Dhammapada

Intention is the leader of things; intention is first, they’re made by intention. If with corrupt intent you speak or act, suffering follows you, like a wheel, the ox’s foot.

Intention is the leader of things; intention is first, they’re made by intention. If with pure intent you speak or act, happiness follows you like a shadow that never leaves.

“They abused me, they hit me! They beat me, they robbed me!” For those who bear such a grudge, hatred is never laid to rest.

“They abused me, they hit me! They beat me, they robbed me!” For those who bear no such grudge, hatred is laid to rest.

For never is hatred laid to rest by hate, it’s laid to rest by love: this is an ancient teaching.

When others do not understand, let us, who do understand this, restrain ourselves in this regard; for that is how conflicts are laid to rest.

Those who contemplate the beautiful, their faculties unrestrained, immoderate in eating, lazy, lacking energy: Māra strikes them down like the wind, a feeble tree.

Those who contemplate the ugly, their faculties well-restrained, eating in moderation, faithful and energetic: Māra cannot strike them down, like the wind, a rocky mountain.

One who, not free of stains themselves, would wear the robe stained in ocher, bereft of self-control and truth: they are not worthy of the ocher robe.

One who’s purged all their stains, steady in ethics, possessed of self-control and of truth, they are truly worthy of the ocher robe.

Thinking the inessential is essential, seeing the essential as inessential; they don’t realize the essential, for wrong thoughts are their habitat.

Having known the essential as essential, and the inessential as inessential; they realize the essential, for right thoughts are their habitat.

Just as rain seeps into a poorly roofed house, lust seeps into an undeveloped mind.

Just as rain doesn’t seep into a well roofed house, lust doesn’t seep into a well developed mind.

Here they grieve, hereafter they grieve, an evildoer grieves in both places. They grieve and fret, seeing their own corrupt deeds.

Here they rejoice, hereafter they rejoice, one who does good rejoices in both places. They rejoice and celebrate, seeing their own pure deeds.

Here they’re tormented, <j>hereafter they’re tormented, an evildoer is tormented in both places. They’re tormented <j>thinking of bad things they’ve done; when gone to a bad place, <j>they’re tormented all the more.

Here they delight, hereafter they delight, one who does good delights in both places. They delight thinking of good things they’ve done; when gone to a good place, they delight all the more.

Much though they may recite scripture, if a negligent person does not apply them, then, like a cowherd who counts the cattle of others, they miss out on the blessings of the ascetic life.

Little though they may recite scripture, if they live in line with the teaching, having given up greed, hate, and delusion, with deep understanding and heart well freed, not grasping to this life or the next, they share in the blessings of the ascetic life.

Heedfulness is the state free of death; heedlessness is the state of death. The heedful do not die, while the heedless are like the dead.

Understanding this distinction when it comes to heedfulness, the astute rejoice in heedfulness, happy in the noble ones’ domain.

They who regularly meditate, always staunchly vigorous; the attentive realize extinguishment, the supreme sanctuary from the yoke.

For the hard-working and mindful, pure of deed and attentive, restrained, living righteously, and diligent, their reputation only grows.

By hard work and diligence, by restraint and by self-control, a smart person would build an island that the floods cannot overflow.

Fools and simpletons devote themselves to negligence. But the wise protect diligence as their best treasure.

Don’t devote yourself to negligence, or delight in erotic intimacy. For if you’re diligent and meditate, you’ll attain abundant happiness.

When the astute dispel negligence by means of diligence, ascending the palace of wisdom, sorrowless, they behold this generation of sorrow, as an attentive one on a mountain top beholds the fools below.

Heedful among the heedless, wide awake while others sleep— a true sage leaves them behind, like a swift horse passing a feeble.

Maghavā became chief of the gods by means of diligence. People praise diligence, while negligence is always deplored.

A mendicant who loves diligence, seeing fear in negligence— advances like fire, burning up fetters big and small.

A mendicant who loves diligence, seeing fear in negligence— such a one can’t decline, and has drawn near to extinguishment.

The mind quivers and quakes, hard to guard, hard to curb. The discerning straighten it out, like a fletcher an arrow.

Like a fish pulled from the sea and cast upon the shore, this mind flounders about, trying to throw off Māra’s dominion.

Hard to hold back, flighty, alighting where it will; it’s good to tame the mind; a tamed mind leads to bliss.

So hard to see, so subtle, alighting where it will; the discerning protect the mind, a guarded mind leads to bliss.

The mind travels far, wandering alone; incorporeal, it lies hidden in the heart. Those who will restrain the mind are freed from Māra’s bonds.

Those of unsteady mind, who don’t understand the true teaching, and whose confidence wavers, do not perfect their wisdom.

One whose mind is not festering, whose heart is undamaged, who’s given up right and wrong, alert, has nothing to fear.

Knowing this body breaks like a pot, and fortifying the mind like a citadel, attack Māra with the sword of wisdom, guard your conquest, and never settle.

All too soon this body will lie upon the earth, bereft of consciousness, tossed aside like a worthless log.

A wrongly directed mind would do you more harm than a hater to the hated, or an enemy to their foe.

A rightly directed mind would do you more good than your mother or father or any other relative.

Who bestirs this earth, and the Yama realm with its gods? Who sets out the well-taught word of truth, as an expert a flower?

A trainee bestirs this earth, and the Yama realm with its gods. A trainee sets out the well-taught word of truth, as an expert a flower.

Knowing this body’s like foam, realizing it’s all just a mirage, and cutting off Māra’s blossoming, vanish from the King of Death.

As a mighty flood sweeps off a sleeping village, death steals away a man even as he gathers flowers, his mind caught up in them.

The terminator gains control of the man who has not had his fill of pleasures, even as he gathers flowers, his mind caught up in them.

A bee takes the nectar and moves on, doing no damage to the flower’s beauty and fragrance; and that’s how a sage should walk in the village.

Don’t find fault with others, with what they’ve done or left undone. You should only watch yourself, what you’ve done or left undone.

Just like a glorious flower that’s colorful but lacks fragrance; eloquent speech is fruitless for one who does not act on it.

Just like a glorious flower that’s both colorful and fragrant, eloquent speech is fruitful for one who acts on it.

Just as one would create many garlands from a heap of flowers, when a person has come to be born, they should do many skillful things.

The fragrance of flowers doesn’t spread upwind, nor sandalwood, pinwheel, or jasmine; but the fragrance of the good spreads upwind; a true person’s virtue spreads in every direction.

Among all the fragrances— sandalwood or pinwheel or lotus or jasmine— the fragrance of virtue is supreme.

Faint is the fragrance of sandal or pinwheel; but the fragrance of the virtuous floats to the highest gods.

For those accomplished in ethics, meditating diligently, freed through the highest knowledge, Māra cannot find their path.

From a heap of trash discarded on the highway, a lotus might blossom, fragrant and delightful.

So too, among those thought of as trash, a disciple of the perfect Buddha outshines with their wisdom the blind ordinary folk.

Long is the night for the wakeful; long is the league for the weary; long transmigrate the fools who don’t understand the true teaching.

If while wandering you find no partner equal or better than yourself, then firmly resolve to wander alone— there’s no fellowship with fools.

“Sons are mine, wealth is mine”— thus the fool frets. For even your self is not your own, let alone your sons or wealth.

The fool who thinks they’re a fool is wise at least to that extent. But the true fool is said to be one who imagines that they are wise.

Though a fool attends to the wise even for the rest of their life, they still don’t understand the teaching, like a spoon the taste of the soup.

If a clever person attends to the wise even just for an hour or so, they swiftly understand the teaching, like a tongue the taste of the soup.

Fools and simpletons behave like their own worst enemies, doing wicked deeds that ripen as bitter fruit.

It’s not good to do a deed that plagues you later on, for which you weep and wail, as its effect stays with you.

It is good to do a deed that doesn’t plague you later on, that gladdens and cheers, as its effect stays with you.

The fool imagines that evil is sweet, so long as it has not yet ripened. But as soon as that evil ripens, they fall into suffering.

Month after month a fool may eat food from a grass-blade’s tip; but they’ll never be worth a sixteenth part of one who has appraised the teaching.

For a wicked deed that has been done does not curdle quickly like milk. Smoldering, it follows the fool, like a fire smothered over with ash.

Whatever fame a fool may get, it only gives rise to harm. Whatever good features they have it ruins, and blows their head into bits.

They’d seek the esteem that they lack, and status among the mendicants; authority over monasteries, and honor among other families.

“Let both layfolk and renunciants think the work was done by me alone. In anything at all that’s to be done, let them fall under my sway alone.” So thinks the fool, their greed and pride only growing.

For the means to profit and the path to quenching are two quite different things. A mendicant disciple of the Buddha, understanding what this really means, would never delight in honors, but rather would foster seclusion.

Regard one who sees your faults as a guide to a hidden treasure. Stay close to one so intelligent and astute who curbs you when you need it. Sticking close to such an impartial person, things get better, not worse.

Advise and instruct; curb wickedness: for you shall be loved by the good, and disliked by the bad.

Don’t mix with bad friends, nor with the worst of men. Mix with spiritual friends, and with the best of men.

Through joy in the teaching you sleep at ease, with clear and confident heart. An astute person always delights in the teaching proclaimed by the Noble One.

While irrigators guide water, fletchers bend arrows straight, and carpenters bend timber straight, the astute tame themselves.

As the wind cannot stir a solid mass of rock, so too blame and praise do not affect the wise.

Like a deep lake, clear and unclouded, so clear are the astute when they hear the teachings.

True persons give up everything, they don’t cajole for the things they desire. Though touched by sadness or happiness, the astute appear neither depressed nor elated.

Never wish for success by unjust means, for your own sake or that of another, desiring children, wealth, or nation; rather, be virtuous, wise, and just.

Few are those among humans who cross to the far shore. The rest just run around on the near shore.

When the teaching is well explained, the people who practice accordingly will cross over Death’s dominion so hard to pass.

Rid of dark qualities, an astute person would develop the bright. Having left home for homelessness in seclusion, where joy is hard,

they’d long for satisfaction there. Forsaking sensual pleasures, owning nothing, an astute person would cleanse themselves of mental corruptions.

And those whose minds are rightly developed in the awakening factors; who, letting go of attachments, delight in not grasping: with defilements ended, brilliant, they are quenched in this world.

At journey’s end, rid of sorrow; everywhere free, all ties given up, no fever is found in them.

The mindful apply themselves; they delight in no abode. Like a swan gone from the marsh, they leave home after home behind.

Those with nothing stored up, who have understood their food, whose domain is the liberation of the signless and the empty: their path is hard to trace, like birds in the sky.

One whose defilements have ended; who’s not attached to food; whose domain is the liberation of the signless and the empty: their track is hard to trace, like birds in the sky.

Whose faculties have become serene, like horses tamed by a charioteer, who has abandoned conceit and defilements; the unaffected one is envied by even the gods.

Undisturbed like the earth, true to their vows, steady as Indra’s pillar, like a lake clear of mud; such a one does not transmigrate.

Their mind is peaceful, peaceful are their speech and deeds. Such a one is at peace, rightly freed through enlightenment.

Lacking faith, a house-breaker, one who acknowledges nothing, purged of hope, they’ve wasted their chance: that is indeed the supreme person!

Whether in village or wilderness, in a valley or the uplands, wherever the perfected ones live is a delightful place.

Delightful are the wildernesses where no people delight. Those free of greed will delight there, not those who seek sensual pleasures.

Better than a thousand meaningless sayings is a single meaningful saying, hearing which brings you peace.