The Pairs - Dhammapada

Dhammapada
A practical guide to right living
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammamanbuddhasa
Homage to Him, the Blessed One, the Perfected One, the Supremely Enlightened One

Mind precedes all mental states,
Mind is their chief;
they are all mind wrought.
If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts,
suffering follows him like the wheel
that follows the foot of the ox.

Mind precedes all mental states,
Mind is their chief;
they are all mind wrought.
If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts, happiness follows him
like his never departing shadow.

"He abused me,
he struck me,
he overpowered me,
he robbed me."
Those who harbour such thoughts
do not still their hatred.

"He abused me,
he struck me,
he overpowered me,
he robbed me."
Those who co not harbour such thoughts
still their hatred.

Hatred is never appeased
by hatred in this world.
By non-hatred alone
is hatred appeased.
This is a Law Eternal.

There are those
who do no realize
that one day we must all die.
But those who do not realize this
settle their quarrels.

Just as a storm,
throws down a weak tree,
so does Mara overpower the man
who lives for the pursuit of pleasures,
who is uncontrolled in his senses,
immoderate in eating,
indolent and dissipated.

Just as a storm
cannot prevail against a rocky mountain
so Mara can never overpower
the man lives meditationg
on the impurities, who is controlled
in his senses, moderate in eating
and filled with faith and earnest effort.

Whoever being depraved,
devoid of self control and truthfulness
should don the the monk's yellow robe,
he surely is not worthy of the robe.

But whoever is purged of depravity,
well established in virtues
and filled with self control
and truthfulness,
he indeed is worthy of the yellow robe.

Those who mistake
the unessential to be essential and the essential to be unessential,
dwelling in the wrong thoughts,
never arrive at the essential.

Those who know
the essential to be essential
and the unessentail to be unessentail,
dwelling in the right thoughts,
do arrive at the essential.

Just as rain
breaks through
an ill thatched house,
so passion penetrates
an undeveloped mind

Just as rain
does not break through
a well thatched house,
so passion never penetrates
a well developed mind.

The evil doer
grieved here and hereafter,
he grieves in both the worlds.
He laments and is afflicted,
recollecting his own impure deeds.

The doer of good rejoices here and hereafter,
he rejoices in both the worlds.
He rejoices and exults,
recollecting his own pure deeds.

The evil doew
suffers here and hereafter;
he delights in both the worlds,
The thought, "Evil have i done,"
torments him, and he suffers
even more when gone to realms of woe.

The doer of good
delights here and hereafter;
he delights in both the worlds.
The thought, "Good have I done,"
delights him, and he delights
even more when gone to realms of bliss.

Much thought he recited
the sacred texts,
but acts not accordingly,
the heedless man
is like a cowherd
who only counts the cows of others -
he does not partake
of the blessings of a holy life.

Little though
he recites the sared texts,
but put the Teaching into practise,
forsaking lust, hatred and delusion,
with true wisdom
and emancipated mind
clinging to nothing
of this world and another world
he indeed partakes
of the blessing of a holy life.