored it, approved it, repeated it often,or inspiredit byhis/her wordsor actions,thequestionof authorship wasnot the overridingconcernit has sincebecomein literatecultures.Therecentdiscovery of evidence that a numberof teachings associated with the Buddhamayhavepre-or post-datedhis time would not havefazedthe early Buddhists at all,aslongasthoseteachings werein accordance with theoriginalprinciples.

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Shortly after the Buddha'spassingaway,the Cullavagga (xi) reports,his disciplesmet to agreeon a standardized canonof histeachings, abandoning theearlier nine-foldclassification and organizingthe material into somethingapproaching the canonwehavetoday. Thereis clearevidence that someof thepassages in the extantcanondo not dateto thefirst convocation, asthey report incidentsthat took placeafterwards. The question naturallyarisesasto whetherthereareanyother lateradditionsnot soobvious.This questionis particularly relevantwith regardto textslike the Dhp, whose organizationdiffers considerablyfrom redactionto redaction, andleadsnaturallyto the furtherquestionof whether

a later addition

to the canon can be considered

authentic.The Cullavagga (xi.ui) recountsan incident that shedslighton thisissue: Now at that time,Ven.Puranawaswandering on a tour of the SouthernHills with a largecommunity of monks,approximately 500 in all. Then, havingstayedaslongashe likedin the Southern Hills while the eldermonkswerestandardizing the DhammaandVinaya,hewentto the Bamboo Park,the Squirrels'Sanctuary,in Rajagaha. On arrival, he went to the elder monks and, after

exchanging pleasantries, satto oneside.As hewas sittingthere,theysaidto him, "FriendPurana,the DhammaandVinayahavebeenstandardized by the elders. Switch

over to their standardization."

[He replied:] "The Dhammaand Vinayahave

132

beenwell-standardized by the elders.Still I will hold simply to what I haveheardand receivedin the presence of the BlessedOne." In other words, Ven. Parana maintained-and

undoubtedlytaughtto his followers-a recordof the Buddha's teachings thatlayoutsidethe standardized version,but wasnevertheless authentic.As wehavealready noted,thereweremonks,nuns,andlaypeoplelike him evenwhilethe Buddhawasalive,andtherewereprobably otherslike him whocontinuedmaintainingpersonal memories of the Buddha's teachings evenafterthelatter's death.This storyshowsthe officialearlyBuddhistattitudetowardsuchdifferingtraditions:eachaccepted the trustworthiness of the others.As time passed, someof the early communitiesmay havemadean effort to include

these "external"

records

in the standardized

canon,resultingin variouscollections of proseandverse passages. The rangeof thesecollections wouldhavebeen determinedby the materialthat wasavailablein, or could be effectivelytranslatedinto, eachindividual dialect.Their organization wouldhavedepended on the taste and skill of the individual

collectors. Thus, for

instance, wefindverses in thePaliDhpthatdonot existin otherDhps,aswellasverses in the PatnaandGandhari Dhpsthatthe Palitraditionassigns to theJatakaor Sutta Nipata.Wealsofind verses in oneredaction composed of linesscatteredamongseveralversesin another.In any event,the fact that a text wasa later addition to the stan-

dardizedcanondoesnot necessarily meanthat it wasa

133

later invention.Given the ad hoc wayin which the Buddhasometimes taught,and the scattered natureof thecommunities whomemorized histeachings, thelater additionsto thecanonsmaysimplyrepresent earliertraditionsthatescaped standardization until relatively late. When Buddhistsbegancommittingtheir canonsto writing,approximately at the beginningof the common era,theybroughta greatchangeto the dynamicof how theirtraditionsweremaintained. Theadvantages ofwritten over oral transmission

are obvious: the texts are saved

from the vagaries of humanlong-termmemoryanddo not die out if those who have memorized

them die before

teaching othersto memorize themaswell Thedisadvantagesof writtentransmission, however, arelessobvious but no lessreal.Not onlyistherethepossibilityof scribal error, but-because

transmission is not face-to-face-

therecanalsobethesuspicion of scribalerror.If a reading seemsstrangeto a student,he hasno wayof checking with the scribe,perhapsseveral generations distant,to seeif the readingwasindeeda mistake.When confrontedwith suchproblems, hemay"correct" thereading to fit in with his ideasof what mustbe right, evenin caseswherethe readingwascorrect,and its perceived strangeness wassimplya resultof changes in the spoken dialector of hisownlimitedknowledge andimagination. The fact that manuscripts of otherversions of the text werealsoavailablefor comparisonin suchinstances couldhaveledscribes to homogenize thetexts,removing

134

unusualvariantsevenwhenthe variantsthemselves may havegonebackto theearliest daysofthetradition. Theseconsiderations of howtheDhp mayhavebeen handeddownto the present-andespecially the possibility that (i) variantrecensions might all be authentic, and that (2) agreement amongthe recensions might be the resultof later homogenization-havedetermined the wayin whichI haveapproached this translationof thePaliDhp. Unlikesomeotherrecenttranslators, I am treatingthe Pali Dhp asa text with its ownintegrityjust as eachof the alternativetraditions has its own integrity-and havenot tried to homogenize thevarious traditions.

Where the different Pali recensions are unan-

imousin their readings, evenin cases wherethe reading seems strange(e.g.,71,209,259,346),I havestuckwith the Pali without trying to "rectify" it in light of less unusualreadings givenin the othertraditions.Only in cases where the different

Pali redactions

are at variance

with oneanother,andthe variantsseemequallyplausible, have I checked the non-Pali texts to see which

varianttheysupport.Thetranslationhereis drawnfrom threeeditionsof the text: the Pali Text Society(PTS) edition editedby O. von Hiniiber and K.R. Norman (1995);the OxfordeditioneditedbyJohn RossCarter andMahindaPalihawadana, togetherwith its extensive notes(1987);and the RoyalThai edition of the Pali Canon(1982). The PTSeditiongivesthe mostextensive list of variantreadingsamongthe Pali recensions, but 135

evenit is not complete.The RoyalThai edition, for example, contains 49 preferred and8 variantreadings not givenin the PTSversionat all Passages whereI havedifferedfromthePTSreadingarecitedin theEndNotes. Drawingselectively on variousrecensions in thisway I cannotguarantee that the resultingreadingof the Dhp corresponds exactlyto theBuddha's words,or to anyone text that once existed in ancient India, However, as I

mentionedat the beginningof this note,all the recensionsagreein their basicprinciples,sothe questionis immaterialThetruetestof thereading-andthe resultingtranslation-is if the readerfeelsengaged enoughby the verses to put their principlesinto practiceandfinds that theydo indeedleadto the release that the Buddha taught.In thefinalanalysis, nothingelsereallycounts.

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END NOTES

(Numbers refertoverses) 1-2: The factthat thewordmanois pairedherewith dhamma wouldseemto suggest that it is meantin its role as"intellect"the sensemediumthat conveys knowledge of ideasor mentalobjects(twopossible meanings for the word dhamma).However, the illustrations in the second

sentence of eachverseshowthat it is actuallymeantin its roleasthementalfactorresponsible for thequalityof one'sactions(as in mano-kamma), the factor of will and

intention,shaping not onlymentalevents, but alsophysicalreality(onthispoint,seeS.xxxv.145), Thus,following a Thai tradition, I have rendered it here as "heart,"

The images in theseverses arecarefullychosen. The cart,representing suffering,is aburdenon theoxpulling it, andthe weightof its wheelsobliterates the ox'strack. Theshadow, representing happiness, is no weighton the bodyat all. All Pali recensions of this versegivethe reading, manomaya - madeof the heart,whileall other recensionsgivethe readingmanojava - impelledbytheheart, 7-8: Focused on the foul: A meditative exercisein

focusingon the foul aspects of the bodyso asto help undercutlust andattachment for the body(seeM,ii9), A,in,i6 givesa standarddefinitionfor restraintwith the 137

senses:"Andhow doesa monkguardthe doorsto his sense faculties? There is the case where a monk, on

seeinga formwith the eye,doesnot graspat anytheme or particularsby which-if he wereto dwellwithout restraintover the faculty of the eye-evil, unskillful qualitiessuchasgreedor distressmightassailhim. He practices with restraint.He guardsthefacultyof theeye. He achieves restraintwith regardto the facultyof the eye,(Similarlywith the ear,nose,tongue,body& intellect,)This is howa monkguardsthe doorsto his sense faculties,"

11-12:Wrongresolves = mentalresolves for sensuality, ill will, or harmfulness.Right resolves= mental resolves for freedom fromsensuality, for freedomfromill will, and for harmlessness,

17-18: "Destination"

in these two verses and

throughoutthetext means onesdestination afterdeath, 21: The Deathless= Unbinding(nibbana/nirvana), whichgivesrelease fromthecycleof deathandrebirth, 22: "The rangeof the nobleones":Any of the four stages of Awakening, aswell asthe total Unbindingto whichtheylead.The four stages are:(i) stream-entry, at whichoneabandons thefirst threementalfetterstying one

to the roundof rebirth:self-identityviews,uncertainty, andgrasping atprecepts andpractices; (2)once-returning, atwhichpassion, aversion, anddelusion arefurtherweakened;(3) non-returning,at whichsensualpassionand irritationareabandoned; and(4) arahantship, at which

138

the final fivefettersareabandoned: passionfor form; passionfor formlessphenomena, conceit,restlessness, andignorance* For otherreferences to the "rangeof the noble ones,"see92-93and 179-180*

37: "Lying in a cave":According to the Dhp Commentary(hereafterreferredto as DhpA), "cave" heremeansthe physicalheart,aswell asthe four great properties-earth (solidity), water (liquidity), fire (heat),and wind (motion)-that makeup the body. Sn.iv.2alsocompares thebodyto acave. 39: Accordingto DhpA,"unsoddened mind"means oneinto whichthe rainof passiondoesn'tpenetrate (see 13-14);"unassaulted awareness"means a mind not

assaulted by anger."Beyondmerit & evil":The arahant is beyondmerit andevilin that he/shehasnoneof the mentaldefilements-passion, aversion,or delusionthat would

lead to evil actions,

and none of the

attachments that would cause his/her actions to bear

kammicfruit of anysort,goodor bad. 40: "Without settlingthere,without layingclaim": twomeanings of thewordanivesano. 42: A.vii.6o illustratesthis point with sevenways that a personharmshim/herselfwhenangry,bringing on resultsthat an enemywouldwish:He/shebecomes ugly,sleepsbadly,mistakesprofit for lossand lossfor profit, loseswealth, loseshis/her reputation, loses friends,and actsin sucha way that-after deathhe/shereappears in abadrebirth.

139

44-45* "Dhamma-saying": This is a translationfor the term dhammapada. To ferret out the well-taught Dhamma-saying meansto selectthe appropriate maxim to applyto a particularsituation,in the samewaythat a flower-arranger chooses the right flower,froma heapof available flowers(see53),to fit into a particularspotin the arrangement, "The learner-on-the-path": A person whohasattainedanyof the first threeof the four stages of Awakening (seenote22). 48: Accordingto DhpA, the End-makeris death. Accordingto anotherancientcommentary, the Endmaker is Mara*

53: The last line of the Pali here can be read in two

ways,either"evenso,manya skillful thing shouldbe doneby oneborn & mortal"or "evenso,manya skillful thing shouldbe donewith what'sborn & mortal"The first readingtakesthe phrasejatenamaccena, born & mortal, as being analogousto the flower-arranger implicit in the image.The secondtakesit asanalogous to theheapof flowersexplicitlymentioned. In thissense, "what'sborn & is mortal" would denoteone'sbody, wealth, and talents*

54-56:Tagara= a shrubthat, in powdered form,is usedasaperfume.A.m.79explains thehowthescentof a virtuouspersongoesagainstthewindandwaftsto the devas,by sayingthat thosehumanandcelestialbeings who knowof the goodcharacterof a virtuousperson will broadcast one'sgoodnamein all directions.

140

57'"Rightknowing": theknowledge of full Awakening. 71: "Doesn't-like readymilk-come out right away":All Palirecensions of thisversegivethe verbmuccati-"to comeout" or "tobe released"-whereas DhpA agrees with the Sanskritrecensions in readingthe verb as if it were mucchati/murckati, "to curdle." The former

readingmakesmoresense, bothin termsof theimageof the poem-which contrastscomingout with staying hidden-andwith the plain fact that freshmilk doesn't curdleright away.The Chinesetranslationof Dhp supportsthis reading,asdo two of threescholarlyeditions of thePatnaDhp. 79: "Drinking the Dhamma,refreshedby the Dhamma":two meaningsof the word, dhammapiti. "Clear...calm":twomeanings of vipasannena. 83: "Standapart":readingcajantiwith DhpA and manyAsianeditions. 86: The syntaxof this verseyieldsthe bestsenseif we takeparamasmeaning"across," and not as"the far shore."

89: Factors for self-awakening = mindfiilness, analysis of qualities,persistence, rapture,serenity,concentration, andequanimity. 92-93:"Havingunderstood food.... independent of nutriment":The first questionin theNovice's Questions (Khp 4) is "Whatis one?" The answer: "All animalssubsiston nutriment."The conceptof food andnutriment hererefersto the mostbasicwayof understanding the 141

causalprinciplethat playssuch a centralrole in the Buddha'steaching.As S,xn,64pointsout, "Thereare thesefour nutrimentsfor theestablishing of beingswho havetakenbirth or for the supportof thosein search of a placeto be born. Which four?Physicalnutriment, grossor refined;contactasthe second, consciousness the third, andintellectual intentionthefourth" Thepresent versesmakethe point that the arahanthas so fully understood theprocess of physicalandmentalcausality that he/sheis totally independent of it, and thus will nevertakebirth again.Suchapersoncannotbecomprehendedby any of the forms of understandingthat operatewithin the causalrealm.

94: "Such(tadin)":an adjective usedto describe one whohasattainedthegoalof Buddhistpractice,indicating that the personsstateis indefinable but not subject to changeor influences of anysort."Rightknowing":the knowledge of full Awakening. 95: Indra'spillar = a postsetup at the gateof a city. Accordingto DhpA, therewasan ancientcustomof worshipping this post with flowers and offerings, althoughthosewhowantedto showtheir disrespect for this customwould urinateand defecateon the post. In eithercase,the post did not react,

97: This verseis a series of puns.Thenegative meaningsof the punsareon the left sideof the slashes; the positivemeanings, ontheright.Thenegative meanings are soextremely negative thattheywereprobablyintended to shocktheir listeners. Onescholarhassuggested that the 142

lastword-uttamaporiso, the ultimateperson-should alsobe readasa pun, with the negativemeaning,"the extremeof audacity," but that wouldweakenthe shock value of the verse*

100: Accordingto DhpA, the wordsabassam in this and the following versesmeans"by the thousands" ratherthan"athousand"The sameprinciplewouldalso seemto hold for satam-"by the hundreds" ratherthan "a hundred"-in

102,

108: "Doesn'tcometo a fourth":DhpA: The merit producedby all sacrificial offeringsgivenin theworldin the courseof a yeardoesn'tequalevenonefourthof the meritmadebypayinghomage onceto onewhohasgone thestraightwayto Unbinding, 121-122:"(It wont cometo me')":The Thai edition

readsthis line asna mattamagamissati - "[Thinking]it won't amount to much "

126: Heaven and hell, in the Buddhist view of the

cosmos,arenot eternalstates.One maybe rebornon one of the various levels of heaven or hell as the result of

one'skammaon the humanplane,and thenleavethat levelwhenthat particularstoreof kammawearsout. 143: Sometranslators haveproposedthat the verb apabodheti, here translated as "awakens"should be changed to appam bodheti, "to think little of" This, however,goesagainstthesense of theverseandof arecurrent imagein the Canon,that the better-bred the horse,the more sensitiveit is evento the idea of the whip, to say

nothingof thewhipitself See,for example,

The questionraisedin this verseis answeredin S.i.iS:

Thoserestrained byconscience are

rare-

thosewhogo throughlife always mihdfuL Havingreached the end of suffering& stress, theygo throughwhatis uneven evenly; gothroughwhatis out-of-tune in tune*

152: Muscles: This is a translation of the Pali man-

sani,whichis usuallyrenderedin this verseas"flesh," However,because the Paliword is in the plural form, "muscles" seems moreaccurate-andmoreto thepoint. I53'I54: DhpA:Theseverses weretheBuddha's first utteranceafter his full Awakening.For somereason, they are not reportedin any of the other canonical accounts of theevents followingon theAwakening. DhpA: "House"= selfhood;house-builder = craving. "House" may also refer to the nine abodesof beings-the sevenstationsof consciousness andtwo spheres (seeKhp 4 and0.15). The word anibbisamin 153can be read either as the

negative gerundof nibbisati ("earning, gaininga reward") or asthe negativegerundof nivisati,alteredto fit the meter,meaning"coming to a rest,settled,situated." Both readingsmakesensein the contextof the verse,sothe 144

word is probablyintendedto havea doublemeaning: without reward, without rest,

157:"Thethreewatches of thenight":thisistheliteral meaning of theverse, but DhpA showsthat theimageof stayingup to nursesomeonein the night is meantto standfor beingwakefulandattentivethroughoutthe threestages of life:youth,middleage,andold age.The point hereis that it is nevertoo earlyor too lateto wake up andbeginnurturingthegoodqualitiesof mind that will leadto one'struebenefit.On thispoint,seeA,m,5i52, where the Buddha counsels two old brahmans,

nearingtheendof theirlifespan,to beginpracticing generosityalongwith restraintin thought,word,anddeed, 162: DhpA completesthe imageof the poemby sayingthat one'svicebringsaboutone'sowndownfall, just asa maluvacreeperultimatelybringsabout the downfallof thetreeit overspreads. Seenote42, 164:A bambooplantbearsfruit onlyonce,andthen dies soon after,

165: "No one purifiesanother.No other purifies one,"Theseare the two meaningsof the one phrase, nanno annamvisodhaye. 166: A,iv,95listsfour typesof peoplein descending order: those devoted to their own true welfare as well as

that of others, those devoted to their own true welfare but not that of others, those devoted to the true welfare of others but not their own, and those devoted neither to their own true welfare nor that of others. S.XLVII.IQ

makesthepoint thatif oneis truly devotedto one'sown

welfare, othersautomatically benefit,in thesameway that an acrobatmaintaininghis/herownbalance helps his/herpartnerstaybalanced aswell 170: Sn,v.i5 reports a conversationbetween the

Buddhaandthe brahmanMogharaja with apoint similar to that of this verse:

Mogharaja: How does one view the world so as not to be seen

byDeathsking? The Buddha:

Viewtheworld,Mogharaja, as empty-

always mindful to haveremoved anyview about self

This wayoneis above & beyonddeath. This is how one views the world so as not to be seen

by Death's king, 176: This verseis also found at Iti*25, wherethe con-

text makesclearthemeaningof ckamdhammam, or "this onething":theprincipleof truthfulness. 178:Thefruit of StreamEntryis the firstof thefour

stages of Awakening (seenote22).A personwhohas 146

attainedStreamEntry-entry into thestreamthatflows inevitably to Unbinding-is destinedto attain full Awakening within at mostsevenlifetimes,neverfalling below the human state in the interim,

183-185: Theseverses area summaryof a talk called the Ovada Patimokkha, which the Buddha is said to

havedeliveredto an assembly of 1,250arahantsin the first yearafterhis Awakening, Verse183is traditionally viewedasexpressing theheartof the Buddha's teachings. 191: The noble eightfold path: right view,right resolve, right speech, right action,right livelihood,right effort,right mindfulness, rightconcentration, 195-196: Complications = papanca. Alternative translationsof this termwouldbe proliferation,elaboration, exaggeration. The term is usedboth in philosophical contexts-in

connection

with

troubles

and conflict-

and in artistic contexts, in connection with excessive

detailandelaboration, M,i8 states: "Dependent on eye& forms,eye-consciousness arises. Themeetingof thethree is contact.With contactasa requisitecondition,thereis feeling.What one feels,oneapperceives (labelsin the mind).What oneapperceives, onethinksabout.What one thinks about,onecomplicates.Basedon what a personcomplicates, the apperceptions & categories of complication assailhim/herwith regardto past,present, & futureformscognizable viatheeye,[Similarlywith the othersenses,] Now,with regardto thecausewhereby the apperceptions & categories of complication assaila person:if thereis nothingthereto relish,welcome, or 147

remainfastened to, thenthatis theendof theunderlying tendencies to passion,to irritation,to views,to uncertainty, to conceit, to passionfor becoming,& to ignorance. That is the endof takingup rods& bladed weapons, of arguments, quarrels,disputes,accusations, divisivetale-bearing, & falsespeech. That is wherethese evil,unskillfulthingscease withoutremainder," 209: This verseplayswith the variousmeanings of yoga(task, striving, application,meditation) and a relatedterm,anuyunjati (keepingaftersomething, taking someone to task).In placeof the Palireadingattanuyoginam,"thosewhokept afterthemselves," the PatnaDhp readsatthanuyoginam, "thosewho kept after/remained devotedto thegoal," 218: "The up-flowingstream":DhpA: the attainment of non-returning,the third of the four stagesof Awakening (seenote22\ 231-233:Bodily misconduct= killing, stealing, engaging in illicit sex.Verbalmisconduct= lies,divisive speech, harshspeech, idlechatter.Mentalmisconduct = covetousness, ill will, wrongviews, 235:Yama= thegodof the underworld, Yamasminionsor underlingswerebelievedto appearto a person just prior to themomentof death, 236:Impurities,blemishes = passion, aversion, delusion, and their variouspermutations,includingenvy, miserliness, hypocrisy, andboastfulness.

148

240: "Onewholivesslovenly": As DhpA makes clear, thisrefersto onewhousestherequisites of food,clothing, shelter, and medicine without

the wisdom that comes

with reflecting on theirproperuse.The Palitermhereis atidhonacarin, a compound built aroundthe word dhona, whichmeanscleanor pure.The ati- in the compound couldmean"overly," thusyielding,"oneoverlyscrupulous in hisbehavior," but it canalsomean"transgressing," thus, "transgressing againstwhat is clean"= "slovenly"The latter readingfits betterwith the imageof rust asa deficiency in theiron resultingfromcarelessness. 254-255:"No outsidecontemplative": No true con-

templative, definedasa personwhohasattainedanyof the four stages of Awakening, existsoutsideof the practiceof the Buddha's teachings (seenote22).In D.i6,the Buddhais quotedasteachinghis final student:"In any doctrine& disciplinewherethe nobleeightfoldpath is not found, no contemplativeof the first...second... third...fourth order [stream-winner,once-returner,non-

returner,or arahant]is found.But in anydoctrine& disciplinewherethe nobleeightfoldpathis found,contemplatives of the first...second...third...fourth orderare found.Thenobleeightfoldpathis foundin thisdoctrine & discipline,andright heretherearecontemplatives of the first...second...third...fourth order.Other teachings areemptyof knowledgeable contemplatives. And if the monksdwellrightly,thisworldwill not beemptyof arahants."(On thenobleeightfoldpath,seenote191.) On "complication," seenote195-196.

149

256-257* Thesense of theverse, confirmed by DhpA, suggests that the Pali worddhammattho means"judge." This,in fact,is thethemetyingtogethertheverses in this chapter.The duty of ajudgeis to correctlydetermine attba,a word that denotesboth "meaning"and "judgment,"thesetwo senses of the wordbeingconnected by the fact that thejudgemustinterpretthe meanings of wordsusedin rulesandprinciplesto seehowtheycorrectlyapplyto theparticulars of a casesothathecanpass a correctverdict.The remainingversesin this chapter giveexamples of interpreting atthain anappropriate way 259: "SeesDhammathroughhis body":The more common expression in the Pali Canon is to touch

Dhammathroughor with the body(phusati or phassati, he touches,ratherthanpassati, he sees).The Sanskrit recensions andthe PatnaDhp all supportthe reading, "he would touch," but all Pali recensions are unanimous

in thereading,"hesees"Somescholars regardthis latter readingasa corruptionof theverse; I personally find it a morestrikingimagethanthecommonexpression, 265: This verseplayswith a numberof nounsand verbsrelatedto the adjective sama, whichmeans"even," "equal," "onpitch,"or "in tune"Throughoutancientcultures,theterminologyof musicwasusedto describe the moralqualityof peopleandacts.Discordantintervalsor poorly-tunedmusicalinstrumentsweremetaphors for evil; harmonious intervals and well-tuned instruments,

for good.Thus in Pali,samana, or contemplative, also meansa personwho is in tune with the principlesof 150

Tightness andtruth inherentin nature.Hereandin 388, I've attemptedto givea hint of theseimplicationsby associating theword"contemplative" with "consonance" 268-269: This versecontainsthe Buddhist refutation

of the ideathat "thosewhoknowdon'tspeak, thosewho speakdon'tknow" For anotherrefutationof the same idea,seeD.I2.In Vedictimes,asage(muni)wasa person who took a vowof silence(mona)andwassupposed to gain specialknowledgeas a result. The Buddhists adoptedthe term muni,but redefinedit to showhow true knowledge wasattainedandhowit expressed itself in the sage's actions.For a fuller portrait of the ideal Buddhistsage, seeA.m.23andSn.i.i2. 271-272: This versehas what seemsto be a rare construction, in which na + instrumental nouns + a verb in

the aoristtensegivesthe forceof a prohibitive("Don't, on accountof x, do y"). "The renunciate easethat runof-the-millpeopledon'tknow,"accordingto DhpA, is thestateof non-returning, the third of thefour stages of Awakening (seenote22).Because non-returners arestill attached to subtlestatesof becoming on thelevelof form andformlessness, DhpA driveshomethe message that evennon-returners shouldnot be complacent by paraphrasinga passage fromA.I (203in theThai edition;at the endof Chapterxix in the PTSedition)that reads, "Just as even a small amount of excrement is foul-

smelling,in the samewayI do not praiseevena small amountof becoming, not evenasmuchasa fingersnap."

273: The four truths: stress,its cause,its cessation,

and the path to its cessation(which is identicalto the

eightfoldpath).Seenote191. 275:"I havetaughtyouthispath":readingakkhato vo mayamaggo with the Thai edition,a readingsupported by the PatnaDhp, "Havingknown-for yourknowing": two waysof interpreting whatis apparently aplayon the Paliword,annaya, whichcanbe eitherbe the gerundof ajanati or thedativeof anna.On theextractionof arrows asa metaphorfor the practice,seeML63andM,105,

285:Althoughthefirstwordin thisverse, ucchinda, literallymeans "crush," "destroy," "annihilate," I havefoundno previousEnglishtranslationthat rendersit accordingly. Mosttranslateit as"cutout" or "uproot,"whichweakens theimage. On theroleplayedby self-allure in leadingthe heart to becomefixated on others,seeA,vn,48, 288: Ender = death,

293:Mindfulness immersed in thebody= thepractice of focusing on thebodyatall timessimplyasa phenomenon in andof itself,asa wayof developing meditative absorption (jhana) andremoving anysense of attraction to, distress over,or identification with thebody,M.119 liststhe followingpractices asinstances of mindfulness immersed in the body:mindfulness of breathing, awareness of the four posturesof the body (standing,sitting, walking, lying down),alertnessto all the actionsof the body, analysis of thebodyinto its 32parts,analysis of it into its four properties (earth,water,fire,wind),andcontemplation of thebody'sinevitable decomposition afterdeath. 152

294* This verseand the onefollowingit useterms with ambiguous meaningsto shock the listener. Accordingto DhpA,mother= craving; father= conceit; twowarriorkings= viewsof eternalism (thatonehasan identity remainingconstantthroughall time) and of annihilationism (thatone'sconsciousness is totallyannihilatedat death);kingdom= the twelvesensespheres (the sensesof sight,hearing,smell,taste,feeling,and ideation,togetherwith their respective objects);dependency= passions for thesense spheres, 295: DhpA:two learnedkings= viewsof eternalism and annihilationism; a tiger = the pathwherethe tiger goesfor food,i.e.,the hindranceof uncertainty, or else all five hindrances(sensualdesire,ill will, torpor & lethargy,restlessness& anxiety,and uncertainty). However,in Sanskritliterature,"tiger"is a term for a powerfulandeminentman;if that is whatis meanthere, thetermmaystandfor anger. 299: See note 293.

301:"Developing themind"in termsof the37Wings to Awakening: thefourframesof reference (ardent,mindful alertness to body,feelings,mind states,andmental qualities in andof themselves), thefourrightexertions (to abandon andavoidevil,unskillfulmentalqualities, andto fosterandstrengthen skillfulmentalqualities),the four bases of power(concentration based on desire, persistence, intentness, anddiscrimination), thefivestrengths andfive faculties(conviction, persistence, mindfulness, concentration,anddiscernment), theseven factors for self-awakening 153

(seenote89),andthenobleeightfoldpath(seenote191). For a full treatment of this topic, seeTheWingsto Awakening (DhammaDana Publications, 1996), 303: DhpA: Wealth = both materialwealthandthe

sevenformsof noblewealth(ariya-dhana): conviction, virtue, conscience,concern (for the results of evil

actions),erudition,generosity, discernment. 324: DhpA:Dhanapalaka wasa nobleelephantcaptured for the king of Kasi. Although given palatial quarterswith the finestfood, he showedno interest,but

thoughtonlyof the sorrowhis motherfelt, alonein the elephantwood,separated from herson,

329-330:DhpA:The bull elephant namedMatanga, reflectingon the inconveniences of living in a herd crowdedwith she-elephants andyoungelephants-he waspushedaroundashewentinto theriver,hadto drink muddiedwater,hadto eatleaves that othershadalready nibbled,etc.-decidedthat he wouldfind morepleasure in livingalone.His storyparallels thatof theelephant the Buddhametin theParileyyaka Forest(Mv.x.4.6-7). 337:This verseprovidesa Buddhisttwistto thetypical benedictionsfound in worksof kavya.Insteadof expressing a wish that the listenersmeetwith wealth, fame,status,or otherworldlyformsof goodfortune,this versedescribes the highestgoodfortune,whichcanbe accomplished only throughone'sownskillful kamma: the uprootingof cravingandthe resultingstateof total freedom from the round of death and rebirth. A similar

154

twist on the themeof good fortune is found in the MangalaSutta(Khp.5,Sn.n.4),whichteaches that the bestprotectivecharmis to develop skillfulkamma,ultimatelydevelopingthe mind to the point whereit is untouched bythevagaries of theworld. 339: 36 streams= three forms of desirefor eachof the

internalandexternal sense spheres (seenote294)-3 x 2x 6 = 36. Accordingto onesub-commentary, the three formsof desirearedesires focusedon the present,past, andfuture.According to another, theyarecraving for sensuality, craving forbecoming, andcraving for no-becoming. 340: "Everywhichway":Readingsabbadbi with the Thai andBurmeseeditions.The creeper, accordingto DhpA, is craving,which sendsthoughtsout to wrap aroundits objects, whileit itselfstaysrootedin themind. 341:This versecontainsanimpliedsimile:theterms "loosened & oiled,"hereappliedtojoys,werecommonly used to describe smooth bowel movements.

343: For the variousmeaningsthat attano-"for himself"-can

havein this verse,seenote 402.

346: "Elastic": The usual translation for sithilam"slack"-does

not fit in this verse, but all the Pali

recensions are unanimouson this reading,so I have chosena nearsynonymthat does.The PatnaDhp renders this

term

as "subtle,"

whereas

the Tibetan

commentary to the Udanavarga explainsthe line asa whole asmeaning"hard for the slackto untie."Both alternatives makesense, but maybeattemptsto "correct"

155

a termthat couldwell haveoriginallymeant'elastic/'a meaning thatgotlostwith thepassage of time, 348: DhpA: In front = the aggregates of the past; behind= the aggregates of the future;in between= the aggregates of thepresent. Seealsonote385. 350: "A focus on the foul": A meditative exercisein

focusingon the foul parts of the body so asto help undercutlustandattachment for thebodySeenote7-8. 352:'Astutein expression, knowingthe combination of sounds-which

comes first & which after": Some ara-

hants,in additionto theirabilityto overcome all of their defilements, are also endowed with four forms of acumen

(patisambhida), one of whichis acumenwith regardto expression (nirutti-patisambhida), i.e.,a totalmastery of linguisticexpression. Thistalentin particular musthavebeen ofinterestto theanthologist(s) whoput together theDhp. "Last-body": Because an arahantwill not be reborn, thispresentbodyis his/herlast. 353:Accordingto M.26andMv.i.6.7,oneof thefirst peoplethe Buddhamet after his Awakeningwasan asceticwho commented on the clarity of his faculties andaskedwho his teacherwas.This versewaspart of the Buddha'sresponse. 354: This versecontainsseveralterms relatedto aes-

thetics.Bothdhamma (justice)anddana(gift/generosity) are sub-typesof the heroic rasa,or savor.(Seethe Introduction.)The third sub-typeof the heroic-yuddha (warfare)-is suggested by the verb"conquer," which 156

occursfour timesin the Pali.Rati(delight/love)is the emotion(bhava)that corresponds to the sensitiverasa.In

effect,theverseis saying thatthehighest formsof rasaand emotionarethoserelatedto Dhamma; thehighestexpressionoftheheroicDhammarasa is in theendingofcraving. 360-361: See note 7-8.

363: "Counsel":In the contextof Indian literary theory,thisis the meaningof thewordmania, whichcan alsomean"chant." The literarycontextseemsto be the properonehere. 368: "Stilling-of-fabrications ease": thetrue easeand freedomexperienced whenall fiveaggregates arestilled. 369: DhpA:The boat= one'sownpersonhood (attabhava, the body-mindcomplex);thewaterthat needsto be bailedout = wrongthoughts(imbuedwith passion, aversion,or delusion).

370: DhpA:Cut throughfive= thefivelowerfetters that tie the mind to the roundof rebirth(self-identity views,uncertainty,graspingat precepts& practices,sen-

sualpassion, irritation);let go of five= the fivehigher fetters(passionfor form,passionfor formlessphenomena,conceit,restlessness, & ignorance); developfive = the fivefaculties(conviction,persistence, mindfulness, concentration,discernment);five attachments= passion, aversion, delusion, conceit, views. 381: See note 368.

157

383: This verse,addressedto a member of the brah-

man caste,is one of the few in Dhp where the word

brahman is usedin its ordinarysense, asindicatingcaste membership,and not in its specialBuddhist senseas

indicatinganarahant. 384: DhpA: two things = tranquility meditation andinsightmeditation* 385:DhpA:This verserefersto a personwhohasno senseof "I" or "mine," either for the senses("not-

beyond")or their objects("beyond"). The passage may also refer to the sense of total limitlessness

that makes

theexperience of Unbindingtotallyineffable, asreflected in thefollowingconversation (Sn.v.6): Upasiva: He who has reached the end:

Does he not exist,

or is hefor eternityfreefromdis-ease? Please, sage, declare thisto me asthisphenomenon hasbeenknownbyyou. The Buddha: One who has reached the end has no criterion

bywhichanyonewouldsaythatit doesn't exist for him.

Whenall phenomena aredoneawaywith, allmeansof speaking aredoneawaywith aswelL 388: Stains= the impuritieslisted in note 236,On "consonance,"seenote 265,

389: The word "anger"hereis addedfrom DhpA, whichinterpretsthe"lettingloose"asthe actof retaliating with angeragainstone'sassailant. Sometranslators read"brahman"asthe subjectnot only of the second line, but also the first: "A brahman should/would

not

strikea brahman " However, this readingis unlikely,for a brahman(in this context,an arahant)would not strike

anyoneatall If a brahmanretaliates with angerto being struck,that is a signthat he is not a truebrahman: thus moreshameon him for havingassumeda statusnot truly his*On the topicof howto reactto violentattack, see M.2i and M .

390: "What'sendearing & not":In thephrasemanaso piyehi, piyehicanbe readstraightasit is,as"endearing," or asan elidedformof apiyehi, "notendearing" The former readingis morestraightforward, but giventhe reference to "harmful-heartedness" in the next line, the latter read-

ingserves to tie the stanzatogether. It is alsoconsistent with thefactthatDhpA takesthisversetobea continuation of 389.Giventhe wayin whichkavyacultivateda tastefor ambiguities andmultipleinterpretations, both readings mayhavebeenintended. 392: "Brahmin"hereis usedin its ordinarysense, as indicating castemembership,and not in its special Buddhistsense asindicatinganarahant, 393:"He is apureone":reading50suciwith the Thai edition,a readingsupportedby the Chinesetranslation of theDhp.

159

394' In Indiaof the Buddha's day mattedhair,etc, wereregarded asvisiblesignsof spiritualstatus* 396: "Bho-sayer"-Brahminsaddressed othersas "bho"asa wayof indicatingtheir (thebrahmans') superior caste*"If he hasanything"(readingsacewith the Burmeseedition)= if he/shelaysclaimto anythingas his/her own*

398:DhpA: strap= hatred;thong= craving; cord= 62 forms of wrong view (listed in the Brahmajala Suttanta,D*i); bridle = latent tendencies(sensuality, becoming, anger, conceit,views,uncertainty, ignorance)* 400: "With no overbearingpride":readinganussadam with theThai andBurmese editions* "Last-body": see note

352*

402:"Forhimself, onhisown,hisownendingof stress": threedifferentwaysthat the oneword attanofunctions in this verse*

411: According to DhpA, "attachments/homes (alayaf = cravings* "Knowing":the knowledgeof full Awakening (anna). 412: See note 39* 421: See note 348*

423: The formsof masterylistedin thisversecorrespondto the three knowledgesthat comprisedthe Buddha'sAwakening:knowledgeof previouslives, knowledge of howbeingspassawayandarerebornin thevariouslevelsof being,andknowledge of theending of theeffluentsthatmaintaintheprocess of birth*

160

GLOSSARY

Aggregate(khandha):Any oneof the fivebasesfor clingingto a senseof self:form (physicalphenomena, including the body), feelings,perceptions(mental labels), thought-fabrications, consciousness. Arahant: A "worthyone"or "pureone;"a person whose mind

is free of defilement

tined for further

rebirth.

and thus is not des-

A title for the Buddha and the

highestlevelof hisnobledisciples. Becoming(bhava):Statesof beingthatdevelop first in the mind and allowfor birth on anyof threelevels: the levelof sensuality, the levelof form,andthe levelof formlessness.

Brahma:An inhabitantof the highest,non-sensual levels of heaven.

Brahman:The Brahmans of India havelongmaintainedthat they,bytheir birth,areworthyof thehighest respect.Buddhistsborrowedthe term "brahman"to applyto arahantsto showthat respectis earnednot by birth, race,or caste, but by spiritualattainmentthrough followingtheright pathof practice. Mostof theverses in the Dhammapada usethewordbrahmanin this special sense;thoseusingthe word in its ordinary senseare indicated in the notes.

161

Deva: Literally,"shiningone."An inhabitantof the heavenly realms, Dhamma: (1) Event;a phenomenonin and of itself;

(2) mentalquality;(3) doctrine,teaching;(4) nibbana. Sanskrit form: Dharma.

Effluent (asava):One of four qualities--sensuality, views,becoming, andignorance-that"flowout" of the mind

and create the flood of the round

of death and

rebirth.

Enlightenedone (dhira): Throughoutthis translation I have rendered buddhaas "Awakened," and dhira as

"enlightened." AsJanGondapointsout in his book,The VisionoftheVedic Poets, the worddhirawasusedin Vedic and Buddhist poetry to meana personwho has the heightened powersof mentalvisionneededto perceive the "light" of the underlyingprinciplesof the cosmos, togetherwith the expertiseto implementthoseprinciplesin the affairsof life and to revealthem to others.A

personenlightened in this sensemayalsobe awakened, but is not necessarily so. Fabrication(sankhara):Sankharaliterallymeans "putting together/'and carriesconnotationsof jerryriggedartificiality.It is appliedto physicalandto mental processes, aswellasto theproductsof thoseprocesses. In somecontexts it functionsasthefourthof thefiveaggregates-thought-fabrications; in others,it covers all five. Gandhabba: Celestial musician,a member of one of the lower deva realms.

162

Heart (manas): The mind in its role as will and intention.

Indra: King of the devasin the Heavenof the Thirty-three. Jhana:Meditativeabsorption. A stateof strongconcentration,devoidof sensuality or unskillfulthoughts, focusedon a singlephysicalsensation or mentalnotion whichis then expanded to fill the wholerangeof one's awareness. Jhanais synonymous with right concentration, the eighthfactorin the nobleeightfoldpath (see note 191).

Kamma: Intentionalact,bearingfruit in termsof statesof becoming andbirth. Sanskritform:karma. Mara: The personification of evil,temptation,and death.

Patimokkha: Basiccodeof monasticdiscipline, composed of 227rulesfor monksand311 for nuns. Samsara:Transmigration; the "wandering-on"; the round of death and rebirth.

Sangha: On the conventional (sammati) level,this term denotes the communities

of Buddhist

monks and

nuns;on the ideal(ariya)level,it denotes thosefollowers of the Buddha,lay or ordained,who haveattainedat leaststream-entry (seenote22). Stress(dukkha): Alternativetranslationsfor dukkha

includesuffering, burdensomeness, andpain.Howeverdespitethe unfortunateconnotations it haspickedup

163

from programsin "stress-management" and "stressreduction"-theEnglishwordstress, in its basicmeaning asthe reactionto strainon the bodyor mind,hasthe advantage of coveringmuchthe samerangeasthe Pali worddukkha. It applies bothto physicalandmentalphenomena, rangingfromtheintensestressof acuteanguish or pain to the innateburdensomeness of eventhe most

subtlementalor physicalfabrications.It alsohasthe advantage of beinguniversally recognized assomething directlyexperienced in all life,andis at the sametimea usefultool for cuttingthroughthe spiritualpride that keepspeopleattachedto especially refinedor sophisticatedformsof suffering:onceall suffering,no matter how nobleor refined,is recognizedasbeingnothing morethanstress,the mind canabandon the pridethat keepsit attachedto that suffering,andso gainrelease fromit. Still, in someof theverses of theDhammapada, stress seems too weakto conveythemeaning, soin those verses I haverendered dukkha aspain,suffering, or suffering & stress.

Tathagata:Literally,"onewhohasbecome authentic (tatha-agata)," or "onewho is reallygone(tatha-gata)" an epithet usedin ancientIndia for a personwho has attainedthehighestreligiousgoal In Buddhism, it usually denotesthe Buddha,althoughoccasionally it also denotes anyof hisarahantdisciples, Unbinding (nibbana):Because nibbana is usedto denotenot only the Buddhistgoal,but alsothe extinguishingof a fire,it is usuallyrendered as"extinguishing" 164

or, evenworse,"extinction"However, a studyof ancient Indianviewsof the workingsof fire (seeTheMind Like FireUnbound) reveals that peopleof the Buddha'stime felt that a fire,in goingout, did not go out of existence but wassimplyfreedfromits agitation,entrapment, and attachment to its fueL Thus, when applied to the

Buddhistgoal,the primaryconnotation of nibbana is one of release, alongwith coolingandpeace, Sanskritform: nirvana.

165

ABBREVIATIONS

A

AnguttaraNikaya

D

DighaNikaya

Dhp Dhammapada/Dharmapada DhpA Dhammapada Commentary Iti

Itivuttaka

Khp

Khuddakapatha

M

MajjhimaNikaya

Mv Mahavagga PTS PaliTextSociety S

Samyutta Nikaya

Sn

Sutta Nipata

166

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brough, John, ed. The GandhariDharmapada. London:OxfordUniversityPress,1962. Carter,JohnRossandMahindaPalihawadana, trans.

anded.TheDhammapada. NewYork:OxfordUniversity Press, 1987

Cone,Margaret. "PatnaDharmapada,Part I: Text,"

inJournalofthePaliTextSociety, xm, 1989:101-217. Dhammajoti, BhikkhuKualaLumpur,trans,anded. TheChinese Version ofDharmapada. Kelaniya,Sri Lanka: Postgraduate Instituteof PaliandBuddhistStudies, 1995. Gonda,Jan.TheVisionoftheVedic Poets. The Hague: Mouton, 1963. von Hiniiber, O., and K.R. Norman, eds. Dhamma-

pada.Oxford:The PaliTextSociety, 1995. Norman, K.R., trans. The Wordof theDoctrine. Oxford:ThePaliTextSociety, 1997. Warder,A.K. IndianKavyaLiterature, vols.i and n, 2nd rev.eds.Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass,1989and 1990.

In addition to the above works, I have also consulted

manypreviousEnglishtranslationsand renderingsof the Dhammapada, completeand incomplete, including 167

thoseby Ven.AnandaMaitreya,Babbitt,Beyer,Ven. Buddharakkhita,Byrom, Cleary,Kaviratna, Vens. Khantipalo and Susanna,Mascaro,Ven, Narada,Ven,

Piyadassi, Radhakrishnan, and Wannapok,aswell as Thai translationsby Plengvithaya and Wannapok.In addition, I have consulted translations of the Udana-

varga-again,completeand incomplete-by Sparham and Strong*I havealsodrawn from the RoyalThai Edition of the Pali Canon,publishedby Mahamakut Rajavidalaya Press, Bangkok, 1982*

168

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