damapada

1.- The one who lives for sensation
Indulgent in eating
Lazy, and lacking in energy
The tempter Mara* breaks
Just as the wind breaks in frail tree

2.- A wise man should pay attention to this mind,
which is very difficult to perceive.
The mind, well-guarded and controlled,
Will bring him happiness.

3.- A mind out of control will do more harm
Than two angry men engaged in combat.

4.- A well-directed mind creates more well-being
Than the wholesome actions of parents
Toward their children.

5.- Pay no attention to harsh words uttered by others.
Do not be concerned with chat others have or have not done.

6.- “ I have children; I have wealth “,
These are the empty claims of an unwise man.
If he cannot call himself his own,
How can he then claim children and wealth as his own?

7.- It is unwise to do things that bring regret
And require repentance.
To cause suffering of oneself
And a weeping and tearful face.

8.- What a fool hungers for
Is false fame, authority,
Power over others, and generous offerings.
He seeks recognition as a doer.
A wielder of power,
A knower of right and wrong.
His craving and pride are insatiable.

9.- Do not choose bad friends
Do not choose persons of low habits.
Select good friends. Be discriminating.
Choose the best.

10.- As solid rock stands firm in the wind, Even so is a wise man unmoved by praise or blame.


11.- The good certainly cling to nothing.
They do not talk aimlessly, concerned with personals gains.
The wise, the saintly.
Whether experiencing comfort or discomfort
Show neither elation nor depression.

12.- Threatened with danger,
Many go for refuge to gardens, sacred trees, mountains and forests.

13.- A loyal friend is the best relative.

14.- Avoid attachment to both what is pleasant
And what is unpleasant.
Losing the pleasant causes grief.
Dwelling on the unpleasant also causes grief.

15.- The person who reaches the sacred, the inexpressible
Who has permeated his mind with it,
Who is in control of his senses.
Is one bound upstream.

16.- Friends and relatives welcome with joy a loved one,
Returning from abroad after a long absence.
In exactly the same way will the fruits of right action
Welcome the doer as he travels from one life to the next.

17.- Sun anger, let go of pride,
Break out of every shackle.
Whoever is not tied to possessions,
Clinging neither to body nor mind,
Is never in bondage.

18.- This, O Atula,* has been going in through the ages.
They criticize the talkative ones.
The criticize the moderate ones.
There is no one in the world who escapes criticism.

19.- There never was and never will be,
Nor is there now
The wholly criticized
Or the wholly approved.


20.- Avoid rash action.
Be restrained un speech.
Giving up wrong deeds,
Exercise right action.


21.- He is not righteous
Who judges a situation impulsively.

22.- Whoever is aware, conscious of what is,
Choosing wisely
That one can be called a sage.

23.- Until mental intoxicants are fully extinct.

24.- The lazy man, weak in mental discipline,
Indolent, prone to sloth,
Unproductive, and though young and strong,
Failing to move at the right time,
Never finds the road to windows.

25.- If, by giving up lesser comforts,
A greater happiness is to be found,
The wise should give up the lesser comforts
In view of the greater happiness.

26.-I shall bear harsh words
AS the elephant in battle endures arrows,
For I know that most people behave poorly.

27.- Only the tamed person goes there,
On his well-tamed self.

28.- Let go of the past,
Let go of future
Let go of the present.
Proceed to the opposite shore with a free mind,
Leaving behind all conditioned things,
You shall no more fall into birth and decay.