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Dhammapada
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Buddha Gautama (563-483 BC) 1. Choices, "The Dhammapada" Translated from Pali by Thomas Byrom
More random quotes...
W e
are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With
our thoughts we make the world.
"L ook
how he abused me and hurt me, How he threw me down and robbed
me." Live with such thoughts and you live in hate.
"L ook
how he abused me and hurt me, How he threw me down and robbed me."
Abandon such thoughts, and live in love.
S ee
the false as false, The true as true. Look into your heart.
Follow your nature.
H owever
many holy words you read, However many you speak, What good
will they do you If you do not act upon them?
A n
untroubled mind, No longer seeking to consider What is right and
what is wrong, A mind beyond judgements, Watches and understands.
Y our
worst enemy cannot harm you As much as your own thoughts,
unguarded.
B ut
once mastered, No one can help you as much, Not even your father or
your mother.
L ook
to your own faults, What you have done or left undone. Overlook
the faults of others.
I f
the traveler cannot find Master or friend to go with him, Let him
travel alone Rather than with a fool for company.
T he
fool who knows he is a fool Is that much wiser. The fool who
thinks he is wise Is a fool indeed.
D oes
the spoon taste the soup? A fool may live all his life In the
company of a master And still miss the way.
T he
tongue tastes the soup. If you are awake in the presence of a master
One moment will show you the way.
W hy
do what you will regret? Why bring tears upon yourself?
D o
only what you do not regret, And fill yourself with joy.
L ook
not for recognition But follow the awakened And set yourself
free.
T he
wise man tells you Where you have fallen And where you yet may
fall — Invaluable secrets! Follow him, follow the way.
T he
wind cannot shake a mountain. Neither praise nor blame moves the wise
man.
W ant
nothing. Where there is desire, Say nothing.
H appiness
or sorrow — Whatever befalls you, Walk on Untouched,
unattached.
F ew
cross over the river. Most are stranded on this side. On the
riverbank they run up and down.
B ut
the wise man, following the way, Crosses over, beyond the reach of death.
A t
the end of the way The master finds freedom From desire and sorrow
— Freedom without bounds.
T hose
who awaken Never rest in one place. Like swans, they rise
And leave the lake.
T he
master surrenders his beliefs. He sees beyond the end and the
beginning.
B etter
than a thousand hollow words Is one word that brings peace.
B etter
than a thousand hollow verses Is one verse that brings peace.
B etter
than a hundred hollow lines Is one line of the law, bringing peace.
I t
is better to conquer yourself Than to win a thousand battles.
T hen
the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, Not by angels or by
demons, Heaven or hell.
B etter
than a hundred years of mischief Is one day spent in
contemplation.
B etter
than a hundred years of ignorance Is one day spent in reflection.
B etter
than a hundred years of idleness Is one day spent in determination.
B e
quick to do good. If you are slow, The mind, delighting in
mischief, Will catch you.
T urn
away from mischief. Again and again, turn away. Before sorrow
befalls you.
A s
dust thrown against the wind, Mischief is blown back in the face Of
the fool who wrongs the pure and harmless.
N ever
speak harsh words For they will rebound upon you. Angry words
hurt And the hurt rebounds.
L ike
a broken gong Be still, and silent. Know the stillness of
freedom Where there is no more striving.
B elieve,
meditate, see. Be harmless, be blameless. Awake to the
law. And from all sorrows free yourself.
T he
world is on fire! And you are laughing? You are deep in the
dark. Will you not ask for a light?
Y ou
are your only master. Who else? Subdue yourself, And discover
your master.
M ischief
is yours. Sorrow is yours. But virtue is also yours, And
purity.
Y ou
are the source Of all purity and impurity.
N o
one purifies another.
T he
world is in darkness. How few have eyes to see! How few the
birds Who escape the net and fly to heaven!
G reater
than all the joys Of heaven and earth, Greater still and than
dominion Over all the worlds, Is the joy of reaching the stream.
H ard
it is to be born, Hard it is to live, Harder still to hear of the
way, And hard to rise, follow, and awake.
Y et
the reaching is simple. Do what is right. Be pure. At the end of
the way is freedom. Till then, patience.
O ffend
in neither word nor deed. Eat with moderation. Live in your
heart. Seek the highest consciousness.
M aster
yourself according to the law. This is the simple teaching of the
awakened.
L ive
in joy, In love, Even among those who hate.
L ive
in joy, In health, Even among the afflicted.
L ive
in joy, In peace, Even among the troubled.
T he
winner sows hatred Because the loser suffers. Let go of winning
and losing And find joy.
T here
is no fire like passion, No crime like hatred, No sorrow like
separation, No sickness like hunger, And no joy like the joy of
freedom.
H ealth,
contentment and trust Are your greatest possessions, And
freedom your greatest joy.
L ook
within. Be still. Free from fear and attachment, Know the
sweet joy of the way.
H ow
long the road to the man Who travels the road with the fool. But
whoever follows those who follow the way Discovers his family, and is
filled with joy.
D o
not let pleasure distract you From meditation, from the way.
F ree
yourself from pleasure and pain. For in craving pleasure or in nursing
pain There is only sorrow.
L et
go of anger. Let go of pride. When you are bound by nothing
You go beyond sorrow.
W ith
gentleness overcome anger. With generosity overcome meanness.
With truth overcome deceit.
I t
is an old saying — "They blame you for being silent, They blame you
when you talk too much And when you talk too little." Whatever you do,
they blame you.
T he
world always finds A way to praise and a way to blame. It always has
and it always will.
B eware
of the anger of the body. Master the body. Let it serve
truth.
B eware
of the anger of the mouth. Master your words. Let them serve
truth.
B eware
of the anger of the mind. Master your thoughts. Let them serve truth.
T he
wise have mastered Body, word and mind.
T hey
are the true masters.
Y ou
are as the yellow leaf. The messengers of death are at hand. You
are to travel far away. What will you take with you?
L ife
is easy For the man who is without shame, Impudent as a crow,
A vicious gossip, Vain, meddlesome, dissolute.
B ut
life is hard For the man who quietly undertakes The way of
perfection, With purity, detachment and vigor. He sees light.
T here
is no fire like passion. There are no chains like hate. Illusion
is a net, Desire is a rushing river.
D welling
on your brother's faults Multiplies your own.
T he
way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.
Q uietly
consider What is right and what is wrong. Receiving all
opinions equally, Without haste, wisely, Observe the law.
W ho
is wise, The eloquent or the quiet man? Be quiet, And loving
and fearless.
F or
the mind talks. But the body knows.
T he
true master lives in truth, In goodness and restraint,
Non-violence, moderation and purity.
T he
true seeker Subdues all waywardness. He has submitted his nature
to quietness.
H e
is a true seeker Not because he begs But because he follows the lawful
way, Holding back nothing, holding to nothing, Beyond good and
evil, Beyond the body and beyond the mind.
I t
is not good conduct That helps you upon the way, Nor ritual, nor
book learning, Nor withdrawal into the self, Nor deep meditation.
None of these confers mastery or joy.
O
seeker! Rely on nothing Until you want nothing.
A ll
virtue lies in detachment. The master has an open eye.
T his
is the only way, The only way to the opening of the eye. Follow
it. Outwit desire.
F ollow
it to the end of sorrow.
I t
is you who must make the effort. The masters only point the way.
"E verything
arises and passes away." When you see this, you are above
sorrow. This is the shining way.
"E xistence
is sorrow." Understand, and go beyond sorrow. This is the
way of brightness.
"E xistence
is illusion." Understand, and go beyond. This is the way of
clarity.
M aster
your words. Master your thoughts. Never allow your body to do
harm. Follow these three roads with purity And you will find yourself
upon the one way, The way of wisdom.
T here
is pleasure And there is bliss. Forgo the first to possess the
second.
S it.
Rest. Work.
A lone
with yourself, Never weary.
O n
the edge of the forest Live joyfully, Without desire.
D o
what you have to do Resolutely, with all your heart. The traveler
who hesitates Only raises dust on the road.
I t
is better to do nothing Than to do what is wrong. For whatever you
do, you do to yourself.
A wake.
Be the witness of your thoughts. The elephant hauls himself
from the mud. In the same way drag yourself out of your sloth.
I f
you cannot find Friend or master to go with you, Travel on alone
— Like a king who has given away his kingdom, Like an elephant in the
forest.
T ravel
on alone, Rather than with a fool for company.
D o
not carry with you your mistakes. Do not carry your cares.
T ravel
on alone. Like an elephant in the forest.
I f
you sleep, Desire grows in you Like a vine in the forest.
L ike
a monkey in the forest You jump from tree to tree, Never finding the
fruit — From life to life, Never finding peace.
I f
you are filled with desire Your sorrows swell Like the grass after
the rain.
B ut
if you subdue desire Your sorrows shall fall from you Like drops of
water from a lotus flower.
O
seeker! Give up desire, Shake off your chains.
I t
is not iron that imprisons you Nor rope nor wood, But the pleasure
you take in gold and jewels, In sons and wives.
S oft
fetters, Yet they hold you down. Can you snap them?
A bandon
yesterday, and tomorrow, And today. Cross over to the father
shore, Beyond life and death.
T he
end of desire is the end of sorrow.
T he
fool is his own enemy. Seeking wealth, he destroys himself. Seek
rather the other shore.
M aster
your senses, What you taste and smell, What you see, what you
hear.
I n
all things be a master Of what you do and say and think. Be free.
F ollow
the truth of the way. Reflect upon it. Make it your own.
Live it. It will always sustain you.
D o
not turn away what is given you, Nor reach out for what is given to
others, Lest you disturb your quietness.
G ive
thanks For what had been given to you, However little. Be
pure, never falter.
S eeker!
Empty the boat, Lighten the load, Passion and desire and
hatred.
A nd
sail swiftly.
G o
beyond This way or that way, To the farther shore Where the
world dissolves And everything becomes clear.
M editate.
Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work, with mastery.
A
master gives up mischief. He is serene. He leaves everything behind
him.
H e
does not take offence And he does not give it. He never returns evil
for evil.
A las
for the man Who raises his hand against another, And even more
for him Who returns the blow.
R esist
the pleasures of life And the desire to hurt — Till sorrows
vanish.
N ever
offend By what you think or say or do.
D esiring
nothing, doubting nothing, Beyond judgement and sorrow And
the pleasures of the senses, He had moved beyond time. He is pure and
free.
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