Ched du brjod pa'i tshoms (Kangyur, Toh 326) 2

English (machine translation) 2

Language: English

2.1

[Groups of Inspired Utterances] [Bampo 2]
Just as a mule is destroyed by its own womb,
And reeds and bamboo by their fruit,
And a banana tree by its fruit,
So the corrupt person is destroyed by honor.
As long as a fool is honored,
So long is he thoroughly ruined.
The fool's wholesome qualities decline,
And his head also surely splits.
Desiring inferior gain,
Desiring a retinue of monks,
Possessiveness over dwellings,
And honor from other families:
'Whether renunciates or householders,
May any of them heed me!
Whatever is to be done or not done,
May it depend on my authority!'
When a fool thinks such discursive thoughts,
Great desire increases in his mind.
The means to gain is one thing,
And that which leads to nirvāṇa is another.
Having understood this accordingly,
Not delighting in honor,
And gradually increasing seclusion—
Such a monk is a śrāvaka of the Buddha.
Not striving after everything,
Not depending on others,
Not relying on another for livelihood,
One should not traffic in the Dharma like a merchant.
One should accept what one has gained,
And not generate desire for another's.
A monk who desires another's
Will not attain samādhi.
If you wish to live happily
And wish to look upon this monastic life,
When robes, food, and drink
Are given by the saṅgha, accept them.
If you wish to live happily
And wish to look upon this monastic life,
Like a snake in a mouse-hole,
Resort to secluded bed and seat.
If you wish to live happily
And wish to look upon this monastic life,
Be content with mere scraps,
And meditate on the single Dharma

2.2

[…] should be done. / If, though not very learned, / one is well settled in moral discipline, / those who know will praise one, saying: / 'One's livelihood is pure, and one is free from indolence.' / If one possesses the three untainted knowledges / that destroy Māra, / a fool may think, 'He knows nothing,' / and find it easy to disparage him. / If an individual of evil character / comes into possessions / such as food and drink, / people pay him homage. / When shaven-headed fools in saffron robes / acquire food and drink, / clothing and bedding, / it only creates many enemies. / Thus having understood the defects / of honour, which is a great peril, / with few suspicions and diminished anxiety, / the mindful monk should wander everywhere. / Although mouthfuls of food do not pacify the mind, / one should not refrain from eating for the sake of this life; / recognizing that through nourishment the body is maintained, / one wanders for almsfood in that manner. / This homage and veneration paid by families / is a subtle barb difficult to extract; / this honour, so hard for people to endure— / understand it thoroughly to be like mire! / Chapter Thirteen: Honour. // Whoever shows malice toward those / who do not commit evil deeds and are not malicious, / in this world and the next, / will be stained by those very evils. / First destroying oneself, / and afterward destroying others, / like a bird of prey's lure / it is destroyed and destroys others too. / One who strikes will receive blows; / one who bears a grudge encounters an enemy; / likewise, one who abuses receives abuse, / and for one who shows anger, anger arises. / Other foolish ascetics here, / unskilled in the sublime Dharma, / even in this all-too-short life / bear grudges over trivial matters. / Thinking, 'This is superior,' / by speaking divisively and seeking followers, / when causing schism in the saṅgha here, / why do they not consider their lack of strength? / Those who break bones, kill living creatures,

2.3

steal horses, cattle, and wealth, / and even destroy kingdoms, / later reconcile with one another; / why do you not act likewise, / when you understand this teaching / examined and spoken by the wise, / which shows the proper sphere of conduct? / You behave like the unwise, / contending with mere talk; / since those opponents do not understand, / I shall strive in this regard. / Those who are wise here / are pacified by gentle words. / 'He insulted me, he abused me, / he defeated me, he overcame me'— / in whoever harbours this in mind, / malice will never be pacified. / 'He insulted me, he abused me, / he defeated me, he overcame me'— / in whoever does not harbour this in mind, / malice will be pacified. / Never by malice / is malice pacified here; / by patience malice is pacified— / this is an eternal law. / By malice, malice is never pacified; / through absence of malice, malice is pacified. / Deep-seated animosity harms embodied beings; / therefore, the wise should not bear malice. / If one finds a wise friend— / a steadfast one, well-behaved, to travel with— / having completely overcome all afflictions, / one should travel with him, mindful and with a joyful mind. / If one does not find a wise friend— / a steadfast one, well-behaved, to travel with— / like a king abandoning a vast realm, / one should travel alone and commit no evil. / If one does not find a good companion / whose conduct is in harmony with one's own, / since a fool cannot be a friend, / one should be steadfast in walking alone. / Since a fool cannot be a friend, / it is easier to wander alone; / like the Mātanga elephant in the forest, / with anxiety diminished, one should wander alone. / Chapter Fourteen: Malice. // As taught by the Buddha,

2.4

whoever has fully and properly cultivated / the mindfulness of inhalation and exhalation, / gradually becomes completely purified; / like the sun and moon free from clouds, / they illuminate everything in this world. / Standing, sitting, and likewise lying down, / properly steadying the body and mind, / when a monk settles mindfulness well, / he will attain successive distinctions. / When he has attained successive distinctions, / he will become invisible even to the king Māra. / Having established the mindfulness focused on the body, / and restrained the six sense fields of contact, / whoever always enters meditative absorption / realizes nirvāṇa for himself. / Whoever always and in every way / establishes mindfulness focused on the body, / is free from self and free from grasping at 'mine'; / he does not become a self, nor does he grasp at 'mine.' / Thus the monk who remains in absorption will quickly / cross beyond craving for sense objects. / Whoever, with mindfulness, vigilance, and absorption, / and with joy and profound faith, from time to time / practices this Dharma and keeps watch, / will cross beyond birth and old age, so it is said. / Therefore, always resorting to vigilance, / the wise monk, mindful and diligent, / having abandoned all fetters to birth, / will attain nirvāṇa in this very life. / Listen to me regarding the watchfulness / that awakens those who are asleep! / For one who is awake, it is easy to keep watch; / for one who keeps watch, there is no fear. / For those intent on vigilance, / who train day and night, / and are deeply devoted to the deathless, / their taints will be exhausted. / Whoever day and night / is mindful of the Buddha, / and those who go for refuge to the Buddha, / have found human gain. / Whoever day and night / is mindful of the Dharma, / and those who go for refuge to the Dharma, / have found human gain. / Whoever day and night

2.5

is mindful of the Saṅgha, / and those who go for refuge to the Saṅgha, / have found human gain. / Whoever day and night / is mindful of the Buddha, / that śrāvaka of Gautama / is thoroughly awakened. / Whoever day and night / is mindful of the Dharma, / that śrāvaka of Gautama / is thoroughly awakened. / Whoever day and night / is mindful of the Saṅgha, / that śrāvaka of Gautama / is thoroughly awakened. / Whoever day and night / is mindful of moral discipline, / that śrāvaka of Gautama / is thoroughly awakened. / Whoever day and night / is mindful of generosity, / that śrāvaka of Gautama / is thoroughly awakened. / Whoever day and night / is mindful of the deities, / that śrāvaka of Gautama / is thoroughly awakened. / Whoever day and night / is always mindful of the body, / that śrāvaka of Gautama / is thoroughly awakened. / Whoever day and night / is always mindful of the four meditative absorptions, / that śrāvaka of Gautama / is thoroughly awakened. / Whoever day and night / delights in non-harming, / that śrāvaka of Gautama / is thoroughly awakened. / Whoever day and night / delights in non-malice, / that śrāvaka of Gautama / is thoroughly awakened. / Whoever day and night / delights in meditation, / that śrāvaka of Gautama / is thoroughly awakened. / Whoever day and night / delights in emptiness, / that śrāvaka of Gautama / is thoroughly awakened. / Whoever day and night / delights in the signless,

2.6

That disciple of Gautama / Is fully awakened by being well awakened. / Whoever by day and night / Delights in solitude, / That disciple of Gautama / Is fully awakened by being well awakened. / Whoever by day and night / Delights in renunciation, / That disciple of Gautama / Is fully awakened by being well awakened. / Whoever by day and night / Delights in nothingness, / That disciple of Gautama / Is fully awakened by being well awakened. / Whoever by day and night / Delights in nirvāṇa, / That disciple of Gautama / Is fully awakened by being well awakened. / Chapter 15: Mindfulness. // Because the time for one's duties to be done fluctuates, / Keep watch over what must be done at the very outset. / If one has done so from the beginning, / Desiring that duties cease according to the appropriate time for action, / Things will turn out just as desired. / Because I have seen the nature of that, / As long as the goal remains unfulfilled, / So long must a person strive. / Through diligence and effort / Make yourself an island! / Like a silversmith with silver, / Cleanse away your own defilements. / When defilements are cleansed, faults will not arise, / And later you will not encounter birth and aging. / Feeling ashamed of what is not shameful, / And not feeling ashamed of what is shameful, / Seeing fear in what is not fearful, / And seeing no fear in what is fearful— / Sentient beings who adopt such wrong views / Will go to the lower realms. / Whoever was previously heedless here, / But later becomes careful, / Like the sun and moon freed from clouds, / Illuminates this world on all sides. / Whoever was previously heedless here, / But later becomes careful, / Through mindfulness will thoroughly transcend / Craving in this world. / Whoever goes forth into homelessness while young / And engages with the Buddha's teaching, / Like the sun and moon freed from clouds, / Illuminates this world on all sides. / Whoever goes forth

2.7

Into homelessness while young / And engages with the Buddha's teaching, / Through mindfulness will thoroughly transcend / Craving in this world. / Whoever covers evil karma / With virtuous deeds, / Like the sun and moon freed from clouds, / Illuminates this world on all sides. / Whoever covers evil karma / With virtuous deeds, / Through mindfulness will thoroughly transcend / Craving in this world. / Whoever does not delight in living / Has no sorrow even upon dying. / The steadfast one who sees the state [of nirvāṇa] / Will not be tormented even amid sorrow. / Whoever does not delight in living / Has no sorrow even upon dying. / The steadfast one who sees the state [of nirvāṇa] / Abides radiantly in the midst of kin. / Monk, cultivate what is pure / And thoroughly renounce dark qualities! / Having gone from home to homelessness, / Whatever sphere of activity is secluded, / Train in rejoicing in that, / And renounce desire without any remainder. / One who is constantly pure in essence, / Constantly pure in posadha, / And pure in clean deeds / Will attain consummate ascetic practice. / Just as weeds are the defect of fields, / Attachment is the defect of beings here; / Therefore, giving to those free of attachment / Yields vast fruit. / Just as weeds are the defect of fields, / Aversion is the defect of beings here; / Therefore, giving to those free of aversion / Yields vast fruit. / Just as weeds are the defect of fields, / Delusion is the defect of beings here; / Therefore, giving to those free of delusion / Yields vast fruit. / Just as weeds are the defect of fields, / Pride is the defect of beings here; / Therefore, giving to those free of pride / Yields vast fruit. / Just as weeds are the defect of fields, / Clinging is the defect of beings here; / Therefore, giving to those free of clinging / Yields vast fruit. / Just as weeds are the defect of fields, / Craving is the defect of beings here; / Therefore, giving to those free of craving / Yields vast fruit. / The sixth

2.8

Is the master, the king: / If there is attachment, one is attached; / If there is no attachment, one is not attached; / The one who is attached is called a fool. / Where attachment, aversion, pride, / And concealment dwell, / [In that] city of bones as walls, / Plastered over with flesh and blood, / Endowed with suffering born from all-arising causes, / If they do not see that, they are bound therein; / When they realize it, they completely abandon the torrents. / Those attached to external things do not abandon them. / Chapter 16: Miscellaneous. // Those who do not delight in home, / Mindful and energetic, / Like swans abandoning an inferior pool, / Give up their homes and cross the flood. / Steadfast ones, having renounced the world / And thoroughly conquered Māra's hosts, / Like swans on the path of the sun, / Travel through the sky with miraculous power. / Those who have not practiced brahmacarya / And did not acquire wealth in their youth, / Like old herons brood / By the edge of a poor pond with few fish. / Those who have not practiced brahmacarya / And did not acquire wealth in their youth, / Reflecting upon their past deeds, / Will lie curled up in distress. / Do not think that small evils / Will not follow after you! / Just as by the falling of drops of water / A large vessel is filled, / So the fool is filled / With evil accumulated bit by bit. / Do not think that small virtues / Will not follow after you! / Just as by the falling of drops of water / A large vessel is filled, / So the steadfast one is filled / With virtue accumulated bit by bit. / Whoever abandons an inferior pool and constructs a dike, / Desiring to cross the ocean's flood, / Even as people construct a raft, / The wise cross over. / Having crossed over, the Buddha, the Bhagavān, / The brāhmaṇa, made his dwelling on dry ground, / While monks bathe there, / And the śrāvakas

2.9

Also built a raft. / Just as great, deep lakes / Are exceptionally clear and unpolluted, / So the wise, with pure faith, / Listen to this Dharma. / Since there is water everywhere in this way, / Who goes searching and roaming around? / What need is there for well-water? / Cut off craving from the root! / Just as dyers wash with water, / Fletchers straighten [arrows] with fire, / And carpenters plane and shape wood, / So the wise tame themselves. / Unattached like space, / Unshakable like a doorsill, / Free from an agitated lake, / The wise do not delight in saṃsāra. / Chapter 17: Water. // Who will conquer this earth, / Along with the world of Yama and the gods? / Who is skilled in teaching the four Dharmas / That are desirable like flowers? / The trainee will conquer this earth, / Along with the world of Yama and the gods; / They are skilled in teaching the four Dharmas / That are desirable like flowers. / Because fear arises from the forest, / Cut down the forest, not the trees! / Cut down the forest and undergrowth, / And the ascetic will attain nirvāṇa. / If the undergrowth is not cut, / Even the subtlest desire binds people born on earth, / Just as a calf desiring milk / Clings to its mother. / Having severed one's affection / Like an autumn lotus with the hand, / For the sake of nirvāṇa taught by the Victor, / Cultivate the peaceful path. / Just as a pleasing flower / May have fine color but lack fragrance, / So do not make / Well-spoken words fruitless. / Just as a bee, without harming / The flower's color or fragrance, / Sips the nectar and flies away, / So does the sage wander through the village. / Not examining the faults of others, / Nor what is done or left undone by others, / Only one's own proper and

2.10

should examine what is proper. / Just as from a heap of sweepings / and impure water where none is clean, / a pure lotus blossoms / delightfully sweet-scented, / likewise from these blind ordinary beings / who are like a heap of sweepings, / the śrāvakas of the perfect Buddha / shine forth through wisdom. / Just as from a heap of flowers / one would make many garlands, / likewise by a person born as a human / many virtues also should be performed. / Just as in the rainy season the flowers / of the bakula fall away in profusion, / likewise, monks, abandon / passion, hatred, and delusion. / The person whose mind is attached / and who gathers [desires] like flowers / is seized and carried away by Māra, / as a sleeping village is swept away by a flood. / People whose minds are attached / and who gather [desires] like flowers / will never be satisfied by desires / and are brought under the power of Māra. / People whose minds are attached / and who gather [desires] like flowers / will not acquire enjoyments / and are brought under the power of Māra. / People whose minds are attached / and who gather [desires] like flowers, / before their tasks are brought to an end, / are brought under the power of Māra. / Realising this body to be like foam / and knowing dharmas to be like a mirage, / cutting here the supreme flower-arrows of Māra, / one goes unseen even by the King of Death. / Realising these worlds to be like foam / and knowing dharmas to be like a mirage, / cutting here the supreme flower-arrows of Māra, / one goes unseen even by the King of Death. / Realising this body to be like a bubble / and knowing dharmas to be like a mirage, / cutting here the supreme flower-arrows of Māra, / one goes unseen even by the King of Death. / Realising these worlds to be like a bubble / and knowing dharmas

2.11

to be like a mirage, / cutting here the supreme flower-arrows of Māra, / one goes unseen even by the King of Death. / Whichsoever monk contemplates existence / to be without essence like the flower of the udumbara, / abandons the beyond and what is not the beyond, / as a shedding snake sheds its old skin. / Whichsoever monk completely cuts off passion / like a lotus root submerged in water, / abandons the beyond and what is not the beyond, / as a shedding snake sheds its old skin. / Whichsoever monk completely cuts off hatred / like a lotus root submerged in water, / abandons the beyond and what is not the beyond, / as a shedding snake sheds its old skin. / Whichsoever monk completely cuts off delusion / like a lotus root submerged in water, / abandons the beyond and what is not the beyond, / as a shedding snake sheds its old skin. / Whichsoever monk completely cuts off pride / like a lotus root submerged in water, / abandons the beyond and what is not the beyond, / as a shedding snake sheds its old skin. / Whichsoever monk completely cuts off attachment / like a lotus root submerged in water, / abandons the beyond and what is not the beyond, / as a shedding snake sheds its old skin. / Whichsoever monk completely cuts off craving / like a lotus root submerged in water, / abandons the beyond and what is not the beyond, / as a shedding snake sheds its old skin. / The Chapter of the Flower, the eighteenth. // Just as a thoroughbred horse when struck by a whip / is startled and runs swiftly, / so one endowed with faith, moral discipline, and absorption, / who properly discerns the teachings, / whose faculties are composed, patient, and pleasant in companionship, / those protectors abandon craving entirely. / Just as a thoroughbred horse when struck by a whip / is startled and runs swiftly, / so one endowed with faith, moral discipline, and absorption, / who properly discerns the teachings,

2.12

and possessing knowledge and conduct and mindfulness, / those protectors completely abandon suffering. / Like a well-trained horse disciplined by a trainer, / whoever restrains their faculties properly, / abandons anger, and destroys the taints, / even the gods cherish those sages. / The heedful [leaves behind] the heedless, / the awake leaves behind the many sleeping, / as a swift steed leaves behind a wild nag, / the deeply wise one departs, leaving them behind. / Just as a whip onto a thoroughbred horse, / whoever relies on modesty / and possesses wisdom well concentrated, / removes evil deeds. / The tamed is led to assemblies, / the king mounts upon the tamed; / whoever endures harsh words, / the tamed is supreme among humans. / Among elephants the elephant-bulls, / and the thoroughbred horses of Sindh, / and whichever mules are trained, / better than those is taming oneself. / That wise person who tames themselves well / will attain peace; / by means of those mounts, / that state can never be reached. / Among elephants the elephant-bulls, / and the thoroughbred horses of Sindh, / and whichever mules are trained, / better than those is taming oneself. / Whoever is mindful and tames themselves well / will reach the end of suffering; / by means of those mounts, / that state can never be reached. / Among elephants the elephant-bulls, / and the thoroughbred horses of Sindh, / and whichever mules are trained, / better than those is taming oneself. / Whoever is mindful and tames themselves well / will abandon all destinies; / by means of those mounts, / that state can never be reached. / Among elephants the elephant-bulls, / and the thoroughbred horses of Sindh, / and whichever mules are trained, / better than those is taming oneself. / Whoever tames themselves well / will cut through fetters and go; / by means of those mounts, / that state can never

2.13

be reached. / Just as a trainer tames a thoroughbred horse, / one must tame only oneself. / By properly taming oneself, / one reaches the far limit of sufferings. / Oneself alone is one's own protector, / oneself is one's own refuge; / therefore, like a trainer with a thoroughbred horse, / one should tame oneself. / The Chapter of the Horse, the nineteenth. // If anger is abandoned and pride eliminated, / one will completely transcend all fetters; / without attachment to name and form, / possessing nothing, one does not fall behind attachment. / Abandon anger the moment it arises; / once arisen, eliminate desire. / The steadfast one thoroughly abandons ignorance; / seeing the truth, one will be happy. / If anger is abandoned, one sleeps happily; / if anger is abandoned, one will not grieve. / Monk, cut the poisonous root of anger / which destroys happiness; / you will be praised by the noble ones, / and by having destroyed it, you will be free of sorrow. / Whoever is angry and loudly claims: 'I did well, / I did nothing wrong,' / after their anger has subsided, / will grieve as though burned by fire. / Shameless and devoid of conscience, / an angry person has no ascetic practice; / overpowered by anger, / no one will rely upon them. / Whoever has only the strength of a fool, / that strength is non-strength. / For a fool bereft of Dharma, / there is hardly anything to be accomplished. / Whoever, although possessing power, / is forbearing towards the weak, / they are called the supreme in patience; / the weak always submits. / Whoever, although being the master of others, / is forbearing towards the weak, / they are called the supreme in patience; / the weak always submits. / Whoever is powerful, yet is forbearing / even when harshly censured by others, / they are called the supreme in patience; / the weak always submits. / Even when excessively reviled by others,

2.14

"Whoever is powerful and practices forbearance / Is said to possess the supreme forbearance." / The weak person constantly cowers. / Whoever perceives that the other is angry / And calms oneself, / Protects both oneself and the other / From great fear. / Whoever perceives that the other is angry / And calms oneself, / Acts for the benefit / Of both oneself and the other. / Towards the one who acts for the benefit / Of both oneself and the other, / Ordinary people unskilled in the Dharma / May easily think, "He is a fool!" / Forbearing the words of a superior out of fear, / And forbearing the words of an equal to avoid strife— / Whoever forbears the words of an inferior, / The virtuous proclaim that to be the supreme forbearance! / When a fool gets angry and speaks harsh words, / He thinks he has won. / Whoever tolerates such words / Is the one who is truly always victorious. / Speak the truth; do not become angry; / Give, even if a little, to the beggar. / By means of these three states, / One will go to the realm of the gods. / A person overwhelmed by anger / Does not understand even their own benefit; / Therefore, maintain heedfulness among the assembly / And speak words free of anger. / Whoever responds to anger with anger / Becomes an evil person. / Do not respond to anger with anger; / Thus conquer a battle difficult to win! / Conquer anger with lack of anger; / Conquer non-excellence with excellence; / Conquer miserliness with giving; / Conquer untruth with truth. / Gentle, living righteously, / Free from anger—how could they become angry? / For the wise who are thoroughly liberated through correct knowledge, / There is no anger. / Unangered and harmless, / Though noble people constantly rely [on this], / Anger makes sinful people / Cower like a mountain. / Whoever reins in arisen anger / Like an errant chariot, / I call a charioteer; / The common folk merely hold the reins.

2.15

Chapter 20: Anger.

The summary:
The Śramaṇa, the Path, Honor, / Malice, and Mindfulness as the fifth; / Miscellaneous, Water, Flowers, / Horses, and Anger as the tenth.

"All-knowing and overcoming all in this world, / Untainted here by any conditioned phenomena, / Having abandoned all, liberated through the exhaustion of craving— / Having directly realized this by myself, by whom could I be instructed? / The Tathāgata is the teacher of gods and humans; / Endowed with all powers, I am the omniscient one. / Having attained enlightenment, I teach it myself; / Incomparable and peerless, by whom could I be instructed? / I am the arhat in the world; / In the world I am unsurpassable; / In the world together with its gods, / I am the victor who overpowers the Māras. / Since there is none like me, / I have no teacher whatsoever. / Alone in this world, / I have attained unsurpassable complete enlightenment. / Know that whoever has attained the exhaustion of taints / Is a victor like me! / Since I have conquered sinful states, / Therefore, Upaka, I am the victor. / Having crossed the worldly craving for sensory realms, / The omniscient Buddha entered nirvāṇa. / Because people in the world do not understand the origin [of suffering] / Without being shown, / I went to Vārāṇasī / And beat the drum of the Dharma, / Setting into motion the wheel of the Dharma / That no one in the world had set into motion." / The heroic Tathāgatas / Tame [beings] here through the Dharma. / When they are tamed through the Dharma, / No wise person criticizes. / The steadfast ones who enter meditative absorption, / Delight in renunciation and calming, / And hold their final physical form— / In these fully awakened Buddhas of renown / With swift wisdom, / Gods and humans rejoice. / The Buddhas of the past, / The Buddhas who are yet to come, / And the fully awakened Buddhas of the present / Who dispel the sorrow of many, / Those who have dwelled, who dwell, / And likewise those who will dwell— / All of them revere the sublime Dharma; / This is the essential nature of the fully awakened Buddhas. / Therefore, here, one who loves oneself / And aspires to great majesty / Should remember the Buddha's teaching / And revere the sublime Dharma. / The foolish person who does not generate faith / In the teaching of the Buddha / Will go to a state of ruin, / Like merchants captured by rākṣasīs. / The wise person who generates faith / In the teaching of the Buddha / Safely reaches the other shore, / Like merchants on a swift cloud [horse]. / The Tathāgatas are peerless and incomparable. / Delighting in wholesome thoughts and likewise in complete solitude, / The Buddhas who engage in these two thoughts / Have dispelled darkness, gone beyond, and are renowned. / They have attained what was to be attained and mastered their minds. / Totally liberated, their taints exhausted, thoroughly free, / Endowed with a liberated mind, steady and untainted, / They look upon the world of embodied beings to benefit them. / Just as someone standing on a mountain peak / Looks down upon all creatures, / Likewise, the virtuous and sorrowless ones, / Having ascended the mansion arisen from Dharma, / Look upon the people overwhelmed by birth and old age / And afflicted with suffering; / Thus they open the door to the deathless: / Let those who wish to hear dispel their doubt!

2.16

Chapter 21: The Tathāgata.

Well-heard and well-practiced, / Having properly gone forth from home, / Fully surrounded by those who practice abandonment, / Harmonious conduct with śramaṇas is excellent. / Foolish, unlearned people / Act as if they were deathless; / The wise conduct themselves toward the sublime Dharma / Like a sick person in the night. / Just as when entering the inside of a well-roofed house / That is covered in darkness, / Even though visible forms exist there, / One with eyes does not see them; / Likewise, a person born to a good family here, / Even if endowed with intelligence, / Will not understand sinful / And virtuous phenomena without hearing [the teachings]. / Just as one with eyes, having a lamp, / Sees visible forms, / Likewise, virtuous and sinful phenomena / Are understood through learning. / Through learning, phenomena are understood; / Through learning, one turns away from evil; / Through learning, one abandons what is meaningless; / Through learning, nirvāṇa is attained. / Even if one is very learned, / If one does not observe moral discipline well, / One is reproached on account of moral discipline, / And one's learning is not consummate. / Even if one has little learning, / If one observes moral discipline well, / One is praised on account of moral discipline, / And one's learning becomes consummate. / Whoever has little learning / And does not observe moral discipline well, / Is reproached on account of both, / And their ascetic practice is not consummate. / Whoever is very learned / And observes moral discipline well, / Is praised on account of both, / And their ascetic practice becomes consummate. / Those who are very learned, uphold the Dharma, / Possess wisdom, and are meditative / Are not fit to be reproached by anyone, / Like an ornament of Jambūdvīpa gold. / Whoever judges me by form, / Or measures me by sound, / Such people, possessed of desire and longing, / Do not know me. / If someone understands internally / But does not see externally, / Seeing the internal fruit, / They may be led by sound. / If someone sees externally / But does not understand internally, / Seeing the external fruit, / They may be led by sound. / If someone neither understands internally / Nor sees externally, / Such fools, thoroughly obscured, / May be led by sound. / If someone understands internally / And also sees externally, / Endowed with wisdom regarding the definitive teaching, / They [cannot be led] by sound

2.17

...

2.18

may be guided by it. / Although hearing much with the ears / and seeing much with the eyes, / one should not place trust / in all those teachings seen and heard. / Knowing what is well-spoken as essential to hear, / and knowing meditative absorptions as the essence, / whoever acts with negligence and harshness— / their learning and knowledge will not be of great benefit. / Whoever delights in the Dharma taught by the noble ones, / and likewise acts accordingly in body and speech, / being patient, delightful in company, and restraining the faculties, / will attain the perfection of hearing and knowledge. / Chapter Twenty-Two: Learning. // Learn what is well-spoken, / venerate the renunciants, / delight in solitude and a solitary seat, / and bring the mind to calming. / Sitting alone on a single bed, / acting alone without indolence, / dwelling alone in the forest, / one should tame oneself alone. / One might conquer in human battle / a thousand times a thousand men; / yet whoever conquers oneself / is the supreme victor in human battle. / For a person who always observes restraint / and tames oneself alone, / victory over oneself is supreme; / whereas other creatures are merely ordinary. / When a monk dwelling in wisdom / has won victory, neither Māra / nor Brahmā can defeat him, / nor can a deva or a gandharva. / Having first established oneself properly, / one should later tame others like oneself. / Having first established oneself properly, / when later taming others, the wise person is not afflicted. / Just as one does to oneself, / so one should do to others. / Subduing and pacifying oneself, / one should easily tame others. / Just as one does to oneself, / so one should do to others. / Ah, when oneself is

2.19

well-tamed, / being self-tamed, one will rejoice. / For the sake of one's own purpose, / one may even renounce many purposes of others. / If one keenly understands one's own purpose, / it will become the supreme self-benefit. / Oneself is one's own protector; / who else indeed could be one's protector? / By having oneself as one's protector, / the wise person will attain what is beneficial. / Oneself is one's own protector; / who else indeed could be one's protector? / By having oneself as one's protector, / the wise person will attain the qualities. / Oneself is one's own protector; / who else indeed could be one's protector? / By having oneself as one's protector, / the wise person will attain renown. / Oneself is one's own protector; / who else indeed could be one's protector? / By having oneself as one's protector, / the wise person will attain happiness. / Oneself is one's own protector; / who else indeed could be one's protector? / By having oneself as one's protector, / the wise person will attain higher rebirth. / Oneself is one's own protector; / who else indeed could be one's protector? / By having oneself as one's protector, / one will rejoice in heaven for a long time. / Oneself is one's own protector; / who else indeed could be one's protector? / Having oneself as one's protector, / one shines brightly among kin. / Oneself is one's own protector; / who else indeed could be one's protector? / Having oneself as one's protector, / one is not tormented in sorrow. / Oneself is one's own protector; / who else indeed could be one's protector? / By having oneself as one's protector, / one will sever all fetters. / Oneself is one's own protector; / who else indeed could be one's protector? / By having oneself as one's protector, / one will abandon all bad rebirths.

2.20

Oneself is one's own protector; / who else indeed could be one's protector? / By having oneself as one's protector, / one is thoroughly liberated from all suffering. / Oneself is one's own protector; / who else indeed could be one's protector? / By having oneself as one's protector, / one attains having oneself as protector. / Oneself is one's own protector; / who else indeed could be one's protector? / Oneself is one's own protector; / nirvāṇa itself draws near. / Chapter Twenty-Three: The Self. // Rather than speaking a hundred verses / consisting of words devoid of benefit, / it is better to hear a single beneficial word / through which one becomes calmed. / Rather than speaking a hundred verses / consisting of words devoid of the Dharma, / it is better to hear a single word of the Dharma / through which one becomes calmed. / Rather than living a hundred years / with bad discipline and an undistracted mind, / it is better to live for a single day / endowed with moral discipline and in meditative equipoise. / Rather than living a hundred years / lacking exertion and full of laziness, / it is better to live for a single day / having aroused steadfast diligence. / Rather than living a hundred years / with faulty understanding and an undistracted mind, / it is better to live for a single day / in meditative equipoise with great wisdom. / Rather than living a hundred years / without seeing arising and decay, / it is better to live for a single day / seeing arising and decay. / Rather than living a hundred years / without seeing the cessation of feeling, / it is better to live for a single day / seeing the cessation of feeling. / Rather than living a hundred years / without seeing the exhaustion of taints, / it is better to live for a single day / seeing the exhaustion of taints. / Rather than living a hundred years / without seeing the unshakeable state,

2.21

it is better to live for a single day / seeing the unshakeable state. / Rather than living a hundred years / without seeing the state difficult to behold, / it is better to live for a single day / seeing the state difficult to behold. / Rather than living a hundred years / without seeing the elevated state, / it is better to live for a single day / seeing the elevated state. / Rather than living a hundred years / without seeing the sublime state, / it is better to live for a single day / seeing the sublime state. / Rather than living a hundred years / without seeing the deathless state, / it is better to live for a single day / seeing the deathless state. / Rather than living a hundred years / without seeing the ambrosial state, / it is better to live for a single day / seeing the ambrosial state. / Rather than living a hundred years / without seeing the dustless state, / it is better to live for a single day / seeing the dustless state. / Rather than living a hundred years / without seeing the dust-free state, / it is better to live for a single day / seeing the dust-free state. / If someone tends to the fire in the forest / for a hundred years, / and someone else pays homage / even for a moment to one who cultivates oneself, / that act of homage is far better; / a hundred years of homa is not suitable. / Whoever eats food on the tip of a blade of kuśa grass / month after month— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of faith in the buddha. / Whoever eats food on the tip of a blade of kuśa grass / month after month— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of faith in the sublime Dharma. / Whoever eats food on the tip of a blade of kuśa grass / month after month— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of faith in the saṅgha. / Whoever eats food on the tip of a blade of kuśa grass / month after month— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part of compassion for sentient

2.22

beings. / Whoever eats food on the tip of a blade of kuśa grass / month after month— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of compassion for living creatures. / Whoever eats food on the tip of a blade of kuśa grass / month after month— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of compassion for beings. / Whoever eats food on the tip of a blade of kuśa grass / month after month— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of cultivating a mind of loving-kindness. / Whoever eats food on the tip of a blade of kuśa grass / month after month— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of the well-spoken sublime Dharma. / Whoever offers a thousand sacrifices / every month for a hundred years— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of faith in the buddha. / Whoever offers a thousand sacrifices / every month for a hundred years— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of faith in the sublime Dharma. / Whoever offers a thousand sacrifices / every month for a hundred years— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of faith in the saṅgha. / Whoever offers a thousand sacrifices / every month for a hundred years— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of compassion for sentient beings. / Whoever offers a thousand sacrifices / every month for a hundred years— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of compassion for living creatures. / Whoever offers a thousand sacrifices / every month for a hundred years— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of compassion for beings. / Whoever offers a thousand sacrifices / every month for a hundred years— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of cultivating a mind of loving-kindness. / Whoever offers a thousand sacrifices / every month for a hundred years— / that cannot match even a sixteenth part / of the well-spoken sublime Dharma. / Whatever homa or small sacrifices / a person desiring merit performs in the world, / they do not equal even a fourth of [the merit of] / one who pays homage with an upright mind.

Translations (1)

Popular Quotations from the Udānavarga — Adam Pearcey 2004, English

Linked texts (1)

Ched du brjod pa'i tshoms (Kangyur, Toh 326) — Classical Tibetan